Active Interest for Multimedia with Field-Emission Display

Objective

The objective of AIMFED is to develop an industrial technology for the mass production of colour flat-panel display based on field emission (FED). For this purpose a consortium of organisations with very strong qualifications in the area FEDs has been assembled around Pixel International, a European Star-up founded for the commercial exploitation of FED technology.

Flat-panel display users including Olivetti, a world-leading company in the area of personal microsystems, as well as Alcatel Business Systems, Alenia, and Siab, will define the requirement specification for the displays, with technical as well as cost objectives.

Within AIMFED, all elemental technologies for FEDs will be enhanced to established a strong base for industrial exploitation. This involves advancing the state of the art no only process technologies, but equipment and materials technologies as well.

Processes technology development for anode and cathode will be lead by LETI, which holds a very strong set of patents for FED technology. The LETI technology will be further developed with contribution in the area of plasma etching by FhG-ISit, and installation of the technology in a pilot line by Pixel International.

Mix-mode custom IC technology at MIETEC will be used to design the drivers to generate anode and cathode control signals from image data coming from the Microsystem.

Large-area FEDs set high challenges for mainstream microelectronics lithography techniques. As it is likely that optical reduction stepper technology will not be economical for low-cost FEDs, AIMFED is proposing to advance the very promising equipment technology combination of Holtronic's holographic 1X printing equipment and Micronic's large area mask making equipment to bring an economical solution to the lithography requirements of large area FEDs.

High performance, long-life FEDs will require progress in the areas of phosphor and getter technologies. AIMFED includes the participation of Rhone Poulenc, know as a world leader in the area of rare earth materials for phosphor applications, and Saes Getter, the undisputed Number 1 world supplier of getter for CRTs.

Relying on cooperation within a very competent team with undisputed background know-how, the goal of AIMFED is to demonstrate pilot prototype capability for of 12" Colour XGA displays (or equivalent) within 24 months from project start.

Fields of science

• humanities › arts › modern and contemporary art › radio and television
• engineering and technology › materials engineering › colors
• natural sciences › physical sciences › electromagnetism and electronics › microelectronics

Programme(s)

• FP3-ESPRIT 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of information technologies, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

Data not available

Coordinator

PIXEL INTERNATIONAL

Address

Avenue Victoire
13106 Rousset
France

Participants (11)

ALCATEL BUSINESS SYSTEMS

France

Address

12 Rue De La Baume
75008 Paris

Alenia Spazio SpA

Italy

Address

Via Pile 60
77100 L'aquila

Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA)

France

Address

Centre D'études De Grenoble 17 Avenue Des Martyrs
38041 Grenoble

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderungder Angewandten Forschung e.V.

Germany

Address

Dillenburgerstrasse
14199 Berlin

HOLTRONIC TECHNOLOGIES

Switzerland

Address

12b,champs-montants
2074 Marin

Ingegneria C Olivetti and Co SpA

Italy

Address

Via G Jervis
10015 Ivrea

MICRONIC LASER SYSTEMS

Sweden

Address

, 3141
18303 Stockholm

Mietec N.V.

Belgium

Address

Westerring 15
9700 Oudenaarde

Rhône-Poulenc SA

France

Address

25 Quai Paul Doumer
92408 Courbevoie

Saes Getter

Italy

Address

Via Gallarate 215-217
20151 Milano

Siab Italia

Italy

Address

Stradale Torino 603
10090 San Bernardo Ivrea