Europeans Form Network

-- Semiconductor International, 10/1/1999

A new European network aims to bring together industry officials and academic researchers working in field emission. Many European universities and companies, such as Ceravision and Printable Field Emitters, are developing novel ideas for field emitter displays (FEDs). But except for PixTech, Europe lags behind the U.S. and Asia in investment.

The network, EuroFE, will concentrate on European applications of FED technologies. It hopes to combine existing European technologies with basic physics to enhance the European effort in the field, where development is needed in two major areas: manufacturers need to enhance the lifetimes and brightness of existing displays; and more basic research is needed to develop new materials, such as diamond-like carbon, and new emitters, such as nanotubes. Basic mechanisms of field emission also need to be investigated for the development of improved displays.

EuroFE has three immediate aims:

• Establishment of a virtual Internet community offering information on all aspects of field emission, including conferences, researchers, manufacturers, patents and theses. The Web site is:
  www.cmp-cientifica.com/EuroFE.
• Organization of conferences and workshops to promote interaction among those active in field emission R&D. The first workshop, EuroFE '99, will be in Toledo, Spain, Nov. 15-19, focusing on all field emission applications.
• Designation of a European policy, as there now is little or no coordination among those active in this field. Officials say it is essential to produce a snapshot of the state of European R&D to evaluate potentially valuable technology areas and work to resolve technological bottlenecks.