We have developed a surface conduction electron emitter (SCE) for next-generation flat displays. PdO thin films (approximately 10 nm) produced by the ink-jet process were used for forming the surface conduction electron emitter. The films were electroformed and activated while a certain voltage was applied, and an electron emitter with good characteristics was obtained. A current density of approximately 30 mA/cm 2 was attained when an anode voltage of 10 kV was applied. We confirmed operation for 60,000 hours by an acceleration test at a current density of 3 mA/cm 2 . This current density is required for "good brightness" on the surface conduction electron emitter display (SED).• SID 05 DIGEST

We have constructed a small field exposure tool (SFET) in collaboration with EUVA, and shipped out to the Selete (Semiconductor Leading Edge Technologies; Japanese Consortium). The SFET has a field size of 0.6*0.2mm2 and two-mirror type projection optics. This machine is developed not only to assist the resist and mask development, but also to demonstrate manufacturing technologies for the full field tool. In this paper we discuss the SFET performances with aberration and flare of the projection optics and exposure results based on the simulation and exposure results. To fabricate the SFET projection optics, we improved our key manufacturing tools such as the wavefront measurement tool and the ion beam etching equipment (IBF). These machines are proved to be effective on production of the SFET, and will be applicable for the full field machines. We introduce the outline of Canon's activities for full field tool development and the other key technology such as mask handling, contamination protection and it's removal technology studies.

We have developed a 36-inch surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED), consisting of surface conduction electron emitters (SCEs) and a phosphor screen for CRTs. The main features of the prototype are luminance of 400 cd/m 2 , contrast ratio of 10,000: 1 in a dark room, and response time of <1 ms. The SED panel offers sufficient performance for application to TVs.

Abstract— A surface‐conduction electron emitter (SCE) for next‐generation flat‐panel displays has been developed. PdO thin films (approximately 10 nm thick) produced by an ink‐jet process were used to form the surface‐conduction electron emitter. The films were electroformed and activated while a voltage was applied, and an electron emitter with good characteristics was obtained. A current density of approximately 30 mA/cm2 was attained when an anode voltage of 10 kV was applied. Furthermore, a 36‐in. surface‐conduction electron‐emitter display (SED), consisting of SCEs and a phosphor screen similar to that of a CRT, was also developed.

In this article, a 50 nm generation proximity x-ray lithography ͑PXRL͒ system is proposed using shorter wavelengths of exposure light down to around 3 Å. The illumination system uses a mirror at 1°incidence angle such as in the Canon stepper XRA-1000, which can be realized by coating with a fourth or fifth period metal such as Co or Rh. The resist containing chemical elements such as Cl, S, P, Si, and Br whose x-ray absorption edge lies in the wavelength band of the exposure light can yield a strong absorption using this system. Therefore, a resist material containing such elements is highly sensitive when applied to the 50 nm system. The average wavelength of power absorbed by the resist depends on the elements contained in the resist. This suggests that the resolution limits also depend on the resist material even for the same exposure system. Therefore, this system should be extendible down to the 35 nm generation by using such a resist and a thick diamond mask membrane. The system described assumes that the mask-wafer gap is the currently available 10 m. In the future, an additional gain in resolution can be expected from a narrower gap. With these improvements, it is foreseeable that PXRL technology can be applied to the 20 nm regime, down to the operational limits of silicon devices at room temperature.