What is "field emission display"

n. (context electronics English) a flat panel display technology that uses large-area field electron sources to provide electrons that strike coloured phosphors to produce a colour image. In a general sense, an FED consists of a matrix of cathode ray tubes, each tube producing a single sub-pixel, grouped in threes to form red-green-blue (RGB) pixels.

A field emission display (FED) is a flat panel display technology that uses large-area field electron emission sources to provide electrons that strike colored phosphor to produce a color image. In a general sense, an FED consists of a matrix of cathode ray tubes, each tube producing a single sub-pixel, grouped in threes to form red-green-blue (RGB) pixels. FEDs combine the advantages of CRTs, namely their high contrast levels and very fast response times, with the packaging advantages of LCD and other flat panel technologies. They also offer the possibility of requiring less power, about half that of an LCD system.

Sony was the major proponent of the FED design and put considerable research and development effort into the system during the 2000s. Sony's FED efforts started winding down in 2009 as LCD became the dominant flat panel technology. In January 2010, AU Optronics announced that it acquired essential FED assets from Sony and intends to continue development of the technology.

FEDs are closely related to another developing display technology, the surface-conduction electron-emitter display, or SED, differing primarily in details of the electron emission system.