Electron-beam switching of thin-film zns electroluminescent devices

An electron beam of moderate current density (∼10-5 A/cm2) and energy (10-16 keV) has been used to change the luminance state of a thin-film ZnS: Mn electroluminescent device having hysteretic or memory-type behavior with respect to applied voltage. The dwell time of the beam required for writing is of the order of 0.05-1 ms, depending upon applied voltage and beam current density. The change in luminance is confined to the area bombarded and persists for hours, decaying approximately as erf(αt-1/2) for 50<t<104 s.