JP2001216888A - Method and device for manufacturing field-emissive display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for manufacturing a field-emissive display, capable of forming emitters arranged regularly at proper distances with high accuracy and high throughput, without requiring expensive devices, and a complicated optical system. SOLUTION: Parallel laser beams from a laser irradiation head 14 are made incident on a condenser lens 18 with a microlens and are condensed by plural microlenses 18a that are arranged regularly in a matrix form, and plural laser spots 22 are formed in batch on a surface of a glass board 16 with a thin film. Openings 24 of approximately 1 μm diameter are arranged regularly in the matrix form on the thin film 16b of the glass board 16. Then conical emitters of sizes 1 μm or smaller are formed in plural openings 24, by using a conventional manufacturing method.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for forming fine emitters (electron emission portions) of a field emission display on a substrate in a regular arrangement. It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, in a field emission display, as shown in FIG. 4, an emitter electrode film 32 is formed on a glass substrate 30 as a base plate, and for example, Mo (molybdenum) is formed on the emitter electrode film 32. )
A large number of emitters 34 made of such metals are arranged in a matrix. These emitters 34 are typically in the form of a sharp cone having a size of 1 μm or less. A gate electrode film 38 is formed on the emitter electrode film 32 around these emitters 34 via an insulating layer 36.
Are formed.

Further, a glass substrate 30 as a base plate having an emitter 34 and the like formed on such an upper surface.
A glass substrate 40 as a face plate is provided facing upward, and a lower surface of the glass substrate 40 is coated with a phosphor 42.

A glass substrate 30 as a base plate and a glass substrate 40 as a face plate
Are separated from each other by a spacer 44, and the space is a vacuum gap at a predetermined interval. By applying a positive voltage to the gate electrode film 38 to apply a strong electric field to the emitter 34 having a sharp cone, electrons are emitted from the tip into the vacuum gap and emitted from these emitters 34. The phosphor 42 emits light in response to the impact of the patterned electrons.

In the above-described field emission display, the fact that the emitters 34 for emitting electrons are formed on the glass substrate 30 in a regular arrangement prevents the emitters 34 from being damaged during the operation of the field emission display. This is a very important factor in suppressing the occurrence of uneven brightness and improving the brightness.

[0006] Accordingly, the manufacturing process of the above-mentioned conventional field emission display, particularly, the method of forming the emitter will be described below. There are various methods for forming the emitter. Here, a case where a rotary evaporation method, which is one of typical methods, is used will be described.

First, an emitter electrode film 32, an insulating layer 36, and a gate electrode film 38 are sequentially formed on a glass substrate 30 as a base plate. Subsequently, the gate electrode film 38 and the insulating layer 36 are selectively removed by etching using a resist pattern formed using a photolithography process as a mask, thereby forming gate openings arranged regularly in a matrix. Thereafter, a sacrifice layer made of alumina or the like is spin-deposited at a shallow angle with respect to the glass substrate 30, and the top and side surfaces of the gate electrode film 38 are covered with the sacrifice layer.

Subsequently, a metal such as Mo is vertically deposited on the glass substrate 30. Thus, on the emitter electrode film 32 in the gate opening, for example, the emitter 3 made of a metal such as Mo having a sharp cone with a size of 1 μm or less is formed.
4 is formed. After that, the sacrificial layer is etched away,
Unnecessary metal such as Mo deposited on the sacrificial layer is removed.

Thus, on the emitter electrode film 32 on the glass substrate 30 as a base plate, an emitter 34 made of Mo or the like, which is regularly arranged in a matrix and has a sharp cone of 1 μm or less, is formed.
Subsequent steps are directly related to the present invention, and thus description thereof is omitted.

[0010]

As described above, in the field emission display manufacturing process, the glass substrate 30 is used as a precedent for forming the fine conical emitters 34 having a sharp cone on the glass substrate 30 in a regular arrangement. It is necessary to form fine openings regularly arranged in the upper emitter formation region, and it is necessary to form a pattern therefor.

However, since the size of the emitter 34 is usually 1 μm or less as described above, a conventional LCD (Liquor
id Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Pane)
l) A method of transferring a predetermined mask pattern onto a resist film using a mask and an exposure machine, which is employed in a method of manufacturing a flat display such as that described above, requires a transfer accuracy of about several μm. It is impossible due to its accuracy.

Further, it is possible to transfer a mask pattern of 1 μm or less using a high-resolution exposure apparatus (stepper) used for manufacturing a normal semiconductor device. Equipment (stepper)
In addition to being very expensive, it is not practical because of the reduced throughput when manufacturing field emission displays that have a very large area compared to semiconductor devices.

As a method for forming a pattern without using a mask, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-106774 proposes a "field emission display and a method for manufacturing the same". The method of manufacturing this field emission display is to deposit micro-spheres electrostatically charged in a random pattern on a thin film and give a certain degree of self-adjustment type sensory control by Coulomb repulsion to achieve an approximately uniform density. Then, using these charged microspheres as a mask for etching, pattern formation is performed in a self-aligned manner.

However, in the method of manufacturing a field emission display according to the above proposal, in addition to the complicated manufacturing process, it is difficult to form all the emitters in a regular arrangement while maintaining an appropriate interval. In some cases, an emitter closer than a desired distance is formed. If the distance between the emitters is smaller than a desired distance, a micro-arc is generated between adjacent emitters during the operation of the field emission display, which may damage the emitters.

[0015] Similarly, a method of forming a pattern without using a mask is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-7444.
No. 8 proposes a "method and apparatus for forming a pattern in a photoresist by continuous laser irradiation applied to the production of a microtip cathode emission electron source and a flat display screen". This patterning method comprises the steps of (1) translating microlenses arranged in a linear array and irradiating the photoresist with a parallel line at a dose half that required for its development, and (2) After rotating the translation direction by 90 °, the microlenses arranged in a linear array are translated again, and the photoresist is irradiated in a parallel line at a dose of half of the dose required for its development, (3) The photoresist at the intersection of the two parallel lines illuminated in the two translational directions will receive the dose required for its development, resulting in a pattern at that intersection.

However, in the pattern forming method according to the above proposal, although it is possible to form regularly arranged emitters, microlenses arranged in a linear array are moved or rotated with high precision. Since a mechanism is required, an optical system including such a driving mechanism becomes very complicated. Then, there is a possibility that a defect may occur due to an error in accuracy due to the movement or the like.
Further, since it is necessary to translate the microlenses arranged in a linear array in two directions, it takes a long time to manufacture a large-screen display such as a flat display, and the throughput is significantly reduced. That is not practical.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and does not require an expensive apparatus or a complicated optical system. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display that can be formed with high accuracy and high throughput.

[0018]

The above object is achieved by the following method and apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the present invention. That is, a method of manufacturing a field emission display according to claim 1 includes a first step of forming a predetermined thin film on a substrate, and using a laser beam to convert the laser beam into a parallel laser beam by a predetermined optical system. And then collects or diffracts the parallel laser beam to collectively form a plurality of laser spots of a predetermined size on the thin film on the substrate, and forms a plurality of openings in the thin film. Process and
A third step of forming an emitter in each of the plurality of openings formed in the thin film.

As described above, in the method of manufacturing a field emission display according to the first aspect, the laser beam is converted into a parallel laser beam by a predetermined optical system using a laser beam having excellent light condensing properties. By collimating or diffracting parallel laser beams and forming a plurality of laser spots of a predetermined size on the thin film on the substrate at once, a regular arrangement with a plurality of openings at appropriate intervals so,
It is formed with high accuracy and high throughput. Therefore, by forming the emitters in the plurality of openings, the emitters arranged at regular intervals with appropriate intervals can be realized with high accuracy and high throughput. In addition, at this time, very expensive equipment such as a high-resolution exposure apparatus (stepper) used for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and a very complicated optical system including a mechanism for performing high-precision movement and rotation are used. Since there is no need for a system, the occurrence of defects due to an increase in cost and an error in accuracy is prevented.

It is also possible to use ultraviolet rays or X-rays instead of using the laser beam according to the first aspect. In this case, since the wavelength of the ultraviolet light or the X-ray is shorter than that of the laser beam, a smaller spot can be formed, so that the regularly arranged emitters are formed with higher definition.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a field emission display manufacturing apparatus, comprising: a laser unit for emitting a laser beam; a laser irradiation head for converting a laser beam from the laser unit into a parallel laser beam; A plurality of laser spots are collectively formed on a thin film on a substrate by converging a parallel laser beam from the substrate, and a plurality of microlenses for forming a plurality of openings in the thin film are arranged. And a condenser lens with a lens.

Thus, in the apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the third aspect, a laser beam having excellent light-collecting properties and a condensing lens with microlenses having a plurality of existing microlenses are used. By converging parallel laser beams and forming a plurality of laser spots collectively on a thin film on a substrate, it is possible to cope with the arrangement of a plurality of micro lenses in a micro lens condensing lens. In addition, a plurality of openings arranged at regular intervals with appropriate intervals are formed with high accuracy and high throughput. Therefore, when the emitters are formed in the plurality of openings, the emitters arranged at regular intervals while maintaining an appropriate interval can be realized with high accuracy and high throughput. Moreover, an increase in cost is prevented as compared with a case where a very expensive apparatus such as a high-resolution exposure apparatus (stepper) used for manufacturing a normal semiconductor device is used. In addition, when compared with a case where a very complicated optical system including a mechanism for moving or rotating a plurality of microlenses with high precision is required, a defect caused by an error in accuracy due to movement or the like is required. Occurrence and a decrease in throughput are prevented.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the field emission display manufacturing apparatus according to the third aspect, further comprising a converging lens focus unit for adjusting a focus position of the microlens condensing lens. With this configuration, the size of the plurality of laser spots formed collectively on the thin film by the condensing lens with microlenses is adjusted using this converging lens focus unit, so that the plurality of laser spots formed on the thin film are adjusted. The openings, and hence the emitters formed in these openings, are easily and precisely controlled to a desired size.

[0024]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a system configuration of a field emission display manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a laser spot by a condenser lens with a microlens of the field emission display manufacturing apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the formation of a laser spot, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a laser spot portion in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the field emission display manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment, a laser beam from the laser unit 10 is A laser irradiation head 14 for converting into a parallel laser beam is connected.

A plurality of microlenses for converging a parallel laser beam from the laser irradiation head 14 and collectively forming a plurality of laser spots on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film are arranged. A condenser lens 18 with a micro lens is provided.

The condenser lens 16 with microlenses has a condenser lens focus unit 20 for adjusting the focus position of the condenser lens 16 with microlenses.
Is attached.

Next, the operation of the field emission display manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a laser beam is generated in the laser unit 10, and the laser beam emitted from the laser unit 10 is guided to the laser irradiation head 14 via the optical fiber 12. In the laser irradiation head 14, the laser beam from the laser unit 10 is converted into a parallel laser beam and emitted.

As shown in FIG. 2, the parallel laser beam emitted from the laser irradiation head 14 is incident on a condenser lens 18 with microlenses, and is regularly applied to the condenser lens 18 with microlenses, for example, in a matrix. Light is condensed by the plurality of microlenses 18a arranged. Thus, a plurality of laser spots 22 are collectively formed on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with the thin film.

At this time, the plurality of laser spots 22 formed collectively on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with the thin film correspond to the regular arrangement of the plurality of microlenses 18a in the condensing lens 18 with microlenses in a matrix. Thus, they are regularly arranged in a matrix.

At the same time, the focus position of the condenser lens with microlenses 18 is adjusted by the condenser lens focusing unit 20 to form a plurality of laser spots 22 formed on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film in a desired manner. The size is controlled, for example, to a size of about 1 μm in diameter.

In this way, as shown in FIG.
In the thin film 16b of the glass substrate 16 with the thin film 16b formed on the glass substrate 16a, openings 24 having a diameter of about 1 μm are regularly arranged and formed in a matrix.

Thereafter, although not shown, a conventional manufacturing method, for example, the above-described rotary evaporation method or the like is used to fill the opening 24 having a diameter of about 1 μm formed in the thin film 16b of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film. Forming a sharp conical emitter less than 1 μm in size. The emitters thus formed are regularly arranged in a matrix with high definition.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by utilizing the existing technology such as the laser beam having excellent light condensing properties and the microlens condensing lens 18 in which a plurality of microlenses 18a are arranged, Plurality of micro lenses 18 in condenser lens 18 with micro lenses
The thin film 1 of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film corresponding to the arrangement of
6b, a plurality of openings 24 regularly arranged in a matrix can be formed. Therefore, when emitters are formed in these openings 24, the glass substrate 16a
The emitters formed above are regularly and precisely arranged in a matrix. Therefore, during operation of the field emission display, it is possible to prevent the emitter that emits electrons from being damaged, suppress occurrence of luminance unevenness, and improve luminance.

Moreover, such a glass substrate 1 with a thin film
The step of forming a plurality of openings 24 in the thin film 16b of No. 6 and further forming an emitter in these openings 24 does not add any new step to the conventional manufacturing process. It is a very simple manufacturing process that does not cause increase or complexity.

A plurality of apertures 24 regularly arranged in a matrix for forming an emitter of a field emission display use a condensing lens 18 with microlenses in which a plurality of microlenses 18a are arranged. Since they are collectively formed, the throughput at that time is extremely high, and the throughput of the entire process of forming the emitter can be improved.

The condenser lens focus unit 20
By adjusting the focus position of the condenser lens 18 with a micro lens using
6 A plurality of laser spots 2 formed collectively on the surface
2 can be controlled to a desired size, so that the opening 24 formed in the thin film 16b, and hence the emitter formed in the opening 24, can be controlled to a desired high-definition size. .

Further, a condenser lens 18 with a micro lens
By changing the shape and arrangement of the plurality of microlenses 18a, the size and arrangement of the plurality of laser spots 22 formed collectively on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film are changed. The pod arrangement can be freely controlled.

The apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the present embodiment includes relatively inexpensive optical components such as a laser unit 10, a laser irradiation head 14, a condenser lens 18 with a microlens, and a condenser lens focus unit 20. And very expensive optical systems such as high-resolution exposure equipment (steppers) used for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, and very complex optical systems including mechanisms for high-precision movement and rotation. Since it is not required, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects and a decrease in throughput due to an increase in cost, an error in accuracy, and the like.

In the above embodiment, a plurality of laser spots 22 are collectively formed on the surface of the glass substrate 16 with a thin film by condensing a laser beam using the condenser lens 18 with a micro lens. However, similar laser spots may be formed by utilizing the diffraction of a laser beam instead of focusing the laser beam. Instead of using a laser beam, UV rays (Ultra Violet Rays; ultraviolet rays) or X-rays having a shorter wavelength than the laser beam may be used.

[0041]

As described above in detail, according to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. That is, according to the method for manufacturing a field emission display according to claim 1, by using a laser beam having an excellent light-collecting property, a predetermined optical system converges or diffracts a parallel laser beam to form a beam on a substrate. By simultaneously forming a plurality of laser spots of a predetermined size on a thin film, it is possible to form a plurality of openings in the thin film with high accuracy and high throughput in a regular arrangement with appropriate spacing. become.
For this reason, by forming the emitters in these plural openings, it is possible to realize the emitters arranged at regular intervals while maintaining an appropriate interval with high accuracy and high throughput. Therefore, during operation of the field emission display, it is possible to prevent the emitter that emits electrons from being damaged, suppress occurrence of luminance unevenness, and improve luminance. Moreover, at this time, there is no need for an extremely expensive apparatus such as a high-resolution exposure apparatus (stepper) or an extremely complicated optical system including a mechanism for performing high-precision movement and rotation. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects and a decrease in throughput due to an increase in cost, an error in accuracy, and the like.

According to the method for manufacturing a field emission display according to the second aspect, instead of using the laser beam in the method for manufacturing a field emission display according to the first aspect, ultraviolet light or a laser having a shorter wavelength than the laser light is used. By using X-rays, it is possible to form even smaller spots with higher precision than in the case of the above-described claim 1, so that the regularly arranged emitters can be formed with higher definition.

Further, according to the apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the third aspect, a laser beam excellent in light condensing property and a condensing lens with microlenses having a plurality of existing microlenses are used. By condensing parallel laser beams and forming a plurality of laser spots on the thin film on the substrate at one time, an appropriate mode corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of microlenses in the condensing lens with microlenses. It is possible to form a plurality of openings regularly arranged with the interval maintained with high accuracy and high throughput. For this reason, the emitters are formed in the plurality of openings, and the emitters arranged at regular intervals with appropriate intervals can be realized with high accuracy and high throughput. Therefore, during operation of the field emission display, it is possible to prevent the emitter that emits electrons from being damaged, suppress occurrence of luminance unevenness, and improve luminance. Moreover, an increase in cost can be prevented as compared with a case where a very expensive apparatus such as a high-resolution exposure apparatus (stepper) used for manufacturing a normal semiconductor device is used. In addition, when compared with the case where a very complicated optical system including a mechanism for moving or rotating a plurality of microlenses with high precision is required, errors due to accuracy and the like accompanying movement and the like are caused. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of defects and a decrease in throughput.

According to the apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the fourth aspect, in the apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to the third aspect, a condenser lens focus for adjusting a focus position of a condenser lens with a microlens. By having the unit, it becomes possible to adjust the size of a plurality of laser spots which are collectively formed on the thin film by the condensing lens with a microlens. Further, the emitters formed in the plurality of openings can be easily and accurately controlled to have a desired size.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a system configuration of an apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view for explaining formation of a laser spot by a condenser lens with a microlens of the apparatus for manufacturing the field emission display of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of a laser spot portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing a field emission display.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 laser unit, 12 optical fiber, 14
... Laser irradiation head, 16 ... Glass substrate with thin film, 1
6a: glass substrate, 16b: thin film, 18: condensing lens with micro lens, 18a: micro lens,
20: Focusing lens focus unit, 22: Laser spot, 24: Opening, 30: Glass substrate as base plate, 32: Emitter electrode film, 34
... Emitter, 36 ... Insulating layer, 38 ... Gate electrode film,
40: a glass substrate as a face plate, 42:
... phosphor, 44 ... spacer.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first step of forming a predetermined thin film on a substrate, using a laser beam, converting the laser beam into a parallel laser beam by a predetermined optical system, and further condensing the parallel laser beam. Or a second step in which a plurality of laser spots of a predetermined size are collectively formed on the thin film on the substrate by diffraction, respectively, and a plurality of openings are formed in the thin film; A third step of forming an emitter in each of the formed plurality of openings, and a method of manufacturing a field emission display. 2. A method for manufacturing a field emission display, comprising using ultraviolet rays or X-rays instead of using the laser beam according to claim 1. 3. A laser unit for emitting a laser beam, a laser irradiation head for converting a laser beam from the laser unit into a parallel laser beam, and a parallel laser beam from the laser irradiation head condensing on a substrate. A plurality of laser spots are collectively formed on the thin film, and a plurality of microlenses for forming a plurality of openings in the thin film are provided. Field emission display manufacturing apparatus. 4. The apparatus for manufacturing a field emission display according to claim 3, further comprising: a condenser lens focus unit for adjusting a focus position of the condenser lens with a micro lens.