JP2002334651A - Manufacturing method of electron source and image forming device, electron source manufacturing device, and electrifying method for conductor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method of an electron source suitable for a mass-production with improved manufacturing speed, disusing a large vacuum chamber and an exhaust equipment for high-vacuum. SOLUTION: For the manufacturing method of the electron source, furnishing an electron emitting function to the electron source by electrifying conductors (a conductor 6 as an electron emitting element, X-direction wiring 7 made of conductive material, Y-direction wiring 8, and a take-out wiring 30), arranged on a base board 10 under an airtight atmosphere, a first sealing member 62 is fixed on the base board 10 so as to surround the conductor excluding a part of the conductor (take-out wiring 30), and an envelope 12 is put on the first sealing member 62 so as to cover the conductor excluding the take-out wiring 30 to create an airtight atmosphere by the base board 10 and the envelope 12, and electricity is applied through the take-out wiring 30, and the envelope 12 is removed from the base board 10 after furnishing the electron emitting function to the conductor 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electron source for imparting an electron emission function to a conductor by subjecting the conductor to an electric current, a method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus using the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a source and a method for energizing a conductor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of electron-emitting devices using a thermionic electron-emitting device and a cold-cathode electron-emitting device are known. The cold cathode electron-emitting devices include a field emission type, a metal / insulating layer / metal type, and a surface conduction type electron-emitting device.

[0003] The surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes the phenomenon that electron emission occurs when a current flows in a small-area thin film formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface.

The present applicant has made a number of proposals regarding a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a novel structure and its application. The basic configuration and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-7-235255 and JP-A-8-171849.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device has a pair of opposing element electrodes on a substrate, and a conductive film connected to the pair of element electrodes and having an electron-emitting portion in a part thereof. It is characterized by the following. Further, a crack is formed in a part of the conductive film. Further, a deposited film mainly containing at least one of carbon and a carbon compound is formed at an end of the crack.

By arranging a plurality of such electron-emitting devices on a substrate and connecting the electron-emitting devices by wiring, an electron source having a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices can be produced.

Further, a display panel of an image forming apparatus can be formed by combining the above-mentioned electron source with a phosphor substrate.

Conventionally, such an electron source has been manufactured as follows.

That is, as a first manufacturing method, first, on a substrate, a plurality of elements each including a conductive film and a pair of element electrodes connected to the conductive film, and a wiring connecting the plurality of elements are formed. To form an electron source substrate on which is formed. Next, the entire prepared electron source substrate is placed in a vacuum chamber. Next, after the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated, a voltage is applied to each of the above elements through an external terminal to form a crack in the conductive film of each element (hereinafter, forming a crack in the conductive film of each element is called forming). Process)). Further, a gas containing an organic substance is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a voltage is again applied to each of the elements through an external terminal under an atmosphere in which the organic substance is present, thereby depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the crack (hereinafter, referred to as a carbon compound). Depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the crack is referred to as activation treatment).

In a second manufacturing method, first, a plurality of devices each including a conductive film and a pair of device electrodes connected to the conductive film are formed on a substrate, and a wiring connecting the plurality of devices is formed. To form an electron source substrate on which is formed. Next, the panel of the image display device is created by joining the created electron source substrate and the substrate on which the phosphor is arranged with the support frame interposed therebetween. Thereafter, the inside of the panel is evacuated through an exhaust pipe of the panel, and a voltage is applied to each of the above elements through external terminals of the panel to form cracks in the conductive film of each element (forming process). Further, a gas containing an organic substance is introduced into the panel through the exhaust pipe, and a voltage is again applied to each of the elements through an external terminal under an atmosphere in which the organic substance is present to deposit carbon or a carbon compound near the crack. (Activation process).

[0011]

The above-mentioned manufacturing method has been adopted. However, the first manufacturing method is, in particular, as the substrate of the electron source becomes larger, a larger vacuum chamber and an exhaust device compatible with high vacuum. Is required.

Further, according to the second manufacturing method, the space inside the panel of the image forming apparatus is very narrow (usually several mm in the case of a panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device). It takes a long time to introduce a gas containing an organic substance into the space inside the panel.

Therefore, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electron source suitable for mass production without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device, and improving the manufacturing speed.
And an apparatus for manufacturing the same.

Further, the present invention improves the manufacturing speed of an image forming apparatus constructed by maintaining vacuum tightness by using an electron source and a substrate having an image forming member such as a phosphor, so that an image forming apparatus suitable for mass productivity can be provided. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a device.

Further, the present invention provides a method for inspecting a conductor to which an arbitrary function has been added, for example, without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device. It is an object of the present invention to provide an energization method for energizing in an airtight atmosphere.

[0016]

The structure of the present invention to achieve the above object is as follows.

That is, according to the present invention, there is provided a step of fixing a first airtight member on a substrate on which a conductor is disposed so as to surround the conductor except for a part of the conductor; On the hermetic member, a step of contacting a container so as to cover the conductor except for the part of the conductor, forming an airtight atmosphere between the substrate and the container, and energizing from the part of the conductor. A method of providing an electron emitting function to a part of the conductor covered by the container, and a step of removing the container from the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment of the method for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention, the conductive material includes a wiring and a conductive film formed with an electron emission portion connected to the wiring. "Having a plurality of the conductive films", "the plurality of conductive films are connected in a matrix by the wiring", "the energization is performed under a reduced pressure atmosphere", "the The energization is performed in a reducing gas atmosphere "," the reducing gas is hydrogen "," the energization is performed in an atmosphere in which an organic substance is present ",
“The energization includes a first energization step in a reducing gas atmosphere and a second energization step in an atmosphere in which an organic substance is present.” “The container has a gas inlet and a gas outlet. Having a container "," the first hermetic member is made of frit glass "," the first hermetic member is
An adhesive and a supporting frame bonded and arranged on the substrate by the adhesive, "the adhesive is frit glass," the adhesive is indium or an alloy thereof, "the 1) disposing a second hermetic member between the first hermetic member and the container, and "using an organic elastic body as the second hermetic member".

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus having a joining step of joining an electron source and a substrate on which an image forming member is disposed, wherein the electron source is an electron source of the present invention. A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus characterized by being manufactured by a manufacturing method.

The method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes:
As a preferred embodiment, “using a third hermetic member in the bonding step”, “before the bonding step,
Having a cleaning step of removing the container from the substrate of the electron source and cleaning the first hermetic member ";
(Using methyl ethyl ketone), "using HFE (hydrofluoroether) in the cleaning step", "using MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) and HFE (hydrofluoroether) in the cleaning step", "using the electron Source
Bonding with the substrate on which the image forming member is arranged is performed on the first hermetic member. "

According to the present invention, there is also provided an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source used in the method for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention, comprising: a support means for supporting a substrate on which the conductor is disposed by an electrostatic chuck; A manufacturing apparatus for an electron source, comprising: a container; and means for setting a predetermined atmosphere in the container in a state where the container is in contact with the first hermetic member. It is desirable to have a means for energizing the conductor.

Further, the present invention provides a step of fixing a first hermetic member on a substrate on which a conductor is disposed so as to surround the conductor except for a part of the conductor, and On the hermetic member, a step of contacting a container so as to cover the conductor except for the part of the conductor, forming an airtight atmosphere between the substrate and the container, and energizing from the part of the conductor. And a step of removing the container from the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment, the method for energizing a conductor according to the present invention includes a method in which a second airtight member is disposed in a region of the container in contact with the first airtight member. "," A part of the conductor covered by the container has an electron emission function, emits electrons by the energization, and inspects the electron emission function "," The energization is performed under reduced pressure. Performed in an atmosphere ”.

[0024]

Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

According to the method of manufacturing an electron source of the present invention, an electric current is applied to a conductor disposed on a substrate in an airtight atmosphere to give an electron emission function to a part of the conductor to form an electron emission element. It is.

As the electron-emitting device applicable to the present invention, the surface conduction electron-emitting device described above is particularly suitable.
Therefore, a surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described below as an example.

In the case where a surface conduction electron-emitting device is obtained by subjecting a conductor to an energizing treatment, such a conductor is
For example, an element having a conductive film between a pair of electrodes can be used.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of a surface conduction electron-emitting device applicable to the present invention.
4 is a plan view, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. 4A. In FIG. 4, 10 is a substrate (base), 2 and 3 are electrodes (element electrodes), 4 is a conductive film, 29
Is a carbon film, 5 is a gap between the carbon films 29, and G is a gap between the conductive films 4.

Examples of the substrate 10 include quartz glass, glass having a reduced impurity content such as Na, blue plate glass, a laminate obtained by laminating SiO ₂ on a blue plate glass by sputtering or the like.
Ceramics such as alumina and a Si substrate can be used.

The materials of the opposing device electrodes 2 and 3 are as follows.
General conductor materials can be used, for example, Ni, C
metals or alloys such as r, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd and Pd, Ag, Au, RuO ₂ , Pd
Metal or metal oxide and printed conductor composed of glass or the like, such as -ag, is appropriately selected from a semiconductor conductive materials such as transparent conductor and polysilicon or the like In ₂ O ₃ -SnO _2.

Element electrode interval, element electrode length, conductive film 4
Is designed in consideration of the applied form and the like. The device electrode interval can be preferably in the range of several hundred nm to several hundred μm, and more preferably several μm to several tens μm in consideration of the voltage applied between the device electrodes.
In the range.

The length of the device electrode can be in the range of several μm to several hundred μm in consideration of the resistance value of the electrode and the electron emission characteristics. The film thickness of the device electrodes 2 and 3 is several tens nm to several μm.
m.

In addition to the configuration shown in FIG.
A configuration in which the conductive film 4 and the opposing element electrodes 2 and 3 are laminated in this order on 0 may be adopted.

The main materials constituting the conductive film 4 include:
For example, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, C
u, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb, _{etc., PdO, SnO 2, In 2} O 3, PbO, oxides such as _{Sb 2 O 3, HfB 2,} ZrB 2, LaB 6, CeB ₆ , YB
_4, GdB boride such as _{4, TiC, ZrC, HfC,} Ta
Carbides such as C, SiC, WC, TiN, ZrN, Hf
Examples include nitrides such as N, semiconductors such as Si and Ge, and carbon.

As the conductive film 4, a fine particle film composed of fine particles is preferably used in order to obtain good electron emission characteristics. The film thickness is appropriately set in consideration of step coverage for the device electrodes 2 and 3, a resistance value between the device electrodes 2 and 3, a forming condition described later, and the like. The thickness of the conductive film 4 is preferably several to several hundreds of nm, and a film formed with a resistance value Rs of 10 ² to 10 ⁷ Ω / □ is preferably used. . Rs is a resistance R measured in the length direction of a thin film having a width of w and a length of l.
Is set as R = Rs (l / w). The film thickness showing the above-mentioned resistance value is in the range of about 5 nm to 50 nm, and in this film thickness range, the thin film of each material has the form of a fine particle film. The fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated, and has a fine structure not only in a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also in a state in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlap each other (some fine particles may To form an island-like structure as a whole). The particle size of the fine particles is in the range of several to several hundreds of nm, preferably in the range of 1 to 20 nm.

An example of a method of manufacturing the surface conduction electron-emitting device having the structure shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

1) After sufficiently cleaning the substrate 10 using a detergent, pure water, an organic solvent, and the like, depositing an element electrode material by a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, or the like, and then depositing the device electrode material on the substrate 10 using, for example, a photolithography technique. Then, device electrodes 2 and 3 are formed.

2) An organic metal solution is applied to the substrate 10 provided with the device electrodes 2 and 3 to form an organic metal film.
As the organic metal solution, a solution of an organic compound containing the metal of the material of the conductive film 4 as a main element can be used. The organic metal film is heated and baked, and is patterned by lift-off, etching, or the like.
To form Here, the method of applying the organometallic solution has been described, but the method of forming the conductive film 4 is not limited to this, and a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, a dispersion coating method, A dipping method, a spinner method, or the like can also be used.

3) Subsequently, a forming step is performed. When a current is supplied from a power source (not shown) between the device electrodes 2 and 3, the conductive film 4 locally undergoes a structural change such as destruction, deformation or alteration, and a gap G is formed.

As the voltage applied to the element for the forming process, a pulse-like voltage is used. As the shape of the pulse, for example, a triangular pulse having a constant peak value or a triangular pulse having a gradually increasing peak value can be used.

The end of the energization forming process can be detected by applying a voltage pulse between the pulses that does not cause the destruction, deformation or alteration of the conductive film 4 and measuring the current flowing through the element. it can. For example, 0.
Measure the current flowing through the element by applying a voltage of about 1 V,
It is preferable to calculate the resistance value and terminate the energization forming when the resistance value exceeds 1 MΩ.

The above-described energization forming treatment is preferably performed in an atmosphere containing a reducing substance.

When the conductive film 4 is made of a metal oxide,
In addition to H ₂ , CO, etc., methane,
Ethane, ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene,
Gases of organic substances such as methanol, ethanol and acetone are also effective. This is presumably because when the material constituting the conductive film changes from metal oxide to metal by reduction, aggregation occurs with the metal. On the other hand, when the conductive film 4 is made of a metal, CO or acetone or the like does not show the effect of promoting the aggregation because the aggregation due to reduction does not occur, but H ₂ promotes the aggregation even in this case. Show the effect.

4) It is preferable to perform a process called an activation step on the device after the forming. The activation process is a process in which the device current _If and the emission current _Ie are significantly changed by this process.

The activation step can be performed, for example, by repeatedly applying a pulse to the element in an atmosphere containing a gas of an organic substance. This atmosphere can be formed by using an organic gas remaining in the atmosphere when the inside of the vacuum vessel is evacuated using, for example, an oil diffusion pump or a rotary pump, or is sufficiently evacuated once by an ion pump or the like. It can also be obtained by introducing a gas of an appropriate organic substance into a vacuum. The preferable gas pressure of the organic substance at this time varies depending on the above-described application form, the shape of the vacuum vessel, the type of the organic substance, and the like, and is accordingly set as appropriate. Suitable organic substances include alkanes, alkenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons of alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons,
Organic acids such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, amines, phenols, carboxylic acids and sulfonic acids can be mentioned. More specifically, methane, ethane,
Saturated hydrocarbons represented by C _n H _{2n + 2} such as propane, unsaturated hydrocarbons represented by C _n H _2n such as ethylene and propylene, benzene, toluene, methanol, ethanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone , Methyl ethyl ketone, methylamine, ethylamine, phenol, benzonitrile, acetonitrile and the like can be used.

By this processing, a carbon film 29 made of carbon or a carbon compound is formed on the substrate 10 in the gap G and on the conductive film 4 in the vicinity thereof from the organic substance existing in the atmosphere, and the element current _If , the emission current _Ie
It will change significantly.

The end of the activation step can be determined as appropriate while measuring the device current _If and the emission current _Ie .
The pulse width, pulse interval, pulse crest value, and the like are set as appropriate.

The carbon and carbon compound include, for example, graphite (so-called HOPG, PG, GC), and HOPG has an almost perfect graphite crystal structure, PG
Are those with crystal grains of about 20 nm and a slightly disordered crystal structure,
GC refers to a crystal having a crystal grain of about 2 nm and further disorder in the crystal structure. ), Amorphous carbon (refers to amorphous carbon and a mixture of amorphous carbon and the above-mentioned graphite microcrystals), hydrocarbon (C
_m H _n compound represented by, or containing N, O, a compound having other elements such as Cl In addition to this. ), And the film thickness is preferably in the range of 50 nm or less,
More preferably, the range is not more than m.

By performing the above-described energization treatment, an element having the conductive film 4 between the pair of element electrodes 2 and 3 can be a surface conduction electron-emitting element.

For example, by arranging a plurality of the above-described elements on a substrate, an electron source according to the present invention can be constructed, and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be constructed using such an electron source.

Next, the present invention will be described with reference to an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. FIG. 1 (a)
Is a perspective view schematically showing an image forming apparatus (display panel) 68, which is partially cut away.

In the figure, 7 is an X-direction wiring, 8 is a Y-direction wiring, 10 is a substrate of an electron source, 69 is an electron-emitting device as shown in FIG. 4, 62 is a support frame, 66 is a face plate (glass). Substrate 63, metal back 64, and phosphor 6
5), 67 are high-voltage terminals, Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn are external terminals.

First, an electron source manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing process according to the present invention will be described.

2 and 3 show an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the entire structure. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the periphery of a substrate of the electron source in FIG. It is. In these figures, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1A indicate the same members, 6 is a conductor serving as an electron-emitting device, 12 is a vacuum vessel, 15 is a gas inlet,
16 is an exhaust port, 18 is a second vacuum airtight member, 19 is a diffusion plate, 21 is hydrogen or organic substance gas, 22 is a carrier gas, 23 is a moisture removal filter, 24 is a gas flow control device, and 25a to 25h are valves , 26a and 26b are vacuum pumps, 27a and 27b are vacuum gauges, 28 is a pipe, 30 is a take-out wiring, 32 is a drive driver including a power supply and a current control system, 31 is a take-out wiring 30 and a drive driver 32 of an electron source substrate. , A reference numeral 33 denotes an opening of the diffusion plate 19, a reference numeral 62 denotes a support frame, and a reference numeral 207 denotes a substrate holder which is a means for supporting the electron source substrate.

The substrate holder 207 has the electrostatic chuck 20
8 are provided. The fixing of the electron source substrate 10 by the electrostatic chuck 208 is performed by applying a voltage between the electrode 209 placed in the electrostatic chuck 208 and the electron source substrate 10 and electrostatically holding the electron source substrate 10 to the substrate. The suction is performed by the holder 207.

In order to maintain the potential of the electron source substrate 10 at a predetermined value, a conductive member such as an ITO film is formed on the back surface of the substrate.

In order to hold the electron source substrate 10 by the electrostatic chuck method, the distance between the electrode 209 and the electron source substrate 10 needs to be short. It is desirable to press it against 208.

In the apparatus shown in FIG.
The inside of the groove 211 formed on the surface of the substrate is evacuated, the electron source substrate 10 is pressed against the electrostatic chuck by atmospheric pressure, and a high voltage is applied to the electrode 209 by the high voltage power supply 210, so that the electron source substrate 10 Adsorb. Thereafter, even if the inside of the vacuum container 12 is evacuated, the pressure difference applied to the electron source substrate 10 is canceled by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 208, and the electron source substrate 10 can be prevented from being deformed or damaged. Further, the electrostatic chuck 208 and the electron source substrate 1
In order to increase the heat conduction during zero, it is desirable to introduce a gas for heat exchange into the groove 211 once evacuated as described above. As such a gas, He is preferable, but other gases are also effective. Introducing the gas for heat exchange not only enables heat conduction between the electron source substrate 10 and the electrostatic chuck 208 at the portion having the groove 211 but also provides only mechanical contact at the portion without the groove 211. As a result, heat conduction is increased as compared with the case where the electron source substrate 10 and the electrostatic chuck 208 are in thermal contact with each other, so that the overall heat conduction is greatly improved. Accordingly, during the energization process such as the above-described forming and activation, the heat generated in the electron source substrate 10 easily moves to the substrate holder 207 via the electrostatic chuck 208 to increase the temperature of the electron source substrate 10 In addition to suppressing the occurrence of temperature distribution due to local heat generation, the substrate holder has a heater 212 and a cooling unit 21.
By providing the temperature control means such as 3, the temperature of the electron source substrate 10 can be controlled more accurately.

As the organic substance gas 21, an organic substance used for the above-described activation processing of the electron-emitting device, or a mixed gas obtained by diluting the organic substance with nitrogen, helium, argon or the like is used. Further, when performing the above-described energization processing of forming, a gas for promoting the formation of cracks in the conductor 6, for example, a reducing hydrogen gas or the like may be introduced into the vacuum chamber 12. As described above, when a different gas is introduced in another step, it can be used by connecting a desired system to the introduction pipe 28 to the vacuum vessel 12 using the valve member 25e or the like.

The organic gas 21 can be used as it is when the organic substance is a gas at normal temperature. When the organic substance is liquid or solid at normal temperature, it is used by evaporating or sublimating it in a container, or furthermore. Can be used by a method such as mixing with a diluent gas. The carrier gas 22 includes
An inert gas such as nitrogen or argon or helium is used.

An organic substance gas 21 and a carrier gas 22
Are mixed at a fixed ratio and introduced into the vacuum vessel 12. The flow rate and the mixing ratio of both gas flow control devices 2
4. The gas flow controller 24 includes a mass flow controller, a solenoid valve, and the like. These mixed gases are heated to an appropriate temperature by a heater (not shown) provided around the pipe 28 if necessary, and then introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 through the inlet 15. It is preferable that the heating temperature of the mixed gas be equal to the temperature of the electron source substrate 10.

It is more preferable to provide a moisture removal filter 23 in the middle of the pipe 28 to remove moisture in the introduced gas. Silica gel,
Hygroscopic materials such as molecular sieves and magnesium hydroxide can be used.

The mixed gas introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 is exhausted at a constant evacuation speed by the vacuum pump 26a through the exhaust port 16, and the pressure of the mixed gas in the vacuum vessel 12 is kept constant. The vacuum pump 26a is a dry pump,
It is a low vacuum pump such as a diaphragm pump or a scroll pump. In the present invention, an oil-free pump is preferably used.

The extraction electrode 30 arranged on the electron source substrate 10 is located outside the vacuum vessel 12, is connected to the wiring 31 using a TAB wiring or a probe, and is connected to the driving driver 32.

As described above, with the mixed gas containing the organic substance flowing into the vacuum vessel 12, the driving driver 3
By applying a pulse voltage to each of the conductors 6 on the electron source substrate 10 through the wiring 31 using the wiring 2, the element activation process can be performed.

In the method of manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention in which the above-described apparatus can be used, in particular, the conductor (that is, the conductor 6 serving as an electron-emitting device, the conductive material, Of the X-direction wiring 7, the Y-direction wiring 8, and the extraction electrode 30 made of
1), a first hermetic member is fixed so as to surround the conductor except for (0), and the extraction electrode 3 is placed on the first hermetic member.
The container 12 is abutted so as to cover the conductors other than 0, an airtight atmosphere is formed between the substrate 10 of the electron source and the container 12, and the energizing process such as the forming process and the activation process described above is performed.

The first hermetic member shown in this embodiment is composed of an adhesive and a support frame 62 adhered and arranged on the electron source substrate by the adhesive.
Consists of Such an adhesive includes the extraction electrode 30
For example, frit glass, indium, an alloy thereof, or the like can be preferably used to fill the irregularities on the surface of the electron source substrate due to the above and to ensure an airtight state. In the present invention, the frit glass itself may be used as the first hermetic member without using the support frame 62.

The upper surface of the support frame 62 is preferably processed to be flat, and the container 12 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the support frame to ensure airtightness in the container. In this case, it is preferable to arrange the second hermetic member 18 between the support frame 62 and the container 12 as shown in FIG. 2, whereby the hermeticity is further improved, and a more reliable hermetic state is provided. Can be realized.

The second hermetic member 18 is for maintaining the hermeticity with the container 12 by being joined to the support frame 62 provided on the electron source substrate 10, and is preferably made of an organic elastic material. Used. It is desirable to use a fluorine-based rubber which is relatively thermally stable as such an organic elastic body.

In the above-described apparatus and method for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention, since the container 12 only needs to cover at least the conductor 6 on the electron source substrate 10, the apparatus can be miniaturized. Further, since the extraction electrode 30 of the electron source substrate 10 is outside the container, electrical connection between the electron source substrate and a power supply device (drive driver) for performing electrical processing can be easily performed. After the energization process, the manufactured electron source can be easily taken out by removing the container 12 from the electron source substrate 10.

In the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus of the present invention, an electron source is manufactured as described above, and the electron source is joined to a face plate 66 on which an image forming member (phosphor 65) is formed (FIG. Joining process). Specifically, after performing the forming process and the activation process on the electron source substrate 10, the container 12 is removed from above the electron source substrate 10, and the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 are, for example, third airtight. Joining using members. In this case, the bonding between the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 is preferably performed on the support frame 62. At this time, it is preferable to perform a step of removing components of the second hermetic member 18 attached to the support frame 62 (cleaning step). That is, the adhesion component on the surface of the support frame significantly affects the drawing property of the third hermetic member (particularly, indium), which is a subsequent step, and can uniformly draw the third hermetic member on the support frame. This is because it causes leakage when the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 are bonded via the third hermetic member.

When the frit glass itself is used as the first hermetic member without using the support frame 62, the above-described joining step can be performed without using the third hermetic member.

In the above-mentioned cleaning step, for example, MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) and / or HFE (hydrofluoroether) can be preferably used, and the organic elastomer such as fluorine-based rubber adhered to the surface of the support frame by these is preferably used. The components can be sufficiently wiped off.

As the third hermetic member, frit glass, indium or an alloy thereof as described above can be preferably used.

The image forming apparatus manufactured as described above realizes an image forming apparatus having excellent image quality while maintaining a stable airtight state.

Next, a method for energizing the conductor according to the present invention will be described.

The current supply method in the method of manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention as described above is not limited to the manufacturing process of the electron source. It is also suitable when it is necessary to conduct electricity to the conductor in an airtight atmosphere. For example, if the electron emission characteristics of the electron source can be easily inspected before the electron source obtained by the method for manufacturing an electron source of the present invention is incorporated in an image forming apparatus, a defect may occur in the electron source. Even if it does, other members constituting the image forming apparatus are not wasted.

The method of energizing a conductor according to the present invention will be described by taking the electron source shown in FIG. 3 as an example. The conductor (ie, the conductor 6 having an electron emission function already provided, and the X-direction wiring 7 made of a conductive material) , The Y-direction wiring 8 and the extraction electrode 30) (except for the extraction electrode 30), the extraction electrode is placed on a first airtight member (support frame) 62 fixedly surrounding the conductor. A predetermined airtight atmosphere is formed between the electron source substrate 10 and the container, and a current is applied to the conductor 6 from the extraction electrode 30 at a predetermined driving voltage to cover the conductive material except for the conductive material. The electron emission function of the body 6 can be examined. In this case, as the container, for example, an image forming member (phosphor 6) as shown in FIG.
Similar to the face plate 66 formed with 5), a container in which an acceleration electrode for accelerating electrons and a phosphor are arranged on the inner surface thereof can be used.

In the method for energizing a conductor according to the present invention, it is possible to energize the conductor in a desired atmosphere without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum exhaust device. After energization, the sample can be easily taken out by removing the container from the substrate (sample).

[0080]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a method for manufacturing an electron source and an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

(Embodiment 1) In this embodiment, an electron source having a large number of conductive films arranged in a simple matrix as shown in FIG. 5 is manufactured, and an energizing process for imparting an electron emission function to these conductive films is performed. After that, the electron source shown in FIG.
This is an example in which an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG.

First, a method of manufacturing an electron source will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

A Pt paste is printed by an offset printing method on a glass substrate (size: 350 × 300 mm, thickness: 5 mm) on which an SiO ₂ layer is formed, and is baked by heating, so that the device electrode 2 having a thickness of 50 nm shown in FIG. 3 was formed. Also, the Ag paste is printed by a screen printing method,
By heating and firing, the X-direction wiring 7 shown in FIG.
(240 wires) and Y-direction wires 8 (720 wires)
An insulating paste was printed at the intersection of the X-directional wiring 7 and the Y-directional wiring 8 by a screen printing method, followed by heating and baking to form an insulating layer 9.

Next, a palladium complex solution was dropped between the device electrodes 2 and 3 using a bubble jet (registered trademark) type spraying device, and heated at 350 ° C. for 30 minutes to form palladium oxide fine particles. Was formed. The thickness of the conductive film 4 was 20 nm. As described above, the substrate 10 of the electron source in which a plurality of conductors each including the pair of element electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductive film 4 were wired in a matrix with the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 was prepared.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a support frame 62 was attached to the electron source substrate 10 described above. First, frit glass was drawn with a dispenser at a position where the support frame of the electron source substrate 10 was attached, dried at 120 ° C. for 10 minutes, and then calcined at 360 ° C. for 10 minutes. Thereafter, the support frame 62 was placed on the frit glass, and the support frame 62 was attached to the electron source substrate 10 at 420 ° C. for 30 minutes while applying pressure.

Observation of the warp and undulation of the electron source substrate revealed that the warp and undulation of the electron source substrate itself and the warp and undulation of the substrate which were considered to have been caused by the heating process described above caused , 0.
The periphery was warped by about 5 mm.

Next, the electron source substrate 1 with the support frame 62 attached
0 was fixed on the support 207 of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. Specifically, the inside of the groove 211 formed on the surface of the electrostatic chuck 208 is evacuated, the electron source substrate 10 is pressed against the electrostatic chuck by atmospheric pressure, and a high voltage is applied to the electrode 209 by the high voltage power supply 210. The electron source substrate 1
0 was sufficiently adsorbed. After that, in order to increase heat conduction between the electrostatic chuck 208 and the electron source substrate 10, He is used.
Gas was introduced up to 10 hPa.

The temperature of the electron source substrate 10 was set to 85 ° C. by the heater 212 in the support.

Thereafter, the container 12 was brought into contact with the support frame 62 on the electron source substrate 10 via a fluorine-based rubber (trade name: Viton) as the second hermetic member 18.

Next, the valve 25f on the exhaust port side was opened, and the inside of the container 12 was evacuated by the vacuum pump 26. Thereafter, using a driving driver 32 connected to the lead-out wiring 30 through the wiring 31 shown in FIG. 3, each conductor 6 (the element electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductive film) is passed through the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8. 4), a voltage was applied between the device electrodes 2 and 3 to form the conductive film 4, and a gap G as shown in FIG. 4 was formed in the conductive film 4.

Subsequently, an activation process was performed using the same apparatus. Using tolunitrile as a carbon source, it was introduced into the container 12 through a slow leak valve, and 1.3 × 10 ^−4.
Pa was maintained. Then, using the drive driver 32,
A voltage was applied between the device electrodes 2 and 3 of the conductors 6 through the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 to perform the activation process.
After about 60 minutes, when the emission current Ie almost reached saturation, the energization was stopped, the slow leak valve was closed, and the activation process was terminated.

Through the above steps, a carbon film 29 as shown in FIG. 4 was deposited on each conductor, and an electron-emitting device was formed.

Next, an electron emission function inspection is performed on the above-described manufacturing apparatus and the electron source manufactured in the manufacturing process.

The inspection method is performed again using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

First, the prepared electron source substrate 10 is
Is fixed on the support 207 of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

Then, instead of the container 12 of FIG. 2, an accelerating electrode for accelerating the electrons emitted from the electron source on the electron source substrate 10 and a phosphor emitting light by irradiation of the accelerated electrons are provided therein. And the second airtight member 18.
With the support frame 62 on the electron source substrate 10 via a fluorine-based rubber (trade name: Viton).

Next, as described above, the airtight atmosphere formed by the electron source substrate 10 and the container is evacuated to a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere, and then a voltage of 5 KV is applied to the accelerating electrode in the container. A driving voltage is applied through the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 using the driving driver 32 connected to the extraction wiring 30 via the wiring 31 described above with reference to FIG. Then, the electron emission function of the created electron source is inspected.

Using the electron source inspected as described above, an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1A was manufactured.

FIG. 1A is a conceptual diagram of an image forming apparatus, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view in the Z direction in this embodiment. In FIG. 1B, reference numeral 70 denotes the above-mentioned frit glass formed for fixing the support frame 62 to the substrate 10 of the electron source.

First, after a frit glass (third hermetic member) 71 is drawn on the support frame 62 by a dispenser, both the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 are placed in a vacuum chamber, and are heated at 380 ° C. under vacuum conditions. Image forming apparatus (panel)
68 was produced.

In the image forming apparatus, a face plate 66 is provided.
The exhaust is exhausted through an exhaust pipe (not shown) installed in the apparatus.After the internal pressure is reduced to the atmospheric pressure or less, the exhaust pipe is sealed, and further, the inside of the apparatus is maintained in order to maintain the internal pressure of the apparatus after sealing. A getter process by a high-frequency heating method was performed using the installed getter material (not shown).

A member (not shown) for maintaining a space between the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 so that even if the inside of the image forming apparatus is evacuated to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, the apparatus is not damaged by the atmospheric pressure. Are arranged on the electron source substrate 10.

In the image forming apparatus completed as described above, the vacuum state in the image forming apparatus can be reliably maintained, and each of the electron-emitting devices has external terminals Dx1 to Dx1
The scanning signal and the modulation signal are applied by signal generation means (not shown) through m and Dy1 to Dyn, respectively, thereby emitting electrons. The image was displayed by applying the voltage, accelerating the electron beam, colliding with the phosphor film 64, exciting and emitting light. In the image display device of this example, there was no luminance variation or color unevenness visually, and a good image which was sufficiently satisfactory as a television could be displayed.

(Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, an electron source having a large number of conductive films arranged in a simple matrix as shown in FIG. After the processing, the electron source shown in FIG.
This is an example in which an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the third hermetic member 71 for bonding the substrate 10 of the electron source to the face plate 66 is used.
Was used as indium. Further, as shown in FIG. 1C, a support frame on which a silver paste 72 was formed was used in order to improve the drawing performance of indium on the support frame.

The silver paste 72 is previously applied to the support frame 62.
A top was formed by screen printing, and then baked at 580 ° C. The support frame thus obtained was bonded to a substrate 10 of an electron source manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1.
Except that this support frame with silver paste was used, an energization process was performed in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 to impart an electron emission function to each conductor, and an electron produced in exactly the same manner as in Example 1. An inspection of the electron emission function of the source is made.

Then, the surface of the silver paste on the support frame 62 was cleaned using HFE (hydrofluoroether) and MEK (methyl ethyl ketone). This is a nitrile rubber that adheres when the sealing member 18 is brought into close contact,
This is for removing the components of the O-ring or rubber sheet made of silicon rubber, fluorine rubber, or the like. The components adhering to the surface of the support frame have a significant adverse effect on the wettability of indium during indium coating, which is a subsequent step.

Next, using an ultrasonic soldering iron, the support frame 6
After drawing indium on the substrate 2, the substrate 10 of the electron source and the face plate 66 were put in a vacuum chamber, and they were adhered to each other while being heated to 200 ° C. under vacuum conditions, thereby producing an image forming apparatus (panel) 68. .

In the image forming apparatus, a face plate 66 is provided.
Is exhausted through an exhaust pipe (not shown) installed in the apparatus.After the internal pressure is reduced to the atmospheric pressure or less, the exhaust pipe is sealed, and further, the inside of the apparatus is maintained in order to maintain the internal pressure of the apparatus after sealing. A getter process by a high-frequency heating method was performed using the installed getter material (not shown).

It is to be noted that, even if the inside of the image forming apparatus is evacuated to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure, the space between the electron source substrate 10 and the face plate 66 is not shown so as not to damage the apparatus due to the atmospheric pressure. The member is arranged on the electron source substrate 10.

In the image forming apparatus completed as described above, the vacuum state in the image forming apparatus can be reliably maintained, and each of the electron-emitting devices has external terminals Dx1 to Dx
The scanning signal and the modulation signal are applied by signal generation means (not shown) through m and Dy1 to Dyn, respectively, thereby emitting electrons. The image was displayed by applying the voltage, accelerating the electron beam, colliding with the phosphor film 64, exciting and emitting light. In the image display device of this example, there was no luminance variation or color unevenness visually, and a good image which was sufficiently satisfactory as a television could be displayed.

Comparative Example In Examples 1 and 2, the container 12 was used as the second hermetic member 18 with a fluorine-based rubber (trade name: no support frame) on the substrate 10 of the electron source.
An electron source and an image forming apparatus were manufactured in the same manner as in Examples 1 and 2, except that the energization process was performed by directly contacting the electron source substrate 10 with the electron source substrate 10 via Viton).

In the image forming apparatus completed as described above, the airtight state in the container 12 cannot be sufficiently maintained during the energization processing, and the electron emission characteristics of the electron emission elements vary, and the An image satisfactory for John could not be displayed.

[0114]

According to the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electron source suitable for mass production without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device, improving the manufacturing speed, and a manufacturing apparatus therefor. Can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method of an electron source capable of manufacturing an electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the manufacturing speed of an image forming apparatus configured to maintain airtightness by an electron source and a substrate having an image forming member such as a phosphor, and to improve an image suitable for mass productivity. A method for manufacturing a forming apparatus can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, an image forming apparatus having excellent image quality can be provided.

Further, according to the present invention, without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device, for example, it is possible to inspect a conductor to which an arbitrary function such as an electron emission function has already been provided. In addition, it is possible to provide a method for energizing a conductor that can be easily performed in any airtight atmosphere.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cutaway perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a configuration example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing one configuration example of an electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of a periphery of an electron source in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating one configuration example of an electron-emitting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a method of manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 3 element electrode 4 conductive film G conductive film gap 5 carbon film gap 6 conductor provided with electron emission function 7 X-direction wiring 8 Y-direction wiring 9 insulating layer 10 electron source substrate 12 container 15 gas Inlet 16 Gas exhaust port 18 Seal member (second airtight member) 19 Diffusion plate 21 Organic gas substance 22 Carrier gas 23 Moisture removal filter 24 Gas flow control device 25a to 25f Valve 26a, 26b Vacuum pump 26a, 27b Vacuum gauge 28 Piping 30 Extraction wiring 31 Extraction wiring 30 of electron source substrate and drive driver 3
2 Wiring 32 for connection to the power supply 32 Drive driver comprising a power supply, a current measuring device, and a current-voltage control system device 33 Opening of diffusion plate 19 62 Support frame 63 Glass substrate 64 Metal back 65 Phosphor 66 Face plate 67 High voltage terminal 68 Image Forming apparatus (display panel) 69 Electron emitting element 70 Frit glass or indium alloy material 71 Frit glass or indium alloy material 72 Silver paste 207 Substrate holder 208 Electrostatic chuck 209 Electrode in electrostatic chuck 210 Power supply 211 Groove 212 Heater 213 Cooling unit

Claims (32)

[Claims] A step of fixing a first hermetic member on a substrate on which a conductor is disposed so as to surround the conductor except for a part of the conductor; Contacting a container so as to cover the conductor except for the part of the conductor, forming an airtight atmosphere between the substrate and the container, and conducting electricity from the part of the conductor, A step of imparting an electron emission function to a part of the conductor covered by the method, and a step of removing the container from the substrate. 2. The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein the conductor has a wiring and a conductive film formed with an electron emission portion connected to the wiring. 3. The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 2, comprising a plurality of said conductive films. 4. The plurality of conductive films are connected in a matrix by the wiring.
3. The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energization is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energization is performed in a reducing gas atmosphere. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the reducing gas is hydrogen. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energization is performed in an atmosphere in which an organic substance exists. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the energization is performed in a first gas atmosphere in a reducing gas atmosphere.
The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, further comprising an energizing step and a second energizing step in an atmosphere in which an organic substance is present. 10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container has a gas inlet and a gas outlet. 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first airtight member is frit glass. 12. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the first hermetic member is an adhesive and a support frame adhered to the substrate by the adhesive. Source manufacturing method. 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the adhesive is frit glass. 14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the adhesive is indium or an alloy thereof. 15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising disposing a second hermetic member between the first hermetic member and the container. . 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein an organic elastic material is used as the second hermetic member. 17. A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising a joining step of joining an electron source and a substrate on which an image forming member is arranged, wherein the electron source is any one of claims 1 to 16. A method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus, wherein the image forming apparatus is manufactured by the manufacturing method of (1). 18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a third hermetic member is used in the joining step. 19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising a cleaning step of removing the container from the substrate of the electron source and cleaning the first hermetic member before the joining step. A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus. 20. In the cleaning step, ME
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein K (methyl ethyl ketone) is used. 21. In the cleaning step, HF is used.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein E (hydrofluoroether) is used. 22. In the cleaning step, ME
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein K (methyl ethyl ketone) and HFE (hydrofluoroether) are used. 23. The method according to claim 18, wherein a second adhesive is used as the third hermetic member. 24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the second adhesive is frit glass. 25. The method according to claim 23, wherein the second adhesive is indium or an alloy thereof. 26. The method according to claim 17, wherein the bonding between the electron source and the substrate on which the image forming member is arranged is performed on the first hermetic member. Manufacturing method of an image forming apparatus. 27. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source used in the manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein: a supporting means for supporting a substrate on which the conductor is disposed by an electrostatic chuck. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source, comprising: the container; and means for setting the inside of the container to a predetermined atmosphere in a state where the container is in contact with the first hermetic member. 28. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 27, further comprising means for energizing said conductor. 29. A step of fixing a first hermetic member on a substrate on which a conductor is disposed so as to surround the conductor except for a part of the conductor, A step of contacting a container so as to cover the conductor except for the part of the conductor, forming an airtight atmosphere between the substrate and the container, and applying a current from the part of the conductor, Removing the container from the substrate. 30. The method according to claim 29, wherein a second hermetic member is disposed in a region of the container in contact with the first hermetic member. . 31. The conductor is characterized in that a part of a region covered by the container has an electron emission function, emits electrons by the energization, and inspects the electron emission function. 29. The method for energizing a conductor according to 29 or 30. 32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the energization is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere.