JP2007250506A - Manufacturing method of vacuum device and field emission lamp manufacture by this manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the same evacuation effect as arranging a getter in a pipe even if the getter is not arranged in the pipe in a vacuum device having no space to arrange the getter in the pipe. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing method of the vacuum device comprises a first process in which an exhaust pipe 30 is installed at the end of a glass pipe 4 and a getter 36 is arranged in the pipe of this exhaust pipe 30, a second process in which after the first process, the inside of the glass pipe 4 is evacuated through an opening of the exhaust pipe 30, and then, the opening of the exhaust pipe 30 is closed, a third process in which the getter 36 is activated after the second process, a fourth process in which after the third process, the end of the glass pipe 4 is closed, and a fifth process in which after the fourth process, the exhaust pipe 30 is cut off from the glass pipe 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a vacuum device including a glass tube restricted to a predetermined tube length and a wire disposed in the glass tube. Examples of the vacuum device include a field emission lamp (field emission lamp), a micromachine device, an electron microscope, an electron beam exposure apparatus, a CRT, a flat panel display, and an infrared sensor. In vacuum devices, field emission lamps have an anode with a phosphor on the inner surface of a glass tube, a wire-shaped electron emitter (field emitter) is installed in the glass tube in the longitudinal direction, and field emission emits electrons from the electron emitter. And the emitted electrons are collided with the phosphor, and the phosphor is excited to emit light to obtain illumination light.

  In a vacuum device, a field emission lamp needs to have a high vacuum inside a glass tube in order to stably perform an electron emission operation of an electron emitter. The reason is that if there is a residual gas inside the glass tube, foreign atoms are adsorbed on the electron emission tip of the electron emitter, the work function of the electron emission tip changes significantly, or some of the emitted electrons are ionized. This is because the ions sputter the tip of the electron emission and the lamp life is shortened, and stable electron emission characteristics cannot be obtained.

  Conventionally, getters have been used in pipes to adsorb residual gases that cannot be exhausted in the pipes and gases released from components in the pipes and maintain a high vacuum in the pipes. The As the getter, there are an evaporation type getter in which a getter material is placed in a container and heated to evaporate, and a non-evaporation type getter that does not need to evaporate the getter material (see Patent Document 1).

However, in the field emission lamp, when the tube length of the glass tube is limited or the tube diameter of the glass tube becomes extremely thin and there is no space for placing the getter in the tube, the glass tube is simply evacuated. For the reasons described above, the field emission lamp has a short life and does not provide stable electron emission.
JP-A-11-111201

  Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is that a vacuum device in which there is no space for placing a getter in the tube due to restrictions on product dimensions or the like, such that the getter is placed in the tube without placing the getter in the tube. It is possible to manufacture a long-life vacuum device that can operate stably for a long time by obtaining an exhaust effect.

  The manufacturing method of a vacuum device according to the present invention is a manufacturing method of a vacuum device provided with a glass tube whose inside is vacuum-sealed. An exhaust pipe is provided at an end of the glass tube, and a getter is provided in the exhaust pipe. After the first step to arrange, after the first step, after evacuating the inside of the glass tube through the opening of the exhaust pipe, the second step of closing the opening of the exhaust pipe, and after this second step, the getter is activated A fourth step of closing the end of the glass tube after the third step, and a fifth step of cutting the exhaust pipe from the glass tube after the fourth step. It is what.

  According to the present invention, the inside of the glass tube is evacuated in the second step, the opening of the exhaust tube is closed, and then the getter is activated by heating in the third step, and the residual gas remaining without being exhausted in the glass tube. Etc. are adsorbed and the end of the glass tube is closed in the fourth step, so that the inside of the glass tube is maintained at a high degree of vacuum. Then, as a result of cutting out the exhaust pipe in the fifth step, the getter is placed in the glass tube where there is no space for placing the getter in the tube due to restrictions on the tube length of the glass tube or the extremely small tube diameter. However, the same getter effect as that provided in the tube can be obtained.

  The getter may be a non-evaporating type or an evaporating type. The non-evaporable getter is preferable because there is no time for evaporating the getter material and the evaporated getter material is not likely to adhere to components such as electrodes. The non-evaporable getter decomposes the active gas remaining in the vacuum on the surface of the getter material and chemically adsorbs it. Further, the non-evaporable getter is activated by heating, and the diffusion of the adsorbed gas component into the getter material is promoted to enable further adsorption.

  Further, the method for activating the getter is not limited.

  When the vacuum device manufacturing method described above is applied to a field emission lamp, the use of the field emission lamp is greatly restricted in the arrangement size of the glass tube, such as a backlight of a small liquid crystal display device. For example, the positive-cathode distance is 0. In the case of an application of several millimeters, it is extremely difficult to arrange the getter inside the glass tube.

  In the present invention, there is provided a field emission lamp capable of maintaining the inside of a glass tube uniformly and at a high vacuum over a long time as if the getter is arranged even though no getter is arranged inside the glass tube. It can be manufactured and can contribute to greatly expanding the above-mentioned applications.

  According to the present invention, the same evacuation effect as when the getter is arranged in the tube can be obtained without arranging the getter in the tube.

  Hereinafter, a manufacturing method of a vacuum device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This vacuum device is applied to a field emission lamp. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a field emission lamp to be manufactured. The field emission lamp 2 includes a glass tube 4 that is elongated in one direction and extends straight and is cylindrically sealed in a vacuum. A film-like anode 6 is provided on the inner surface of the glass tube 4. On the anode 6, a phosphor 8 that emits and emits light by electron collision is provided in a film shape. One end of the anode lead 10 is drawn into one end of the glass tube 4. A cathode wire fixing member 14 is attached to one end side of the anode lead 10 via an insulating member 12. One end side of the cathode wire 16 is fixed to the cathode wire fixing member 14. One end side of the cathode lead lead 18 is drawn into the other end side of the glass tube 4. A cathode wire fixing member 20 is attached to one end side of the cathode lead 18. The other end side of the cathode wire 16 is fixed to the cathode wire fixing member 20. The cathode wire 16 is composed of a conductive wire 16a and an electron emission carbon film 16b on the surface thereof.

  Thus, the cathode wire 16 is installed in the air in the tube.

  An anode extraction cup 22 is externally fixed to the in-tube drawing portion 10 a of the anode drawing lead 10. The pipe lead-in portion 10a of the anode lead 10 penetrates the center (cup center) of the small-diameter cylindrical portion 22a of the anode lead-out cup 22 and protrudes out of the large-diameter cylindrical portion 22b. The anode 6 extends to the inner surface of the tube facing the large diameter cylindrical portion 22b of the anode extraction cup 22, and the other end side large diameter cylindrical portion 22b of the anode extraction cup 22 is in contact with the extended anode 6. By contact, the anode lead 10 and the anode 6 are electrically connected, and the anode 6 is drawn out.

  The anode lead cup 22 is brought into contact with the anode 6 so that the center of the cup is substantially coincident with the tube center of the glass tube 4, and tension is applied to the cathode wire 16 by adjusting the fixing position of the anode lead 10 with respect to the tube lead-in portion 10a. Can be granted.

  A method of manufacturing the field emission lamp 2 having the above configuration will be described below.

(Component preparation process)
FIG. 2 shows a glass tube 4 and an exhaust tube 30 extending to one end side of the glass tube 4. The tube length of the glass tube 4 is a product size that allows the field emission lamp 2 to be incorporated in the apparatus.

  FIG. 3 shows a field emission lamp member 32 incorporated in the glass tube 4. The built-in member 32 includes the anode lead 10, the insulating member 12, the cathode wire fixing member 14, the cathode wire 16, the cathode wire fixing member 20, and the cathode lead 18. A first sealing bead 34 made of a glass material, a getter 36 for residual gas adsorption, and a second sealing bead 38 made of a glass material are attached to the anode lead 10 in order from one end side to the other end side. The getter 36 is preferably a non-evaporable getter and is disposed between the sealing beads 34 and 38. The getter 36 can be attached to the anode lead 10 by bending a foil-like body or by winding a rod-like body around the anode lead 10.

(Assembly process)
As shown in FIG. 4, the built-in member 32 is incorporated into the glass tube 4 and the exhaust tube 30 formed by extending one end thereof. In this assembled state, the first sealing bead 34 is positioned at one end side opening of the glass tube 4, the getter 36 is positioned inside the exhaust pipe 30, and the second sealing bead 38 is positioned at one end side opening of the exhaust pipe 30.

(Exhaust / sealing process)
As shown in FIG. 5, after the inside of the glass tube 4 is evacuated through the opening on one end side of the exhaust tube 30, the first sealing beads 34 are melted to close the opening. The opening on the other end side of the glass tube 4 is closed with a sealing bead 37. Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the getter 36 is heated and activated by the high frequency induction heating device 40. In this activated state, as shown in FIG. 7, the second sealing beads 38 are melted to seal the one end side opening of the glass tube 4. In this case, the getter 36 includes a non-evaporable getter. Examples of the material of the non-evaporable getter include an alloy mainly composed of zirconium, titanium, or the like. A non-evaporable getter exhibits gas adsorption ability after being activated for a certain period of time at high temperature in a vacuum. The constituent material of the non-evaporable getter includes a metal composed of a single metal element having a melting point of 1400 ° C. or higher (a metal composed of one kind of metal element), a Zr—Al alloy, a Zr—Fe alloy, a Zr—Ni alloy, Zr. One or more selected from the group consisting of —Nb—Fe alloy, Zr—Ti—Fe alloy and Zr—V—Fe alloy are preferably used. Activation of the getter 36 can adsorb and remove gases such as H ₂ O, O ₂ , H ₂ , N ₂ , and CO that remain after the glass tube 4 and the like are evacuated. This exhaust / sealing process can prevent deterioration of the quality of the anode 6 and the cathode wire 16 due to the residual gas, and can shorten the time for exhausting the residual gas sufficiently, improving the production efficiency of the lamp. To do. In addition, the activation process of the getter 36 is not limited to the heating by the above-described high frequency, and other methods such as current heating, infrared heating, direct heating by laser, and indirect heating by heat conduction may be used. it can.

(Resection process)
As shown in FIG. 8, the exhaust pipe 30 is cut from the glass tube 4. The excised exhaust pipe 30 is discarded.

  The field emission lamp 2 of the present embodiment can be manufactured through the above steps.

In the above manufacturing method, the inside of the glass tube 4 is evacuated in the evacuation / sealing process, the opening of the exhaust tube 30 is closed, and then the getter 36 is activated by heating so that it cannot be exhausted into the glass tube 4. The residual gas and the like remaining on the glass tube are adsorbed and then the end of the glass tube 4 is closed, so that the inside of the glass tube 4 is maintained at a high vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁴ to 10 ⁻⁵ Pa. Then, as a result of excising the exhaust pipe 30 in the excision process, there is a restriction on the tube length of the glass tube 4 or the diameter of the tube is very thin. Although the getter 36 is not arranged, the same getter effect as that arranged in the pipe can be obtained.

It is sectional drawing of the field emission lamp manufactured by the manufacturing method of the vacuum device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment. It is process drawing of the manufacturing method of embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

2 Field Emission Lamp 4 Glass Tube 30 Exhaust Tube 32 Built-in Member 34 First Sealing Bead 36 Getter 38 Second Sealing Bead 40 High Frequency Induction Heating Device

Claims (4)

  A method of manufacturing a vacuum device including a glass tube in which the inside of the tube is vacuum-sealed, wherein an exhaust pipe is provided at an end of the glass tube, and a getter is disposed in the exhaust pipe, and a first step Then, after exhausting the inside of the glass tube through the opening of the exhaust pipe, the second step of closing the opening of the exhaust pipe, the third step of activating the getter after the second step, and the third step A vacuum device manufacturing method comprising: a fourth step of closing an end of the glass tube after the step; and a fifth step of cutting the exhaust pipe from the glass tube after the fourth step. In a manufacturing method of a vacuum device comprising a glass tube and a wire disposed in the glass tube,
A member preparing step for attaching the first sealing bead, the getter, and the second sealing bead toward the other end side of the lead connected to the wire while providing the exhaust pipe by extending the glass tube to one end side;
The lead connected to the wire is incorporated into the exhaust pipe between the one end opening of the glass tube and the one end opening of the exhaust pipe, the first sealing bead at the one end opening of the glass tube, and the getter in the exhaust pipe, An assembly step of positioning the second sealing bead in the one end side opening of the exhaust pipe;
After evacuating the inside of the glass tube through one end side opening of the exhaust pipe, the first sealing bead is melted to close the opening, and then the getter is activated by heating with the opening of the exhaust pipe closed. And an evacuation / sealing step of melting the second sealing bead in this activated state and sealing the one end side opening of the glass tube;
Excision process of excising the exhaust pipe from the glass pipe;
The manufacturing method of the vacuum device characterized by including.   3. The method of manufacturing a vacuum device according to claim 1, wherein the getter is a non-evaporable getter.   A field emission lamp manufactured by the manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the glass tube is a glass tube provided with an anode with a phosphor on its inner surface.

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