JP2008166056A - Image display device, and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a spacer abutting member from being broken and chipped by deformation when the abutting member is brought into contact with a spacer. <P>SOLUTION: This image display device 1 has a front substrate 11 having a plurality of phosphor layers, and a back substrate 12 which is disposed face to face with the front substrate 11, and on which a plurality of electron emitting elements are disposed so that each of them emits electrons toward a corresponding phosphor layer. The image display device 1 also has a spacer 14 provided at a location avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron emitting element between the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12 to keep a space between the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12, and a spacer abutting member 40 provided between the spacer 12 and the front substrate 11. The spacer abutting member 40 is formed so that its cross-section in a plane parallel to the front substrate continuously changes a top portion 40a abutting on the spacer 14 toward the base part 40b of the front substrate 11 side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device and a method for manufacturing the image display device, and more particularly to a spacer fixing method.

  2. Description of the Related Art A flat-type image display device in which a large number of electron-emitting devices are arranged and opposed to a phosphor screen generally has a front substrate including a phosphor screen and a rear substrate including an electron-emitting device facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. These are joined together to form a vacuum envelope. In the following description, the flat-type image display device may be referred to as FED (Field Emission Display) as a generic term including SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display).

  In the FED, a plurality of spacers are disposed between the substrates in order to support an atmospheric pressure load applied to the front substrate and the rear substrate.

  In order to display an image, an anode voltage is applied to the phosphor screen of the front substrate. On the back substrate side of the phosphor screen, an aluminum thin film generally called a metal back is formed. In such an FED, since the gap between the front substrate and the rear substrate is set to several mm or less, it is inevitable that a strong electric field is formed in a small gap between the substrates, and there is a problem of discharge (dielectric breakdown) between the substrates. It becomes.

  A technique for suppressing the scale of discharge has been disclosed so that the characteristics of the image display apparatus are not affected even when the discharge occurs. In particular, a split metal back configuration is disclosed in which the discharge current is suppressed by making the conductive layer (metal back layer) of the front substrate electrically independent (Patent Documents 1 to 4).

In the divided metal back configuration, the spacer and the divided metal back layer of the front substrate are in contact with each other. For this reason, an unacceptable increase in the discharge current and discharge induction due to peeling of the thin conductive layer (metal back layer) are problematic. Patent Document 4 adopts a configuration in which the spacer contacts the spacer contact layer disposed on the front substrate, which is effective in solving such a problem (see paragraphs 0030, FIGS. 4, 6, and 7).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-326583 JP 2001-243893 A JP 2004-158232 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-377472

  In the technique described in Patent Document 4, when the spacer comes into contact, the spacer contact member may be deformed, and cracking or peeling may occur in part. If the spacer contact member is crushed and deformed by contact with the spacer to cause cracking or chipping, there is a possibility that cracking and peeling of the minute member may occur. Such cracks cause a partial strong electric field and cause unnecessary discharge. Further, peeling is a direct cause of causing discharge by a strong electric field formed between the substrates.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems. That is, the present invention provides an image display device capable of suppressing cracking and chipping of the contact member due to deformation when the spacer contact member of the front substrate comes into contact with the spacer and suppressing the scale of discharge. With the goal. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing such an image display device.

  An image display device according to the present invention includes a front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers, and a plurality of electron emitters arranged so as to face the front substrate and each emitting electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layer. And a back substrate on which the elements are arranged. In addition, the image display device of the present invention includes a spacer provided between the front substrate and the rear substrate so as to avoid the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device, and maintaining a distance between the front substrate and the rear substrate. And a spacer abutting member provided between the spacer and the front substrate. In the spacer abutting member, the cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the front substrate continuously changes from the top where the spacer abuts against the spacer toward the base on the front substrate side.

  In the spacer abutting member, the inner area of the boundary line in a plane parallel to the front substrate may continuously change from the top where the spacer abuts against the spacer toward the base on the front substrate side.

  In the method for manufacturing an image display device of the present invention, a front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers, and a back surface on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices each configured to emit electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layers are arranged. And a substrate. Next, in a vacuum, a state where a spacer abutting member is provided between the front substrate and the rear substrate so as to avoid the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device so as to maintain a distance between the front substrate and the rear substrate. Thus, the front substrate and the rear substrate are sealed to form an envelope (envelope forming step). Next, the spacer is pressed against the spacer contact member by increasing the external pressure of the envelope from the internal pressure of the envelope. The envelope forming step includes providing the spacer abutting member such that a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the front substrate changes continuously from the base portion on the front substrate side toward the spacer side.

  The envelope forming step includes providing the spacer abutting member so that the inner area of the boundary line in a plane parallel to the front substrate changes continuously from the base portion on the front substrate side toward the spacer side. You may go out.

  When the spacer contacts the front substrate to maintain the distance between the front substrate and the rear substrate, the stress generated in the contact member of the front substrate can be relieved by the atmospheric pressure load applied from the outside.

  The present invention is an image display device characterized in that the contact member with which the spacer disposed on the front substrate abuts has a larger area on the front substrate side than the area on the side on which the spacer abuts.

  The image display apparatus of the present invention includes an image display apparatus using a field emission type element, a surface conduction type emission element or the like. These image display devices are common in that a strong electric field is formed between the substrates and discharge becomes a problem, and the present invention can be applied more effectively.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual sectional view of an image display device of the present invention. The image display device 1 includes a front substrate 11 and a rear substrate 12 each made of rectangular glass. The front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 are arranged to face each other with a gap of 1 to 2 mm. The front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12 have flat rectangular shapes in which peripheral portions are joined to each other through a rectangular frame-shaped side wall (not shown), and the inside is maintained at a high vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less. A vacuum envelope 10 is configured.

  A phosphor screen (not shown) is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate 11. As will be described later, this phosphor screen has a phosphor layer (not shown) that emits red, green, and blue light, and a matrix-shaped light shielding layer (not shown). A metal back layer (not shown) that functions as an anode electrode is formed on the phosphor screen. During the display operation, a predetermined anode voltage is applied to the metal back layer.

  A large number of electron-emitting devices (not shown) that emit an electron beam for exciting the phosphor layer are provided on the inner surface of the rear substrate 12. These electron-emitting devices are provided corresponding to each pixel, and are arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows. The electron-emitting device is driven by wiring arranged in a matrix.

  Between the back substrate 12 and the front substrate 11, in order to support the atmospheric pressure acting on these substrates and to maintain the distance between the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12, a large number of plates or columns are formed. Spacers 14 are arranged.

  An anode voltage is applied to the phosphor screen through the metal back layer, and the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device is accelerated by the anode voltage and collides with the phosphor screen. As a result, the corresponding phosphor layer emits light and an image is displayed.

  Next, the phosphor screen and the metal back layer in the image display device will be described in detail. In this specification, the term “metal back layer” is used, but this layer is not limited to a metal (metal), and various materials can be used. However, in this specification, the term metal back layer is used for convenience.

  The phosphor screen provided on the inner surface of the front substrate 11 has a black light shielding layer. This black light shielding layer is formed by, for example, a large number of stripe portions arranged in parallel with a predetermined gap and a rectangular frame portion extending along the periphery of the phosphor screen. The phosphor screen has a large number of stripe-shaped phosphor layers R, G, and B that emit red, blue, and green, and these phosphor layers are respectively formed between the black light shielding layers.

  The metal back layer formed on the phosphor screen is formed as a divided metal back layer. That is, the metal back layer is divided into a large number of divided regions, and each divided region is formed in an independent island shape with the phosphor layers R, G, and B as one region. These divided regions that function as high-resistance regions are provided on the phosphor screen so as to overlap the phosphor layers R, G, and B. Thus, the metal back layer is formed in an independent island shape divided on the black light shielding layer. If necessary, another material layer may be formed in the gap between the divided regions.

  The metal back layer is formed by a thin film process such as vapor deposition. At this time, since the phosphor screen has irregularities, a mirror surface cannot be formed if the metal back layer is directly formed on the phosphor screen. Therefore, a method of performing vapor deposition after performing a smoothing process with a lacquer or the like is well known. As another method, a method in which a sheet on which aluminum is deposited is transferred by heating can also be used. The film thickness of the metal back layer is preferably about 50 to 200 nm in consideration of electron beam transmittance and film strength.

  In order to divide the metal back layer, when the metal back layer is formed on the phosphor screen, the metal back layer is formed by arranging a dividing member (a thin film dividing layer 32 described later) on the black light shielding layer in advance. There is a way to divide at the same time. This method is effective when the metal back layer is formed by vacuum deposition. As another dividing method, a method in which a metal back layer that is not divided is formed and then divided by a heat treatment such as laser or physical pressure can be used.

  For the position where the spacer 14 is in contact with the phosphor screen, a location other than the phosphor layer region that emits light in order to display an image is selected so as not to affect the image display. The junction between the spacer 14 and the back substrate 12 selects a place where no electron-emitting device is provided. A spacer abutting member 40 is disposed on the black light shielding layer corresponding to the position of the spacer 14.

  When the spacer contact member 40 is crushed and deformed by the contact of the spacer 14, if cracks or chips are generated, minute members are cracked and peeled off. Such cracks cause a partial strong electric field and cause unnecessary discharge. Further, peeling is a direct cause of causing discharge by a strong electric field formed between the substrates.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the area of the spacer contact member 40 is continuously changed from the contact surface 40a with the spacer 14 toward the base portion 40b on the front substrate 11 side. The structure suppresses discharge due to deformation. The area of the spacer contact member 40 means the inner area of the boundary line of the spacer contact member 40 in a plane parallel to the front substrate 11. When the spacer contact member 40 is provided on the split member, the area of the spacer contact member 40 may be a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the front substrate 11, that is, a cross-sectional area of the spacer contact member 40 itself. The inner area described above may be used. The contact surface 40 a with the spacer 14 means the top or top surface of the spacer contact member 40 that contacts the spacer 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the contact surface 40a of the spacer contact member 40 has a small area (including zero) with respect to the front substrate 11 side. The spacer contact member 40 is made of Ag (silver) or a resistance material that is a conductive material so that the potential of the spacer contact region can be defined when an anode voltage is applied. In addition to these, any material that is not charged even when an anode voltage is applied can be used as the spacer contact member 40.

  When assembling the panel, first, the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 described above are prepared. Next, in a vacuum, the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate are provided between the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 with the spacer contact member 40 provided at a position avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device. 12 is sealed to form the envelope 10 (envelope forming step). In a state in which the spacer 14 starts to hold the gap between the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12, the spacer contact member 40 and the spacer 14 make initial contact. At this stage, the panel is placed in a vacuum or in a state where the internal pressure and external pressure of the panel are balanced, and the difference between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the panel is zero or extremely small. Further, the cross-sectional area of the spacer contact member 40 (or the inner area of the boundary line) is zero or an extremely small value at the end on the spacer 14 side. In other words, the spacer contact member 40 has a substantially elliptical hemispherical shape or a substantially hemispherical shape, or an elliptical or circular bowl-like shape. For this reason, the contact area of the spacer abutting member 40 with the spacer 14 is extremely small, the load is dispersed within the area, and minute deformation occurs from the top part (abutting surface 40a) of the spacer abutting member 40.

  Next, the degree of vacuum is lowered stepwise, the load (external pressure) applied between the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate is increased, and finally increased to the atmospheric pressure load. Through this process, the spacer contact member 40 that is in contact with the spacer 14 is pressed against the spacer 14 to increase the contact area with the spacer while being deformed stepwise. At this time, the contact area increases in accordance with the load received from the spacer and the deformation of the spacer abutting member 40, so that it is possible to prevent the generation of stress that causes cracking.

  By using the spacer contact member 40 having such a shape, it is possible to cope with the pressure distribution generated in the plurality of spacers 14 and one spacer 14 with an optimal deformation. That is, since a plurality of spacers 14 are usually provided, the pressure with which the spacers 14 abut on the spacer abutting member 40 varies for each spacer 14, which can be a serious problem for an image display device. In order to solve this problem, it is necessary to improve the manufacturing accuracy of the spacer 14, but this is not a possible measure because it causes an increase in cost. However, in this embodiment, the contact between the spacer 14 and the spacer contact member 40 is performed in a self-controlling manner. That is, when the contact pressure of the spacer 14 is high, the spacer contact member 40 is also deformed accordingly, and when the contact pressure of the spacer 14 is low, deformation of the spacer contact member 40 is suppressed accordingly. However, since the spacer abutting member 40 in the low pressure portion also reliably contacts the spacer 14 with a small contact area, the potential of the spacer 14 when the anode voltage is applied to the front substrate 11 can be easily defined. Furthermore, the height accuracy of the spacer abutting member 40 itself can be relaxed as compared with the prior art. Even if the variation of several μm or more occurs, the contact with the spacer 14 can be surely performed by optimizing the film thickness and area of the spacer contact member 40. Further, with respect to the plurality of spacer abutting members 40, an optimum abutting area corresponding to the pressure distribution of the spacer 14 can be obtained, and a minimum gap is formed at the contact portion between the spacer abutting member 40 and the spacer 14. can do. Furthermore, the height accuracy of the spacer contact member 40 can be relaxed.

  Using the front substrate as described above, an FED using a surface conduction electron-emitting device was fabricated and the frequency of occurrence of discharge was evaluated. In the FED in which the area and shape of the spacer abutting member are substantially the same on the abutting side and the front substrate side, discharge in the vicinity of the spacer occurs from the beginning of the anode voltage application, and the number of discharges is several tens to several hundreds. Times. As a result, it was impossible to apply the anode voltage with three of the five FEDs. As a result of the disassembly investigation, it was recognized that the spacer contact member partially peeled off due to the spacer contact, and that the particles generated by the peeling caused the discharge. On the other hand, in the FED using the spacer abutting member to which the present invention is applied, even if the same anode voltage is applied, the discharge is generated at most several times, and there is no discharge in the vicinity of the spacer. It was. As a result of the disassembly investigation, it was confirmed that the spacer contact member was not cracked or chipped.

  (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of an FED to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In addition, a present Example shows one of the application examples of this embodiment mentioned above, and does not limit this invention or this embodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the FED includes a front substrate 11 and a rear substrate 12 each made of a rectangular glass plate, and these substrates are arranged to face each other with a gap of 1 to 2 mm. The front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 are joined to each other through a rectangular frame-like side wall 13 and the flat rectangular vacuum envelope 10 whose inside is maintained at a high vacuum of about 10 ⁻⁴ Pa or less. Is configured. The side wall 13 is sealed to the peripheral edge portion of the front substrate 11 and the peripheral edge portion of the back substrate 12 by, for example, a sealing material 23 such as low melting point glass or low melting point metal, and these substrates are bonded to each other.

  A phosphor screen 15 is formed on the inner surface of the front substrate 11. The phosphor screen 15 includes phosphor layers R, G, and B that emit red, green, and blue light, and a matrix-shaped light shielding layer 17. On the phosphor screen 15, for example, a metal back layer 20 having aluminum as a main component and functioning as an anode electrode is formed. Further, a getter film 22 is formed on the metal back layer 20. During the display operation, a predetermined anode voltage is applied to the metal back layer 20. The detailed structure of the phosphor screen will be described later.

  On the inner surface of the back substrate 12, a number of surface-conduction electron-emitting devices 18 that emit electron beams are provided as electron emission sources that excite the phosphor layers R, G, and B of the phosphor screen 15. These electron-emitting devices 18 are arranged in a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows corresponding to the pixels. Each electron-emitting device 18 includes an electron emitting portion (not shown) and a pair of device electrodes for applying a voltage to the electron emitting portion. On the inner surface of the rear substrate 12, a large number of wirings 21 for driving the electron-emitting devices 18 are provided in a matrix shape, and the end portions are drawn out of the vacuum envelope 10.

  A large number of elongated plate-like spacers 14 are arranged between the back substrate 12 and the front substrate 11 in order to support atmospheric pressure acting on these substrates. When the longitudinal direction of the front substrate 11 and the back substrate 12 is the first direction X, and the width direction orthogonal thereto is the second direction Y, the spacers 14 extend in the first direction X of the back substrate 12, respectively. The two directions Y are arranged at predetermined intervals. The spacer 14 is disposed at a position avoiding the phosphor layers R, G, B and the electron-emitting device 18.

  When displaying an image in the FED, an anode voltage is applied to the phosphor layers R, G, and B through the metal back layer 20, and the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device 18 is accelerated by the anode voltage to phosphor. Collide with layers R, G, B. As a result, the corresponding phosphor layers R, G, B are excited to emit light and display a color image.

  Next, the configuration of the front substrate 11 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 4, the phosphor screen 15 has a large number of rectangular phosphor layers R, G, and B that emit red, blue, and green light. The phosphor layers R, G, and B are alternately and repeatedly arranged with a predetermined gap in the first direction X, and phosphor layers of the same color are arranged with a predetermined gap in the second direction. The gap in the first direction X is set smaller than the gap in the second direction Y. The phosphor layers R, G, and B are formed by well-known screen printing or photolithography. The light shielding layer 17 has a rectangular frame portion 17a extending along the peripheral edge portion of the front substrate 11, and a matrix portion 17b extending in a matrix between the phosphor layers R, G, and B inside the rectangular frame portion. ing.

  In the following, for the purpose of the dimension, numerical values will be appropriately shown by taking as an example a case where the pixels (collecting the three color phosphor layers R, G, and B) are rectangular pixels with a pitch of 600 μm.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the resistance adjustment layer 30 is formed on the light shielding layer 17. In the region of the matrix portion 17b, the resistance adjustment layer 30 is adjacent to the plurality of first resistance adjustment layers 31V extending in the second direction Y between the phosphor layers adjacent to each other in the first direction X, respectively. And a plurality of second resistance adjustment layers 31H extending in the first direction X between the phosphor layers. Since the phosphor layers are arranged in the first direction X along R, G, and B, the first resistance adjustment layer 31V is narrower than the second resistance adjustment layer 31H. For example, the width of the first resistance adjustment layer 31V is 40 μm, and the width of the second resistance adjustment layer 31H is 300 μm.

  A thin film dividing layer 32 is formed on the resistance adjustment layer 30. The thin film dividing layer 32 includes a vertical line portion 33V formed on the first resistance adjustment layer 31V of the resistance adjustment layer 30 and a horizontal line portion 33H formed on the second resistance adjustment layer 31H of the resistance adjustment layer 30, respectively. Have. The thin film dividing layer 32 is formed to include particles and a binder dispersed at an appropriate density so that the surface is uneven, whereby a thin film formed by vapor deposition or the like thereafter is divided. As the particles constituting the thin film dividing layer 32, phosphor, silica or the like can be used. The thin film dividing fault 32 is formed slightly narrower than the light shielding layer 17, and as an example of a numerical value, the width of the horizontal line portion 33H of the thin film dividing fault is 260 μm, and the width of the vertical line portion 33V is 20 μm.

  After the thin film dividing layer 32 is formed, a smoothing process using a lacquer or the like is performed in order to form the metal back layer 20 smoothly. The smoothing film is burned off by firing after the metal back layer 20 is formed. This smoothing process is basically known by CRT or the like. In the region of the thin film dividing fault 32, conditions are controlled so that the smoothing action is lost.

  After the smoothing process, the metal back layer 20 is formed by a thin film forming process such as vapor deposition. As a result, a divided metal back layer 20a that is two-dimensionally divided in the first direction X and the second direction Y by the thin film dividing layer 32 is formed. The divided metal back layer 20a is positioned so as to overlap the phosphor layers R, G, and B, respectively. In this case, the gap between the divided metal back layers 20a is substantially the same as the width of the horizontal line portion 33H and the vertical line portion 33V of the thin film dividing layer 32, and is 20 μm in the first direction X and 260 μm in the second direction Y. . In FIG. 5, the metal back layer 20 is omitted in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

  A getter film 22 is formed over the metal back layer 20. In the FED, there are cases where it is necessary to form the getter film 22 on the phosphor screen as described above in order to ensure the degree of vacuum over a long period of time. In general, the getter film 22 loses its action when exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, when the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 are sealed in a vacuum, the getter film 22 is formed by a thin film process such as vapor deposition. Since the action of the thin film dividing layer is not lost after the formation of the metal back layer 20, the getter film 22 is two-dimensionally divided in the same pattern as the metal back layer 20 to form a divided getter film 22a. The getter film 22 is generally a conductive metal. However, even if the getter film 22 is formed, it is possible to prevent the entire phosphor screen from conducting.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, each of the plurality of spacers 14 is disposed to face the horizontal line portion 33 </ b> H of the thin film dividing layer 32. A plurality of spacer contact layers 40 are formed on each horizontal line portion 33 </ b> H facing the spacers 14. Each spacer contact layer 40 is formed by printing a silver paste. Since a very small size cannot be formed in terms of printing accuracy, the two ends in the second direction of the spacer abutting layer 40 are four phosphor layers positioned on both sides in the second direction of the horizontal line portion 33H. Slightly overlaps the layer 20a. The plurality of spacer contact layers 40 are provided intermittently with a predetermined gap in the first direction X. As a result, four divided metal backs are electrically connected locally, but current increase due to this can be suppressed slightly. The film thickness is adjusted so that the top surface 40 a of the spacer contact layer 40 is closer to the back substrate 12 than the top surface of the thin film dividing layer 32. Thus, the spacer 14 is provided in contact with the spacer contact layer 40 without directly contacting the thin film dividing layer 32.

  The spacer contact layer 40 is desirably conductive from the viewpoint of contact with the spacer, prevention of charging, and the like, but it is also acceptable to use an insulating layer.

  The top surface 40a of the spacer contact layer 40 is preferably located on the back substrate 12 side of the thin film dividing layer 32 in the entire region. However, even if this relationship is incomplete, for example, even if the thin film dividing layer 32 is on the back substrate 12 side at some protruding points, the effect can be expected, so the top surface 40a The restrictions on are not essential.

  In the above embodiment, the number of connections of the divided metal back is four, but depending on the pixel size and the process to be used, it can be suppressed to two, or conversely, it can be further increased. It should be noted that unless the end of the spacer contact layer 40 is connected to the divided metal back, a small gap is formed, which causes a problem of discharge therein, which is not desirable. However, this is not necessarily a fatal problem and it is not essential to connect. Therefore, in general, the effect of the present invention can be expected if the spacer contact layer 40 is appropriately provided in the vicinity of the thin film dividing layer 32 in a discrete manner.

  As shown in FIG. 4, on the front substrate 11, a common power supply line 41 extending along each side of the front substrate is formed outside the phosphor screen 15. Of the divided metal back layers 20a, the divided metal back layers 20a arranged in the second direction Y on the outermost peripheral side are electrically connected to the common power supply line 41 through connection resistors (not shown) extending in the first direction X, respectively. Has been. The divided metal back layers 20a arranged in the first direction X on the outermost peripheral side are electrically connected to the common power supply line 41 via connection resistors (not shown) extending in the second direction Y, respectively. The common power supply line 41 is connected to a power supply unit (not shown). A desired anode voltage is applied to the divided metal back layer 20a through the common power supply line 41 and the connection resistance.

  Each spacer 14 provided between the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 is in contact with the horizontal line portion 33H of the thin film dividing layer 32 via the spacer contact layer 40. Therefore, compared with the case where the spacer 14 is in direct contact with the thin film dividing layer 32, damage and peeling of the thin film dividing layer 32 can be prevented. In addition, since only four divided metal backs can be connected locally, the discharge current reduction effect can also be maintained.

  As described above, in the spacer contact member 40, the inner area of the boundary line in the plane parallel to the front substrate 11 continuously changes from the top 40a contacting the spacer 14 toward the base 40b on the front substrate side. ing. Alternatively, instead of the inner area of the boundary line, the cross-sectional area of the boundary line in the plane parallel to the front substrate 11 of the spacer contact member 40 may be continuously changed.

1 is a conceptual cross-sectional view of an image display device of the present invention. It is a conceptual perspective view of FED which is one Example of this invention. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the FED along line AA in FIG. 2. It is a top view which shows the fluorescent screen of the front substrate in the said FED. It is a top view which expands and shows the fluorescent screen and resistance adjustment layer part of said FED. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the front substrate along line BB in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the front substrate, the spacer, and the spacer abutting member along line CC in FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the front substrate, the spacer, and the spacer abutting member along line DD in FIG. 5.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image display apparatus 10 Vacuum envelope 11 Front board 12 Back board 14 Spacer 40 Spacer contact member 40a Contact surface 40b Base

Claims (6)

A front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers;
A rear substrate on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged to face the front substrate and each configured to emit electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layer are arranged;
A spacer between the front substrate and the back substrate, provided at a position avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device, and maintaining a distance between the front substrate and the back substrate;
A spacer abutting member provided between the spacer and the front substrate;
Have
The spacer contact member has an image display device in which a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the front substrate continuously changes from a top portion in contact with the spacer toward a base portion on the front substrate side. A front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers;
A rear substrate on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged to face the front substrate and each configured to emit electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layer are arranged;
A spacer between the front substrate and the back substrate, provided at a position avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device, and maintaining a distance between the front substrate and the back substrate;
A spacer abutting member provided between the spacer and the front substrate;
Have
The spacer contact member is an image display device in which an inner area of a boundary line in a plane parallel to the front substrate is continuously changed from a top portion in contact with the spacer toward a base portion on the front substrate side. Preparing a front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers, and a back substrate on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices each configured to emit electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layer are disposed;
In a vacuum, a spacer abutting member for maintaining a distance between the front substrate and the rear substrate at a position between the front substrate and the rear substrate, avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device. An envelope forming step of sealing the front substrate and the rear substrate in a state of being provided to form an envelope;
Pressing the spacer against the spacer abutting member by increasing the external pressure of the envelope from the internal pressure of the envelope;
Have
In the envelope forming step, the spacer contact member is provided such that a cross-sectional area in a plane parallel to the front substrate changes continuously from the base portion on the front substrate side toward the spacer side. Including,
Manufacturing method of image display apparatus.   The method for manufacturing an image display device according to claim 3, wherein the cross-sectional area of the spacer contact member is zero at an end portion on the spacer side. Preparing a front substrate having a plurality of phosphor layers, and a back substrate on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices each configured to emit electrons toward the corresponding phosphor layer are disposed;
In a vacuum, a spacer abutting member that maintains a distance between the front substrate and the rear substrate at a position between the front substrate and the rear substrate, avoiding the phosphor layer and the electron-emitting device. An envelope forming step of sealing the front substrate and the rear substrate in a state of being provided to form an envelope;
Pressing the spacer against the spacer contact member by increasing the external pressure of the envelope from the internal pressure of the envelope;
Have
In the envelope forming step, the inner surface area of the boundary line in a plane parallel to the front substrate is continuously changed from the base on the front substrate side toward the spacer side. Including providing,
Manufacturing method of image display apparatus.   The method for manufacturing an image display device according to claim 5, wherein an inner area of the boundary line of the spacer contact member is zero at an end portion on the spacer side.

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