JP2946181B2 - Electron-emitting device, electron source using the same, image forming apparatus, and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface conduction type electron-emitting device, an electron source using the same, an image forming apparatus such as a display device and an exposure device, and a surface conduction type electron-emitting device, an electron source and an image. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a forming apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which an electron is emitted by passing a current through a conductive thin film formed on an insulating substrate in parallel with the film surface.

As a typical configuration example of a surface conduction electron-emitting device, a conductive thin film such as a metal oxide which connects a pair of device electrodes provided on an insulating substrate is referred to as forming in advance. One in which an electron-emitting portion is formed by an energization process is exemplified. Forming involves applying a DC voltage or a very slowly increasing voltage, for example, 1 volts, across the conductive thin film.
This is usually performed by applying a voltage increase of about V / 1 minute and applying a current, and locally destroying, deforming or altering the conductive thin film to change the structure, thereby forming an electron emission portion in an electrically high-resistance state. This is the processing to be performed. The electron emission is performed from the vicinity of a crack generated in the electron emission portion by applying a voltage to the conductive thin film on which the electron emission portion is formed and causing a current to flow.

The above surface conduction electron-emitting devices have the advantage that a large number of arrays can be formed over a large area because they have a simple structure and are easy to manufacture. Therefore, various applications for utilizing this feature are being studied. For example, it can be used for an image forming apparatus such as a display device.

Conventionally, as an example of arranging a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices, a surface conduction electron-emitting device is arranged in parallel, and both ends (both device electrodes) of each surface conduction electron-emitting device are wired. (Also referred to as a common electrode). An electron source in which rows each connected by a common electrode (also referred to as a common electrode) are arranged in a large number of rows (also referred to as a trapezoidal arrangement) (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1-33232 and 1-2837).
49 No., the 2 -257552 JP). In particular, in the case of a display device, a flat panel display device similar to a display device using liquid crystal can be used, and a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are used as self-luminous display devices that do not require a backlight. There has been proposed a display device in which an arranged electron source is combined with a phosphor that emits visible light when irradiated with an electron beam from the electron source (US Pat. No. 5,066,606).
883).

[0006]

However, in the manufacture of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, if the resistance of the conductive thin film before forming varies, the current at the time of forming changes due to the resistance. Therefore, there is a problem that the forming is difficult to be performed, and the resistance value and the electron emission characteristics of the obtained surface conduction electron-emitting device tend to vary.

In particular, when a large-area display is manufactured using a surface-conduction type electron-emitting device, it is necessary to form a conductive thin film over a large area, and the non-uniformity of the conductive thin film is increased. May also be reduced to about ± 50%. If the voltage-current characteristics of each surface conduction electron-emitting device vary due to the deviation of the resistance value, the amount of emitted electrons (emission luminance in the case of a display device) changes for each surface conduction electron-emitting device. This causes brightness unevenness in the display device.

As a method of eliminating the above-mentioned variation in light emission luminance, it is conceivable to store the characteristics of each surface conduction electron-emitting device in a memory and to perform correction when each surface conduction electron-emitting device is driven. However, in this case, a memory is required for each surface conduction electron-emitting device, and the driving circuit becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has as its object to easily obtain a surface conduction electron-emitting device having uniform electric characteristics and to obtain an image forming apparatus which can easily adjust the luminance. And

[0010]

The invention according to claims 1 to 8 relates to a method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device having an electron-emitting portion in a conductive thin film communicating between a pair of device electrodes provided on a substrate. Forming a device electrode on a substrate and forming a conductive thin film connecting between the device electrodes , measuring a resistance value of the conductive thin film,
Having a conductive thin film on the basis of the measurement results of the resistance values as engineering you adjust the resistance value of the conductive thin film by oxidation or reduction, a conductive thin film and the forming process of forming an electron emitting portion It is characterized by points.

[0011] The invention of claim 9-12 is an invention relates is that electronic-emitting device obtained by the above production method.

[0012] invention of the invention of claim 13, the electron emission device having an electron emitting portion on a conductive thin film to contact between a pair of device electrodes, in invention relates to a method of manufacturing an electron source having a plurality on a substrate, the electron emission An element according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
It is characterized in that it is manufactured by a method .

The inventions of claims 14 to 19 relate to an electron source obtained by the above-mentioned manufacturing method.

Further, the inventions of claims 20 to 23 relate to an image forming apparatus using the above-mentioned electron source and a method of manufacturing the same.

As described above, the present invention provides a novel surface conduction electron-emitting device, a novel electron source having a plurality of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices, a novel image forming apparatus using the same, and a novel image forming apparatus using the same. According to the manufacturing method, the configuration and operation of each invention will be further described below.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention includes a planar type and a vertical type. First, a basic configuration of the flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are views showing the basic structure of a flat surface conduction electron-emitting device.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a substrate, 2 is an electron-emitting portion,
3 is a conductive thin film, and 4 and 5 are device electrodes.

As the substrate 1, for example, quartz glass, Na
And glass having reduced impurity content such as glass, blue plate glass, a laminate obtained by laminating SiO ₂ on a blue plate glass by a sputtering method or the like, and ceramics such as alumina.

Materials for the opposing device electrodes 4 and 5 include:
Common conductor materials are used, such as Ni, Cr, Au,
Metals or alloys such as Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd, and Pd, Ag, Au, RuO ₂ , Pd-Ag
Printed conductors composed of metals or metal oxides and glass and the like, transparent conductors such as In ₂ O ₃ —SnO ₂ , and semiconductor conductor materials such as polysilicon are appropriately selected.

The element electrode interval L, the element electrode length W, the shape of the conductive thin film 3 and the like are designed depending on the form to be applied.

The distance L between the device electrodes is preferably several hundred angstroms to several hundred micrometers, and more preferably several micrometers due to the voltage applied between the device electrodes 4 and 5 and the electric field intensity capable of emitting electrons. From several tens of micrometers.

The length W of the device electrode is preferably from several micrometers to several hundred micrometers in consideration of the resistance value and the electron emission characteristics of the electrode.
A few hundred angstroms to a few micrometers.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 1 is formed by laminating element electrodes 4 and 5 and a conductive thin film 3 on a substrate 1 in this order. The conductive thin film 3 and the device electrodes 4 and 5 may be stacked in this order.

The conductive thin film 3 is particularly preferably a fine particle film composed of fine particles in order to obtain good electron emission characteristics, and its film thickness is determined by the step coverage on the device electrodes 4 and 5 and the device thickness. It is appropriately selected according to the resistance value between the electrodes 4 and 5 and the forming conditions described later. The thickness of the conductive thin film 3 is preferably from several angstroms to several thousand angstroms, particularly preferably from 10 angstroms to 500 angstroms, and its resistance value is a sheet of 10 3 to 10 7 ohm / □. It is a resistance value.

The material constituting the conductive thin film 3 in the present invention is, for example, Pd, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, I
Metals such as n, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb, and PdO, SnO ₂ , and In ₂ O ₃ are materials that undergo phase transition to oxides and metals by oxidation and reduction.

The fine particle film 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 (island shape). ). In the case of a fine particle film, the particle size of the fine particles is preferably from several angstroms to several thousand angstroms, and particularly preferably from 10 angstroms to 200 angstroms.

The electron emitting portion 2 includes a crack, and the electron emission is performed from the vicinity of the crack. The electron-emitting portion 2 including the crack and the crack itself are formed depending on the thickness, the film quality, the material of the conductive thin film 3 and the manufacturing method such as forming conditions described later. Therefore, the position and shape of the electron-emitting portion 2 are not limited to the position and shape as shown in FIG.

[0029] The cracks may have conductive particles with a particle size of several Angstroms to several hundred Angstroms. The conductive fine particles are similar to some or all of the elements of the material constituting the conductive thin film 3. Further, the electron emitting portion 2 including the crack and the conductive thin film 3 in the vicinity thereof may include carbon and a carbon compound.

Next, the basic structure of the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a basic structure of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a step forming member.
Other reference numerals the same as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same members.

The substrate 1, the electron-emitting portion 2, the conductive thin film 3, and the device electrodes 4 and 5 are made of the same material as the above-mentioned flat surface-conduction type electron-emitting device.

The step forming member 21 is formed, for example, by a vacuum evaporation method,
It is made of an insulating material such as SiO ₂ provided by a printing method, a sputtering method or the like. The thickness of the step forming member 21 corresponds to the element electrode interval L (see FIG. 1) of the flat surface conduction electron-emitting device described above. It is set by the voltage applied between the electrodes 5 and the electric field intensity capable of emitting electrons, but is preferably several hundred angstroms to several tens of micrometers, and particularly preferably several hundred angstroms to several micrometers.

Since the conductive thin film 3 is usually formed after the formation of the device electrodes 4 and 5, the conductive thin film 3 is laminated on the device electrodes 4 and 5. It is also possible to form such that the device electrodes 4 and 5 are laminated on the conductive thin film 3. Further, as described in the description of the planar surface conduction electron-emitting device, the formation of the electron-emitting portion 2 depends on the manufacturing method such as the film thickness, film quality, material, and forming conditions of the conductive thin film 3 described later. , The position and shape are not limited to the position and shape as shown in FIG.

The following description is based on the above-mentioned planar surface conduction electron-emitting device and vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device.
Although the plane type is described as an example, a vertical type surface conduction type electron-emitting device may be used instead of the plane type surface conduction type electron-emitting device.

Various methods are conceivable for producing the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention. One example will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same members.

1) After sufficiently cleaning the substrate 1 with a detergent, pure water and an organic solvent, depositing an element electrode material by a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like, and then depositing the element on the surface of the substrate 1 by photolithography. Electrodes 4 and 5 are formed (FIG. 3A).

2) An organic metal solution is applied onto the substrate 1 on which the device electrodes 4 and 5 are provided, and the solution is allowed to stand.
And an element electrode 5 are connected to form an organic metal thin film.
The organic metal solution is a solution of an organic compound containing a metal as a constituent element of the conductive thin film 3 as a main element. Thereafter, the organic metal thin film is heated and baked to form a conductive thin film 3 patterned by lift-off, etching, or the like (FIG. 3B).

In the present invention, the conductive thin film 3 is controlled by controlling the heating temperature to a predetermined temperature during the heating and firing.
Is preferably a two-phase mixed state of an oxide and a metal or a state having an oxide having a non-stoichiometric composition. This is because the resistance value can be adjusted over a wide range by re-oxidation or re-reduction.

Although the description has been made with reference to the method of applying the organometallic solution here, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, vacuum deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, dispersion coating, dipping, spinner, etc. Can form an organometallic film.

3) Next, the most characteristic correction step in the present invention is performed. This correction step and the subsequent electrical processing can be performed in a correction evaluation system as shown in FIG.

First, the correction evaluation system shown in FIG. 4 will be described. As shown, the evacuation pipe 43 and the gas introduction pipe 4
The substrate 1 on which the device electrodes 4 and 5 and the conductive thin film 3 are formed is installed in a vacuum device 42 having a device 4, and a pulse applying device 41 and an ammeter 40 are connected to the device electrodes 4 and 5. . The pulse applying device 41 and the ammeter 40 are connected to a computer so that an arbitrary output waveform and a measured value can be input. Although not shown, a matrix scanner is connected to a terminal portion of the surface conduction electron-emitting device so that a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices can be sequentially measured.

The inside of the vacuum device 42 is evacuated through a vacuum exhaust pipe 43. Further, the inside of the vacuum device 1 can introduce various gases from the gas introduction pipe 44 after evacuation.

First, a pulse waveform as shown in FIG. 5 is generated from the pulse applying device 41. That is, first, 0.1
A resistance measurement pulse of about V is generated, and the initial resistance of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is measured by the ammeter 40.
The voltage of the resistance measurement pulse is a low voltage that does not generate heat in the surface conduction electron-emitting device.

Next, a resistance correction pulse having a desired resistance value is applied, and then a resistance measurement pulse is applied again to measure the resistance value and confirm whether the resistance value is the desired resistance value.

Next, the resistance correction pulse will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 illustrates the relationship between the peak voltage of the resistance correction pulse and the amount of change in the initial resistance in various atmospheres. These resistance measurements are performed by adding a resistance measurement pulse after adding a resistance correction pulse. Obtaining the resistance change in this manner indicates that the resistance of the conductive thin film 3 in the surface conduction electron-emitting device changes depending on the pulse peak value. These are the phase changes between oxide and metal.

When the pulse crest value is increased, the below-described forming is performed, a part of the conductive thin film 3 is broken, deformed or deteriorated, and the resistance value of the surface conduction type electron-emitting device becomes 1
Indicates more than an order of magnitude change. Therefore, the pulse peak value is set to be lower than the forming voltage at which the forming is performed.

It is preferable that the pulse width is large. This is because the longer the pulse width, the more uniform the heat generated by energization,
This is because the phase change region becomes uniform. For this reason, the pulse width is preferably 10 microseconds or more.

The change in resistance upon application of a pulse less than the forming voltage is interpreted as follows. For example, in an oxygen atmosphere, a part of the conductive thin film 3 generates heat by applying a resistance correction pulse, and the presence of oxygen around the conductive thin film 3 causes
It is considered that a part thereof is oxidized to increase the resistance value.
In a hydrogen atmosphere, it is considered that part of the heat is reduced by heat generation and the resistance is reduced. That is, by controlling the peak value of the resistance correction pulse, the amount of heat generated can be controlled, and the resistance of the surface conduction electron-emitting device can be adjusted to a desired resistance value.

The ratio of the resistance that can be changed depends on the material of the conductive thin film 3, the forming method, and the gas atmosphere in which the resistance correction is performed, but it has been observed that the ratio can be changed over a wide range of about two digits. That is, it is possible to suppress the variation in the resistance value between the manufactured surface conduction electron-emitting devices. Particularly, for an electron source having a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices, the resistance of each surface conduction electron-emitting device can be reduced. Values can be aligned. Further, it is also possible to irradiate the laser only to the conductive thin film 3 portion of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, control the heating time by the irradiation time, and adjust the resistance value to a desired value.

4) Subsequently, an energization process called forming is performed. When power is supplied from a power source (not shown) between the device electrodes 4 and 5, an electron-emitting portion 2 having a changed structure is formed at the portion of the conductive thin film 3 (FIG. 3C). The conductive thin film 3 is locally destroyed, deformed or deteriorated by this energization process, and the portion where the structure is changed is the electron emitting portion 2.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the voltage waveform of the forming.

The voltage waveform is particularly preferably a pulse waveform.
There are a case where a voltage pulse having a constant pulse peak value is applied continuously (FIG. 7A) and a case where a voltage pulse is applied while increasing the pulse peak value (FIG. 7B).

First, the case where the pulse peak value is a constant voltage will be described with reference to FIG.

T1 and T2 in FIG. 7A are the pulse width and pulse interval of the voltage waveform, for example, T1 is 1 to 10 milliseconds, and T2 is 10 to 100 microseconds.
In milliseconds, the peak value (peak voltage at the time of forming) is appropriately selected according to the form of the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device, and is set in an appropriate vacuum degree, for example, in a vacuum atmosphere of about 10 −5 torr. , For several seconds to several tens of minutes. Note that the voltage waveform to be applied is not limited to the illustrated triangular wave, and a desired waveform such as a rectangular wave can be used.

Next, a case where a voltage pulse is applied while increasing the pulse peak value will be described with reference to FIG.

T1 and T2 in FIG.
As in (a), the peak value (peak voltage at the time of forming) is increased by, for example, about 0.1 V steps,
The voltage is applied under an appropriate vacuum atmosphere similar to that described with reference to FIG.

During the pulse interval T2, a voltage that does not locally destroy, deform or alter the conductive thin film 3;
For example, it is preferable to measure the element current at a voltage of about 0.1 V to obtain a resistance value, and to terminate the forming when the resistance value indicates, for example, 1 M ohm or more.

Assuming that the voltage at which the resistance at the end of the forming is reached is the forming voltage, the forming voltage is strongly dependent on the initial resistance value. The higher the initial resistance, the higher the forming voltage. Also, the correlation between the forming voltage and the electron emission characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is high, and the lower the forming voltage, the better the electron emission characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to equalize the resistance of the conductive thin film 3 in the surface conduction electron-emitting device in order to obtain a surface conduction electron-emitting device having uniform electron emission characteristics.

5) In the case of the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention, it is preferable to further perform an activation step.

The activation step is, for example, 10 −4 to 1
A process of repeating the application of a pulse with a pulse peak value of a constant voltage at a degree of vacuum of about 0 to the fifth power torr,
By depositing carbon and a carbon compound from the organic substance existing in the vacuum atmosphere on the electron-emitting portion 2, the state of the device current and the emission current can be significantly improved. This activation step is preferably performed while measuring, for example, the device current and the emission current, and is completed when, for example, the emission current is saturated, since it is effective and is preferable. Also,
The pulse peak value in the activation step is preferably the peak value of the drive voltage.

The carbon and the carbon compound are graphite (indicating both single crystal and polycrystal) and amorphous carbon (indicating amorphous carbon and a mixture of the same and polycrystalline graphite). Further, the deposited film thickness is preferably 500 Å or less, more preferably 3 Å.
00 angstrom or less.

6) It is preferable to perform a stabilization step of operating the surface conduction electron-emitting device thus prepared in a vacuum atmosphere having a higher degree of vacuum than the forming step and the activation step. More preferably, after heating at 80 to 150 ° C. in a vacuum atmosphere with a high degree of vacuum,
Drive operation.

The vacuum atmosphere having a degree of vacuum higher than the degree of vacuum in the forming step and the activation step is, for example, about 10 −
A vacuum atmosphere having a degree of vacuum of 6 torr or more;
More preferably, it is an ultrahigh vacuum system, and has a degree of vacuum at which carbon and carbon compounds are not substantially newly deposited.

That is, by encapsulating the surface conduction electron-emitting device in the above-mentioned vacuum atmosphere, it is possible to suppress further deposition of carbon and carbon compounds, and thereby, the device current If and the emission current Ie Becomes stable.

The basic characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device thus obtained will be described below.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a measurement evaluation system for measuring the electron emission characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. First, this measurement evaluation system will be described.

In FIG. 8, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same members. Reference numeral 51 denotes a power supply for applying a device voltage Vf to the device; 50, an ammeter for measuring a device current If flowing through the conductive thin film 3 between the device electrodes 4 and 5; An anode electrode for capturing the emission current Ie to be emitted; 53, a high-voltage power supply for applying a voltage to the anode electrode 54; 52, an ammeter for measuring the emission current Ie emitted from the electron emission section 2; Is a vacuum device, and 56 is an exhaust pump.

The surface conduction type electron-emitting device and the anode electrode 54 are installed in a vacuum device 55.
Is equipped with necessary equipment such as a vacuum gauge (not shown),
Measurement and evaluation of the surface conduction electron-emitting device can be performed under a desired vacuum.

The exhaust pump 56 is composed of a normal high vacuum system such as a turbo pump and a rotary pump, and an ultrahigh vacuum system such as an ion pump.
The entire vacuum device 55 and the substrate 1 of the surface conduction electron-emitting device can be heated to about 200 ° C. by a heater. In addition, this measurement evaluation system is configured such that the display panel and the inside thereof are configured as the vacuum device 55 and the inside thereof at the stage of assembling the display panel as described later, so that the above-described forming step, activation step, and later described later. Can be applied to the side evaluation and processing in the step.

The basic characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device described below are as follows: the voltage of the anode electrode 54 in the above-mentioned measurement and evaluation system is 1 kV to 10 kV, and the distance H between the anode electrode 54 and the surface conduction electron-emitting device is 2 to 8 mm. This is based on the measurement performed as follows.

First, the emission current Ie and the device current If,
FIG. 9 shows a typical example of the relationship with the element voltage Vf. still,
In FIG. 9, since the emission current Ie is significantly smaller than the element current If, it is shown in arbitrary units.

As is apparent from FIG. 9, the surface conduction electron-emitting device has the following three characteristic characteristics with respect to the emission current Ie.

First, when a device voltage Vf exceeding a certain voltage (referred to as a threshold voltage: Vth in FIG. 9) is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device, the emission current Ie rapidly increases, whereas Below the threshold voltage Vth, the emission current Ie is hardly detected. That is, it is a nonlinear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth with respect to the emission current Ie.

Second, since the emission current Ie has a characteristic (referred to as MI characteristic) that monotonically increases with respect to the device voltage Vf, the emission current Ie can be controlled by the device voltage Vf.

Third, the emission charge captured by the anode electrode 54 (see FIG. 8) depends on the time during which the device voltage Vf is applied. That is, the amount of charge captured by the anode electrode 54 can be controlled by the time during which the device voltage Vf is applied.

When the emission current Ie is smaller than the device voltage Vf by MI
At the same time as having the characteristics, the device current If may also have the MI characteristics with respect to the device voltage Vf. An example of such a characteristic of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is a characteristic indicated by a solid line in FIG. On the other hand, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 9, the device current If is different from the device voltage Vf by the voltage control type negative resistance characteristic (VCN).
R characteristic). Which characteristic is exhibited depends on the manufacturing method of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, measurement conditions at the time of measurement, and the like. However, the element current If is equal to the element voltage Vf.
In contrast, a surface conduction electron-emitting device having VCNR characteristics also has the above three characteristics.

Next, the arrangement of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the electron source of the present invention will be described.

The arrangement of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the electron source of the present invention is not limited to the ladder arrangement as described in the section of the prior art, or to the arrangement of n Y-directions on m X-direction wirings. There is an arrangement method in which directional wiring is provided via an interlayer insulating layer, and an X-directional wiring and a Y-directional wiring are connected to a pair of device electrodes of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, respectively. This is hereinafter referred to as a simple matrix arrangement. First, the simple matrix arrangement will be described in detail.

According to the basic characteristics of the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device, the emitted electrons in the surface conduction electron-emitting device arranged in a simple matrix are arranged between the opposing device electrodes at a voltage exceeding the threshold voltage. It can be controlled by the peak value and pulse width of the pulsed voltage to be applied. On the other hand, below the threshold voltage, almost no electrons are emitted. Therefore, even when a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged, if the pulse-like voltage is appropriately applied to each of the devices, the surface conduction electron-emitting device is selected according to the input signal, and the electron emission amount is determined. , And individual surface conduction electron-emitting devices can be selected and driven independently with only a simple matrix wiring.

The simple matrix arrangement is based on such a principle, and the structure of the electron source having the simple matrix arrangement, which is an example of the electron source of the present invention, will be further described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 10, the substrate 1 is a glass plate or the like as described above, and the number and shape of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 of the present invention arranged on the substrate 1 are appropriately set according to the application. Things.

The m X-directional wirings 102 have external terminals Dx1, Dx2,..., Dxm, respectively.
A conductive metal or the like formed thereon by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like. In addition, the material and the material are so set that the voltage is supplied to the many surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 almost uniformly.
The film thickness and the wiring width are set.

The n Y-directional wirings 103 have external terminals Dy1, Dy2,..., Dyn, respectively, and are formed in the same manner as the X-directional wiring 102.

The m X-directional wires 102 and the n Y wires 102
An interlayer insulating layer (not shown) is provided between the direction wirings 103, and is electrically separated to form a matrix wiring. Note that both m and n are positive integers.

The interlayer insulating layer (not shown) is, for example, SiO ₂ formed by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like, and has a desired shape on the entire surface or a part of the substrate 1 on which the X-direction wiring 102 is formed. In particular, the film thickness, material, and manufacturing method are appropriately set so as to withstand the potential difference at the intersection of the X-direction wiring 102 and the Y-direction wiring 103.

Further, the device electrodes (not shown) opposed to the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104 are provided with m X-direction wirings 102.
, N Y-directional wirings 103, a vacuum deposition method, a printing method,
Connection 1 made of conductive metal or the like formed by sputtering or the like
05 are electrically connected.

Here, the m X-directional wires 102, the n Y-directional wires 103, the connection 105, and the opposing element electrodes may have the same or a part of the constituent elements. Further, they may be different from each other, and are appropriately selected from the above-described materials of the device electrodes and the like. The wires to these device electrodes may be collectively referred to as device electrodes when the material is the same as the device electrodes. Further, the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104
May be formed on the substrate 1 or on an interlayer insulating layer (not shown).

As will be described in detail later, a scanning signal is applied to the X-direction wiring 102 in order to scan a row of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 arranged in the X-direction in accordance with an input signal. A scanning signal applying unit (not shown) is electrically connected.

On the other hand, a modulation signal (not shown) for applying a modulation signal is applied to the Y-direction wiring 103 in order to modulate each of the rows of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 arranged in the Y direction according to an input signal. The signal generating means is electrically connected. Further, the driving voltage applied to each surface conduction electron-emitting device 104 is supplied as a difference voltage between a scanning signal and a modulation signal applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104.

Next, an example of the image forming apparatus of the present invention using the electron source of the present invention having the simple matrix arrangement as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a basic configuration diagram of the display panel 201, and FIG.
FIG. 13 shows the display panel 20 of FIG.
1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a drive circuit for performing television display according to an NTSC television signal.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate of an electron source on which the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention is arranged as described above; 111, a rear plate on which the substrate 1 is fixed; A face plate on which the film 114 and the metal back 115 and the like are formed. Reference numeral 112 denotes a support frame. Frit glass or the like is applied to the rear plate 111, the support frame 112, and the face plate 116, and the support plate is 400 to 500 The envelope 118 is formed by baking at a temperature of 10 ° C. for 10 minutes or more to seal.

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 2 corresponds to the electron-emitting portion in FIG. Reference numerals 102 and 103 denote an X-direction wiring and a Y-direction wiring connected to a pair of device electrodes 4 and 5 of the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104, respectively.
xm, Dy1 to Dyn.

The envelope 118 includes the face-plate 116, the support frame 112, and the rear plate 111, as described above. However, the rear plate 111 is provided mainly for the purpose of reinforcing the strength of the substrate 1. If the substrate 1 itself has sufficient strength, the separate rear plate 111 is unnecessary, and the support frame is directly attached to the substrate 1. Seal 112,
The envelope 118 may be constituted by the face plate 116, the support frame 112, and the substrate 1. Further, by further providing a support (not shown) called a spacer between the face plate 116 and the rear plate 111, the envelope 118 having sufficient strength against atmospheric pressure can be obtained.

The fluorescent film 114 is composed of only the phosphor 122 in the case of monochrome, but in the case of the color fluorescent film 114, depending on the arrangement of the phosphor 122, a black stripe (FIG. 12A) or a black matrix (FIG. 12
(B)) a black conductive material 121 and a phosphor 122 called
It is composed of The purpose of providing the black stripes and the black matrix is to make the color separation between the phosphors 122 of the three primary colors necessary for color display black so that color mixing and the like become inconspicuous, and to reflect external light on the fluorescent film 114. Is to suppress a decrease in contrast due to As a material of the black conductive material 121, not only a material mainly containing graphite, which is often used, but also a material having conductivity and low light transmission and reflection may be used. it can.

As a method of applying the phosphor 122 to the glass substrate 113, a precipitation method or a printing method is used regardless of monochrome or color.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Usually, a metal back 115 is provided on the inner side of 14. The purpose of the metal back 115 is to use the phosphor 122 (FIG. 1).
2), the light emitted toward the inner surface side of the emitted light is mirror-reflected toward the face plate 116 to improve the brightness, acts as an electrode for applying an electron beam acceleration voltage, and This is to protect the phosphor 122 from damage caused by the collision of the generated negative ions. The metal back 115 is formed after the fluorescent film 114 is formed.
14 can be manufactured by performing a smoothing treatment (usually called filming) on the inner surface of the substrate 14 and then depositing Al by vacuum evaporation or the like.

The face plate 116 may be provided with a transparent electrode (not shown) on the outer surface side of the fluorescent film 114 in order to further enhance the conductivity of the fluorescent film 114.

When performing the above-mentioned sealing, in the case of color, since the phosphors 122 of each color must correspond to the surface-conduction electron-emitting devices 104, it is necessary to perform sufficient alignment.

The inside of the envelope 118 is evacuated to a degree of vacuum of about 10 −7 torr through an exhaust pipe (not shown) and sealed. Also, a getter process may be performed immediately before or after sealing the envelope 118. This is a getter (not shown) arranged at a predetermined position in the envelope 118.
Is a process of forming a vapor-deposited film by heating. The getter is usually composed mainly of Ba, etc.,
For example, 1 × 10 −5 or 1 × 10 −7 to
This is for maintaining the vacuum degree of rr.

The above-described forming and subsequent manufacturing steps of the surface conduction electron-emitting device are usually performed immediately before or after sealing of the envelope 118, and the contents thereof are as described above. is there.

The above-described display panel 201 is, for example, shown in FIG.
Can be driven by a driving circuit as shown in FIG.
13, reference numeral 201 denotes a display panel, 202 denotes a scanning circuit, 203 denotes a control circuit, 204 denotes a shift register,
205 is a line memory, 206 is a synchronization signal separation circuit, 2
07 is a modulation signal generator, and Vx and Va are DC voltage sources.

As shown in FIG. 13, the display panel 20
1 is connected to an external electric circuit via external terminals Dx1 to Dxm, external terminals Dy1 to Dyn, and a high voltage terminal Hv. Of these, the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm
The surface conduction electron-emitting devices provided in the display panel 201, that is, a group of surface conduction electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix of m rows and n columns are sequentially driven by one row (each n element). The scanning signal for going forward is applied.

On the other hand, a modulation signal for controlling the output electron beam of each surface conduction electron-emitting device in one row selected by the scanning signal is applied to the terminal Dy1 to the external terminal Dyn. Further, a DC voltage of, for example, 10 kV is supplied to the high voltage terminal Hv from the DC voltage source Va. This is an accelerating voltage for applying sufficient energy to the electron beam output from the surface conduction electron-emitting device to excite the phosphor.

The scanning circuit 202 includes m switching elements (symbols S1 to Sm in FIG. 13). Each of the switching elements S1 to Sm is connected to the output voltage of the DC voltage power supply Vx or 0V. (Ground level) to be electrically connected to the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm of the display panel 201. Each of the switching elements S1 to Sm includes a control circuit 203
Operates on the basis of the control signal Tscan output by the device, and in fact, it can be easily configured by combining elements having a switching function such as an FET, for example.

In the present embodiment, the DC voltage source Vx has a threshold drive voltage applied to the unscanned surface conduction electron-emitting device based on the characteristics (threshold voltage) of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. It is set to output a constant voltage that is equal to or lower than the value voltage.

The control circuit 203 has a function of matching the operation of each unit so that appropriate display is performed based on an externally input image signal. A synchronization signal Tsyn sent from a synchronization signal separation circuit 206 described below.
Based on c, each control signal of Tscan, Tsft, and Tmry is generated for each unit.

The synchronizing signal separating circuit 206 is a circuit for separating a synchronizing signal component and a luminance signal component from an NTSC television signal input from the outside. As is well known, a frequency separating (filter) With the circuit,
It can be easily configured. Sync signal separation circuit 206
The sync signal separated by is composed of a vertical sync signal and a horizontal sync signal, as is well known. here,
It is illustrated as Tsync for convenience of explanation. On the other hand, the luminance signal component of the image separated from the television signal is referred to as D for convenience.
This is illustrated as an ATA signal. This DATA signal is input to the shift register 204.

The shift register 204 is for serially / parallel-converting the DATA signal input serially in time series for each line of an image, and is based on a control signal Tsft sent from the control circuit 203. Operate. This control signal Tsft is supplied to the shift register 20
4 may be rephrased as the shift clock. Also,
One line of serial / parallel converted image (equivalent to drive data for n elements of surface conduction electron-emitting device)
Are output from the shift register 204 as n parallel signals of Id1 to Idn.

The line memory 205 is a storage device for storing data of one line of an image for a required time.
The contents of Id1 to Idn are stored as appropriate according to the control signal Tmry sent from the control circuit 203. The stored contents are output as Id′1 to Id′n and input to the modulation signal generator 207.

The modulation signal generator 207 is a signal source for appropriately driving and modulating each of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in accordance with each of the image data Id'1 to Id'n. Are applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the display panel 201 through the terminals Doy1 to Doyn.

As described above, the surface conduction electron-emitting device has a clear threshold voltage for electron emission, and electron emission occurs only when a voltage exceeding the threshold voltage is applied. Also, for a voltage exceeding the threshold voltage, the emission current also changes according to the change in the voltage applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device. Materials for surface conduction electron-emitting devices,
By changing the configuration and the manufacturing method, the value of the threshold voltage and the degree of change of the emission current with respect to the applied voltage may change, but in any case, the following can be said.

That is, when a pulse-like voltage is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, when a voltage lower than the threshold voltage is applied, no electron emission occurs, but a voltage exceeding the threshold voltage is applied. In this case, electron emission occurs. At that time, first, it is possible to control the intensity of the output electron beam by changing the peak value of the voltage pulse. Second, by changing the width of the voltage pulse, it is possible to control the total amount of charges of the output electron beam.

Therefore, as a method of modulating the surface conduction electron-emitting device according to an input signal, there are a voltage modulation method and a pulse width modulation method. In the case of performing the voltage modulation method, the modulation signal generator 207 generates a voltage pulse having a fixed length, and uses a voltage modulation circuit capable of appropriately modulating the pulse peak value according to input data. In the case of performing the pulse width modulation method, the modulation signal generator 207 generates a voltage pulse having a constant peak value, but a pulse width modulation method circuit capable of appropriately modulating the pulse width according to input data. Used.

The shift register 204 and the line memory 20
Reference numeral 5 may be a digital signal type or an analog signal type, as long as it can perform serial / parallel conversion and storage of an image signal at a predetermined speed.

In the case of using a digital signal system, it is necessary to convert the output signal DATA of the synchronization signal separation circuit 206 into a digital signal. This can be achieved by providing an A / D converter at the output of the synchronization signal separation circuit 206.

In connection with this, the line memory 20
Depending on whether the output signal of 5 is a digital signal or an analog signal,
The circuit provided in modulation signal generator 207 is slightly different.

That is, in the case of a voltage modulation method using a digital signal, a well-known D / A conversion circuit may be used as the modulation signal generator 207, and an amplification circuit or the like may be added as necessary. In the case of a pulse width modulation method using a digital signal, the modulation signal generator 207 includes, for example, a high-speed oscillator, a counter (counter) for counting the number of waves output from the oscillator, and an output value of the counter and an output value of the memory. It can be easily configured by using a circuit in which comparators for comparison are combined. Further, if necessary, an amplifier may be added for amplifying the voltage of the pulse-width-modulated signal output from the comparator to the drive voltage of the surface-conduction electron-emitting device.

On the other hand, in the case of the voltage modulation method using an analog signal, for example, an amplification circuit using a well-known operational amplifier or the like may be used as the modulation signal generator 207, and a level shift circuit or the like may be added if necessary. You may. In the case of a pulse width modulation method using an analog signal, for example, a well-known voltage-controlled oscillation circuit (VCO) may be used, and a voltage is amplified to a drive voltage of a surface conduction electron-emitting device as necessary. May be added.

The image forming apparatus of the present invention having the display panel 201 and the driving circuit as described above has terminals Dx1 to Dx
By applying a voltage from m and Dy1 to Dyn,
Electrons can be emitted from the required surface conduction electron-emitting device, and the metal back 115 can be emitted through the high voltage terminal Hv.
Alternatively, a high voltage is applied to a transparent electrode (not shown) to accelerate the electron beam, and the excited electron beam collides with the phosphor film 114 to generate and emit light, thereby displaying a television signal according to an NTSC television signal. Is what you can do.

The configuration described above is a schematic configuration necessary for obtaining the image forming apparatus of the present invention used for display and the like, and detailed portions such as materials of each member are limited to those described above. Instead, it is appropriately selected so as to be suitable for the use of the image forming apparatus. Although the NTSC system has been described as an input signal, the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to this, and may employ another system such as a PAL or SECAM system. For example, a high-definition TV system such as a MUSE system may be used.

Next, an example of the above-described trapezoidal electron source and an image forming apparatus of the present invention using the same will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIG.

In FIG. 14, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate; 104, a surface conduction electron-emitting device; and 304, common wirings for connecting the surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104, each having ten external terminals D1 to D10. doing.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device 104 is
A plurality is arranged in parallel above. This is called an element row. These element rows are arranged in a plurality of rows to constitute an electron source.

By applying an appropriate drive voltage between the common wiring 304 of each element row (for example, the common wiring 304 of the external terminals D1 and D2), each element row can be driven independently. That is, a voltage exceeding the threshold voltage may be applied to an element row where electron beams are to be emitted, and a voltage lower than the threshold voltage may be applied to an element row where electron beams are not desired to be emitted. The application of such a drive voltage is performed by applying common lines 304 adjacent to each other between the element rows, that is, common lines 304 adjacent to each other, that is, external terminals D2 and D3 and D4 and D5 and D6 and D7 and D8 respectively adjacent to each other. The common wiring 304 of D9 and D9 can be formed as a single integrated wiring.

FIG. 15 is a view showing the structure of a display panel 301 provided with the above-described trapezoidal arrangement of electron sources, which is another example of the electron source of the present invention.

In FIG. 15, reference numeral 302 denotes a grid electrode; 303, an opening through which electrons pass; D1 to Dm, external terminals for applying a voltage to each surface conduction electron-emitting device;
Gn is an external terminal connected to the grid electrode 302. Further, the common wiring 304 between each element row is formed on the substrate 1 as an integral same wiring.

[0129] Incidentally, the same reference numerals as in FIG. 11 in FIG. 15 shows the same member, a large difference between the display panel 201 using the electron source of the simple matrix arrangement shown in FIG. 11, the substrate 1 and the face plate The point is that a grid electrode 302 is provided between the electrodes 116.

The grid electrode 302 is provided between the substrate 1 and the face plate 116 as described above. The grid electrode 302 is capable of modulating the electron beam emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104. In order to pass
One circular opening 303 is provided for each surface conduction electron-emitting device 104.

The shape and arrangement position of the grid electrode 302
It does not necessarily have to be as shown in FIG. 15, and a large number of openings 303 may be provided in a mesh shape, and the grid electrode 302 may be provided around or near the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104, for example. Good.

The external terminals D1 to Dm and G1 to Gn are connected to a drive circuit (not shown). Then, by applying a modulation signal for one image line to the column of the grid electrode 302 in synchronization with sequentially driving (scanning) the element rows one by one, each electron beam is irradiated on the fluorescent film 114. And images can be displayed line by line.

As described above, the image forming apparatus of the present invention
It can be obtained by using any of the electron sources of the present invention in a simple matrix arrangement or a trapezoidal arrangement, and is suitable not only for the above-described television broadcast display device, but also as a video conference system and a display device such as a computer. A device is obtained. Furthermore, the present invention can be used as an exposure device of an optical printer including a photosensitive drum.

[0134]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.

Embodiment 1 The configuration of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in this embodiment is the same as that shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b). In the electron source of this embodiment, sixteen surface conduction electron-emitting devices having the same shape are formed on the substrate 1. This is shown in FIG.
Shown in 1 denote the same members.

The method for manufacturing the surface conduction electron-emitting device is basically the same as the method described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, a basic configuration and a manufacturing method of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a substrate, 4 and 5 are device electrodes, 2 is an electron emitting portion, and 3 is a thin film including the electron emitting portion 2.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing procedure will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0139] The silicon oxide film of steps -a cleaned soda lime thickness 0.5 Mikuronme over torr onto a glass on a substrate 1 formed by sputtering,
A pattern having a desired electrode shape opening is formed with a photoresist (RD-2000N-41, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.),
50 Å thick Ti,
Ni having a thickness of 1000 Å was sequentially deposited.
Dissolve the photoresist pattern with an organic solvent and use Ni / Ti
The deposited film was lifted off to form device electrodes 4 and 5 having a device electrode interval L of 3 μm and a width W of 300 μm.

Step-b Next, in order to pattern the conductive thin film 3 for forming the electron-emitting portion 2 into a predetermined shape, a deposition mask which is usually used is disposed on the device electrodes 4 and 5. Thickness 100
A 0 Angstrom Cr film is deposited and patterned by vacuum evaporation, and organic Pd (ccp4230 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) is spin-coated thereon with a spinner,
A heating and baking treatment was performed at 0 ° C. for 10 minutes. The thus formed conductive thin film 3 composed of fine particles of Pd as the main element has a thickness of 10 nanometers and a sheet resistance of 1.8 ×.
It was 10 4 Ω / □. The fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated, as described above, and has a fine structure not only in a state where the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also when the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlap each other. The particle size refers to the diameter of the fine particles whose particle shape can be recognized in this state.

Step-c The Cr film and the fired thin film 3 were etched with an acid etchant to form a desired pattern.

Through the above steps, the device electrodes 4, 5 and the conductive thin film 3 were formed on the substrate 1.

Step-d Next, the substrate 1 on which the device electrodes 4 and 5 and the conductive thin film 3 were formed was placed in the resistance correction system shown in FIG. 4, and the device electrodes 4 of the 16 surface conduction electron-emitting devices were mounted. , And 5 were connected to a matrix scanner, respectively, and the element resistance was measured sequentially. The element resistance at this time was 3 KΩ minimum, 5 KΩ maximum, and 4.2 average.
KΩ.

In order to make the device resistance equal to the average value, a correction step is performed in an oxidizing atmosphere for a surface conduction type electron-emitting device having a resistance value less than the average value, and a surface conduction type electron emission device having a resistance value higher than the average value is obtained. In the electron-emitting device, the correction process was performed in a reducing atmosphere. As a result of performing this correction process,
The resistance values of the 16 surface conduction electron-emitting devices are all 4.2.
It was within the range of KΩ ± 1%.

Step-e The substrate 1 having undergone the above-mentioned correction step is set in the measurement and evaluation system shown in FIG.
After reaching the degree of vacuum of r, a voltage is applied between the element electrodes 4 and 5 from a power source 51 for applying the element voltage Vf,
An energization process (forming process) was performed. The voltage waveform of the forming process was a waveform as shown in FIG.

In FIG. 7 (b), T1 and T2 are the pulse width and pulse interval of the voltage waveform. In this embodiment, T1 is 1 millisecond, T2 is 10 milliseconds, and the peak value of the triangular wave (at the time of forming). The peak voltage was raised in 0.1 V steps to perform the forming process. During the forming process, a resistance measurement pulse was simultaneously inserted between T2 at a voltage of 0.1 V to measure the resistance. The forming process was terminated when the measured value of the resistance measurement pulse became about 1 M ohm or more, and at the same time, the application of the voltage to the surface conduction electron-emitting device was terminated. The forming voltage VF of the 16 surface conduction electron-emitting devices was 10 V ± 0.1 V.

Step-f Subsequently, a rectangular wave having a peak value of 18 V was applied to each of the 16 surface-conduction-type electron-emitting devices subjected to the forming treatment to perform an activation treatment. The activation process is performed between the device electrodes 4 and 5 in the measurement evaluation system of FIG.
The measurement was performed by applying the pulse voltage while measuring e. The vacuum degree in the vacuum apparatus 55 of FIG. 8 at this time is 1.
It was 5 × 10 −5 torr. The activation process of all the surface conduction electron-emitting devices was completed in about 20 minutes.

Further, the electron emission characteristics of the sixteen surface conduction electron-emitting devices prepared in the above-described steps were measured by using the above-described measurement evaluation system shown in FIG. This measurement was performed using an ultra-high vacuum evacuation device such as an ion pump that does not use vacuum oil, and the measurement was performed under the condition that contamination of organic substances was minimized.

[0149] Incidentally, 4 mm the distance of the anode electrode 54 and the surface conduction electron-emitting device in FIG. 8, the anode electrode 54
Was set to 1 kV, and the degree of vacuum in the vacuum apparatus when measuring the electron emission characteristics was set to 1 × 10 −7 torr.

The device electrodes 4 of each surface conduction electron-emitting device
An element voltage of 18 V was applied between 5 points, and an element current If and an emission current Ie flowing at that time were measured. Each of the 16 surface conduction electron-emitting devices has an element current If of 2.8 milliA and an emission current Ie of 4 microA at an element voltage of 18V.
Met. The electron emission efficiency η = Ie / If is 0.2
%, There was almost no variation in the electron emission characteristics.

As described above, by correcting the element resistance prior to the forming, the element current If and the emission current Ie are stabilized, and a highly uniform surface conduction electron-emitting element can be manufactured.

Embodiment 2 This embodiment is an example of an image forming apparatus using an electron source in which a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged in a simple matrix.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of a part of the electron source. FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG.
9 and FIG. However, the same reference numerals in FIGS. 17, 18, 19 and 20 denote the same members.

Here, 1 is a substrate, 102 is an X-direction wiring (also referred to as a lower wiring), 103 is a Y-direction wiring (also referred to as an upper wiring), 3 is a thin film including an electron emitting portion, 4 and 5 are device electrodes,
151 is an interlayer insulating layer, 152 is an element electrode 5 and lower wiring 10
2 and a contact hole for electrical connection.

Next, the manufacturing method will be specifically described in the order of steps with reference to FIGS. The following steps a to h correspond to (a) to (h) in FIGS. 19 and 20 .

Step-a On a substrate 1 in which a 0.5 μm thick silicon oxide film was formed on a cleaned blue plate glass by a sputtering method,
5 nm thick Cr, 60 thick by vacuum evaporation
After sequentially laminating 0 nm of Au, a photoresist (AZ1370, manufactured by Hoechst) is spin-coated with a spinner and baked, and then a photomask image is exposed and developed to form a resist pattern of the lower wiring 102. /
The Cr deposited film was wet-etched to form the lower wiring 102 having a desired shape.

Step-b Next, an interlayer insulating layer 151 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 1.0 μm was deposited by RF sputtering.

Step-c Contact hole 1 was formed in the silicon oxide film deposited in step b.
A photoresist pattern for forming 52 was formed, and using this as a mask, the interlayer insulating layer 151 was etched to form a contact hole 152. Etching is CF ₄
(Reactive Ion) using H2 and H ₂ gas
Etching) method.

Step-d Thereafter, a pattern to be the element electrode 5 and the gap G between the element electrodes is formed by a photoresist (RD-2000N-41, manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), and a 50 Å thick Ti is formed by vacuum evaporation. And a 1000 Å thick Ni were sequentially deposited. The photoresist pattern was dissolved in an organic solvent, and the Ni / Ti deposited film was lifted off to form device electrodes 4 and 5 having a device electrode interval L1 of 3 μm and a width W1 of 300 μm.

Step-e After forming a photoresist pattern of the upper wiring 103 on the device electrodes 4 and 5, a 50 angstrom thick Ti,
Au having a thickness of 500 nm was sequentially deposited by vacuum evaporation, and unnecessary portions were removed by lift-off, thereby forming an upper wiring 103 having a desired shape.

Next, a Cr film 1 having a thickness of 100 nanometers was prepared.
53 was deposited and patterned by vacuum evaporation, and organic Pd (ccp4230, manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) was spin-coated thereon with a spinner and heated and baked at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes. The main element thus formed is P
The thickness of the conductive thin film 3 composed of the fine particles of d was 10 nanometers, and the sheet resistance was 4.8 × 10 4 Ω / □. The fine particle film described here is, as described above,
A film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated. The fine structure of the film is not only a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also a film in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlapped (including an island shape). the particle size refers to the diameter about the recognizable fine particle shape in Tsu above conditions.

Step-g The Cr film 153 and the fired conductive thin film 3 were etched with an acid etchant to form a desired pattern.

Step-h A resist was applied to portions other than the contact hole 152 to form a pattern, and 5 nm thick Ti and 500 nm thick Au were sequentially deposited by vacuum evaporation. Unnecessary portions were removed by lift-off to bury the contact holes 152.

Step-i The device electrodes 4 and 5 of the surface conduction electron-emitting device prepared in the above steps were connected, and were connected to the resistance correction system shown in FIG. The resistance value before correction is minimum 1.5KΩ, maximum 4KΩ,
The average was 2 KΩ and the standard deviation was 1 KΩ.

Thereafter, hydrogen gas was introduced to 1 torr. To adjust the resistance to the minimum value measured,
The correction was performed by reducing the resistance values under a reducing atmosphere so that the resistance values of all the surface conduction electron-emitting devices became 1.5 KΩ. As a result, the resistance value of the all surface conduction electron-emitting device was 1.5 KΩ and the standard deviation was 0.1 KΩ.

When a sample having the same variation in the resistance value as described above was used, a laser pulse was irradiated in a reducing atmosphere, and the pulse time was changed to reduce the resistance value. The resistance value of the electron-emitting device was 1.5 KΩ and the standard deviation was 0.3 KΩ.

Next, an example in which an image forming apparatus is configured by using the electron source created as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

After fixing the substrate 1 provided with a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 on the rear plate 111 as described above, the face plate 116 (the inner surface of the glass substrate 113 is The film 114 and the metal back 115 are formed).
2, the face plate 116, the support frame 1
12. Frit glass was applied to the joint of the rear plate 111 and sealed by baking at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more in air or nitrogen atmosphere. The fixing of the substrate 1 to the rear plate 111 was also performed using frit glass.

In FIG. 11, reference numerals 102 and 103 denote X, respectively.
And Y-direction wiring.

The fluorescent film 114 is composed of only the phosphor 122 in the case of monochrome, but in the present embodiment, the phosphor 122 is used.
Adopts a stripe shape (FIG. 12A), a black stripe is formed first, and each color phosphor 12
2 was applied to form a fluorescent film 114. As a material of the black stripe, a material mainly containing graphite, which is generally used, was used.

As a method for applying the phosphor 122 to the glass substrate 113, a slurry method was used. Also, the fluorescent film 11
4 was provided with a metal back 115 on the inner surface side. The metal back 115 was manufactured by performing a smoothing process (usually called filming) on the inner surface of the fluorescent film 114 after the fluorescent film 114 was manufactured, and then performing vacuum deposition of Al.

In the face plate 116, a transparent electrode (not shown) may be provided on the outer surface side of the fluorescent film 114 in order to further enhance the conductivity of the fluorescent film 114. In this embodiment, the metal back 115 is provided. Was omitted because only sufficient conductivity was obtained.

At the time of performing the above-mentioned sealing, in the case of color, the phosphors 122 of each color must correspond to the surface-conduction electron-emitting devices 104, so that sufficient alignment was performed.

The atmosphere in the glass container completed as described above is exhausted by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the external terminals Dx1 to Dx1
A voltage is applied between the device electrodes 4 and 5 of the surface-conduction electron-emitting device 104 through xm and Dy1 to Dyn, and the conductive thin film 3 is subjected to a forming process to thereby form the electron-emitting portion 2.
It was created.

The voltage waveform of the forming process is shown in FIG.
Same as (b). In this embodiment, T1 is 1 millisecond, T2 is 10 milliseconds, and about 1 × 10 −5 tor.
r under a vacuum atmosphere.

[0176] The electron-emitting portion 2 thus created
Was in a state where fine particles mainly composed of palladium element were dispersed and arranged, and the average particle diameter of the fine particles was 3 nanometers.

Next, the same waveform as the forming, the peak value 1
The activation process was performed while measuring the device current If and the emission current Ie at 8 V and a vacuum degree of 2 × 10 −5 power.

[0178] forming process as described above, performs the activation process, to produce a front surface conduction electron-emitting devices 104 that have a electron-emitting portion 2.

Thereafter, the gas was evacuated to a degree of vacuum of about 10 −6 torr, and an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner, and the envelope was sealed. To maintain the degree, a getter treatment was performed by a high-frequency heating method.

In the image forming apparatus of the present invention completed as described above, the scanning signal and the modulation signal are supplied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device 104 from the signal generating means (not shown) through the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn. Electrons are emitted by applying the voltage, and a metal back 115 or a transparent electrode (not shown) is applied through a high voltage terminal Hv.
To apply a high voltage of several kV or more to accelerate the electron beam,
An image was displayed by colliding with the fluorescent film 114 to excite and emit light.

The image forming apparatus of this embodiment can obtain an extremely stable image with a small luminance distribution. Also,
High-contrast display excellent in gradation characteristics and full-color display characteristics was obtained.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 21 shows that a display panel using the above-mentioned surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron source can display image information provided from various image information sources such as television broadcasting. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus of the present invention configured as described above.

In the figure, reference numeral 16100 denotes a display panel, 1
Reference numeral 6101 denotes a display panel driving circuit;
Is a display controller, 16103 is a multiplexer, 16104 is a decoder, 16105 is an input / output interface circuit, 16106 is a CPU, 16107 is an image generation circuit, 16108, 16109 and 1611
0 is an image memory interface circuit, 16111 is an image input interface circuit, 16112 and 161
13 is a TV signal receiving circuit, and 16114 is an input unit.

When the present image forming apparatus receives a signal including both video information and audio information, such as a television signal, it naturally reproduces the audio simultaneously with the display of the video. Descriptions of circuits, speakers, and the like related to reception, separation, reproduction, processing, storage, and the like of audio information that are not directly related to the features of the present invention are omitted.

Hereinafter, the function of each unit will be described along the flow of image signals.

First, the TV signal receiving circuit 16113 is a circuit for receiving a TV signal transmitted using a wireless transmission system such as radio waves or spatial optical communication.

The format of the TV signal to be received is not particularly limited. For example, NTSC, PAL, SEC
Any method such as the AM method may be used. Further, a TV signal comprising a larger number of scanning lines than these, for example, a so-called high-definition TV including the MUSE system is a signal suitable for taking advantage of the display panel suitable for a large area and a large number of pixels. Source.

[0188] The TV signal received by TV signal receiving circuit 16113 is output to decoder 16104.

The TV signal receiving circuit 16112 is a circuit for receiving a TV signal transmitted using a wired transmission system such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber. Similarly to the TV signal receiving circuit 16113, the TV
The signal system is not particularly limited, and the TV signal received by this circuit is also output to the decoder 16104.

Image input interface circuit 16111
Is a circuit for capturing an image signal supplied from an image input device such as a TV camera or an image reading scanner. The captured image signal is output to the decoder 16104.

Image memory interface circuit 161
10 is a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as VTR)
Is a circuit for capturing the image signal stored in the decoder 1610, and the captured image signal is output to the decoder 16104.

Image memory interface circuit 161
Reference numeral 09 denotes a circuit for capturing an image signal stored in the video disk, and the captured image signal is output to the decoder 16104.

Image memory interface circuit 161
08 is a circuit for taking in an image signal from a device storing still image data, such as a still image disk,
The captured still image data is input to the decoder 16104.

Input / output interface circuit 16105
Is a circuit for connecting the present display device to an external computer or an output device such as a computer network or a printer. In addition to inputting and outputting image data and character / graphic information, control signals and numerical data can be input and output between the CPU 16106 provided in the image forming apparatus and the outside in some cases. .

The image generation circuit 16107 is provided with image data, character / graphic information input from the outside via the input / output interface circuit 16105, or the CPU 1
A circuit for generating display image data based on the image data and character / graphic information output from 6106. Inside this circuit, for example, a rewritable memory for storing image data and character / graphic information, a read-only memory storing an image pattern corresponding to a character code, a processor for performing image processing, etc. And other circuits necessary for generating an image.

The display image data generated by this circuit is output to the decoder 16104. In some cases, the display image data can be output to an external computer network or printer via the input / output interface circuit 16105.

The CPU 16106 mainly performs operations related to operation control of the display device and generation, selection and editing of a display image.

For example, a control signal is output to the multiplexer 16103, and image signals to be displayed on the display panel are appropriately selected or combined. In that case, a control signal is generated to the display panel controller 16102 in accordance with the image signal to be displayed, and the display device controls the display device such as the screen display frequency, the scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced), and the number of scanning lines on one screen. The operation is appropriately controlled. In addition, image data and character / graphic information are directly output to the image generation circuit 16107, or an external computer or memory is accessed via the input / output interface circuit 16105 to output image data or character / graphic information. input.

It should be noted that the CPU 16106 may be involved in work for other purposes. For example, it may directly relate to a function of generating and processing information, such as a personal computer or a word processor. Alternatively, as described above, the input / output interface circuit 161
The computer may be connected to an external computer network via the external computer 05 to perform operations such as numerical calculations in cooperation with external devices.

The input unit 16114 is connected to the CPU 1610
6 is for the user to input commands, programs, data, and the like. For example, in addition to a keyboard and a mouse, various input devices such as a joystick, a barcode reader, and a voice recognition device can be used. .

The decoder 16104 is a circuit for inversely converting various image signals input from the above 16107 to 16113 into three primary color signals, or luminance signals, I signals, and Q signals. As shown by a dotted line in the figure, it is desirable that the decoder 16104 includes an image memory therein. This is for handling a television signal that requires an image memory when performing inverse conversion, such as the MUSE method.

The provision of the image memory facilitates the display of a still image. Alternatively, the image generation circuit 1610
7 and the CPU 16106, an advantage is obtained in that image processing and editing including image thinning, interpolation, enlargement, reduction, and synthesis are facilitated.

The multiplexer 16103 is connected to the CPU
A display image is appropriately selected based on a control signal input from 16106. That is, the multiplexer 16
103 selects a desired image signal from the inversely converted image signals input from the decoder 16104 and outputs the selected image signal to the drive circuit 16101. In that case, by switching and selecting an image signal within one screen display time, it is also possible to divide one screen into a plurality of areas and display different images depending on the areas, as in a so-called multi-screen television. .

Display panel controller 1610
Reference numeral 2 denotes a circuit for controlling the operation of the driving circuit 16101 based on a control signal input from the CPU 16106.

As a signal related to the basic operation of the display panel, for example, a signal for controlling an operation sequence of a drive power source (not shown) for the display panel is output to the drive circuit 16101. As a driving method of the display panel, for example, a signal for controlling a screen display frequency or a scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced) is supplied to the driving circuit 16101.
Output to In some cases, a control signal related to image quality adjustment such as luminance, contrast, color tone, and sharpness of a display image may be output to the driving circuit 16101.

The drive circuit 16101 is a circuit for generating a drive signal to be applied to the display panel 16100. The drive circuit 16101 generates a drive signal to be applied to the display panel 16100.
The operation is based on a control signal input from 102.

The function of each section has been described above. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 21, in the present image forming apparatus, image information input from various image information sources can be displayed on the display panel 16100. . That is, various image signals such as television broadcasts are inversely converted by a decoder 16104, and then converted by a multiplexer 16104.
The signal is appropriately selected at 103 and input to the driving circuit 16101. On the other hand, the display controller 16102
Generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the driving circuit 16101 in accordance with an image signal to be displayed. Drive circuit 16
101 applies a drive signal to the display panel 16100 based on the image signal and the control signal. Thus, an image is displayed on display panel 16100. These series of operations are totally controlled by the CPU 16106.

In the present image forming apparatus, the image memory built in the decoder 16104 and the image generation circuit 16
107 and information selected from the information, as well as image information to be displayed, for example, enlargement, reduction,
Image processing including rotation, movement, edge enhancement, thinning, interpolation, color conversion, image aspect ratio conversion, etc.
It is also possible to perform image editing including connection, replacement, fitting, and the like. Although not specifically mentioned in the description of the present embodiment, a dedicated circuit for processing and editing audio information may be provided as in the above-described image processing and image editing.

Therefore, the present image forming apparatus can be used as a television broadcast display device, a video conference terminal device, an image editing device that handles still images and moving images, a computer terminal device,
It can be equipped with the functions of a word processor and other office terminal equipment, game machines, and the like, and has a very wide range of applications for industrial or consumer use.

FIG. 21 shows only an example of the configuration of an image forming apparatus using a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, of the components shown in FIG. 21, circuits relating to functions that are unnecessary for the purpose of use may be omitted.
Conversely, additional components may be added depending on the purpose of use. For example, when this display device is applied as a video phone, a TV camera, a voice microphone,
It is preferable to add an illuminator, a transmitting / receiving circuit including a modem, and the like to the components.

In the present image forming apparatus, since the surface conduction electron-emitting device is used as the electron source, it is easy to reduce the thickness of the display panel and to reduce the depth of the image forming apparatus. In addition, a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source is easy to enlarge the screen, has high brightness, and has excellent viewing angle characteristics, so that the image forming apparatus is full of a sense of reality and has a powerful image. Can be displayed with good visibility.

[0213]

As described above, the surface conduction type electron-emitting device of the present invention has no variation in electron emission characteristics and can obtain substantially the same amount of emitted electrons. In addition, when the electron source of the present invention is used, an image forming apparatus such as a display device that can obtain an image having a very small luminance distribution may be provided with a correction memory and a complicated correction circuit at the time of driving which are conventionally required. And the structure of the device can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a correction system used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a voltage pulse applied in a correction step.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a resistance change under various atmospheres in a correction process.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a forming waveform.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a measurement evaluation system for a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 shows an emission current of the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows an element voltage characteristic (IV characteristic).

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electron source of the present invention in a simple matrix arrangement.

FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a display panel used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention using an electron source having a simple matrix arrangement.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a fluorescent film in the display panel of FIG.

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a drive circuit that drives the display panel of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a schematic plan view of a trapezoidal arrangement of electron sources.

FIG. 15 is a schematic configuration diagram of a display panel used in the image forming apparatus of the present invention using a trapezoidal arrangement of electron sources.

FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing an electron source according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic plan view showing an electron source according to a second embodiment.

18 is a sectional view taken along line A-A 'in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing the electron source according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a procedure for manufacturing an electron source according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating an image forming apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Electron emission part 3 Thin film 4, 5 element electrode 21 Step forming member 40, 41 Pulse applying device 42 Vacuum device 43 Vacuum exhaust pipe 44 Gas introduction pipe 50 Ammeter 51 for measuring element current If 51 Power supply 52 Emission current Ammeter for measuring Ie 53 High voltage power supply 54 Anode electrode 55 Vacuum device 56 Exhaust pump 102 X-direction wiring (lower wiring) 103 Y-direction wiring (upper wiring) 104 Surface conduction electron-emitting device 105 connection 111 rear plate 112 support Frame 113 Glass substrate 114 Fluorescent film 115 Metal back 116 Face plate 118 Enclosure 121 Black conductive material 122 Phosphor 151 Interlayer insulating layer 152 Contact hole 153 Cr layer 201 Display panel 202 Scanning circuit 203 Control circuit 204 Shift register 205 Line memory06 Synchronous signal separation circuit 207 Modulation signal generator 301 Display panel 302 Grid electrode 303 Opening 304 Common wiring 16100 Display panel 16101 Drive circuit 16102 Display controller 16103 Multiplexer 16104 Decoder 16105 Input / output interface circuit 16106 CPU 16107 Image generation circuit 16108 Image memory interface circuit 16109 Image memory interface circuit 16110 Image memory interface circuit 16111 Image input interface circuit 16112 TV signal receiving circuit 16113 TV signal receiving circuit 16114 Input section

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Masato Yamanobe 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (56) References JP-A-8-96700 (JP, A) JP-A-6 −12997 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) H01J 1/30 H01J 9/02 H01J 31/12

Claims (23)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device having an electron-emitting portion in a conductive thin film communicating between a pair of device electrodes provided on a substrate, comprising: forming an element electrode on a substrate; A step of forming a conductive thin film to contact, a step of measuring the resistance value of the conductive thin film, and oxidizing or reducing the conductive thin film based on the measurement result of the resistance value of the conductive thin film. and the resistance value as engineering tO aDJUST <br/>, method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device; and a forming step of forming the electron emitting portion on a conductive thin film. 2. The method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation or reduction of the conductive thin film is performed by energization in an oxidation or reduction atmosphere. Wherein energization, the conductive thin film is forming
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step is performed at a voltage lower than a predetermined voltage. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the oxidation or reduction of the conductive thin film is performed by irradiating a laser beam in an oxidation or reduction atmosphere. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a part of the conductive thin film is oxidized or reduced. 6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the forming step, a stabilizing step of applying a voltage to the electron-emitting device under a higher degree of vacuum than the forming step.
A method for manufacturing any one of the electron-emitting devices. 7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, after the forming step, an activation step of applying a voltage to the electron-emitting device in the presence of the organic substance. 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, after the activation step, a stabilizing step of applying a voltage to the electron-emitting device under a higher degree of vacuum than the forming step and the activation step.
The manufacturing method of the electron-emitting device of the above. 9. An electron-emitting device manufactured by the method according to claim 1. 10. The electron-emitting device according to claim 9, wherein the device electrodes are of a planar type formed on the same surface. 11. A position other element electrode on <br/> insulating layer provided adjacent to the device electrode of one conductive thin film including an electron emitting portion is formed on the side surface of the insulating layer 10. The electron-emitting device according to claim 9, wherein the electron-emitting device is of a vertical type. 12. The electron-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting device is a surface conduction electron-emitting device. 13. A electron emission device having an electron emitting portion on a conductive thin film to contact between a pair of device electrodes, the method of manufacturing an electron source having a plurality on a substrate, wherein the electron-emitting devices
Item 10. A method for manufacturing an electron source, wherein the method is performed by any one of Items 1 to 8 . 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein
Characterized electron source. 15. An electron-emitting device having the same device electrode.
A flat type formed on a surface.
14 electron sources. 16. An electron-emitting device is adjacent to one device electrode.
The other element electrode is located on the insulating layer provided in contact with,
A conductive thin film including an electron emitting portion is formed on a side surface of the insulating layer.
15. The electron of claim 14, wherein the electron is a vertical type.
source. 17. An electron-emitting device comprising : a surface-conduction electron-emitting device;
17. A child according to claim 14, wherein the child is a child.
That electron source. 18. An element array in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged.
To drive each electron-emitting device.
Are arranged in a matrix.
The electron source according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein 19. An element array in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged.
To drive each electron-emitting device.
Characterized by ladder-like wiring
An electron source according to any one of claims 14 to 17. 20. An electron according to claim 14, wherein
A source, to form an image by irradiation of an electron beam from the electric child source
Image forming apparatus having an image forming member
Place. 21. An electron according to claim 14, wherein
A source and an electron beam emitted from the electron source according to an information signal.
Modulating means for irradiating an electron beam from the electron source.
And an image forming member for forming an image.
Image forming apparatus. 22. An electron according to claim 14, wherein
Forming an image by irradiating an electron beam from the electron source.
Image characterized by combining with an image forming member
Manufacturing method of forming apparatus. 23. An electron according to claim 14, wherein
A source and an electron beam emitted from the electron source according to an information signal.
Modulating means for irradiating an electron beam from the electron source.
Combine with an image forming member that forms more images
A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: