JP3274345B2 - Image display device and image display method in the device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices on a substrate, a method and an apparatus for driving the electron source, and
The present invention relates to an image display method and an apparatus using the electron source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of electron emitting devices, a hot cathode device and a cold cathode device, are known. Of these, among the cold cathode devices, for example, a surface conduction electron-emitting device, a field emission device (hereinafter referred to as an FE type), a metal / insulating layer / metal type emission device (hereinafter referred to as an MIM type) and the like are known. I have.

As surface conduction electron-emitting devices, for example, MI Elinson, Radio Eng. Electron Phys., 10,
1290, (1965) and other examples described below.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which electron emission occurs when a current flows in a thin film having a small area formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface. As the surface conduction type electron-emitting device, the Elinson (Elison) is used.
nson), etc., and an Au thin film [G. Dittmer: “Thin Solid Films”, 9,3.
17 (1972)] and those based on In2O3 / SnO2 thin films [M.
Hartwell and CGFonstad: “IEEE Trans. ED Con
f. ", 519 (1975)] and those using carbon thin films [Hisashi Araki et al .: Vacuum, Vol. 26, No. 1, 22 (1983)]
Etc. have been reported.

As a typical example of the device configuration of these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, FIG. 28 is a plan view of the device described by M. Hartwell et al. In FIG. 28, 3001
, A substrate; and 3004, a conductive thin film made of metal oxide formed by sputtering. The conductive thin film 3004 is formed in an H-shaped planar shape as shown. An electron emission portion 3005 is formed by applying an energization process called energization forming to be described later to the conductive thin film 3004. The interval L in the figure is 0.5 to 1 [mm] and the width W
Is set to 0.1 [mm]. For convenience of illustration, the electron emitting portion 3005 is shown in a rectangular shape at the center of the conductive thin film 3004, but this is a schematic one.
It does not faithfully represent the actual position and shape of the electron-emitting portion.

In the above-mentioned surface conduction type electron-emitting device including the device by M. Hartwell et al., An electron-emitting portion 3005 is formed by applying an energization process called energization forming to the conductive thin film 3004 before electron emission. It was common to do. That is, the energization forming means that a constant DC voltage is applied to both ends of the conductive thin film 3004,
Alternatively, a current is applied by applying a direct current voltage that is boosted at a very slow rate of, for example, about 1 V / min, and locally destroys, deforms, or alters the conductive thin film 3004, and the electrons in an electrically high resistance state That is, forming the emission part 3005. Note that a crack is generated in a part of the conductive thin film 3004 that is locally broken, deformed, or altered. When an appropriate voltage is applied to the conductive thin film 3004 after the energization forming, electron emission is performed in the vicinity of the crack.

As an example of the FE type, for example, WP
Dyke & WW Dolan, “Field emission”, Advance in
Electron Physics, 8, 89 (1956) or CA Spi
ndt, “Physical properties of thin-film field emis
sion cathodes with molybdenium cones ”, J. Appl. P
hys., 47, 5248 (1976).

As a typical example of the FE-type device configuration, FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of the device by CA Spindt et al. In the figure, 3010 is a substrate, 3011 is an emitter wiring made of a conductive material, 3012 is an emitter cone, 3013 is an insulating layer, and 3014 is a gate electrode.
This device comprises an emitter cone 3012 and a gate electrode 301
By applying an appropriate voltage during the period 4, field emission is caused from the tip of the emitter cone 3012.

As another element structure of the FE type, FIG.
There is also an example in which the emitter and the gate electrode are arranged on the substrate almost in parallel with the substrate plane, instead of the laminated structure as shown in FIG.

Examples of the MIM type include, for example, C.I.
A. Mead, “Operation of tunnel-emission Devices,
J. Appl. Phys., 32,646 (1961) and the like are known.
FIG. 30 shows a typical example of the MIM element configuration. The figure is a cross-sectional view, in which 3020 is a substrate,
21 is a lower electrode made of metal, 3022 is a thin insulating layer having a thickness of about 100 Å, and 3023 is a layer having a thickness of 80 to 80 Å.
The upper electrode is made of a metal of about 300 angstroms. In the MIM type, the upper electrode 3023 and the lower electrode 30
21 by applying an appropriate voltage to the upper electrode 3.
The electron emission is caused from the surface of H.023.

The above-described cold cathode device does not require a heater for heating because it can obtain electrons at a lower temperature than the hot cathode device. Therefore, the structure is simpler than that of the hot cathode element, and a fine element can be produced. Further, even if a large number of elements are arranged on the substrate at a high density, problems such as thermal melting of the substrate hardly occur. Also, unlike the hot cathode element, which operates by heating the heater, the response speed is slow, and the cold cathode element has the advantage that the response speed is fast. For these reasons, studies for applying the cold cathode device have been actively conducted.

For example, a surface conduction electron-emitting device has the advantage that a large number of devices can be formed over a large area because it has a particularly simple structure and is easy to manufacture among cold cathode devices. Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-313 by the present applicant
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 32, a method for arranging and driving a large number of elements has been studied.

With respect to the application of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, image forming devices such as image display devices and image recording devices, and charged beam sources have been studied.

Particularly, as an application to an image display device, for example, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,066,883, JP-A-2-257551 and JP-A-4-28137 by the present applicant, a surface conduction type is disclosed. Image display devices using a combination of an electron-emitting device and a phosphor that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam have been studied. An image display device using a combination of such a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a phosphor is expected to have better characteristics than other conventional image display devices. For example, compared to a liquid crystal display device that has become widespread in recent years, it can be said that it is excellent in that it is a self-luminous type and does not require a backlight and has a wide viewing angle.

A method of driving a plurality of FE types in a row is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,904,895 by the present applicant. Further, as an example of applying the FE type to an image display device, for example, a flat panel display device reported by R. Meyer et al. Is known. [R. Meyer: “Recent Develop
ment on Microtips Display at LETI ”, Tech. Digest
of 4th Int.Vacuum Microelectronics Conf., Nagaham
a, pp 6-9 (1991)].

An example in which a number of MIM types are arranged and applied to an image display device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
No. 55738.

The inventors of the present application have tried cold cathode devices of various materials, manufacturing methods, and structures, including those described in the above prior art. Furthermore, research has been conducted on a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of cold cathode devices are arranged, and on an image display device using the multi-electron beam source.

The inventors of the present application have tried a multi-electron beam source by an electric wiring method shown in FIG. 31, for example.
That is, it is a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of cold cathode devices are two-dimensionally arranged and these devices are wired in a matrix as shown in the figure.

In the figure, 4001 schematically shows a cold cathode element, 4002 shows a row direction wiring, and 4003 shows a column direction wiring. Row direction wiring 4002 and column direction wiring 4
003 actually has a finite electrical resistance, but is shown as wiring resistances 4004 and 4005 in the figure. The above-described wiring method is called simple matrix wiring. Note that, for convenience of illustration, the matrix is shown as a 6 × 6 matrix, but the size of the matrix is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a multi-electron beam source for an image display device, a desired image is displayed. Only enough elements are arranged and wired.

In a multi-electron beam source in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged in a simple matrix, an appropriate electric signal is applied to the row wiring 4002 and the column wiring 4003 in order to output a desired electron beam. For example, to drive a surface-conduction electron-emitting device of an arbitrary row in a matrix, a selection voltage Vs is applied to a row-directional wiring 4002 of a selected row, and at the same time, a row-directional wiring 4 of an unselected row is applied.
A non-selection voltage Vns is applied to 002. In synchronization with this, a driving voltage Ve for outputting an electron beam is applied to the column wiring 4003. According to this method, the wiring resistance 40
If the voltage drops caused by the elements 04 and 4005 are neglected, a voltage of (Ve−Vs) is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the selected row, and (Ve−Vs) is applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the non-selected rows. −Vns). Here, if the voltage values of Ve, Vs, and Vns are set to appropriate voltages, an electron beam having a desired intensity should be output only from the surface conduction electron-emitting devices in the selected row. If a different drive voltage Ve is applied to each of the column-directional wirings 4003, an electron beam having a different intensity should be output from each of the elements in the selected row. Further, since the response speed of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is high, if the length of time for applying the drive voltage Ve is changed, the length of time for outputting the electron beam should be changed.

Therefore, there is a possibility that various applications can be applied to a multi-electron beam source in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged in a simple matrix. For example, if an electric signal corresponding to image information is appropriately applied, a multi-electron beam source for an image display device can be obtained. It can be suitably used as an electron source.

In a color image display device using such a surface conduction electron-emitting device, red (R), green (G), and red (R) light emitted when an electron emitted from a multi-electron source collides with its face plate. Phosphors of three colors of blue (B) are arranged in a delta shape as shown in FIG. In this delta arrangement, as shown in the figure, the pitch of the phosphor is shifted by 1/2 pitch in the row direction between the upper and lower two lines. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 33, the emission element section 10 corresponding to each phosphor
Similarly, it is necessary to displace 10 in the horizontal direction by ピ ッ チ pitch. However, in such an arrangement, it is necessary to meander the column direction wiring 1012 as shown in FIG.

[0023]

As described above, when the emission element portions are arranged at a pitch of 1/2 of each row in accordance with the arrangement of the phosphors, the column direction wiring 1 is correspondingly arranged.
012 must meander. However, if the wiring meanders in this way, the pattern routing becomes more complicated and difficult to manufacture than if the wiring is straight, and such wiring meandering increases the length of the wiring itself. There is a problem that the wiring resistance increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and has an electron source in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix without meandering a column-direction wiring, a method and a device for driving the electron source, and the electron source. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image display method and an apparatus therefor.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electron source capable of displaying an image by irradiating and driving phosphors arranged in a delta shape by electron emission elements arranged in a positive matrix with straight line wiring in a column direction, and a driving method therefor. And an apparatus, and an image display method and an apparatus using the electron source.

Further, the present invention provides an electron source, a driving method and an apparatus for driving the same phosphor, which are driven by emitted electrons from a plurality of electron-emitting devices, thereby increasing the light emission luminance. To provide an image display method and an apparatus therefor.

Another object of the present invention is to reduce the number of electron-emitting devices required for display, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and the number of manufacturing steps, an electron source driving method and apparatus, and the use of the electron source. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image display method and an apparatus therefor.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electron source capable of displaying an image for two lines with electrons emitted from the electron-emitting devices arranged in one line, a method and a device for driving the electron source, and using the electron source. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image display method and an apparatus therefor.

[0029]

In order to achieve the above object, an electron source according to the present invention has the following arrangement. That is,
An electron source including a plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix, wherein the electron-emitting devices are rotated alternately by a predetermined angle in a clockwise direction and a counterclockwise direction with respect to a column wiring, and are arranged alternately in the same row. Are connected to a common row-direction wiring, and the other electrodes of the electron-emitting elements positioned on the same row are connected to different column-direction wirings, respectively. .

Further, in order to achieve the above object, a driving apparatus for an electron source according to the present invention has the following configuration. That is, the driving apparatus of the electron source according to claim 1, wherein the scanning line selecting means for selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, and the row selected in synchronization with the selection by the scanning row selecting means. First row application means for applying a positive potential to the direction wiring;
A first column for applying a voltage signal of a negative polarity and the same potential to a column direction wiring to which two adjacent electron-emitting devices of a row to which a positive potential has been applied by the first row applying means are connected; Applying means for applying a negative potential to the selected row direction wiring in synchronization with the selection by the scanning row selecting means;
And a row direction in which two adjacent electron-emitting devices in a row to which a negative potential is applied by the second row applying means are connected, which are different from the two immediately preceding applied electron-emitting devices. A second column applying means for applying a voltage signal of the same potential with the positive polarity to the wiring.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the image display device of the present invention has the following configuration. That is, an image display device using an electron source including a plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix, a display plate having a plurality of phosphors arranged in a different shape from the plurality of electron-emitting devices, The electron-emitting devices rotated clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle with respect to the column-directional wiring are alternately arranged, and are arranged every other one of the electron-emitting devices located in the same row. One electrode of the first electron-emitting device is connected to a common row direction wiring, and one electrode of a second electron-emitting device other than the first electron-emitting device located on the same row is connected to the next electrode. And the other electrodes of the first electron-emitting devices are connected to different column-direction wires, respectively, and the other electrodes of the second electron-emitting devices are connected to the column-direction wires, respectively. Connected electron source and front Scanning row selecting means for selecting a plurality of electron-emitting devices in row units, first row applying means for applying a positive potential to a selected row direction wiring in synchronization with the selection by the scanning row selecting means, First column applying means for applying a negative image signal to a column-directional wiring connected to the electron-emitting device of the row to which a positive potential has been applied by the first row applying means; When the next row is selected by means,
A second row applying unit for applying a positive potential to the selected row direction wiring, and a column connected to the electron-emitting device of the row to which the positive potential is applied by the second row applying unit Second column applying means for applying a negative image signal to the directional wiring.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, the image display method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, an image display method for an image display device comprising: the electron source according to claim 1; and a display plate having a plurality of phosphors arranged in different shapes from the plurality of electron-emitting devices of the electron source. Selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, applying a negative potential to a selected row direction wiring in synchronization with the row selection, and applying the negative potential. Applying a positive-polarity image signal to a column-directional wiring connected to the first electron-emitting devices arranged every other row; and applying the first negative-polarity potential to the first row of the rows to which the negative-polarity potential is applied.
Applying a positive-polarity image signal of the next row to the column wiring connected to the electron-emitting devices other than the electron-emitting device.

[0033]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. For convenience of explanation, the basic configuration and manufacturing method of the display panel 1000 according to the present embodiment, the configuration and manufacturing method of the electron source, and the driving of the electron source are described. The configuration and the driving method of the electric circuit will be described in this order.

(Configuration and Manufacturing Method of Display Panel 1000)
First, the configuration and manufacturing method of a display panel 1000 in which the surface conduction electron-emitting devices of this embodiment are arranged in a matrix on a substrate will be described with reference to specific examples.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a display panel 1000 used in the present embodiment, in which a part of the panel 1000 is cut away to show the internal structure.

In the figure, 1005 is a rear plate, 1006
Is a side wall, 1007 is a face plate, 1005
1007 form an airtight container for maintaining the inside of the display panel 1000 in a vacuum. When assembling this airtight container, it is necessary to seal the joints of each member to maintain sufficient strength and airtightness.For example, frit glass is applied to the joints, and the joints are placed in the air or in a nitrogen atmosphere. Sealing was achieved by firing at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or more. A method for evacuating the inside of the airtight container will be described later.

A substrate 1001 is fixed to the rear plate 1005. On the substrate 1001, surface conduction electron-emitting devices 1002 are arranged obliquely with respect to the row and column directions as shown. N × M pixels are formed (where N and M are positive integers of 2 or more and are appropriately set according to the target number of display pixels. For example, for the purpose of displaying high-definition television) In the display device, N = 3
It is desirable to set a number of 000, M = 1000 or more. In this embodiment, N = 3072, M = 102
4). These N × M surface conduction electron-emitting devices 10
A simple matrix wiring 02 is formed by M row-directional wirings 1003 and N column-directional wirings 1004. The portion composed of the substrate 1001, the surface conduction electron-emitting device 1002, the row and column wirings 1003, 1004 is called a multi-electron beam source. The manufacturing method and structure of the multi-electron beam source will be described later in detail.

In this embodiment, the substrate 10 of the multi-electron beam source is mounted on the rear plate 1005 of the hermetic container.
01 is fixed, but when the substrate 1001 of the multi-electron beam source has a sufficient strength,
The substrate 1001 of the multi-electron beam source may be used as the rear plate of the airtight container.

On the lower surface of the face plate 1007, a fluorescent film 1008 is formed. Since the present embodiment is a display panel 1000 for a color display device, the fluorescent film 1008 has three primary color phosphors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) used in the field of CRT. Are painted separately. The phosphors of each color are separately applied in a delta shape as shown in FIG. 2, for example, and a black conductor 1010 is provided between the phosphors of each color. The purpose of providing such a black conductor 1010 is to prevent the display color from being shifted even if the electron beam irradiation position is slightly shifted, or to prevent the reflection of external light to improve the display contrast. This is to prevent a decrease, to prevent charge-up of the fluorescent film by an electron beam, and the like. Although graphite is used as a main component for the black conductor 1010, any other material may be used as long as it is suitable for the above purpose.

When a display panel for displaying a monochrome image is formed, a monochromatic phosphor material is applied to the phosphor film 10.
08, and the black conductive material need not always be used.

The rear plate 10 of the fluorescent film 1008
On the surface on the 05 side, a metal back 1009 known in the field of CRT is provided. The purpose of providing the metal back 1009 is to improve the light utilization rate by mirror-reflecting a part of the light emitted from the fluorescent film 1008, and to protect the fluorescent film 1008 from the collision of negative ions with the electron beam acceleration voltage. To act as an electrode for applying the electric field, and also to act as a conductive path for the excited electrons of the fluorescent film 1008. This metal back 1009 is formed by forming a fluorescent film 1008 on a face plate substrate 1007, then smoothing the surface of the fluorescent film 1008, and forming an A
1 (aluminum) was formed by a vacuum deposition method. Note that when a fluorescent material for low voltage is used for the fluorescent film 1008, the metal back 1009 is not used.

Although not used in the present embodiment,
For the purpose of applying acceleration voltage and improving the conductivity of the fluorescent film,
For example, a transparent electrode made of ITO may be provided between the face plate substrate 1007 and the fluorescent film 1008.

The terminals Dx1 to Dxm, Dy1 to Dyn and Hv are electric connection terminals having an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel 1000 to a driving electric circuit described later. The terminals Dx1 to Dxm are electrically connected to the row wiring 1003 of the multi-electron beam source, the terminals Dy1 to Dyn are electrically connected to the column wiring 1004 of the multi-electron beam source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 1009 of the face plate 1007. I have.

In order to evacuate the inside of the hermetic container to a vacuum, after assembling the hermetic container, an exhaust pipe (not shown) and a vacuum pump are connected, and the inside of the hermetic container is about 10 −7 [torr]. Evacuate to vacuum. Thereafter, the exhaust pipe is sealed, but a getter film (not shown) is formed at a predetermined position in the airtight container immediately before or after the sealing in order to maintain the degree of vacuum in the airtight container. This getter film is
For example, a film obtained by heating and depositing a getter material containing Ba as a main component by a heater or high-frequency heating,
The inside of the airtight container is 1 × 10
-5 or 1 × 10 -7 [torr]
Is maintained at a vacuum degree.

As described above, the display panel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is described.
000 has been described.

Next, the display panel 10 of the above-described embodiment will be described.
A method for manufacturing the multi-electron beam source used in the first embodiment will be described. The material, shape, or manufacturing method of the cold cathode device is not limited as long as the multi-electron beam source used in the image display device according to the present embodiment is an electron source in which cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix. Therefore, for example, a surface conduction type emission element, an FE type,
Alternatively, a cold cathode device such as an MIM type can be used.
However, under a situation where a display device having a large display screen and an inexpensive display device is required, among these cold cathode devices, a surface conduction type emission device is particularly preferable. That is, in the FE type, since the relative position and the shape of the emitter cone and the gate electrode greatly affect the electron emission characteristics, an extremely high-precision manufacturing technique is required, but this achieves a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. Is a disadvantageous factor. In the case of the MIM type, it is necessary to make the thicknesses of the insulating layer and the upper electrode thin and uniform, which is also a disadvantageous factor in achieving a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. In this regard, since the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment has a relatively simple manufacturing method, it is easy to increase the area and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, the present inventors have found that among the surface conduction electron-emitting devices, those in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film have particularly excellent electron-emitting characteristics and can be easily manufactured. Therefore, it can be said that it is most suitable for use in a multi-electron beam source of a high-luminance, large-screen image display device. Therefore, in the display panel 1000 of the above embodiment,
A surface conduction electron-emitting device in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion was formed from a fine particle film was used.

The basic structure, manufacturing method and characteristics of a suitable surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described first, and then the structure of a multi-electron beam source in which many devices are arranged in a simple matrix will be described.

(Preferable Device Configuration and Manufacturing Method of Surface Conduction Electron Emission Device) Typical configurations of a surface conduction electron emission device in which an electron emission portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film include a planar type and a vertical type. There are two types.

FIG. 17 shows a display panel 10 according to the present embodiment.
It is a figure which shows the outline of the manufacturing process of the multi-electron source used for 00.

First, in step S100, an electrode and a conductive thin film are formed on the substrate 1001 as described later, and in step S101, an airtight container including the substrate is formed. A voltage is applied in between to form an electron emission portion. Then, in step S102, the electron emission portion is activated by energizing.

(Flat-Type Surface Conduction Electron-Emitting Element) First, the structure and manufacturing method of a flat-type surface-conduction electron-emitting element will be described.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are a plan view and a sectional view, respectively, for explaining the structure of a flat surface-conduction electron-emitting device.

In the figure, 1101 is a substrate, 1102 and 110
Reference numeral 3 denotes an element electrode; 1104, a conductive thin film; 1105, an electron-emitting portion formed by an energization forming process;
Is a thin film formed by the activation process.

As the substrate 1101, for example, various glass substrates such as quartz glass or blue plate glass, various ceramics substrates such as alumina, or an insulating layer made of, for example, SiO 2 is formed on the various substrates described above. A stacked substrate or the like can be used. Also, substrate 1
The element electrodes 1102 and 1103 provided on the substrate 101 in parallel with the substrate surface are formed of a conductive material. For example, Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W,
Metals including Pt, Ti, Cu, Pd, Ag, etc.,
Alternatively, a material may be appropriately selected from alloys of these metals, metal oxides such as In 2 O 3 —SnO 2, semiconductors such as polysilicon, and the like. The electrodes 1102 and 1103 can be easily formed by using a combination of a film forming technique such as vacuum evaporation and a patterning technique such as photolithography and etching. However, other methods (eg, printing technique) are used. It can be formed even if it is formed.

The shapes of the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are appropriately designed according to the application purpose of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. Generally, the electrode interval L is usually designed by selecting an appropriate value from the range of several hundreds of angstroms to several hundreds of micrometers. However, for application to a display device, it is preferable that the electrode spacing L be more than a few micrometers. It is in the range of ten micrometers. As for the thickness d of the device electrode, an appropriate numerical value is usually selected from a range of several hundred angstroms to several micrometers.

A fine particle film is used for the conductive thin film 1104. The fine particle film described here refers to a film including a large number of fine particles as constituent elements (including an island-shaped aggregate). When the fine particle film is examined microscopically, usually, a structure in which the individual fine particles are spaced apart from each other, a structure in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other, or a structure in which the fine particles overlap each other is observed. The particle size of the fine particles used in the fine particle film is in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, but is preferably in the range of 10 Angstroms to 200 Angstroms. Further, the thickness of the fine particle film is appropriately set in consideration of various conditions described below. That is,
Conditions necessary for good electrical connection with the device electrode 1102 or 1103, conditions necessary for good energization forming described later, and necessary for setting the electrical resistance of the fine particle film itself to an appropriate value described later. Conditions. Specifically, it is set within the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms.
It is between 0 Angstroms and 500 Angstroms.

Materials that can be used to form the fine particle film include, for example, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, A
u, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, T
a, W, Pb and other metals, PdO, Sn
Oxides such as O2, In2O3, PbO, Sb2O3, etc .; HfB2, ZrB2, LaB6, CeB6, YB
4, borides such as GdB4, TiC, Zr
Carbides such as C, HfC, TaC, SiC, WC, etc .; nitrides such as TiN, ZrN, HfN, etc .; semiconductors such as Si, Ge, etc .; and carbon. It is appropriately selected from among them.

As described above, the conductive thin film 1104 is formed of a fine particle film.
It was set to be included in the range of 10 3 to 10 7 [Ohm / sq].

The conductive thin film 1104 and the device electrode 11
Since it is desirable that the wires 02 and 1103 be electrically connected well, they have a structure in which a part of each overlaps with the other. In the example shown in FIG.
Although the substrate, the device electrode, and the conductive thin film are stacked in this order from the bottom, in some cases, the substrate, the conductive thin film, and the device electrode may be stacked in this order from the bottom.

The electron-emitting portion 1105 is a crack-like portion formed in a part of the conductive thin film 1104, and has an electrically higher resistance than the surrounding conductive thin film. The crack is formed by performing a later-described energization forming process on the conductive thin film 1104.
Fine particles having a particle size of several Angstroms to several hundred Angstroms may be arranged in the crack. In addition,
Since it is difficult to accurately and accurately show the actual position and shape of the electron-emitting portion, they are schematically shown in FIG.

The thin film 1113 is a thin film made of carbon or a carbon compound, and covers the electron emitting portion 1105 and its vicinity. The thin film 1113 is formed by performing an energization activation process described later after the energization forming process.

The thin film 1113 is made of any one of single-crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 [Å] or less, but not more than 300 [Å]. Is more preferred.

Since it is difficult to accurately show the actual position and shape of the thin film 1113, it is schematically shown in FIG. Also, in the plan view (a), the thin film 11
13 shows a device in which a part of the device 13 is removed.

The basic structure of the preferred element has been described above. In the embodiment, the following element is used.

That is, blue glass was used for the substrate 1101, and Ni thin films were used for the device electrodes 1102 and 1103. The thickness d of the device electrode was 1000 [angstrom], and the electrode interval L was 2 [micrometer].

Pd or P as the main material of the fine particle film
Using dO, the thickness of the fine particle film was set to about 100 [angstrom], and the width W was set to 100 [micrometer].

Next, a method of manufacturing a preferred flat surface-conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIG.
(D) is a cross-sectional view for explaining the manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. The notation of each member is the same as that in FIG.

(1) First, as shown in FIG.
Element electrodes 1102 and 1103 are formed over a substrate 1101. In forming the element electrodes 1102 and 1103, the substrate 1101 is sufficiently washed in advance with a detergent, pure water, and an organic solvent, and then a material for the element electrodes is deposited. As a method for depositing this material, for example, a vacuum film forming technique such as an evaporation method or a sputtering method may be used. Thereafter, the deposited electrode material is patterned by using a photolithography / etching technique to form a pair of device electrodes (1102 and 1103) shown in FIG.

(2) Next, a conductive thin film 1104 is formed as shown in FIG.

In forming this conductive thin film,
First, an organic metal solution is applied to the substrate (a), dried, heated and baked to form a fine particle film, and then patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography and etching. Here, the organometallic solution is a solution of an organometallic compound whose main element is a material of fine particles used for the conductive thin film. Specifically, in the present embodiment, Pd is used as a main element. In the embodiment, a dipping method is used as a coating method, but other methods such as a spinner method and a spray method may be used.

As a method of forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, a method other than the method of applying an organic metal solution used in the present embodiment, for example, a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or a chemical vapor deposition method In some cases, a deposition method or the like is used.

(3) Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the forming electrodes 1110 and 1112 are supplied from the forming power supply 1110.
The electron emitting portion 1105 is formed by applying an appropriate voltage during the period 03 and performing the energization forming process. This energization forming process is a process for forming a conductive thin film 1 made of a fine particle film.
This is a process in which a current is applied to the electrode 104, a part of which is appropriately destroyed, deformed or deteriorated, and changed into a structure suitable for emitting electrons. In a portion of the conductive thin film made of the fine particle film which has been changed to a structure suitable for emitting electrons (that is, the electron emitting portion 1105), an appropriate crack is formed in the thin film. In addition, this electron emission part 110
After formation, the electrical resistance measured between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 is significantly increased as compared to before the formation of 5.

FIG. 20 shows a forming power supply 11 in order to explain the energizing method at the time of forming in more detail.
An example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from FIG.

When forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, a pulse-like voltage is preferable. In the case of the present embodiment, a triangular pulse having a pulse width T1 is applied as shown in FIG. The voltage was continuously applied at the interval T2. At that time, the peak value Vpf of the triangular wave pulse was sequentially increased. In addition, monitor pulses Pm for monitoring the state of formation of the electron-emitting portion 1105 were inserted at appropriate intervals between the triangular-wave pulses, and the current flowing at that time was measured by the ammeter 1111.

In this embodiment, for example, in a vacuum atmosphere of about 10 −5 [torr], for example, the pulse width T1 is set to 1 [millisecond] and the pulse interval T2 is set to 10
[Milliseconds] and the peak value Vpf is set to 0.1 for each pulse.
The voltage was increased by [V]. Then, each time five triangular waves were applied, the monitor pulse Pm was inserted at a rate of once.
Here, the monitor pulse voltage Vpm was set to 0.1 [V] so as not to adversely affect the forming process. Then, when the electric resistance between the element electrodes 1102 and 1103 becomes 1 × 10 6 [ohm], that is, the current measured by the ammeter 1111 when the monitor pulse is applied is 1 × 10 −7 [ohm]. A] When the following conditions were reached, the energization related to the forming process was terminated.

The above method is a preferable method for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment. For example, the material and film thickness of the fine particle film, or the distance L between the device electrodes, etc. When the design is changed, it is desirable to appropriately change the energization conditions accordingly.

(4) Next, as shown in FIG.
The device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are supplied from the activation power source 1112.
During the energization activation process, apply an appropriate voltage during
Improve electron emission characteristics. This energization activation process
This is a process of energizing the electron-emitting portion 1105 formed by the energization forming process under appropriate conditions to deposit carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity thereof.
(In the figure, a deposit made of carbon or a carbon compound is schematically shown as a member 1113.) By performing the activation process, the emission current at the same applied voltage is typically smaller than that before the activation. Specifically, it can be increased by 100 times or more.

Specifically, 10 minus the square to 10
By applying a voltage pulse periodically in a vacuum atmosphere within the range of minus the fifth power [torr], carbon or a carbon compound originating from an organic compound existing in the vacuum atmosphere is deposited. The deposit 1113 is any of single crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 Å or less, and more preferably 300 Å or less.

FIG. 21A shows an activation power supply 1 in order to explain the energization method in the energization activation in more detail.
An example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from 112 is shown. In the present embodiment, the energization activation process is performed by periodically applying a rectangular wave having a constant voltage. Specifically, the voltage Vac of the rectangular wave is 14 [V], and the pulse width T3 is 1 [ Milliseconds] and the pulse interval T4 was 10 milliseconds. Note that the above-described energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment, and when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, the conditions should be changed accordingly. desirable.

Reference numeral 1114 shown in FIG. 19D denotes an anode electrode for capturing an emission current Ie emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device. The anode electrode 1114 is connected to a DC high-voltage power supply 1115 and an ammeter 1116. When the activation process is performed after the substrate 1101 is incorporated into the display panel 1000, the phosphor screen of the display panel 1000 is used as the anode electrode 1114. And the activation power supply 111
While the voltage is applied from step 2, the emission current I is measured by the ammeter 1116.
By measuring e, the progress of the energization activation process is monitored, and the operation of the activation power supply 1112 is controlled. Ammeter 1116
FIG. 21 (b) shows an example of the emission current Ie measured in the step (a).

When the application of the pulse voltage from the activation power supply 1112 starts, the emission current I
e increases, but eventually saturates and hardly increases. As described above, when the emission current Ie is substantially saturated, the application of the voltage from the activation power supply 1112 is stopped, and the energization activation process ends.

The above-mentioned energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment.
When the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, it is desirable to appropriately change the conditions accordingly.

As described above, the plane type surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 19E was manufactured.

(Vertical Surface Conduction Electron-Emitting Element) Next, another typical structure of a surface conduction electron-emitting element in which the electron-emitting portion or its periphery is formed of a fine particle film, that is, a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device. The configuration of the electron-emitting device will be described.

FIG. 22 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the basic structure of the vertical type.

In the figure, 1201 is a substrate, 1202 and 1203 are device electrodes, 1206 is a step forming member,
Reference numeral 4 denotes a conductive thin film using a fine particle film, 1205 denotes an electron-emitting portion formed by an energization forming process, and 1213 denotes a thin film formed by an energization activation process.

This vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device is different from the above-mentioned flat surface conduction electron-emitting device in that one of the device electrodes (1202) is provided on the step forming member 1206. That is, the conductive thin film 1204 covers the side surface of the step forming member 1206. Therefore, the element electrode interval L in the planar element of FIG.
In the vertical type, the step height Ls of the step forming member 1206 is set.
Is set as The substrate 1201 and the device electrode 120
2 and 1203, conductive thin film 120 using fine particle film
For 4, the materials listed in the description of the planar type can be used in the same manner. Step forming member 1
For 206, an electrically insulating material such as SiO2 is used.

Next, a method of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 23A to 23F are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process, and the notation of each member is the same as that in FIG.

(1) First, as shown in FIG.
An element electrode 1203 is formed over a substrate 1201.

(2) Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, an insulating layer for forming a step forming member is laminated. The insulating layer may be formed by stacking, for example, SiO2 by sputtering,
For example, another film formation method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a printing method may be used.

(3) Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, an element electrode 1202 is formed on the insulating layer.

(4) Next, as shown in FIG. 11D, a part of the insulating layer is removed by using, for example, an etching method, so that the element electrode 1203 is exposed.

(5) Next, as shown in FIG. 9E, a conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film is formed. For the formation, as in the case of the planar type, a film forming technique such as a coating method may be used.

(6) Next, as in the case of the flat type,
An energization forming process is performed to form an electron-emitting portion (the same process as the planar energization forming process described with reference to FIG. 19C may be performed).

(7) Next, as in the case of the flat type,
An energization activation process is performed to deposit carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the electron emission portion (the same process as the planar energization activation process described with reference to FIG. 19D may be performed).

As described above, the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 23F was manufactured.

(Characteristics of Surface Conduction Electron-Emitting Element Used in Display Device) The element structure and manufacturing method of the planar and vertical surface-conduction electron-emitting devices have been described above. The characteristics of the device will be described.

FIG. 24 shows typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (device current If) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics of the device used in the display device. . Note that the emission current Ie is significantly smaller than the device current If, and it is difficult to show them on the same scale. In addition, these characteristics are changed by changing design parameters such as the size and shape of the device. Therefore, the two graphs are shown in arbitrary units.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device used in this display device has the following three characteristics regarding the emission current Ie.

First, when a voltage higher than a certain voltage (hereinafter referred to as a threshold voltage Vth) is applied to the element, the emission current Ie sharply increases. On the other hand, when the voltage is lower than the threshold voltage Vth, the emission current Ie increases. Ie is hardly detected. That is, it is a non-linear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth with respect to the emission current Ie.

Secondly, since the emission current Ie changes depending on the voltage Vf applied to the element, the emission current Ie depends on the voltage Vf.
Size can be controlled.

Third, since the response speed of the current Ie emitted from the element is faster with respect to the voltage Vf applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting element, the electron is emitted from the element depending on the length of time for applying the voltage Vf. The amount of electron charge can be controlled.

Because of the characteristics described above, the surface conduction electron-emitting device could be suitably used for a display device. For example, in a display device in which a number of elements are provided corresponding to pixels of a display screen, if the first characteristic is used, display can be performed by sequentially scanning the display screen. That is, a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vth is appropriately applied to the element being driven, and a voltage lower than the threshold voltage Vth is applied to the element in a non-selected state. By sequentially switching the elements to be driven, the display screen can be sequentially scanned and displayed.

Further, since the emission luminance can be controlled by using the second characteristic or the third characteristic, a gradation display can be performed.

(Structure of a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of elements are arranged in a simple matrix) Next, the structure of a multi-electron beam source in which the above-mentioned surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged on a substrate and arranged in a simple matrix will be described.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of the multi-electron beam source used for the display panel 1000 of FIG. 1 described above. Here, surface conduction electron-emitting devices similar to those shown in FIG. 19 are arranged on a substrate 1001, and these devices are composed of row-direction wiring electrodes 1003 and column-direction wiring electrodes 100.
4 are arranged in a simple matrix. An insulating layer (not shown) is formed between the electrodes at the intersections of the row wiring electrodes 1003 and the column wiring electrodes 1004, so that electrical insulation is maintained.

FIG. 26 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.
Shown in

Incidentally, the multi-electron source having such a structure is provided in advance by forming the row-direction wiring electrode 1003 and the column-direction wiring electrode 1 on a substrate.
004, after forming an interelectrode insulating layer (not shown) and device electrodes of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a conductive thin film, power is supplied to each device via a row direction wiring electrode 1003 and a column direction wiring electrode 1004, As described above, it was manufactured by performing the energization forming process and the energization activation process.

[Embodiment 1] (Description of Driving Circuit of Display Panel 1000) Next, the configuration of an electric circuit of an image display device of Embodiment 1 using the display panel 1000 of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 shows display panel 100 of the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a basic configuration of a circuit according to the first embodiment for driving 0.

In the figure, reference numeral 23 denotes a decoder which separates a synchronization signal S1 and image data (RGB signals) from an input television signal (NTSC signal or the like), outputs the synchronization signal S1 to the timing control circuit 15, and The data is output to the data array converter 22. The timing control circuit 15 generates switch switching signals S2 and S3 from the synchronization signal S1 and outputs the signals to the switch 17 of the switching circuit 18 and the switch 21 of the voltage supply circuit 20, respectively. The signals S2 and S3 switch the switches 17 and 21 for each horizontal scan (1H). The data array converter 22 serially outputs the input RGB image data to the serial / parallel converter 14. The image data (D1 to D1) converted from serial data into parallel data by the serial / parallel converter 14 in this manner.
n) is input to the pulse width modulator 13 and pulse width modulated, and is output to the modulation signal voltage converter 12 as pulse width modulation signals (D1 'to Dn'). The pulse signal thus converted into a voltage signal is input to the column direction terminals (Dy1 to Dyn) of the display panel 1000. The switch 21 is a switch for switching the polarity of the voltage signal, and converts the voltage from either the power supply 26 or 27 into the modulation signal voltage converter 12.
Output to Reference numeral 24 denotes a power supply for inputting an anode voltage (acceleration voltage) Va to the high voltage terminal Hv.

A voltage supply circuit 20 supplies a voltage to the modulation signal voltage generator 12. 19 is a scanning row selection circuit,
A row to be driven for display of the display panel 1000 is selected, and the pulse signal S5 is output to the selected row. The inverting circuit 25 outputs a pulse signal S output from the pulse generator 16.
4 is an inverting circuit for inverting the polarity of No. 4.

The function of each unit will be described below.

The input television signal is supplied to the decoder 2
3, the signal is separated into a synchronization signal S1 and image data and output. The data array converter 22 samples the luminance signals of the three primary colors (RGB) supplied from the decoder 23 in accordance with the pixel array of the display panel 1000, and outputs the same to the serial / parallel converter 14 as serial image data. . The timing control circuit 15 includes a decoder 23
Timing control signals (S2, S2) for adjusting the operation timing of each unit based on the synchronization signal S1 supplied from
3 and other signals (not shown). The serial / parallel converter 14 accumulates the image data output from the data array converter 22 for one line of the image (that is, n pixels), converts a serial signal into a parallel signal, and is represented by D1 to Dn. It outputs n parallel image data. The pulse width modulator 13 outputs pulse width modulation signals D1 ′ to Dn ′ to the modulation signal voltage converter 12 based on n pieces of pixel data input from the serial / parallel converter 14.

The modulation signal voltage converter 12 is a voltage conversion circuit for converting the voltage of the modulation signal output from the pulse width modulator 13 into a voltage suitable for driving a multi electron beam source. Voltages having different polarities are supplied from the voltage supply circuit 20 to the modulation signal voltage converter 12. The voltage supply circuit 20 is provided with a changeover switch 21, and the switch 21 is switched every horizontal synchronization time (1H) by a signal S3. That is, when the switch 21 is connected to the terminal on the side a, -Vf [V] is applied when the modulation pulse is at a high level, and when the switch 21 is connected to the terminal on the side b, + Vf [V] is applied.
Is applied.

The pulse generator 16 generates a pulse signal S 4 for selectively driving one line of the display panel 1000 and outputs the pulse signal S 4 to the switching circuit 18. This switching circuit 18
This is a circuit for inverting the polarity of the pulse signal S4. The changeover switch 18 is switched every 1H by the signal S2 from the timing control circuit 15. When the switch 17 is connected to the a-side terminal, the pulse signal S4 from the pulse generator 16 is output to the scanning row selection circuit 19 as it is when the switch 17 is connected to the a-side terminal. When connected to the terminal,
The signal passes through an inverter 25 and is input to the scanning row selection circuit 19 as a signal S5 whose polarity is inverted. The scanning row selection circuit 19 selects one of the m scanning lines of the row direction terminals Dx1 to Dxm of the display panel 1000 according to the signal S2 from the timing control circuit 15, and selects the selected one. The signal S5 is transmitted to the scanning line.

FIG. 4 shows display panel 10 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of an electron source substrate of No. 00, and here shows a case of a horizontal type electron-emitting device.

Here, for example, when displaying on the phosphor 1008-1 on the i-th row of the display panel 1000, the electron-emitting portion 1105 of the electron-emitting device 1002 is turned in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the Y-axis in FIG. Are arranged at an angle of θ degrees,
An electrode 1102 connected to the row direction wiring 1003-2;
The emission element sandwiched between the electrode 1103 connected to the column direction wiring 1004-1 is driven. Further, when displaying on the phosphor 1008-2 in the (i + 1) -th row of the display panel 1000, the electron emitting section 1 of the electron emitting elements 1002 is used.
105 are arranged at an angle of θ degrees clockwise with respect to the Y axis in the figure, and
The electrode 1103 connected to 4-2 and the row wiring 1003
The emission element sandwiched by the electrode 1102 connected to -2 is driven. Therefore, when displaying an image on the i-th row, the scanning row selection circuit 19 selects the row-direction wiring 1003-2, applies a positive potential to the row-direction wiring, and connects each pair of column-direction wirings with each other. Line (for example, 1004 in FIG. 4)
By applying the same negative pulse signal to 1), when displaying the (i + 1) -th row, the scanning row selection circuit 19 selects the row-direction wiring 1003-2, and the row-direction wiring 1003-2 is selected. , And the same positive pulse signal is applied to two adjacent lines (for example, the line on the right side of 1004-1 and the line on the left side of 1004-2 in FIG. 4) of the column wiring. This can be achieved by: In FIG. 4,
The portion 1008 indicated by the dotted line is the face plate 10
7 shows the position of the phosphor on 07.

The modulation signal voltage converter 12 always selects two adjacent column direction terminals, and applies a pulse width modulation signal based on the same video signal to these two terminals. For example, the scanning row selection circuit 19 selects the next scanning row when displaying two rows when displaying non-interlaced, and selects the next scanning row every time each row is displayed when displaying interlaced. Operate.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view when the electron-emitting portion 1105 of one electron-emitting device 1002 is cut along the cross section AA ′ in FIG.

In the display panel 1000 of the present embodiment,
A phosphor 1008 is applied on the inside of the face plate 1007. The electrodes 1102 and 1103 are connected to the row wiring 1003 and the column wiring 1004, respectively, and when an element voltage (Vf [V]) equal to or higher than a certain value is applied, electrons are emitted from the electron emitting portion 1105. The electrons thus emitted correspond to the anode voltage Va applied between the face plate 1007 and the electron emitting portion 1105.
[V] accelerates in the direction of the face plate 1007 and irradiates the face plate 1007. At this time, the emitted electrons travel along the central axis 100 in the electron emitting portion 110.
5, rather than proceeding just above 5, proceed as shown by the electron trajectory 101. The electron trajectory 101 is obtained when the element voltage Vf is applied such that the electrode 1102 has a positive polarity and the electrode 1103 has a negative polarity. In this case, the distance Lef between the central axis 100 and the landing position of the electron is expressed by the following equation (1).
Can be calculated by

[0123]

(Equation 1)

Lef = 2 × K × Lh × SQRT (Vf / Va) (1) where Lh [m] is the distance between the emitting element and the phosphor K is a constant determined by the type and shape of the emitting element SQRT ( A) shows the square root of A.

The constant voltage source 24 applies an anode voltage of Va [V] to the fluorescent film 1008 of the display panel 1000 via the terminal Hv.

Next, the operation timing of the display drive circuit according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG. In the drawing, the same symbols as those in FIG. 3 indicate the same signals.

A video signal such as an NTSC signal is supplied to a decoder 2.
3, through the data array converter 22, the serial / parallel converter 14, and the pulse width modulator 13, the pulse width modulation signal D
It is converted to 1 'to Dn'. The pulse width signal D'j in FIG. 6 indicates the j-th signal in the column direction, and D'j + 1 indicates (j +
The 1) th signal and D'j + 2 indicate the (j + 2) th column direction signal. These pulse signals are generated during the first horizontal scanning period (1H) by the column direction signals D′ j and D′ j + 1.
And the same signal is input to the signals D′ j + 1 and D′ j + 2 in the next one horizontal scanning period (1H).

The switch switching signals S2 and S3 output from the timing control circuit 15 are generated every 1H and switch each of the switches 17 and 21. FIG.
, “A” and “b” in the signals S2 and S3 are
The terminals connected in each switch are shown. The voltage supplied from the voltage supply circuit 20 to the modulation signal voltage converter 12 has a negative polarity when the switch 21 is connected to the terminal a, and has a positive polarity when the switch 21 is connected to the terminal b. Therefore, the video signals Dyj, Dyj + 1, and Dyj + 2 input to the display panel 1000 are as shown in FIG.

The pulse signal S4 output from the pulse generator 16 is generated in a 1H cycle. Embodiment 1
Here, the polarity of the pulse signal S4 is positive. The signal S2 for switching the switch 17 of the switching circuit 18 for switching the polarity of the pulse signal S4 is output from the timing control circuit 15 in a 1H cycle, so that the switch 17 is connected to the terminal a and the terminal b every 1H. Connected alternately. As a result, the scanning signal D output from the switching circuit 18
xi is a signal whose polarity is inverted every 1H as shown in FIG. At this time, the polarities of the video signals Dyj, Dyj + 1, Dyj + 2 and the scanning signal S5 must always be opposite.

At such a timing, the display panel 100
When 0 is driven, the electron emission elements on the i-th row of the display panel 1000 have negative video signals (Dy1 to Dyn) and positive scan signals (Dx1 to Dxm) in the first 1H, and a voltage is applied. In the next 1H, the video signals (Dy1 to Dyn) have a positive polarity and the scanning signals (Dx1 to Dxm) have a negative polarity, and a voltage is applied.

As described above with reference to FIG. 5, in the surface conduction element of the present embodiment, the electrode 1102 has a positive polarity,
When 103 has a negative polarity, the electrons emitted from the electron emitting portion 1105 reach the phosphor 1008 along the electron trajectory 101. Here, if the polarities of the electrodes 1102 and 1103 are reversed such that the electrode 1102 has a negative polarity and the electrode 1103 has a positive polarity, the electron orbit will be as shown by 102 (broken line in the figure).

FIG. 7 shows that each of the electron-emitting portions 11 is driven when the display panel 1000 of the first embodiment is driven as described above.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing how electrons are irradiated to the phosphor 1008 from 05.

FIG. 7 is a view of the display panel 1000 as viewed from the Z-axis direction in FIG. 1. The phosphor 1008 is provided inside the face plate 1007,
04, row direction wirings 1003, electrodes 1102 and 1103, and emission elements 1002 are arranged on a rear plate (substrate) 1001.

In FIG. 7, the arrow indicates the electron emitting portion 1105
The starting point of the arrow is on the electron emitting portion 1105, and the ending point of the arrow is on the phosphor 1008.

In the first 1H, the emission element 100 in the i-th row
2, a video signal (Dy1 to Dyn) from the column direction wiring 1004
Is a negative polarity, and scanning signals (Dx1 to Dx1 to
Dxn) is applied with a positive polarity. Then, the trajectory of the electrons becomes like the arrow shown by the solid line in FIG.
8 is irradiated. At this time, the electrons from the two emission elements are irradiated to the phosphor 1008 in the j-th column. Where j
Since the same video signal (pulse width modulation signal) is input to the video signal lines of the two emission devices that irradiate the phosphors in the column, the phosphor 1008 in the j-th column is output from one emission device. It emits light with twice the brightness as compared with the case of emitting light by electrons.

In this way, the scanning signal (Dx1
~ Dxn) and the video signal (Dy1 ~ Dyn)
The same video signal is applied to the adjacent column-direction wiring 1004 while changing the two column-direction wirings forming a pair in the first 1H and the next 1H, thereby using the delta-arranged phosphor 1008 to double the same. An image with brightness can be displayed.

[Second Embodiment] Next, the configuration of a display circuit of a display device according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of a display circuit according to the second embodiment. Portions common to those in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the element arrangement in the display panel 1000.

The elements in the j-th column of the display panel 1000 are arranged such that the electron emission portions 1105 of the emission elements 1002 are at an angle of 60 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the Y axis in FIG. And the electrode 1103 connected to the column direction wiring 1004. In the element on the (j + 1) -th column of the display panel 1000, the electron emission portion 1105 of the emission element 1002
An electrode 1103 arranged at an angle of 60 degrees clockwise with respect to the axis and connected to the column wiring 1004
And an electrode 1102 connected to the row wiring 1003. Each emission element 1002 is arranged in a ratio of one row to two rows of the phosphor 1008, and the number of emission elements in one row is equal to the number of the phosphor 1008 in the i row and (i +
1) It is equal to the sum of the number of phosphors 1008 in a row. Further, the number of row direction wirings 1003 is the same as the number of rows of emission elements, and the number of column direction wirings 1004 is the same as the number of emission elements in one row.

Note that also in the second embodiment, the relationship between the emitting element 1002 and the landing position of the emitted electrons in the display panel 1000 is the same as that in FIG.

The scanning signal generator 29 generates a scanning signal for sequentially scanning the multi-electron beam source built in the display panel 1000 in accordance with the timing of displaying an image. Specifically, the selection voltage Vs [V] is applied to one of the m scanning lines connected to the row direction terminals Dx1 to Dxm of the display panel 1000, and the non-selection voltage is applied to the other (m-1) lines. Is applied. This line switching is performed based on a scanning timing control signal S2 output from the timing control circuit 15a.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing how electrons are emitted from each of the electron-emitting portions 1105 to the phosphor 1008 when the display device is driven as described above.

FIG. 10 shows the display panel 1000 in the Z direction of FIG.
FIG. 10 is a view as seen from the axial direction, in which the phosphor 1008 is provided inside the face plate 1007 and the column-direction wiring 1
004, row direction wiring 1003, electrodes 1102, 1103
The emission element 1002 is disposed on the substrate 1001.

In FIG. 10, the arrow indicates the electron emitting portion 110.
5 shows the trajectory of the electrons emitted from 5, the starting point of the arrow is located on the electron emitting portion 1105, and the ending point is located on the phosphor 1008. Hereinafter, a case where the display is performed on the i-th row of the display panel 1000 will be described with reference to FIG.

When the i-th scanning line 1003-i is selected by the scanning signal generator 29, the potential of the i-th row direction wiring 1003-i becomes Vs [V], and the column direction wiring 100
4 becomes Vf [V]. Thereby, the emission element 10
Electrons are emitted from 02, and their orbits are as shown by arrows in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, among the emission elements in the i-th row, the column direction wirings 1004-1, 1004-3, 1
Electrons emitted from the emission elements connected to 004-5 and the like are irradiated on the phosphor 1008 in the 2i-th row, and among the emission elements in the same i-th row, the column direction wirings 1004-2 and 1004-4.
The electrons emitted from the emission device connected to the device (2i +
1) The phosphor 1008 in the row is irradiated. Similarly,
(I + 1) row direction wiring 1004-
The electrons emitted from the emission elements connected to 1,1004-3, 1004-5, etc. are the phosphors 10 in the (2i + 2) -th row.
08, and among the emission elements in the same (i + 1) th row,
The electrons emitted from the emission elements connected to the column wirings 1004-2 and 1004-4 are radiated to the phosphor 1008 in the (2i + 3) -th row. Here, the phosphors 1008 in the 2i-th row and the phosphors 1008 in the (2i + 1) -th row are arranged with a shift of ず れ pitch in the row direction. It will emit light when irradiated.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing operation timing of the display circuit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The angle of the electron emission portions 1105 of the emission elements arranged in one row in this manner is -60 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the vertical direction of the screen in the jth column, and 60 degrees in the (j + 1) th column. By arranging them alternately in degrees, the electron-emitting devices are arranged in a positive matrix and the phosphors 1008 arranged in a delta are irradiated with electrons without meandering the column-directional wiring 1004, thereby forming an image. Can be displayed. In addition, since one row of emission elements can be selected and the phosphors 1008 for two rows can be emitted simultaneously,
The light emission time per row can be approximately doubled, and the light emission luminance can be doubled.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Also in the case of the third embodiment, the manufacturing method of the display panel 1000 and the preferable electron-emitting device 100
The structure, manufacturing method, and configuration of the electric circuit of the second embodiment are the same as those of the above-described embodiment. However, in the above-described embodiment, the number of column direction wirings 1004 in FIG. 3 is the same as the number of emission elements in one row, and the number of row direction wirings 1003 is the same as the number of rows of emission elements. On the other hand, in the third embodiment, the number of column direction wirings 1004 is less than the number of phosphors 1008 in one row.
And the number of row direction wirings 1003 is equal to the number of phosphors 1008.
The difference is that the number of rows is the same. Therefore, the configuration of FIG. 1 in the first embodiment is as shown in FIG. 12 in the third embodiment, and FIG. 25 is as shown in FIG.

In the second embodiment, signals are input such that the scanning line (row direction wiring 1003) has a negative polarity and the video signal (column direction wiring 1004) has a positive polarity. In the third embodiment, on the contrary, a signal is input such that the scanning line side has a positive polarity and the video signal side has a negative polarity. The configuration of the image display circuit according to the third embodiment is similar to the configuration of FIG.
8 can be realized by setting the output signal of the scan signal generator 8 to a negative polarity and the output signal of the scanning signal generator 29 to a positive polarity.

FIG. 14 shows a configuration of a display panel 1000a according to the third embodiment.

When displaying the i-th row of the display panel 1000a, the emission element in which the electron emission portion 1105 of the emission element is arranged at an angle of 60 degrees counterclockwise with respect to the Y axis in the drawing is selectively driven. When displaying the (i + 1) th line,
Similarly, an emission element in which the electron emission unit 1105 is arranged at an angle of 60 degrees clockwise with respect to the Y axis in the drawing is selectively driven to perform display. This display panel 100
In 0a, the electron-emitting devices are arranged in a ratio of one row to two rows of the phosphor 1008, and the number of the emission elements in one row is equal to the number of the phosphor 1008 in the i-th row and the phosphor 1008 in the (i + 1) -th row. And the sum of the numbers. In addition, row direction wiring 1
The number of 003 is the same as the number of rows of the phosphors 1008, and the number of column direction wirings 1004 is the same as the number of phosphors 1008 in one row.

Next, the operation in the case of performing display using the display panel 1000a will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 15 is a view of the display panel 1000a of FIG. 12 viewed from the Z-axis direction, similarly to FIG. 10 described above.

When the phosphor 1008 in the 2i-th row emits light, the row-direction wiring 1003-1 in the 2i-th row is selected, and a video signal is input from the column-direction wiring 1004. As a result, of the emission elements in the i-th row, the row direction wiring 1003 in the 2i-th row
Electrons are emitted from the emission element connected to -1 as shown by the solid arrow in the figure, and the emitted electrons are irradiated to the phosphor 1008 in the 2i-th row.

Next, when the phosphor 1008 in the (2i + 1) -th row is caused to emit light, the row-direction wiring 10 in the (2i + 1) -th row is used.
03-2 is selected, and a video signal is input from the column direction wiring 1004. As a result, (2i) of the emission elements in the i-th row
Electrons are emitted from the emission element connected to the (+1) th row direction wiring 1003-2 as shown by the dashed arrow in the figure, and the emitted electrons are irradiated to the (2i + 1) th row phosphor 1008.

FIG. 16 shows the operation timing in the third embodiment.

In this way, an image can be displayed by irradiating electrons to the phosphors 1008 arranged in a delta shape without meandering the wiring in the column direction wiring. Furthermore, in the case of the third embodiment, the wiring pitch of the column-directional wiring 1004 can be doubled as compared with the above-described second embodiment, so that the display panel can be manufactured more easily.

FIG. 27 shows a display panel 100 using the surface conduction electron-emitting device of this embodiment as an electron beam source.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a multi-function display device configured to display image information provided from various image information sources such as television broadcasts.

In the figure, reference numeral 1000 denotes a display (display) panel of the present embodiment, 2101 denotes a drive circuit of the display panel 1000, 2102 denotes a display controller, and 21 denotes a display controller.
03 is a multiplexer, 2104 is a decoder, 2105
Is an input / output interface circuit, 2106 is a CPU, 2
107 is an image generation circuit, 2108 and 2109 and 2110 are image memory interface circuits, 2111
Are image input interface circuits, 2112 and 21
13 is a TV signal receiving circuit, and 2114 is an input unit.
Note that the display device of the present embodiment, when receiving a signal including both video information and audio information, such as a television signal, naturally reproduces audio simultaneously with the display of video. Descriptions of circuits, speakers, and the like relating to reception, separation, reproduction, processing, storage, and the like of audio information that are not directly related to the characteristics of the display panel 1000 of this embodiment are omitted. Hereinafter, the function of each unit will be described along the flow of the image signal.

First, the TV signal receiving circuit 2113 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wireless transmission system such as radio waves or spatial optical communication. The format of the received TV signal is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, various systems such as the NTSC system, the PAL system, and the SECAM system. In addition, a TV signal (for example, a so-called high-definition TV including the MUSE system) including a larger number of scanning lines is suitable for taking advantage of the display panel 1000 suitable for a large area and a large number of pixels. Signal source. T received by the TV signal receiving circuit 2113
The V signal is output to the decoder 2104. The TV signal receiving circuit 2112 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wired transmission system such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber. TV signal receiving circuit 2
As in the case of 113, the format of the received TV signal is not particularly limited, and the TV signal received by the present circuit is also output to the decoder 2104.

Image input interface circuit 2111
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 2104. The image memory interface circuit 2110 includes:
This is a circuit for capturing an image signal stored in a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as VTR). The captured image signal is output to a decoder 2104. The image memory interface circuit 2109 is a circuit for taking in an image signal stored in the video disk, and the taken-in image signal is output to the decoder 2104. The image memory interface circuit 2108 is a circuit for taking in an image signal from a device storing still image data, such as a so-called still image disk, and the taken still image data is output to the decoder 2104. The input / output interface circuit 2105 is a circuit for connecting the display device to an external computer, a computer network, or an output device such as a printer. In addition to inputting and outputting image data, character data, and graphic information, control signals and numerical data can be input and output between the CPU 2106 included in the display device and the outside in some cases. .

The image generation circuit 2107 is provided with image data and character / graphic information input from the outside via the input / output interface circuit 2105, or the CPU 21.
This is a circuit for generating display image data based on the image data and character / graphic information output from the controller 06. The circuit includes, 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, and a processor for performing image processing. And other circuits necessary for generating an image. The display image data generated by this circuit is
4, but it is also possible to input / output an external computer network or a printer via the input / output interface circuit 2105 in some cases.

The CPU 2106 mainly performs operation control of the present display device and operations related to generation, selection, and editing of a display image. For example, a control signal is output to the multiplexer 2103, and image signals to be displayed on the display panel 1000 are appropriately selected or combined. At that time, a control signal is generated for the display panel controller 2102 according to the image signal to be displayed, and the screen display frequency, the scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced), the number of scanning lines on one screen, For example, the operation of the display device is appropriately controlled. Then, image data and character / graphic information are directly output to the image generation circuit 2107, or image data and character / graphic information are input by accessing an external computer or memory via the input / output interface circuit 2105. . The CPU 2106 may, of course, be involved in work for other purposes. For example, it may be directly related to a function of generating and processing information, such as a personal computer or a word processor. Alternatively, as described above, the computer may be connected to an external computer network via the input / output interface circuit 2105 and work such as numerical calculation may be performed in cooperation with an external device.

The input unit 2114 is used by a user to input commands, programs, data, and the like to the CPU 2106. 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. It is possible to use equipment. Also,
The decoder 2104 is a circuit for inversely converting various image signals input from the above 2107 to 2113 into three primary color signals or a luminance signal and an I signal and a Q signal. It is to be noted that the decoder 2104 desirably includes an image memory therein, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. This is for handling television signals that require an image memory when performing inverse conversion, such as the MUSE method. Further, the provision of the image memory facilitates the display of a still image, or enables image processing and editing including image thinning, interpolation, enlargement, reduction, and synthesis in cooperation with the image generation circuit 2107 and the CPU 2106. This is because there is an advantage that it can be easily performed.

The multiplexer 2103 includes a CPU 210
The display image is appropriately selected based on the control signal input from the control unit 6. That is, the multiplexer 2103 selects a desired image signal from the inversely converted image signals input from the decoder 2104 and outputs the selected image signal to the drive circuit 2101. In that case, by switching and selecting an image signal within one screen display time, it is 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 TV. . The display panel controller 2102 is a circuit for controlling the operation of the drive circuit 2101 based on a control signal input from the CPU 2106.

First, as a signal related to the basic operation of the display panel 1000, a signal for controlling an operation sequence of a drive power supply (not shown) of the display panel 1000, for example, is output to the drive circuit 2101. In addition, a signal for controlling, for example, a screen display frequency and a scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced) is output to the driving circuit 2101 as a component related to the driving method of the display panel 1000. In some cases, a control signal related to adjustment of image quality such as luminance, contrast, color tone, and sharpness of a display image may be output to the drive circuit 2101. The drive circuit 2101 is a circuit for generating a drive signal to be applied to the display panel 1000, and includes an image signal input from the multiplexer 2103 and the display panel controller 2102.
It operates based on a control signal input from the controller.

The function of each section has been described above. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 27, in the display device of this embodiment, image information input from various image information sources is displayed on the display panel 1000. Is possible. That is, various image signals such as television broadcasts are inversely converted by the decoder 2104 and then converted by the multiplexer 21.
03 is selected as appropriate and input to the drive circuit 2101. On the other hand, the display controller 2102 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the driving circuit 2101 according to the image signal to be displayed. The driving circuit 2101 includes:
Display panel 1000 based on the image signal and the control signal
Is applied with a drive signal. Thereby, the display panel 100
At 0, an image is displayed. These series of actions are:
The CPU 2106 controls the entire system.

Further, in the display device of the present embodiment, an image memory incorporated in the decoder 2104, an image generation circuit 2107 and a CPU 2106 are involved, so that a display selected from a plurality of pieces of image information is simply displayed. In addition to the image information to be displayed, image processing such as enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, edge enhancement, thinning, interpolation, color conversion, image aspect ratio conversion, etc. It is also possible to perform image editing such as connection, replacement, and fitting. Although not particularly described 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 display device of the present embodiment can be used as a display device for television broadcasting, a terminal device for video conference, an image editing device for handling still images and moving images, a terminal device for computers, and office equipment such as word processors. It is possible to combine the functions of a terminal device and a game machine by one unit, and it has a very wide application range for industrial or consumer use. FIG. 27 shows only an example of the configuration of a display device using the display panel 1000 using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, among the components shown in FIG. 27, circuits relating to functions that are not necessary 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 videophone, it is preferable to add a transmission / reception circuit including a television camera, an audio microphone, an illuminator, and a modem to the components.

In this display device, in particular, the display panel 10 using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source.
Since 00 can be easily made thin, the depth of the entire display device can be reduced. In addition, a display panel 10 using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source.
Since 00 is easy to enlarge the screen, has high luminance, and has excellent viewing angle characteristics, the present display device can display an image full of a sense of reality and full of power with good visibility.

Even if the present invention is applied to a system including a plurality of devices (for example, a host computer, an interface device, a reader, a printer, etc.), an apparatus including one device (for example, a copying machine, a facsimile, etc.) Device).

Further, an object of the present invention is to supply a storage medium storing a program code of software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus, and to provide a computer (or CPU) of the system or the apparatus.
And MPU) read and execute the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, CD
-R, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) Performs part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided in a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instruction of the program code, The case where the CPU of the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing, and the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to meander the column direction wiring in the display device having the phosphors in the delta arrangement. Therefore, the column direction wiring may be a straight line, and the load of wiring creation can be reduced.

According to the present embodiment, the number of electron-emitting devices can be reduced with respect to the number of phosphors, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the device can be downsized.

In addition, since one phosphor can be irradiated with electrons emitted from a plurality of electron-emitting devices, the emission luminance can be increased without increasing power consumption.

[0181]

As described above, according to the present invention, an electron source in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix without meandering a column-direction wiring, a method and an apparatus for driving the electron source, and a method using the electron source And an apparatus for displaying the same.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an effect that an image can be displayed by irradiating the phosphors arranged in a delta shape with the electron-emitting devices arranged in a positive matrix by making the column-direction wiring straight.

Further, according to the present invention, the emission luminance can be increased by driving one phosphor with the electrons emitted from a plurality of electron-emitting devices.

Further, according to the present invention, there is an effect that the number of electron-emitting devices required for display can be reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and the number of manufacturing steps.

Further, according to the present invention, images of two rows can be displayed by the electrons emitted from the electron-emitting devices arranged in one row.

[0186]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a part of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement state of phosphors used in the display panel of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image display circuit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a configuration of the electron source according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship in which electrons emitted from an electron-emitting device reach a phosphor.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating electron emission from the electron-emitting device to the phosphor in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an image display circuit according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of electron-emitting devices according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating electron emission from an electron-emitting device to a phosphor according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is an external perspective view of the display panel according to the third embodiment with a part cut away.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an arrangement of electron-emitting devices of the electron source according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of electron-emitting devices in the display panel according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating electron emission from an electron-emitting device to a phosphor in the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a timing chart showing the operation of the circuit according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing process of the multi-electron source according to the present embodiment.

FIGS. 18A and 18B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing a planar type surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an applied voltage waveform during energization forming processing.

FIG. 21 shows an applied voltage waveform (a) during energization activation processing;
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change (b) of an emission current Ie.

FIG. 22 is a sectional view of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 24 is a graph showing typical characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a plan view of a substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a partial cross-sectional view of the substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a multi-function image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a view showing a configuration of a conventional surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional FE type electron-emitting device.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional MIM type electron-emitting device.

FIG. 31 is a diagram illustrating matrix wiring of a conventional multi-electron source.

FIG. 32 is a diagram illustrating a delta-arranged phosphor.

FIG. 33 is a view for explaining the meandering of the wiring in the column direction due to a shift of the electron emitting elements by ず れ pitch in the horizontal direction when the electron emitting elements are arranged in accordance with the arrangement of the phosphors.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 12 Modulation signal voltage converter 13 Pulse width modulator 14 Serial / parallel converter 15, 15a Timing control circuit 16 Pulse generator 17, 21 Changeover switch 19 Scanning row selection circuit 22 Data array converter 24, 26, 27 Power supply 25 Inversion Circuit 29 Scanning signal generator 1000, 1000a Display panel 1001 Insulating substrate 1002 Surface conduction type emission device 1003 Row direction wiring 1004 Column direction wiring 1005 Rear plate 1007 Face plate 1008 Fluorescent film 1010 Black conductor 1102, 1103, 1202, 1203 Element Electrode 1105, 1205 Electron emission section 1110 Power supply for forming 1111, 1116 Ammeter 1112 Power supply for activation

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-9-198003 (JP, A) JP-A-9-199064 (JP, A) JP-A-9-213246 (JP, A) JP-A-6-1990 342636 (JP, A) (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01J 31/12

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A semiconductor device comprising a pair of electrodes, each of which is opposed to each other.
A plurality of electron-emitting devices are connected to a plurality of row wirings and column wirings.
An image display device using an electron source arranged in a matrix by using a plurality of phosphors arranged in a delta shape different from the arrangement form of the plurality of electron-emitting devices. Plate, the direction in which the pair of electrodes of each electron-emitting device face each other, and
Each direction of the column wiring crosses, and in one row,
The pair of electrodes facing each other between the contacting electron-emitting devices
The electron-emitting devices are arranged so that their directions intersect , and one electrode of the electron-emitting devices located on the same row is connected to a common row-direction wiring, and the electron-emitting devices located on the same row The other electrode of each of which is connected to a different column-directional wiring, a scanning row selecting unit for selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, and a selection in synchronization with the selection by the scanning row selecting unit. A first row applying means for applying a positive potential to the row wiring, and two adjacent electron emitting elements connected to the row wiring to which the positive potential is applied by the first row applying means. Pieces
Adjacent to each other to connect the first group of element pairs
Image of the scanned line with a negative polarity to each of the two column wirings
A first row applying means for applying the same potential with a pulse width corresponding to the signal, before being selected in synchronism with selection by the scanning line selection means
A second row applying means for applying a negative potential to the serial row wiring, a negative potential is applied by the second row application means
Of the connected electron-emitting devices on the row wiring, the second
Two adjacent electron-emitting devices different from one device pair group
Adjacent to each other connecting the second element pair group consisting of
Of the scanning line in the positive polarity to each of the two column wirings
Second column applying means for applying an image signal of the same potential having a pulse width corresponding to the image signal of the next scanning row, and emitted electrons from each element pair of the first and second element pairs. And irradiating each of the plurality of phosphors. 2. A semiconductor device comprising a pair of electrodes, each facing each other.
A plurality of electron-emitting devices are connected to a plurality of row wirings and column wirings.
An image display device using an electron source arranged in a matrix by using a plurality of phosphors arranged in a delta shape different from the arrangement form of the plurality of electron-emitting devices. Plate and, in one row, electron emitting elements rotated clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle with respect to an adjacent column direction wiring are alternately arranged, and the electron emission elements located in the same row An electron source in which one electrode of the element is connected to a common row-direction wiring, and the other electrode of the electron-emitting element located in the same row is connected to each column-direction wiring; and a scanning line selection means for selecting the element in row, before being selected in synchronism with selection by the scanning line selection means
And line applying means for applying a voltage to the serial common row direction wirings, said common row wiring to the voltage applied to the scan in the reverse polarity
A voltage having a pulse width corresponding to the image signal of the row is applied to the column direction wiring.
A first column applying means for applying every other one of the first and second columns, and the first column applying means having a polarity opposite to that of the voltage applied to the common row direction wiring.
Voltage of pulse width according to image signal of the next scanning line after scanning line
Other than the wiring in the column direction applied by the first column applying means.
An image display device comprising: a second application unit that applies a voltage to a wiring . 3. A device having a pair of electrodes, each facing each other.
A plurality of electron-emitting devices are connected to a plurality of row wirings and column wirings.
An image display device using an electron source arranged in a matrix by using , in one row, the electron emitting elements rotated clockwise and counterclockwise by a predetermined angle are alternately arranged, a common
One electrode of the first electron-emitting device, which is connected to the column-directional wiring and is arranged every other one of the electron-emitting devices located on the same row, is connected to a common row-directional wiring, and One electrode of the second electron-emitting device other than the first electron-emitting device located in the row is connected to the next row of the common row direction wiring.
Is connected to the row wiring, the other electrode of the first electron-emitting device is connected to a different column direction wirings, respectively, wherein the plurality of the other electrode of the second electron-emitting device
An electron source connected to respective column wirings, and a scanning line selection means for selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, in synchronization with the selection by the scanning line selecting means, the selected
A voltage is applied to the common row-direction wiring connecting the electron-emitting devices, and the common row-direction wiring is applied at the next row scanning timing.
A row applying means for applying a voltage to the next row direction wiring of the line, and in synchronization with the application of the voltage to the common row applying means,
The polarity of the scanning row is opposite to the voltage applied to the common row direction wiring .
A voltage having a pulse width corresponding to the image signal is applied to the column wiring.
Applied to each of them, and the next row direction wiring of the common row direction wiring is applied.
In synchronization with the application of voltage to the line, the image of the next line
A voltage having a pulse width corresponding to an image signal is applied to that of the column-directional wiring.
The image display apparatus characterized by having a column applying means for applying to, respectively. 4. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined angle is 60 degrees. 5. positioned between approximately the center of the electron emission portion of the electron-emitting devices of two rows of the phosphor, and the number of rows electron-emitting devices and characterized in that half the number of lines of phosphor Request
Item 4. The image display device according to any one of Items 1 to 3 . 6. A substantially center of the electron emission portion of the electron-emitting devices in the row direction of the phosphor length about the row direction 1: claims, characterized in that are provided at positions divided into 3 Item 1
The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . 7. any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said electron-emitting devices are surface conduction electron-emitting devices
An image display device according to claim 1 . 8. The image display method in the image display device according to claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, and a row-directional wiring selected in synchronization with the row selection. in the step of applying a positive potential, each respective said first element pair group adjacent electron-emitting devices of the line potential of the positive polarity is applied are connected
Each of the two column wirings has a negative polarity image signal of a scanning row.
Applying an image signal of the same potential having a pulse width corresponding to the signal, applying a negative potential to a selected row direction wiring in synchronization with the selection of a row, and applying the negative potential. Row of electron-emitting devices
Before being different from the first element pair group applied immediately before
Serial next scan of the scanning line in the positive polarity to each of the second element pair group of the two, each being connected <br/> column wirings
And a step of applying an image signal of the same potential having a pulse width corresponding to the image signal lines, each of the plurality of phosphor electrons emitted from each element pair of said first and second element pair group the image display method characterized by irradiating. 9. The image display method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of electron-emitting devices are selected in units of rows, and a row-directional wiring selected in synchronization with the selection of the rows. Applying a voltage to the scan line image with a polarity opposite to the voltage applied to the row direction wiring.
Applying a voltage having a pulse width corresponding to an image signal to the plurality of column-direction wirings;
A first application step of applying every other of the scan lines,
Of the pulse width corresponding to the image signal of the next scanning line
Applying to the column direction wiring not applied in the first applying step
And a second applying step . 10. An image display method in an image display apparatus according to claim 3, the step of selecting the plurality of electron-emitting devices on a row-by-row basis, an electron-emitting device that is selected in synchronization with the row selection Before connecting
A first applying step of applying a voltage to the common row-directional wiring; and applying a reverse polarity to the voltage to each of the plurality of column-directional wirings connected to the electron-emitting devices connected to the common row-directional wiring. Applying a voltage having a pulse width corresponding to the image signal of the scanning row; and applying a voltage to a row-direction wiring next to the common row-direction wiring.
A second application step that each of said column direction wiring connected to the connected electron-emitting element to the next row wirings, the second application
Image of the next scan line of the scan lines in the voltage having a polarity opposite to the polarity of definitive
Applying an image signal of a voltage having a pulse width according to the image signal.