JP3554312B2 - Electron beam equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as an electron beam device and a display device to which the electron beam device is applied, and more particularly, to an envelope for supporting an atmospheric pressure applied to an envelope of the device from the inside of the envelope. The present invention relates to an electron beam apparatus and an image forming apparatus having a spacer inside.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, two types of electron-emitting devices, a hot cathode device and a cold cathode device, are known. Among them, the cold cathode device includes, for example, a surface conduction electron-emitting device, a field emission device (hereinafter abbreviated as “FE type”), a metal / insulating layer / metal-type emission device (hereinafter abbreviated as “MIM type”), and the like. It has been known.
[0003]
As the surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, M.I. I. Elinson, Radio Eng. Electron Phys. , 10, 1290, (1965) and other examples described later.
[0004]
The surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which electron emission occurs when a current flows through a small-area thin film formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface. As the surface conduction electron-emitting device, SnO by Elinson et al.₂  In addition to those using thin films, those using Au thin films [G. Dittmer: "Thin Solid Films", 9, 317 (1972)], In₂  O₃  / SnO₂  By a thin film [M. Hartwell and C.I. G. FIG. Fonstad: "IEEE Trans. ED Conf.", 519 (1975)], and those using a carbon thin film [Hisashi Araki et al .: Vacuum, Vol. 26, No. 1, p. 22 (1983)] and the like are reported.
[0005]
As a typical example of these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a device by Hartwell et al. In the figure, a conductive thin film 3004 made of a metal oxide is formed on a substrate 3001 by sputtering in an H-shaped planar shape. Electron emission portions 3005 are formed on the conductive thin film 3004 by performing an energization process called energization forming described below. The interval L in the figure is set at 0.5 to 1 [mm], and W is set at 0.1 [mm]. In addition, 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, and the position and shape of the actual electron emitting portion are faithfully represented. It is not.
[0006]
M. In the surface conduction electron-emitting device described above, including the device by Hartwell et al., It is common to form an electron-emitting portion 3005 by subjecting the conductive thin film 3004 to an energization process called energization forming before performing electron emission. Met. That is, the energization forming is to apply a constant DC voltage to both ends of the conductive thin film 3004, or to apply a DC voltage that increases at a very slow rate of, for example, about 1 [V / min] to energize the conductive thin film. The purpose is to locally destroy, deform, or alter the thin film 3004 to form an electron-emitting portion 3005 in an electrically high-resistance state. 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.
[0007]
Examples of the FE type are described in, for example, W.S. P. Dyke & W. W. Dolan, "Field emission", Advance in Electron Physics, 8, 89 (1956), or C.I. A. Spindt, "Physical Properties of Thin-Film Field Cathodes with Molybdenum Cones", J. Am. Appl. Phys. , 47, 5248 (1976).
[0008]
As a typical example of the FE type device configuration, FIG. A. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a device by 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. In this element, by applying an appropriate voltage between the emitter cone 3012 and the gate electrode 3014, field emission is caused from the tip of the emitter cone 3012.
[0009]
As another element structure of the FE type, there is an example in which an emitter and a gate electrode are arranged on a substrate almost in parallel with the plane of the substrate, instead of the laminated structure shown in FIG.
[0010]
Examples of the MIM type include, for example, C.I. A. Mead, "Operation of tunnel-emission devices", J. Mol. Appl. Phys. , 32, 646 (1961). FIG. 38 shows a typical example of the MIM element configuration. FIG. 38 is a sectional view. In FIG. 38, 3020 is a substrate, 3021 is a lower electrode made of a metal, 3022 is a thin insulating layer having a thickness of about 100 Å, and 3023 is made of a metal having a thickness of about 80 to 300 Å. The upper electrode. In the MIM type, electrons are emitted from the surface of the upper electrode 3023 by applying an appropriate voltage between the upper electrode 3023 and the lower electrode 3021.
[0011]
The above-described cold cathode device can obtain electron emission at a lower temperature than the hot cathode device, and thus does not require a heater for heating. Therefore, the structure is simpler than that of the hot cathode element, and a fine element can be manufactured. Further, even when a large number of elements are arranged on a substrate at a high density, problems such as thermal melting of the substrate hardly occur. Further, the response speed is slow because the hot cathode device operates by heating the heater, whereas the cold cathode device has an advantage that the response speed is fast.
[0012]
For this reason, various researches on electron beam devices using cold cathode devices have been actively conducted.
[0013]
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, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-31332 by the present applicant, a method for arranging and driving a large number of elements has been studied.
[0014]
As for an electron beam device using a surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, an image forming device such as an image display device and an image recording device, and a charge beam source have been studied.
[0015]
In particular, as an application to an image display device, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,883, JP-A-2-257551 and JP-A-4-28137 by the present applicant, An image display device using a combination of an electron-emitting device and a phosphor that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam has been studied. An image display device using a combination of a surface-conduction emission device for use 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.
[0016]
A method of driving a number of FE types by arranging them is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,904,895 by the present applicant. Further, as an example in which the FE type is applied to an image display device, for example, R.F. The flat panel display reported by Meyer et al. Is known [R. Meyer: "Recent Development on Microtips Display at LETI", Tech. Digest of 4th Int. Vacuum Microelectronics Conf. , Nagahama, pp. 6-9 (1991)].
[0017]
An example in which a number of MIM types are arranged and applied to an image display device is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-3-55738 by the present applicant.
[0018]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, an electron beam apparatus such as an image forming apparatus includes an envelope for maintaining a vacuum atmosphere inside the apparatus, an electron source disposed in the envelope, and an electron beam emitted from the electron source. A target to be irradiated, an acceleration electrode for accelerating the electron beam toward the target, and the like, and a spacer for supporting the atmospheric pressure applied to the envelope from the inside of the envelope is further provided inside the envelope. May be placed.
[0019]
In particular, in image forming apparatuses such as the above-described display apparatuses, recently, there has been a demand for a larger image display surface and a thinner apparatus. In order to realize such a large area and thinning, it seems that the arrangement of the spacer inside the envelope is indispensable.
[0020]
However, when the spacer is arranged in the envelope of the electron beam device, there is a problem that the irradiation position of the electron beam on the target surface is deviated from a design value. This problem means, for example, when the electron beam device is the above-described display device, the deviation of the irradiation position or the light emission shape of the electron beam on the phosphor surface from the design value. In particular, when an image forming member including R, G, and B color phosphors for a color image is used, in addition to the shift of the irradiation position of the electron beam, a decrease in luminance and color shift may be observed. In addition, this phenomenon occurs particularly near the spacer disposed between the electron source and the image forming member, or at the periphery of the image forming member.
[0021]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electron beam apparatus that prevents irradiation position shift of an electron beam on a target surface. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to prevent a displacement of an irradiation position of an electron beam on a target surface, which is caused when a spacer for maintaining a gap in an envelope of an electron beam apparatus is arranged in the envelope.
[0022]
Further, among image forming apparatuses, an object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that forms a clear and reproducible image by preventing a displacement of an irradiation position of an electron beam on an image forming member surface. For image display devices that use a light emitting member such as a phosphor, among image forming devices, the deviation of the irradiation position of the electron beam on the light emitting member surface from the design value of the light emitting spot shape is prevented, and the image is sharp and reproducible. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an image display device that displays a good image, and among the image display devices, particularly, for a color image display device using each of the R, G, and B color phosphors as a light emitting member, a light emitting member of an electron beam is used. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image display device that displays a full-color image that is clear and has good color reproducibility by preventing a deviation from a design value of an irradiation position and a light emission spot shape on a surface, a decrease in luminance, and a color shift. .
[0023]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an electron beam apparatus according to the present invention includes an electron source having an electron-emitting device, an electrode for controlling electrons emitted from the electron source, and a target irradiated with electrons emitted from the electron source. And an electron beam device having a semiconductive spacer disposed between the electron source and the electrode,
The spacer is,In the contact part with the electron source and the electrode, A function of mechanically fixing the spacer to each of the electron source and the electrode, and a function of electrically connecting the spacer to each of the electron source and the electrode.A contact member, and electrically connected to the electron source and the electrode via the contact member..
[0024]
Further, the electron beam apparatus according to the present invention includes an electron source having an electron-emitting device, an electrode for controlling electrons emitted from the electron source, a target irradiated with the electrons emitted from the electron source, and an electron source. And an electron beam device having a semiconductive spacer disposed between the electrode and the electrode,
The spacer has a conductive frit glass at a contact portion with the electron source and the electrode, and is electrically connected to the electron source and the electrode via the conductive frit glass. Characterized by.
[0025]
In each of the above inventions, the spacer may have a semiconductive film on a surface of an insulating member.Further, the electron source has a plurality of electron-emitting devices connected by wiring.DoIt may be something. In this case, the spacer is connected to the wiring and the electrode.Electrically connected toOr furthermore, the spacer has a rectangular shape, and its longitudinal direction is parallel to the wiring.Between the wiring and the electrodeIt may be arranged.
[0028]
And in each of the above electron beam devices,,PreviousThe electron-emitting device is a cold cathode device.With childThere may be.
[0029]
Further, the electron beam apparatus of the present invention is also applied as an image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating the target with electrons emitted from the electron-emitting device in response to an input signal. In this case, the target may be a phosphor.
[0030]
[Action]
As described above, the electron beam apparatus according to the present invention includes the electron source and the electrode.Between, Semi-conductiveHavingWith a spacerSpacerBut the electron source and the electrodeToIt is characterized by being electrically connected. As a result, even if charged particles adhere to the surface of the spacer, the charged particles are semiconductive.Spacer withIs electrically neutralized with a part of the current flowing through the spacer, thereby preventing the spacers from being charged, so that the trajectories of electrons emitted from the electron-emitting devices are stabilized. Since the charge to be prevented is generated on the surface of the spacer, it is sufficient that only the surface portion of the spacer has an antistatic function.
[0031]
Also, the contact of the spacer with another member has both a mechanical fixing function and an electrical connection function.ContactComponents andConductive frit glassBy doing so, the mechanical connection strength is maintained while the electrical connection of the spacer is performed.
[0032]
When the spacer has a configuration having a semiconductive film on the surface of the insulating member,In particular, the semiconductive film has a surface resistance of 10^Five-10¹²By setting [Ω / □], the electron beam has a sufficiently low resistance value to neutralize the charge on the spacer surface, and has a leakage current amount that does not significantly increase the power consumption of the entire device. The device is realized. That is, a thin and large-area image forming apparatus can be obtained when the present invention is applied to an image forming apparatus without impairing the low heat generation characteristic of the cold cathode type electron-emitting device.
[0033]
Particularly preferred among the electron-emitting devices are surface conduction electron-emitting devices. The surface conduction electron-emitting device has a simple structure and is simple to manufacture, and a large-area device can be easily manufactured. In recent years, particularly in a situation where an inexpensive image display device with a large screen is required, it is a particularly preferable cold cathode type electron-emitting device.
[0034]
Further, the present invention uses a simple matrix type electron source in which a large number of electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix by connecting the electron-emitting devices with a plurality of row-direction wirings and a plurality of column-direction wirings. It is suitable for an electron beam device. The above-mentioned simple matrix type electron source can select a large number of electron-emitting devices and control the amount of electron emission by giving appropriate drive signals in the row direction and the column direction. There is no need to add it, and it can be easily configured on one substrate. In this case, the semiconductive film of the spacer is electrically connected to the row wiring or the column wiring, for example, the semiconductive film is electrically connected to one wiring on the electron source side. Therefore, unnecessary electrical coupling between wirings on the electron source can be avoided.
[0035]
In particular, by applying the electron beam apparatus of the present invention to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating a target with electrons, the trajectory of electrons emitted from the electron-emitting device is stabilized as described above, and as a result, As a result, a good image with no shift in the light emitting position is formed.
[0036]
Embodiment
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.
[0037]
(Display panel configuration and manufacturing method)
First, the configuration and manufacturing method of a display panel of an image display device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to specific examples.
[0038]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the display panel, in which a part of the panel is cut away to show the internal structure. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view (a part of a cross section A-A ′) of a main part of the display panel shown in FIG. 2.
[0039]
In the figure, reference numeral 15 denotes a rear plate, 16 denotes a side wall, and 17 denotes a face plate. The rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 form an envelope (airtight container) for maintaining the inside of the display panel in a vacuum. Has formed.
[0040]
A substrate 11 is fixed to the rear plate 15, and N × M cold cathode elements are formed on the substrate 11 (N and M are positive integers of 2 or more, and a desired display For example, in a display device for displaying high-definition television, it is desirable to set N = 3000 and M = 1000 or more. Are N = 3072 and M = 1024.) Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the N × M cold cathode elements 12 are simply formed by M row-directional wirings 13 and N column-directional wirings 14. It is wired in a matrix. The part constituted by the substrate 11, the cold cathode element 12, the row direction wiring 13, and the column direction wiring 14 is called a multi electron beam source. In addition, an insulating layer (not shown) is formed between at least the portions where the row wirings 13 and the column wirings 14 intersect, so that electrical insulation is maintained.
[0041]
In the above description, the substrate 11 of the multi-electron beam source is fixed to the rear plate 15 of the hermetic container. However, when the substrate 11 of the multi-electron beam source has a sufficient strength, The substrate 11 of the multi-electron beam source itself may be used as the rear plate of the hermetic container.
[0042]
Here, as the substrate 11, quartz glass, glass having a reduced content of impurities such as Na, soda lime glass, and soda lime glass formed by sputtering or the like are used.₂  And a ceramic member such as alumina. The size and thickness of the substrate 11 are determined by the number of electron-emitting devices provided on the substrate 11 and the design shape of each electron-emitting device, and the substrate 11 itself constitutes a part (rear plate) of an airtight container. In this case, it is set appropriately depending on the conditions of the atmospheric pressure resistance and the like.
[0043]
Further, the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, and the side wall 16 constituting the hermetic container can withstand the atmospheric pressure applied to the hermetic container, maintain a vacuum atmosphere, and provide a space between the multi electron beam source and a metal back described later. It is preferable to use a material having an insulating property enough to withstand the applied high voltage. Examples of the material include quartz glass, glass having a reduced impurity content such as Na, soda lime glass, and ceramic members such as alumina. However, it is necessary to use at least the face plate 17 having a certain or higher transmittance for visible light. In addition, it is preferable to combine the members whose coefficients of thermal expansion are close to each other.
[0044]
The row wirings 13 and the column wirings 14 are made of a conductive metal or the like formed in a desired pattern on the substrate 11 by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like. The material, film thickness, and wiring width are set so that a voltage as uniform as possible is supplied.
[0045]
The insulating layer disposed at the intersection of the row-direction wiring 13 and the column-direction wiring 14 is made of SiO formed by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like.₂  For example, it is formed in a desired shape on the entire surface or a part of the substrate 11 on which the column-directional wiring 14 is formed, and in particular, so as to withstand the potential difference at the intersection of the row-directional wiring 13 and the column-directional wiring 14. The thickness, material, and manufacturing method are appropriately set.
[0046]
The row-direction wiring 13 and the column-direction wiring 14 are made of a metal or alloy such as Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd, and Pd, Ag, Au, RuO2, Pd-Ag, etc. Printed conductor composed of metal or metal oxide and glass, or In₂O₃-SnO₂And the like and a semiconductor material such as polysilicon.
[0047]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fluorescent film 18 is formed on the lower surface of the face plate 17. Since the embodiment described here is a color display device, phosphors of three primary colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) used in the field of CRT are provided on the fluorescent film 18. It is painted separately. For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the phosphors 21a of the respective colors are separately applied in stripes, and a black conductor 21b is provided between the stripes of the phosphors 21a of each color. The purpose of providing the black conductor 21b is to prevent the display color from being shifted even when the irradiation position of the electron beam is slightly shifted, and to prevent the reflection of external light to prevent the reduction of the display contrast. And preventing charge-up of the fluorescent film by the electron beam. Although graphite is used as a main component for the black conductor 21b, any other material may be used as long as it is suitable for the above purpose.
[0048]
The method of applying the three primary color phosphors 21a is not limited to the stripe arrangement shown in FIG. 4A, but may be, for example, a delta arrangement as shown in FIG. It may be an array.
[0049]
When a monochrome display panel is manufactured, a monochromatic phosphor material may be used for the phosphor film 18.
[0050]
A metal back 19 known in the field of CRT is provided on the surface of the fluorescent film 18 on the rear plate 15 side. The purpose of providing the metal back 19 is to improve the light use efficiency by mirror-reflecting a part of the light emitted from the fluorescent film 18, to protect the fluorescent film 18 from collision of negative ions, and to reduce the electron beam acceleration voltage. The function may be to function as an electrode for applying the voltage or to function as a conductive path for the excited electrons of the fluorescent film 18. The metal back 19 is formed by forming the fluorescent film 18 on the face plate 17, smoothing the surface of the fluorescent film 18, and vacuum-depositing Al thereon. When a fluorescent material for a low voltage is used for the fluorescent film 18, the metal back 19 is not used.
[0051]
Although not used in the above embodiment, a transparent electrode made of, for example, ITO is provided between the face plate 17 and the fluorescent film 18 for the purpose of applying an accelerating electrode and improving the conductivity of the fluorescent film 18. May be provided.
[0052]
Dx1 to Dxm, Dy1 to Dyn, and Hv are electric connection terminals having an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel to an electric circuit (not shown). Dx1 to Dxm are electrically connected to the row wiring 13 of the multi-electron beam source, Dy1 to Dyn are electrically connected to the column wiring 14 of the multi-electron beam source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 19.
[0053]
Further, since the inside of the envelope (airtight container) is maintained at a vacuum of about 10 −6 [Torr], the envelope 10 is prevented from being broken due to an atmospheric pressure, an unexpected impact, or the like. As an atmospheric pressure resistant structure, a spacer 20 is provided inside the envelope. The spacers 20 are made of a member formed by depositing a semiconductive thin film 20b on the surface of an insulating member 20a. The spacers 20 are arranged in a necessary number and at a necessary interval to achieve the above-mentioned object. The inner surface of the container and the surface of the substrate 11 are sealed with frit glass or the like. The semiconductive thin film 20b is electrically connected to the inside of the face plate 17 (metal back 19 and the like) and to the surface of the substrate 11 (row direction wiring 13 or column direction wiring 14). In the embodiment described here, the spacer 20 has a thin plate shape, is arranged in parallel with the row direction wiring 13, and is electrically connected to the row direction wiring 13.
[0054]
The spacer 20 has an insulating property enough to withstand a high voltage applied between the row-direction wiring 13 and the column-direction wiring 14 on the substrate 11 and the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17. Any material may be used as long as it has a surface conductivity sufficient to prevent charging of the surface.
[0055]
Examples of the insulating member 20a of the spacer 20 include quartz glass, glass with a reduced content of impurities such as Na, soda lime glass, and ceramic members such as alumina. It is preferable that the insulating member 20a has a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of the member forming the envelope (airtight container) and the substrate 11.
[0056]
The semiconductive thin film 20b has a surface resistance value of 10 5 [Ω / □] to 10 12 [Ω / □] in consideration of maintaining the antistatic effect and suppressing power consumption due to leakage current. Examples of the material include, for example, Group 4 semiconductors such as silicon and germanium, compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide, precious metals such as Pt, Au, Ag, Rh, and Ir; Islands made of metals such as Sb, Sn, Pb, Ga, Zn, In, Cd, Cu, Ni, Co, Rh, Fe, Mn, Cr, V, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, W, and alloys composed of these metals -Like metal films, or oxide semiconductors such as tin oxide, nickel oxide, and zinc oxide, or impurity semiconductors obtained by adding a small amount of impurities to the above-described various semiconductors into an amorphous state, a polycrystalline state, or a single crystalline state. Film-formed ones and the like can be mentioned. As a method of forming the semiconductive thin film 20b, a method by a vacuum film forming method such as a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, or an organic solution or a dispersion solution is applied and baked using a dipping or spinner. Examples thereof include a method based on a coating method comprising steps and the like, and a method based on an electroless plating method capable of forming a metal film on an insulator surface by a chemical reaction, and are appropriately selected according to a target material and productivity.
[0057]
In addition, the semiconductive thin film 20b is formed on at least a surface of the insulating member 20a that is exposed to vacuum in an envelope (airtight container). The semiconductive thin film 20b is electrically connected to the black conductor 21b or the metal back 19 on the face plate 17 side, and to the row wiring 13 or the column wiring 14 on the rear plate 15 side, for example. Connected to.
[0058]
The configuration, the installation position, the installation method, and the electrical connection with the face plate 17 side and the rear plate 15 side of the spacer 20 are not limited to the above-described case, and have sufficient atmospheric pressure resistance, Any material having an insulating property enough to withstand a high voltage applied between the metal back 14 and the metal back 19 and having a surface conductivity sufficient to prevent the surface of the spacer 20 from being charged is used. It does not matter.
[0059]
When assembling the above-described airtight container (envelope), it is necessary to seal these members while maintaining sufficient strength and airtightness at the joint between the rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17. This sealing is performed, for example, by applying frit glass to the joints of the above-described members and baking it at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or more in air or nitrogen atmosphere.
[0060]
In order to evacuate the inside of the hermetic container to a vacuum, after assembling the hermetic container, an exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected to a vacuum pump, and the inside of the hermetic container is evacuated to a degree of vacuum of about 10 −7 [Torr]. Exhaust. 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. The getter film is, for example, a film formed by heating and depositing a getter material containing Ba as a main component by a heater or high-frequency heating. The degree of vacuum is maintained at 1 × 10 −7 [Torr].
[0061]
In the image display device using the display panel described above, when a voltage is applied to each cold cathode element 12 through the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn, electrons are emitted from each cold cathode element 12. At the same time, a high voltage of several kV or more is applied to the metal back 19 (or a transparent electrode (not shown)) through the high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electrons and collide with the inner surface of the face plate 17. As a result, the phosphor 21a of the fluorescent film 18 is excited and emits light, and an image is displayed.
[0062]
This situation is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams for explaining the generation of electrons and scattering particles described later in the display panel shown in FIG. 2, respectively. FIG. 5 is a diagram viewed from the Y direction, and FIG. 6 is an X direction. FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the electrons emitted from the electron emission portion of the cold cathode device 12 by applying the voltage Vf to the cold cathode device 12 on the substrate 11 are applied to the metal back 19 on the face plate 17. The light is accelerated by the acceleration voltage Va, and collides with the fluorescent film 18 on the inner surface of the face plate 17, so that the fluorescent film 18 emits light. Here, in particular, as in a surface conduction electron-emitting device described in detail below, a pair of high-potential-side electrodes and low-potential-side electrodes are arranged in parallel to the substrate surface, and As shown in FIG. 5, in a cold cathode device having an electron emission portion, the normal electrode from the electron emission portion 5 with respect to the surface of the substrate 11 is shifted toward the high potential side device electrode 3 by 30 tons. It flies along the parabolic trajectory indicated by. For this reason, the center of the light emitting portion of the fluorescent film 18 is shifted from the normal line from the electron emitting portion 5 to the surface of the substrate 11. It is considered that such a radiation characteristic is due to the potential distribution in a plane parallel to the substrate 11 being asymmetric with respect to the electron-emitting portion 5.
[0063]
In addition to the fact that electrons emitted from the cold cathode device 12 reach the inner surface of the face plate 17 to cause the light emission phenomenon of the fluorescent film 18, the electrons also collide with the fluorescent film 18 and, at a low probability, with the residual gas in vacuum. Therefore, it is considered that scattering particles (ions, secondary electrons, neutral particles, etc.) are generated with a certain probability, and fly in the envelope (airtight container), for example, along a locus indicated by 31t in FIG.
[0064]
In a comparative experiment using a spacer without forming the semiconductive thin film 20b in the display panel of the image display device shown in FIG. It has been found that the emission shape at the position (electron collision position) may deviate from the design value. In particular, in the case where an image forming member for a color image is used, in addition to the light emission position shift, a decrease in luminance and color shift may be observed.
[0065]
The main cause of this phenomenon is that a part of the scattering particles collides with the exposed portion of the insulating member 20a of the spacer 20, and the exposed portion is charged, so that the electric field changes near the exposed portion. It is considered that a shift in the electron orbit caused a change in the light emission position and light emission shape of the phosphor.
[0066]
Further, from the light emission position and the state of the change in the shape of the phosphor, it was found that mainly the positive charges were accumulated in the exposed portion. This may be caused by the case where the positive ions of the scattering particles are attached and charged, or the case where the positive charging is caused by secondary electron emission generated when the scattering particles collide with the exposed portion.
[0067]
On the other hand, in the image display device of the present invention using a display panel on which a spacer 20 having a semiconductive thin film 20b formed on the surface as shown in FIG. It was confirmed that the upper light emitting position (electron collision position) and light emitting shape were as designed. That is, even if the charged particles adhere to the surface of the spacer 20, a part of the current (actually, electrons or holes) flowing through the semiconductive thin film 20b attached to the surface of the spacer is electrically intermediate. In sum, it is considered that even if charges are generated on the spacer surface, the charges are immediately eliminated.
[0068]
Normally, the applied voltage Vf between the pair of device electrodes 2 and 3 (see FIG. 6) of the cold cathode device 12 is about 12 to 16 [V], and the distance d between the metal back 19 and the cold cathode device 12 is 1 [mm]. The voltage Va between the metal back 19 and the cold cathode element 12 is about 1 [kV] to about 10 [kV].
[0069]
Further, in the following, a more preferable embodiment of the spacer arranged in the display panel according to the present invention will be described with reference to an example shown in FIG.
[0070]
In FIG. 7A, reference numeral 20a denotes an insulating member serving as a spacer base material, and reference numeral 20c denotes a conductive material formed on the contact surface with the electron acceleration electrode such as the metal back 18 and the wirings 13 and 14. The film 20b is a semiconductive thin film formed on the surface of the spacer other than the contact surface. In the spacer 20 having the above configuration, the conductive film 20c formed on the contact surface is electrically connected to the semiconductive thin film 20b formed on the spacer surface other than the contact surface.
[0071]
On the other hand, in FIG. 7B, reference numeral 20a denotes an insulating member serving as a spacer base material, and reference numeral 20c denotes a contact surface between the electron acceleration electrode and the wiring and a part of a surface other than the contact surface. It is a semiconductive thin film formed in a region including a ridge with a contact surface. In the spacer 20 having the above-described configuration, the conductive film 20c formed in a region including the contact surface and a part of the surface other than the contact surface and including the ridge with the contact surface is formed on the spacer surface other than the contact surface. Is electrically connected to the semiconductive thin film 20b.
[0072]
Further, in FIG. 7C, reference numeral 20a denotes an insulating member serving as a spacer base material, 20b denotes a semiconductive thin film formed on the entire surface of the insulating member 20a, and 20c denotes the electron acceleration electrode and the wiring. A conductive film formed on the contact surface with the conductive film. The conductive film 20c is electrically connected to the semiconductive thin film 20b.
[0073]
As the semiconductive thin film 20b formed on the spacer surface other than the contact surface, the surface resistance value, material, film forming method, etc. are considered in consideration of maintaining the antistatic effect and suppressing power consumption due to leakage current. Is the same as the semiconductive thin film 20b described with reference to FIGS.
[0074]
The spacers 20 shown in FIGS. 7A to 7C are electrically connected to the semiconductive film 20b, and have the conductive film 20c formed on the contact surface with another member. Therefore, if at least a part of the conductive film 20c is connected to the power supply means (electron source and electrode), a current can be uniformly supplied to each part of the semiconductive film 20b. Thereby, the charged particles can be neutralized without disturbing the parallel electric field between the face plate and the electron source.
[0075]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a display panel according to the present invention when a contact member 40 including a conductive member is attached to the various spacers 20 described above. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 20 denotes the various spacers described above, reference numeral 40 denotes an abutting member including the conductive member, reference numeral 11 denotes a substrate (blue glass) on which, for example, the row-direction wiring 13 and the like are disposed, reference numeral 17 denotes a face plate, and reference numeral 18 denotes A fluorescent film, 19 is a metal back, 16 is a side wall, and 32 is frit glass. As described in detail below, the contact member 40 attached to the spacer according to the present invention includes the above-described various spacers, the electron accelerating electrode (metal back or the like), and wiring (row direction wiring or column direction wiring). ) And has both functions of mechanical connection and mechanical fixing.
[0076]
In FIG. 8, the electrical connection and the mechanical fixing between the spacer 20 and the electron acceleration electrode (metal back 19) on the row direction wiring 13 and the face plate side of the substrate 11 are performed as follows.
[0077]
(1) Electrical connection and mechanical fixing are performed using conductive frit glass mixed with conductive fine particles.
[0081]
Next, a cold cathode device used in the multi-electron beam source of the display panel described above will be described. The material, shape, and manufacturing method of the cold cathode device are not limited as long as the multi-electron beam source used in the present invention is an electron source in which cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix. Therefore, for example, a cold cathode device such as a surface conduction electron-emitting device, an FE type, or an MIM type can be used.
[0082]
However, under a situation where a display device having a large display screen and an inexpensive display device is required, a surface conduction electron-emitting device is particularly preferable among these cold cathode devices. That is, as described above, in the FE type, since the relative position and shape of the emitter cone and the gate electrode greatly affect the electron emission characteristics, extremely high-precision manufacturing technology is required, but this requires a large area and a low manufacturing cost. It is a disadvantageous factor in achieving the reduction. Further, in the MIM type, it is necessary to make the thickness of the insulating layer and the upper electrode thinner and uniform, which is also a factor in achieving a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. On the other hand, since the surface conduction electron-emitting device has a relatively simple manufacturing method, it is easy to increase the area and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, among the surface-conduction electron-emitting devices, those in which a conductive film including an electron-emitting portion between electrodes is formed of a fine particle film, as described in detail below, have particularly high electron emission characteristics. It has been found to be excellent and easy to manufacture. 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, a basic configuration, a manufacturing method, and characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device that is preferably used will be described below.
[0083]
(Suitable device configuration and manufacturing method of surface conduction electron-emitting device)
Typical configurations of a surface conduction electron-emitting device including a conductive film having fine particles and having an electron-emitting portion between electrodes include two types, a planar type and a vertical type.
[0084]
(Flat surface conduction electron-emitting device)
First, a device configuration and a manufacturing method of a flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIG. 9 is a plan view (a) and a cross-sectional view (b) for explaining the configuration of a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device. In the figure, 1 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are device electrodes, 4 is a conductive film, and 5 is an electron emitting portion formed by a forming process such as an energizing process.
[0085]
As the substrate 1, for example, various glass substrates such as quartz glass and blue plate glass, various ceramics substrates including alumina, or SiO.sub.₂A substrate on which an insulating layer made of a material is laminated can be used.
[0086]
The device electrodes 2 and 3 provided on the substrate 1 so as to be opposed to the substrate surface in parallel are formed of a conductive material. For example, metals including Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Cu, Pd, Ag, etc., alloys of these metals, or In₂O₃-SnO₂And other materials such as metal oxides, semiconductors such as polysilicon, and the like. An electrode can be easily formed by using a combination of a film forming technique such as vacuum deposition and a patterning technique such as photolithography and etching. However, the electrode can be formed by other methods (for example, printing technique). No problem.
[0087]
The shapes of the device electrodes 2 and 3 are appropriately designed according to the application purpose of the electron-emitting device. Generally, the electrode interval L is usually designed by selecting an appropriate numerical value from the range of several hundred [angstrom] to several hundred [micrometers]. The range is from [micrometer] to several tens [micrometer]. As for the device electrode thickness d, an appropriate numerical value is usually selected from a range of several hundred [angstrom] to several [micrometers].
[0088]
A fine particle film is used for the conductive film 4. The fine particle film described here refers to a film containing 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.
[0089]
The particle size of the fine particles used for the fine particle film is in the range of several [angstrom] to several thousand [angstrom], and particularly preferably in the range of 10 [angstrom] to 200 [angstrom]. is there. The thickness of the fine particle film is appropriately set in consideration of various conditions as described below. That is, the conditions necessary for good electrical connection to the device electrodes 2 and 3, the conditions necessary for performing the energization forming process described later satisfactorily, and the electric resistance of the fine particle film itself to an appropriate value described later. Necessary conditions, and so on. Specifically, it is set within the range of several [angstrom] to several thousand [angstrom], and particularly preferably, it is between 10 [angstrom] and 500 [angstrom].
[0090]
Examples of materials that can be used to form the fine particle film include Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb. Metal, PdO, SnO₂, In₂O₃, PbO, Sb₂O₃Oxides such as HfB₂, ZrB₂, LaB₆, CeB₆, YB₄, GdB₄And carbides such as TiC, ZrC, HfC, TaC, SiC and WC, nitrides such as TiN, ZrN, HfN, etc., and Si and Ge etc. Semiconductors, carbon, and the like can be mentioned, and are appropriately selected from these.
[0091]
As described above, the conductive film 4 is formed of a fine particle film, and its sheet resistance is set to be in the range of 10 3 to 10 7 [Ω / □].
[0092]
Since it is desirable that the conductive film 4 and the device electrodes 2 and 3 are electrically connected well, a structure is adopted in which a part of the conductive film 4 and the device electrode 3 overlap with each other. In the example of FIG. 5, the overlapping manner is such that the substrate 1, the device electrodes 2, 3, and the conductive film 4 are stacked in this order from the bottom, but in some cases, the substrate, the conductive film, and the device electrode are stacked from the bottom. It is acceptable to stack them in order.
[0093]
The electron-emitting portion 5 is a gap such as a crack formed in a part of the conductive film 4 and has a property of being electrically higher in resistance than the surrounding conductive film. The gap such as a crack is formed by performing the energization forming process described later on the conductive film 4. Fine particles having a particle size of several [angstrom] to several hundred [angstrom] may be arranged in the crack. 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.
[0094]
Further, as shown in FIGS. 10A (plan view) and (b) (cross-sectional view), there is a case where the electron-emitting portion 5 and a thin film 6 made of carbon or a carbon compound are provided in the vicinity thereof. The thin film 6 is formed by performing an energization activation process described later after the energization forming process.
[0095]
The thin film 6 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 preferably 300 [Å] or less. More preferred.
[0096]
Note that it is difficult to accurately illustrate the actual position and shape of the thin film 6, and therefore, it is schematically illustrated in FIG. 10.
[0097]
The basic configuration of the preferred element has been described above, but the following element was used in the examples described later.
[0098]
That is, blue glass was used for the substrate 1 and Ni thin films were used for the device electrodes 2 and 3. The thickness d of the device electrode was 1000 [angstrom], and the electrode gap L was 2 [micrometers].
[0099]
Pd or PdO was used as a main material of the fine particle film, the thickness of the fine particle film was about 100 [angstrom], and the width W was 100 [micrometers].
[0100]
Next, a method for manufacturing a suitable flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 11A to 11D are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. The notation of each member is the same as that in FIGS.
[0101]
1) First, as shown in FIG. 11A, device electrodes 2 and 3 are formed on a substrate 1. After sufficiently washing the substrate 1 with a detergent, pure water and an organic solvent in advance, the material of the device electrode is deposited. As a deposition method, 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 2 and 3 shown in FIG.
[0102]
2) Next, as shown in FIG. 11B, a conductive film 4 is formed. First, an organic metal solution is applied to the substrate shown in FIG. 11A, dried, heated and baked to form a fine particle film, and then patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography and etching. Here, the organic metal solution is a solution of an organic metal compound containing, as a main element, a material of fine particles used for a conductive film (Pd was used as a main element in Examples described later. Although the dipping method was used as the coating method, other methods such as a spinner method and a spray method may be used.)
[0103]
In addition, as a method for forming a conductive film made of a fine particle film, for example, a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, or the like may be used in addition to the above-described method of applying an organic metal solution.
[0104]
3) Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, an appropriate voltage is applied between the element electrodes 2 and 3 from the forming power supply 22 and the energization forming process is performed to form the electron emission portions 5.
[0105]
The energization forming process is a process of energizing the conductive film 4 made of a fine particle film, and appropriately breaking, deforming, or altering a part of the conductive film 4 to change the structure to a structure suitable for electron emission. That is. In a portion of the conductive film made of the fine particle film which has been changed to a structure suitable for emitting electrons (that is, the electron emitting portion 5), an appropriate crack is formed in the thin film. It should be noted that the electrical resistance measured between the device electrodes 2 and 3 is significantly increased after the formation, as compared to before the electron emission portion 5 is formed.
[0106]
FIG. 12 shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the forming power supply 22 in order to explain the energization method in more detail. When forming a conductive film made of a fine particle film, a pulsed voltage is preferable. In a method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device used in an example described later, a pulsed voltage is used as shown in FIG. A triangular wave pulse having a width T1 was continuously applied at a pulse 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 5 were inserted at appropriate intervals between the triangular-wave pulses, and the current flowing at that time was measured by the ammeter 23.
[0107]
In a method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device used in an example described later, for example, under a vacuum atmosphere of about 10 −5 [Torr], for example, the pulse width T1 is 1 [millisecond] and the pulse interval T2 is Was set to 10 [milliseconds], and the peak value Vpf was increased by 0.1 [V] for each pulse. Then, the monitor pulse Pm was inserted once every five pulses of the triangular wave were applied. 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 2 and 3 becomes 1 × 10 6 [Ω], that is, the current measured by the ammeter 23 when the monitor pulse is applied is 1 × 10 −7 [A]. When the following conditions were reached, the energization related to the forming process was terminated.
[0108]
Note that the above method is a preferable method for the surface conduction electron-emitting device. For example, when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, such as the material and film thickness of the fine particle film or the element electrode interval L, It is desirable to appropriately change the energization conditions accordingly.
[0109]
4) Next, as described above with reference to FIG. 10, the activation process may be performed to form the thin film 6 (FIG. 10). In this activation process, as shown in FIG. 11D, an appropriate voltage is applied between the element electrodes 2 and 3 from the activation power source 24 to perform the energization activation process to improve the electron emission characteristics. I do.
[0110]
The energization activation process is a process of energizing the electron emitting portion 5 formed by the energization forming process under appropriate conditions and depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity thereof (in FIG. Alternatively, a deposit made of a carbon compound is schematically shown as the member 6.) In addition, by performing the energization activation process, the emission current at the same applied voltage can be typically increased by 100 times or more as compared with before the energization activation process.
[0111]
Specifically, by periodically applying a voltage pulse in a vacuum atmosphere within a range of 10 −4 to 10 −5 [Torr], the organic compound existing in the vacuum atmosphere can be generated. Depositing carbon or carbon compounds. The deposit 6 is any one of single crystal graphite, polycrystal graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 Å or less, more preferably 300 Å or less.
[0112]
FIG. 13A shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the activation power supply 24 in order to explain the energization method in the activation process in more detail. In the method of manufacturing the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the examples described below, the energization activation process was performed by periodically applying a rectangular wave having a constant voltage. Was 14 [V], the pulse width T3 was 1 [millisecond], and the pulse interval T4 was 10 [millisecond]. 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, it is desirable to appropriately change the conditions accordingly.
[0113]
In FIG. 11D, a DC high-voltage power supply 26 and an ammeter 27 are connected to an anode electrode for supplementing an emission current Ie emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device. When the activation process is performed after being incorporated in the display panel, the phosphor screen of the display panel is used as the anode electrode 25.)
[0114]
When a voltage is applied from the activation power supply 24, the emission current Ie is measured by the ammeter 27 to monitor the progress of the energization activation process, and control the operation of the activation power supply 24. An example of the emission current Ie measured by the ammeter 27 is shown in FIG. 13B. When the pulse voltage is started to be applied from the activation power supply 24, the emission current Ie increases with the passage of time, but eventually saturates. And hardly increase. As described above, when the emission current Ie is substantially saturated, the application of the voltage from the activation power supply 24 is stopped, and the energization activation process ends.
[0115]
The above-mentioned energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the embodiment described later, and when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, the conditions should be changed accordingly. desirable.
[0116]
As described above, the planar surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 11E is manufactured.
[0117]
(Vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device)
Next, the configuration of the above-described vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described.
[0118]
14 and 15 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the basic structure of the vertical type. In FIGS. 14 and 15, 1 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are element electrodes, 28 is a step forming member, Reference numeral 4 denotes a conductive film using a fine particle film, 5 denotes an electron emitting portion formed by an energization forming process, and 6 in FIG. 15 denotes a thin film formed by an energization activation process.
[0119]
The vertical type differs from the flat type described above in that one element electrode 3 is provided on the step forming member 28 and the conductive film 4 covers the side surface of the step forming member 28. . Therefore, the element electrode interval L in the planar type shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is set as the step height Ls of the step forming member 28 in the vertical type. For the substrate 1, the device electrodes 2, 3, and the conductive film 4 using the fine particle film, the materials listed in the description of the planar type can be used in the same manner. For the step forming member 28, an electrically insulating material such as SiO2 is used.
[0120]
Next, a method of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 16A to 16F are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process, and the notation of each member is the same as in FIGS. 14 and 15.
[0121]
1) First, as shown in FIG. 16A, an element electrode 2 is formed on a substrate 1.
[0122]
2) Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, an insulating layer 28 for forming a step forming member is laminated.
[0123]
3) Next, as shown in FIG. 16C, the device electrode 3 is formed on the insulating layer 28.
[0124]
4) Next, as shown in FIG. 16D, a part of the insulating layer 28 is removed by using, for example, an etching method, so that the element electrode 2 is exposed.
[0125]
5) Next, as shown in FIG. 16E, the conductive film 4 using the fine particle film is formed. In order to form the conductive film 4, a film forming technique such as a coating method may be used as in the case of the flat type.
[0126]
6) Next, as in the case of the planar type, the energization forming process is performed to form the electron emission portions 5. The energization forming process may be the same as the planar energization forming process described with reference to FIG.
[0127]
7) Next, similarly to the case of the above-mentioned flat type, there is a case where a current activation process is performed to deposit carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the electron emission portion. In this case, a process similar to the planar activation process described with reference to FIG. 11D may be performed.
[0128]
As described above, the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG.
[0129]
(Characteristics of surface conduction electron-emitting device used for display device)
The device configuration and the manufacturing method of the planar type and the vertical type surface conduction electron-emitting device have been described above. Next, the characteristics of the device used in the display device will be described.
[0130]
FIG. 17 shows typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (element current If) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics of the elements 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, each of the two graphs is shown in arbitrary units.
[0131]
The element used for the display device has the following three characteristics regarding the emission current Ie.
[0132]
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 is hardly increased. Not detected. That is, it is a non-linear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth with respect to the emission current Ie.
[0133]
Second, since the emission current Ie changes depending on the device voltage Vf, the magnitude of the emission current Ie can be controlled by the device voltage Vf.
[0134]
Third, since the response speed of the emission current Ie is faster than the device application voltage Vf, the amount of charge of electrons emitted from the device can be controlled by the length of time during which the device application voltage Vf is applied.
[0135]
Because of the above characteristics, the surface conduction electron-emitting device can be suitably used for a display device. For example, in a display device in which a large number of elements are provided corresponding to pixels of a display screen, display can be performed by sequentially scanning the display screen by using the first characteristic. 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, by using the second characteristic or the third characteristic, the light emission luminance can be controlled, so that gradation display can be performed.
[0136]
The driving method of the image forming apparatus such as the display device according to the present invention described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0137]
FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive circuit for performing television display based on an NTSC television signal. In the figure, a display panel 1701 corresponds to the above-described display panel, and is manufactured and operates as described above. The scanning circuit 1702 scans a display line, and the control circuit 1703 generates a signal to be input to the scanning circuit. The shift register 1704 shifts data for each line, and the line memory 1705 inputs the data for one line from the shift register 1704 to the modulation signal generator 1707. The synchronization signal separation circuit 1706 separates the synchronization signal from the NTSC signal.
[0138]
Hereinafter, the function of each unit of the apparatus in FIG. 18 will be described in detail.
[0139]
First, the display panel 1701 is connected to an external electric circuit through terminals Dx1 to Dxm, terminals Dy1 to Dyn, and a high-voltage terminal Hv. Among them, the terminals Dx1 to Dxm sequentially drive the multi-electron beam sources provided in the display panel 1701, that is, the cold-cathode devices arranged in a matrix of m rows and n columns by one row (n elements). A scanning signal for performing the scanning is applied.
[0140]
On the other hand, to the terminals Dy1 to Dyn, a modulation signal for controlling the output electron beams of the n elements for one row selected by the scanning signal is applied. Further, a DC voltage of, for example, 5 kV is supplied to the high voltage terminal Hv from the DC voltage source Va, which is sufficient to excite the phosphor into an electron beam output from the multi-electron beam source. It is an accelerating voltage for applying energy.
[0141]
Next, the scanning circuit 1702 will be described.
[0142]
The circuit includes m switching elements (schematically indicated by S1 to Sm in the drawing), and each switching element includes an output voltage of a DC voltage source Vx or 0 [V] ( (Ground level) is selected and electrically connected to the terminals Dx1 to Dxm of the display panel 1701. Each of the switching elements S1 to Sm outputs a control signal T output from the control circuit 1703._SCANHowever, in practice, it can be easily configured by combining switching elements such as FETs.
[0143]
The DC voltage source Vx outputs a constant voltage based on the characteristics of the electron-emitting device illustrated in FIG. 17 so that the driving voltage applied to the non-scanned device is equal to or lower than the electron emission threshold voltage Vth. It is set as follows.
[0144]
The control circuit 1703 has a function of matching the operations of the respective units so that appropriate display is performed based on an image signal input from the outside. The synchronization signal T sent from the synchronization signal separation circuit 1706 described below_SYNCT for each part based on_SCANAnd T_SFTAnd T_MRYAre generated.
[0145]
The synchronizing signal separation circuit 1706 is a circuit for separating a synchronizing signal component and a luminance signal component from an NTSC television signal input from the outside. As is well known, a frequency separation (filter) circuit is used. It can be easily configured. The synchronization signal separated by the synchronization signal separation circuit 1706 is composed of a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal, as is well known._SYNCThis is shown as a signal. On the other hand, a luminance signal component of an image separated from the television signal is referred to as a DATA signal for convenience, and this signal is input to a shift register 1704.
[0146]
A shift register 1704 is for serially / parallel converting the DATA signal input serially in time series for each line of an image, and a control signal T sent from the control circuit 1703._SFTOperate based on That is, the control signal T_SFTIs the shift clock of the shift register 1704.
[0147]
The data of one line of the serial / parallel-converted image (corresponding to drive data for n electron-emitting devices) is represented by I_D1Or I_DNAre output from the shift register 1704 as n parallel signals.
[0148]
A line memory 1705 is a storage device for storing data for one line of an image for a required time only, and a control signal T sent from a control circuit 1703._MRYAccording to I_D1Or I_DNIs stored. The stored contents are I '_D1Or I '_DNAnd output to the modulation signal generator 1707.
[0149]
The modulation signal generator 1707 outputs the image data I ′._D1Or I '_DNThe output signal is applied to the cold-cathode device in the display panel 1701 through terminals Dyl to Dyn.
[0150]
As described with reference to FIG. 17, the surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention has the following basic characteristics with respect to the emission current Ie. That is, as is clear from the graph of Ie in FIG. 17, the electron emission has a clear threshold voltage Vth (8 [V] in the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the embodiment described later). Electron emission occurs only when applied.
[0151]
For a voltage equal to or higher than the electron emission threshold value Vth, the emission current Ie also changes according to the change in the voltage as shown in the graph. The value of the electron emission threshold voltage Vth and the degree of change of the emission current with respect to the applied voltage may be changed by changing the material, configuration, and manufacturing method of the surface conduction electron-emitting device.
[0152]
The function of each unit shown in FIG. 18 has been described above. Before proceeding to the description of the overall operation, the operation of the display panel 1701 will be described with reference to FIGS. The surface conduction electron-emitting device whose Vth used is 8 [V] will be described in more detail by way of example.
[0153]
For convenience of illustration, the description will be made on the assumption that the number of pixels of the display panel is 6 × 6 (that is, m = n = 6).
[0154]
FIG. 19 shows a multi-electron beam source in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix of 6 rows and 6 columns in a matrix. For the sake of description, D (1, 1) and D The position is indicated by (X, Y) coordinates such as (1, 2) or D (6, 6).
[0155]
When displaying an image by driving such a multi-electron beam source, a method is used in which an image is formed in a line order in units of one line of the image parallel to the X axis. To drive the surface conduction electron-emitting device corresponding to one line of the image, 0 [V] is applied to the terminal of the row corresponding to the display line among Dx1 to Dx6, and 7 [V] is applied to the other terminals. Apply. In synchronization with this, a modulation signal is applied to each terminal of Dy1 to Dy6 according to the image pattern of the line.
[0156]
For example, a case where an image pattern as shown in FIG. 20 is displayed will be described as an example.
[0157]
Therefore, a description will be given by taking, as an example, a period during which the third line of the image in FIG. 20 emits light. FIG. 21 shows voltage values applied to the multi-electron beam source through the terminals Dx1 to Dx6 and Dy1 to Dy6 during the emission of the third line of the image. As can be seen from the figure, each of the surface conduction electron-emitting devices D (2,3), D (3,3) and D (4,3) has an electron emission threshold voltage of over 8 [V]. [V] (elements shown in black in the figure) is applied to output an electron beam. On the other hand, 7 [V] (element indicated by oblique lines in the figure) or 0 [V] (element indicated by white in the figure) is applied to the elements other than the above three elements, and this is the threshold voltage of electron emission of 8 [V]. ], No electron beam is output from these elements.
[0158]
In a similar manner, the multi-electron beam source is driven in accordance with the display pattern of FIG. 20 for the other lines. One screen is displayed by driving the lines one by one from the first line. By repeating this at a speed of 60 screens per second, it is possible to display an image without flicker.
[0159]
【Example】
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to Examples.
[0160]
In each of the embodiments described below, N × M surface conduction type (N = 3072, M = 1024) of a type having an electron emission portion in the conductive fine particle film between the electrodes described above is used as the multi-electron beam source. A multi-electron beam source was used in which the electron-emitting devices were matrix-wired with M row-directional wires and N column-directional wires (see FIGS. 2 and 3).
[0161]
First, as described below, a substrate was prepared in which N × M conductive films composed of fine particles were arranged and arranged in a matrix. An example of the method of manufacturing the substrate will be specifically described in accordance with FIG. The following steps a to h correspond to (a) to (h) in FIG. 22, respectively.
[0162]
Step a: Cr having a thickness of 50 [angstrom] by vacuum evaporation and a thickness of 5000 [on an insulating substrate 11 'in which a 0.5 μm thick silicon oxide film is formed on a cleaned soda lime glass by a sputtering method. Angstrom], a photoresist (AZ1370, manufactured by Hoechst) is spin-coated and baked by a spinner, and then a photomask image is exposed and developed to form a resist pattern of the column-directional wirings 14. The Cr-deposited film was wet-etched to form a columnar wiring 14 having a desired shape.
[0163]
Step b: Next, an interlayer insulating layer 33 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 1.0 [micrometer] was deposited by RF sputtering.
[0164]
Step c: A photoresist pattern for forming a contact hole 33a was formed in the silicon oxide film deposited in the step b, and the interlayer insulating layer 33 was etched using the photoresist pattern as a mask to form a contact hole 33a. Etching is CF₄And H₂RIE (Reactive Ion Etching) using gas was used.
[0165]
Step d: After that, a pattern to be a gap between the device electrodes is formed with a photoresist (RD-2000N-41 manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.), and a Ti having a thickness of 50 [angstrom] and a thickness of 1000 are formed by a vacuum deposition method. [Angstrom] Ni was sequentially deposited. The photoresist pattern was dissolved in an organic solvent, the Ni / Ti deposited film was lifted off, and the device electrode interval L (see FIG. 9) was 3 [micrometer] and the device electrode width W (see FIG. 9) was 300 [micrometer]. Certain device electrodes 2 and 13 were formed.
[0166]
Step e: After forming a photoresist pattern of the row wiring 13 on the device electrodes 2 and 3, Ti having a thickness of 50 [angstrom] and Au having a thickness of 6000 [angstrom] are sequentially deposited by vacuum evaporation and lift-off. Unnecessary portions were removed to form the row-shaped wiring 13 having a desired shape.
[0167]
Step f: As shown in FIG. 23, using a mask having an opening 35a that straddles a pair of element electrodes 2 and 3 located at a distance L between the elements, a Cr film having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is used. The film 21 was deposited and patterned by vacuum evaporation, and then an organic Pd solution (ccp4230 manufactured by Okuno Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) was spin-coated with a spinner and heated and baked at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes.
[0168]
The film (conductive film) 4 for electron emission portion formation made of fine particles containing Pd as a main element thus formed has a thickness of about 100 [angstrom] and a sheet resistance of 5 × 10 4 [Ω]. / □]. The fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated, and has a fine structure not only in a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also in a state in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlapped (in an island shape). ), And the particle size refers to the diameter of the fine particles whose particle shape can be recognized in the above state.
[0169]
The organic metal solution (organic Pd solution in this embodiment) mainly includes metals such as Pd, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb. It is a solution of an organic compound as an element. Further, in the present embodiment, as a method of manufacturing the thin film 4 for forming the electron-emitting portion, an application method of an organic metal solution was used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, It may be formed by a dispersion coating method, a dipping method, a spinner method, or the like.
[0170]
Step g: The Cr film 34 was removed with an acid etchant to form a thin film 4 for forming an electron emission portion having a desired pattern.
[0171]
Step h: A pattern was formed such that a resist was applied to portions other than the contact hole 33a, and Ti having a thickness of 50 [angstrom] and Au having a thickness of 5000 [angstrom] were sequentially laminated by vacuum deposition. Unnecessary portions were removed by lift-off to bury the contact holes 33a.
[0172]
Through the above steps, the conductive film (electron emission portion forming film) 4 electrically connected to the M row direction wirings 13 and the N column direction wirings 14 via the device electrodes 2 and 3 is formed. A plurality (M × N) of the insulating substrates 11 'were formed and arranged in a matrix on the insulating substrate 11'.
[0173]
(Example 1-1)
In this example, a display panel in which the spacer 20 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, a plurality of conductive films (films for forming electron emission portions) were arranged in a matrix, and the substrate 11 ′ on which the conductive films were arranged was fixed to the rear plate 15. Next, of the insulating member 20a made of soda lime glass, a spacer 20 (having a height of 5 mm) in which a semiconductive thin film 20b made of tin oxide is formed on four surfaces exposed in an envelope (airtight container). , A plate thickness of 200 μm and a length of 20 mm) were fixed at equal intervals on the row-directional wiring 13 on the substrate 11 ′ in parallel with the row-directional wiring 13. Thereafter, a face plate 17 provided with a fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 on its inner surface is disposed 5 mm above the substrate 11 ′ via a side wall 16, and each of the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, the side wall 16 and the spacer 20 is bonded. The part was fixed.
[0174]
The joint between the substrate 11 'and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are coated with frit glass (not shown) and are heated at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the atmosphere. It sealed by baking at ℃ for 10 minutes or more.
[0175]
The spacer 20 is formed on the row-direction wiring 13 (line width 300 μm) on the substrate 11 ′ side and on the metal back 19 surface on the face plate 17 side on a conductive frit glass (not shown) mixed with a conductive material such as metal. ) And baked in air at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more to seal and electrically connect.
[0176]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 24, the fluorescent film 18 employs a stripe shape in which the phosphors 21a of each color extend in the Y direction, and the black conductor 21b has phosphors of each color (R, G, B). ) A fluorescent film arranged so as to separate not only between the pixels 21a but also between the pixels in the Y direction is used, and the spacer 20 is disposed within the black conductor 21b region (line width 300 μm) parallel to the X direction. It was arranged via a metal back 19.
[0177]
Further, the spacer 20 is formed by depositing tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] as a semiconductive thin film 20b on the surface of an insulating member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass by ion plating using an electron beam method. The film was formed in an argon / oxygen atmosphere. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □].
[0178]
When performing the above-described sealing, the respective color phosphors 21a and the above-described conductive films 4 (FIG. 22 (h)) for forming the electron emission portions disposed on the substrate 11 ′ are not matched. Therefore, the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0179]
The atmosphere in the envelope (airtight container) completed as described above is evacuated by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the outer terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1. Through Dyn, a voltage is applied to each of the above-described conductive films 4 for forming electron-emitting portions, and the conductive films 4 for forming electron-emitting portions are subjected to an energization process (an energization forming process), so that each of the conductive films is formed. An electron emitting portion was formed, and a multi-electron beam source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices were wired in a matrix as the cold cathode device 12 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 was manufactured. The energization forming process is performed according to the waveform shown in FIG.
This was performed by applying a voltage.
[0180]
Next, an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner at a degree of vacuum of about 10 −6 [Torr] to seal the envelope (airtight container).
[0181]
Finally, a getter process was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.
[0182]
In the image display device using the display panel as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 completed as described above, each cold cathode element (surface conduction electron-emitting element) 12 has external terminals Dx1 to Dxm, Through Dy1 to Dyn, a scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied from signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam. An image was displayed by causing electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 to excite and emit the phosphors 21a (R, G, and B in FIG. 24) of each color. The voltage Va applied to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 kV to 10 kV, and the voltage Vf applied between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 V.
[0183]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light emitting spots including light emitting spots due to electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility can be obtained. Was. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0184]
(Example 1-2)
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 1-1 in that, as the semiconductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. 1, tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is formed by ion-implantation using an electron beam method. The point is that the film was formed in an oxygen atmosphere by plating. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 12 [Ω / □]. A display panel similar to that of Example 1-1 was manufactured except for the above points.
[0185]
In the image display device using the display panel on which the spacers 20 are arranged, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generating means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam and cause the electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18. An image was displayed by exciting and emitting the phosphor 21a. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0186]
At this time, it was confirmed from the comparison with the image display device for the comparative experiment using the spacer 20 without the semiconductive thin film 20b that the antistatic effect was obtained also in this example.
[0187]
(Example 1-3)
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 1-1 in that a tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is used as the semiconductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. The point is that the film was formed in an argon atmosphere by ion plating. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 7 [Ω / □]. In the present embodiment, the metal back 19 was not provided, and instead, a transparent electrode made of an ITO film was provided between the face plate 17 and the fluorescent film 18. The ITO film was arranged so as to obtain electrical connection with the black conductor 21b (see FIG. 24) and the high voltage terminal Hv (see FIG. 2). A display panel similar to that of Example 1-1 was manufactured except for the above points.
[0188]
In the image display device using the display panel on which the spacers 20 are arranged, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the transparent electrode made of the ITO film through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam, and the fluorescent film 18 emits electrons. Were collided, and the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 24) was excited and emitted light to display an image. The voltage Va applied to the high voltage terminal Hv was 1 kV or less, and the voltage Vf applied between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 V.
[0189]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light emitting spots including light emitting spots due to electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility can be obtained. Was. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0190]
(Example 1-4)
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 1-1 in that the semi-conductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. The point is that the film was formed by the ion plating used. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 5 [Ω / □]. Further, in this embodiment, the metal back 19 was not provided, and instead, a transparent electrode made of an ITO film was provided between the face plate 17 and the fluorescent film 18. The ITO film was arranged so as to obtain electrical connection with the black conductor 21b (see FIG. 24) and the high voltage terminal Hv (see FIG. 2). Further, a phosphor for a low-speed electron beam was used as the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 24). Further, the height of the spacer 20 and the distance between the substrate 11 and the face plate 17 were set to 1 [mm].
[0191]
In the image display device using the display panel on which the spacers 20 are arranged, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the transparent electrode made of the ITO film through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam, and the fluorescent film 18 emits electrons. Were collided, and the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 24) was excited and emitted light to display an image. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 10 [V] to 100 [V], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0192]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light emitting spots including light emitting spots due to electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility can be obtained. Was. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0193]
As described above, the image display device of each embodiment has the following effects.
[0194]
First, since the charge to be prevented occurs on the surface of the spacer 20, it is sufficient for the spacer 20 to have an antistatic function only on its surface. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the insulating member 20a was used as the member forming the spacer 20, and the semiconductive thin film 20b was formed on the surface of the insulating member 20a. As a result, the spacer 20 having a sufficiently low resistance value to neutralize the charge on the surface of the spacer 20 and having a leakage current amount that does not significantly increase the power consumption of the entire device can be realized. That is, an image forming apparatus such as a thin and large-area image display device was obtained without impairing the small amount of heat generation, which is a characteristic of a cold cathode device such as a surface conduction electron-emitting device.
[0195]
Next, as the shape of the spacer 20, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a flat plate-like one having a uniform cross-sectional shape with respect to the normal direction of the substrate 11 and the face plate 17 was adopted. The electric field is not disturbed by the spacer 20 itself. Therefore, as long as the spacer 20 does not block the electron trajectory from the cold cathode device 12, the spacer 20 and the cold cathode device 12 can be arranged close to each other. Could be placed. In addition, since the leak current does not flow through the insulating member 20a which occupies most of the cross section of the spacer 20, there is no need to take measures such as joining the substrate 11 or the face plate 17 by making the spacer 20 pointed. However, it was possible to suppress the leakage current to a small level.
[0196]
In particular, when a surface-conduction electron-emitting device is used as a cold-cathode device as in the above embodiment, a flat spacer 20 is attached to the X-ray from the cold-cathode device (surface-conduction-type electron-emitting device) 12. The cold cathode device (surface conduction type electron-emitting device) 12 is arranged in the X direction parallel to the spacer 20 without being interrupted by the spacer 20 because the electron trajectory is not blocked by the spacer 20 because the electron trajectory is arranged parallel to the XZ plane along the electron trajectory deviated in the direction. High density was able to be arranged.
[0197]
Further, each spacer 20 is electrically connected to one row-direction wiring 13 on the substrate 11 side, and unnecessary electrical coupling between the wirings on the substrate 11 can be avoided.
[0198]
Further, by providing the desired semiconductive thin film 20b, the above effect is exhibited, and the spacer 20 according to the present invention, which does not require a complicated additional structure for preventing electrification, is replaced with a surface conduction type proposed by the present applicant. By applying the present invention to an image display device using a multi-electron beam source in which electron-emitting devices are arranged in a simple matrix, a thin and large-area image display device capable of forming high-quality images with a simple device configuration can be provided. .
[0199]
Further, the embodiment described in detail below is different from the above-described embodiment in that the stacking order at the intersection of the row direction wiring 13 and the column direction wiring 14 is opposite as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the difference is that the spacer 20 is provided on the column wiring 14.
[0200]
FIG. 25 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a display panel used in the image display device of the embodiment described below, and FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view (C-) of a main part of the display panel shown in FIG. C 'section). The fluorescent film 18 of the display panel shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 has the shape shown in FIG.
[0201]
25 and 26, a substrate 11 on which a plurality of cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12 are arranged in a matrix and fixed to a rear plate 15 is fixed. A fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 serving as an acceleration electrode are formed on the inner surface of the face plate 17. The face plate 17 faces the substrate 11 via a side wall 16 made of an insulating material therebetween. Are located. A high voltage is applied between the substrate 11 and the metal back 19 by a power supply (not shown). The rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 are sealed with each other with frit glass or the like, and the rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 form an envelope (airtight container).
[0202]
Further, as an atmospheric pressure resistant structure, a thin plate-shaped spacer 20 is provided inside an envelope (airtight container). The spacers 20 are made of a member in which a semiconductive thin film 20b is formed on the surface of an insulating member 20a. The spacers 20 are provided in the Y direction by the number necessary to maintain the atmospheric pressure resistance and at the necessary intervals. They are arranged in parallel and are sealed to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the surface of the column wiring 14 on the substrate 11 with frit glass or the like. The semiconductive thin film 20 b is electrically connected to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the column wiring 14 on the substrate 11.
[0203]
FIG. 27 is a plan view of a main part of the multi-electron beam source formed on the substrate 11 of the display panel shown in FIG.
[0204]
In the multi-electron beam source, M row-directional wirings 13 and N column-directional wirings 14 are formed on an insulating substrate 11 made of a glass substrate or the like, at least at the intersection of both wirings with an interlayer insulating layer (not shown). ) Are electrically separated and arranged in a matrix. The surface conduction electron-emitting device 12 is electrically connected as a cold cathode device between each row-direction wiring 13 and each column-direction wiring 14. The row direction wiring 13 and the column direction wiring 14 are led out of the envelope (airtight container) as the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn shown in FIG. 25, respectively.
[0205]
Also in each of the embodiments described below, N × M (N = 3072) surface conduction electron-emitting devices 12 of the type having an electron-emitting portion in the conductive fine particle film between the electrodes used in the above-described embodiments were used. , M = 1024), and a multi-electron beam source using matrix wiring (see FIGS. 25 and 27) with M row-directional wirings and N column-directional wirings was used.
[0206]
First, a substrate 11 ′ in which N × M conductive films composed of fine particles were arranged in a matrix and arranged were manufactured by the same method as that described in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 22). However, in each of the embodiments described below, the lamination order at the intersection of the row direction wiring 13 and the column direction wiring 14 is, in order from the bottom, the row direction wiring 13, the interlayer insulating layer, and the column direction wiring 14. .
[0207]
(Example 2-1)
In this example, a display panel in which the spacer 20 shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, a plurality of conductive films (electron emission portion forming films) were wired in a matrix, and the substrate 11 on which the conductive films were arranged was fixed to the rear plate 15. Next, of the insulating member 20a made of soda lime glass, a spacer 20 (having a height of 5 mm) in which a semiconductive thin film 20b made of tin oxide is formed on four surfaces exposed in an envelope (airtight container). , A plate thickness of 200 μm and a length of 20 mm) were fixed at regular intervals on the column-directional wiring 14 on the substrate 11 ′ in parallel with the column-directional wiring 14. Thereafter, a face plate 17 provided with a fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 on the inner surface thereof is disposed 5 mm above the substrate 11 ′ via a side wall 16, and the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, the side wall 16 and the spacer 20 are joined. The part was fixed.
[0208]
The fluorescent film 18, which is an image forming member, has a shape shown in FIG. 4A, and has a stripe-shaped color phosphor 21a extending in the Y direction and a stripe-shaped phosphor positioned between the color phosphors 21a. The black conductor 21b was used.
[0209]
The joint between the substrate 11 'and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are coated with frit glass (not shown) and are heated at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the atmosphere. It sealed by baking at ℃ for 10 minutes or more.
[0210]
The spacer 20 is formed on the column-direction wiring 14 (line width 300 μm) on the substrate 11 ′ side, on the metal back 19 surface on the face plate 17 side, and on the black conductor 21 b (line width 300 μm) of the fluorescent film 18. Inside (see FIG. 4A), a conductive frit glass (not shown) in which a conductive material such as a metal is mixed is interposed, and baked at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the air for 10 minutes or more. Sealing and electrical connections were also made.
[0211]
Further, the spacer 20 is formed by depositing tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] as a semiconductive thin film 20b on an insulated member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass by ion plating using an electron beam method. The film was formed in an oxygen atmosphere. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □].
[0212]
When the above-described sealing is performed, each color phosphor 21a must correspond to each of the above-described conductive films for forming the electron emission portions disposed on the substrate 11 ′. The face plate 17 and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0213]
The atmosphere in the envelope (airtight container) completed as described above is evacuated by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the outer terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1. Through Dyn, a voltage is applied to each conductive film for forming the above-mentioned electron-emitting portion,
Electron emission portions are formed in each of the conductive films by applying a current to the conductive film for forming the electron emission portions (energization forming process), thereby forming a cold cathode device 12 as shown in FIGS. 25 and 27. A multi-electron beam source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are wired in a matrix was manufactured. The energization forming process was performed by applying a voltage having a waveform shown in FIG.
[0214]
Next, an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner at a degree of vacuum of about 10 −6 [Torr] to seal the envelope (airtight container).
[0215]
Finally, a getter process was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.
[0216]
In the image display apparatus using the display panel as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 configured as described above, the cold cathode device (surface conduction type electron-emitting device) 12 includes external terminals Dx1 to Dxm. , Dy1 to Dyn, a scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied by signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam. Then, an image was displayed by causing electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 to excite and emit light from the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 4A). The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0217]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements (surface-conduction electron-emitting elements) 12 located close to the spacers 20 are formed at two-dimensional intervals, resulting in clear color reproduction. Good color image display was achieved. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0218]
(Example 2-2)
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 2-1 in that, as the semiconductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. 26, tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [Å] is formed by ion-implantation using an electron beam method. The point is that the film was formed in an oxygen atmosphere by plating. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 12 [Ω / □]. A display panel similar to that of Example 2-1 was produced except for the above points.
[0219]
In the image display device using the display panel on which the spacers 20 are arranged, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generating means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam and cause the electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18. An image was displayed by exciting and emitting the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 4A). The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0220]
At this time, it was confirmed from the comparison with the image display device for the comparative experiment using the spacer 20 without the semiconductive thin film 20b that the antistatic effect was obtained also in this example.
[0221]
(Example 2-3)
This embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 2-1 in that tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is used as the semiconductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. The point is that the film was formed in an argon atmosphere by plating. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 7 [Ω / □]. In the present embodiment, the metal back 19 was not provided, and instead, a transparent electrode made of an ITO film was provided between the face plate 17 and the fluorescent film 18. Note that the ITO film was disposed so as to obtain electrical connection with the black conductor 21b (see FIG. 4A) and the high-voltage terminal Hv (see FIG. 25). A display panel similar to that of Example 2-1 was produced except for the above points.
[0222]
In the image display apparatus using the display panel provided with the spacers 20, the scanning signal and the modulation signal are applied to the cathode element (surface-conduction electron-emitting device) 12 through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the transparent electrode made of the ITO film through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam, and the fluorescent film 18 emits electrons. Were collided, and the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 4A) was excited and emitted light to display an image. The voltage Va applied to the high voltage terminal Hv was 1 kV or less, and the voltage Vf applied between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 V.
[0223]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light emitting spots including light emitting spots due to electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility can be obtained. Was. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0224]
(Example 2-4)
The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiment 2-1 in that, as a semiconductive thin film 20b of the spacer 20 shown in FIG. The point is that the film was formed by the ion plating used. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 5 [Ω / □]. In the present embodiment, the metal back 19 was not provided, and instead, a transparent electrode made of an ITO film was provided between the face plate 17 and the fluorescent film 18. Note that the ITO film was arranged so as to obtain electrical connection with the black conductor 21b (see FIG. 4A) and the high-voltage terminal Hv. Further, a phosphor for a low-speed electron beam was used as the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 4A). Further, the height of the spacer 20 and the distance between the substrate 11 and the face plate 17 were set to 1 mm. A display panel similar to that of Example 2-1 was produced except for the above points.
[0225]
In the image display device using the display panel on which the spacers 20 are arranged, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Is applied from a signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the transparent electrode made of the ITO film through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam, and the fluorescent film 18 emits electrons. Were collided, and the phosphor 21a (see FIG. 4A) was excited and emitted light to display an image. The applied voltage Va to the high-voltage terminal Hv was around 10 [V] to 100 [V], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0226]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light emitting spots including light emitting spots due to electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility can be obtained. Was. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0227]
The image display devices according to the embodiments (Example 2-1) to (Example 2-4) described above have the following effects.
[0228]
First, since the charge to be prevented occurs on the surface of the spacer 20, it is sufficient for the spacer 20 to have an antistatic function only on its surface. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the insulating member 20a was used as the member forming the spacer 20, and the semiconductive thin film 20b was formed on the surface of the insulating member 20a. As a result, the spacer 20 having a sufficiently low resistance value to neutralize the charge on the surface of the spacer 20 and having a leakage current amount that does not significantly increase the power consumption of the entire device can be realized. That is, a thin and large-area image forming apparatus was obtained without impairing the low heat generation characteristic of the cold cathode such as the surface conduction electron-emitting device.
[0229]
Next, as the shape of the spacer 20, a flat plate having a uniform cross-sectional shape with respect to the normal direction of the substrate 11 and the face plate 17 in FIGS. Will not be disturbed. Therefore, as long as the spacer 20 does not block the electron trajectory from the cold cathode element 12, the spacer 20 and the cold cathode element 12 can be arranged close to each other. Could be placed. In addition, since the leak current does not flow through the insulating member 20a which occupies most of the cross section of the spacer 20, there is no need to take measures such as joining the substrate 11 or the face plate 17 by making the spacer 20 pointed. However, it was possible to suppress the leakage current to a small level.
[0230]
The fluorescent film 18 has the shape shown in FIG. 4A, and has a stripe shape extending in the Y direction and a stripe located between each color phosphor (R, G, B) 21a and each color phosphor 21a. Since the black conductor 21b having the shape was used, even if the cold cathode elements 12 were arranged at high density in the Y direction, the brightness of the displayed image was not impaired.
[0231]
Further, each spacer 20 is electrically connected to one column-directional wiring 14 on the substrate 10 side, so that unnecessary electrical coupling between the wirings on the substrate 11 can be avoided.
[0232]
Further, by providing the desired semiconductive thin film 20b, the above effect is exhibited, and the spacer 20 according to the present invention, which does not require a complicated additional structure for preventing electrification, is replaced with a surface conduction type proposed by the present applicant. By applying the present invention to an image display device using a multi-electron beam source in a simple matrix wiring using electron-emitting devices, it is possible to provide a thin and large-area image forming device capable of forming high-quality images with a simple device configuration. Was.
[0233]
Further, another embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.
[0234]
FIG. 28 is a partially cutaway perspective view of another embodiment of the display panel according to the present invention.
[0235]
The display panel shown in FIG. 28 is different from the embodiments described above in that the spacer 20 has a columnar shape.
[0236]
In FIG. 28, a substrate 11 on which a plurality of cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12 are arranged in a matrix and fixed to a rear plate 15 is fixed. A fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 17 serving as an acceleration electrode are formed on the inner surface of the face plate 17. The face plate 17 is provided between the substrate 11 and a side wall 16 made of an insulating material therebetween. They are arranged facing each other. A high voltage is applied between the substrate 11 and the metal back 19 by a power supply (not shown). The rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 are sealed with each other with frit glass or the like, and the rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 form an envelope (airtight container).
[0237]
Further, as an atmospheric pressure resistant structure, a columnar spacer 20 is provided inside an envelope (airtight container). The columnar spacers 20 are also made of a member formed by forming a semiconductive thin film on the surface of an insulating member, as in the above-described embodiment, and are provided in a number required to maintain the atmospheric pressure resistance. In addition, they are arranged at required intervals, and are sealed to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the surface of the row wiring 13 on the substrate 11 with frit glass or the like. The semiconductive thin film is electrically connected to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the row wiring 13 on the substrate 11.
[0238]
Other configurations are the same as those of the above-described (Example 1-1) to (Example 1-4), and thus description thereof will be omitted.
[0239]
First, a substrate 11 in which N × M conductive films made of fine particles were arranged in a matrix and arranged were manufactured by the same method as in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 22).
[0240]
(Example 3)
In this example, a display panel on which the spacer 20 shown in FIG. First, as described above, a plurality of conductive films (films for forming electron-emitting portions) were arranged in a matrix, and the substrate on which they were arranged was fixed to the rear plate 15. Next, among the surfaces of the insulating member made of soda lime glass, a columnar spacer 20 (height: 5 mm, radius: 100 μm) in which a semiconductive thin film made of tin oxide is formed on a surface exposed in the envelope. Were fixed at equal intervals on the row-direction wiring 13 of the substrate 11. Thereafter, a face plate 17 provided with a fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 on its inner surface is disposed 5 mm above the substrate 11 via a side wall 16, and a joint between the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, the side wall 16 and the spacer 20 is provided. Was fixed.
[0241]
The joint between the substrate 11 and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the support frame 16 are coated with frit glass (not shown) and are heated to 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the atmosphere. It sealed by baking at ℃ for 10 minutes or more.
[0242]
The spacer 20 is formed on the row-direction wiring 13 (line width 300 μm) on the substrate 11 side, on the metal back 19 surface on the face plate 17 side, and in the black conductor (line width 300 μm) region. It was arranged via a conductive frit glass (not shown) mixed with a conductive material and baked in air at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more to seal and electrically connect.
[0243]
The spacer 20 is formed by applying tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] as a semiconductive thin film on an insulating member made of cleaned soda lime glass in an argon / oxygen atmosphere by ion plating using an electron beam method. A film was formed. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film was about 10 9 [Ω / □].
[0244]
When the above-described sealing is performed, each color phosphor 21a must correspond to each of the above-described conductive films for forming the electron emission portions disposed on the substrate 11 ′. The face plate 17 and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0245]
The atmosphere in the envelope (airtight container) completed as described above is evacuated by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the outer terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1. Through Dyn, a voltage is applied to each of the above-mentioned conductive films for forming the electron-emitting portion, and the conductive film for forming the electron-emitting portion is subjected to an energization process (an energization forming process) to emit electrons to each of the conductive films. Then, as shown in FIG. 28, a multi-electron beam source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are wired in a matrix was manufactured as the cold cathode device 12 as shown in FIG. The energization forming process was performed by applying a voltage having a waveform shown in FIG.
[0246]
Next, an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner at a degree of vacuum of about 10 −6 [Torr] to seal the envelope (airtight container).
[0247]
Finally, a getter process was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.
[0248]
In the image display device using the display panel as shown in FIG. 28 configured as described above, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 has external terminals Dx1 to Dxm, Dy1 to Dx1. A scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied from a signal generation unit (not shown) through Dyn to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam, thereby increasing the fluorescence. An image was displayed by causing electrons to collide with the film 18 to excite and emit light from the phosphor. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0249]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements (surface-conduction electron-emitting elements) 12 located close to the spacers 20 are formed at two-dimensional intervals, resulting in clear color reproduction. Good color image display was achieved. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0250]
The image display device according to the third embodiment described above has the following effects.
[0251]
First, since the charge to be prevented occurs on the surface of the spacer 20, it is sufficient for the spacer 20 to have an antistatic function only on its surface. Therefore, in the present embodiment, an insulating member was used as a member forming the spacer 20, and a semiconductive thin film was formed on the surface of the insulating member. As a result, the spacer 20 having a sufficiently low resistance value to neutralize the charge on the surface of the spacer 20 and having a leakage current amount that does not significantly increase the power consumption of the entire device can be realized. That is, a thin and large-area image forming apparatus was obtained without impairing the low heat generation characteristic of the cold cathode such as the surface conduction electron-emitting device.
[0252]
Next, as the shape of the spacer 20, a columnar shape having a uniform cross-sectional shape with respect to the normal direction of the substrate 11 and the face plate 17 is employed, so that the electric field is not disturbed by the spacer 20 itself. Therefore, as long as the spacer 20 does not block the electron trajectory from the cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12, the spacer 20 and the cold cathode device 12 can be arranged close to each other. The cold cathode elements 12 could be arranged at a high density. In addition, since the leak current does not flow through the insulating member that occupies most of the cross section of the spacer 20, it is not necessary to devise the joint such that the spacer 20 is pointed to the substrate 11 or the face plate 17. It was also possible to reduce the leakage current.
[0253]
Further, each spacer 20 is electrically connected to one row-direction wiring 13 on the substrate 11 side, and unnecessary electrical coupling between the wirings on the substrate 11 can be avoided.
[0254]
The spacer 20 according to the present invention, which exhibits the above-described effects by providing a desired semiconductive thin film and does not require a complicated additional structure for preventing electrification, is replaced by a surface conduction type electron By applying the present invention to an image display apparatus using a multi-electron beam source in which emission elements are arranged in a simple matrix, a thin and large-area image forming apparatus capable of forming high-quality images with a simple apparatus configuration can be provided.
[0255]
Further, the embodiment described in detail below is different from the above-described embodiment in that the side wall 16 is installed as close as possible to the cold cathode element 12 as shown in FIGS. The difference is that a semiconductive thin film 16b is formed on the side.
[0256]
FIG. 29 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a display panel used in the image display device of the embodiment described below, and FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view (E-) of a main part of the display panel shown in FIG. E 'section).
[0257]
29 and 30, a substrate 11 on which a plurality of cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12 are arranged in a matrix is fixed to a rear plate 15. A fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 serving as an acceleration electrode are formed on the inner surface of the face plate 17, and the face plate 17 is opposed to the substrate 11 with a side wall 16 therebetween. A high voltage is applied between the substrate 11 and the metal back 19 by a power supply (not shown). The rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 are sealed with each other with frit glass or the like, and the rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 form an envelope (airtight container). Further, a thin plate-shaped spacer 20 is provided inside the envelope as an atmospheric pressure resistant structure.
[0258]
The spacers 20 are made of a member in which a semiconductive thin film 20b is formed on the surface of an insulating member 20a. The spacers 20 are arranged in the X direction by the number necessary to maintain the atmospheric pressure resistance and at the necessary intervals. They are arranged in parallel and are sealed to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the surface of the row direction wiring 13 on the substrate 11 with frit glass or the like. Further, the semiconductive thin film 20 b is electrically connected to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the row wiring 13 on the substrate 11.
[0259]
The side wall 16 is made of a member in which a semiconductive thin film 16b is formed on the inner surface side of the insulating member. The semiconductive thin film 16b is electrically connected to an unillustrated extraction electrode on the inner surface of the rear plate 15 and an unillustrated extraction wiring connected to the high voltage terminal Hv on the inner surface of the face plate 17.
[0260]
Other configurations are the same as those of the other embodiments described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
[0261]
Also in each of the embodiments described below, N × M (N = 3072) surface conduction electron-emitting devices 12 of the type having an electron-emitting portion in the conductive fine particle film between the electrodes used in the above-described embodiments were used. , M = 1024), and a multi-electron beam source using matrix wiring (see FIG. 29) with M row-directional wirings and N column-directional wirings was used.
[0262]
First, a substrate 11 in which N × M conductive films composed of fine particles were arranged in a matrix and arranged were manufactured by the same method as that described in the above-described embodiment (see FIG. 22).
[0263]
(Example 4)
In this example, a display panel in which the spacer 20 and the semiconductive thin film 16b shown in FIG. Hereinafter, this will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, the substrate 11 on which a plurality of conductive films (films for forming electron-emitting portions) were arranged in a matrix and fixed was fixed to the rear plate 15. Next, of the insulating member 20a made of soda lime glass, a spacer 20 (having a height of 5 mm) in which a semiconductive thin film 20b made of tin oxide is formed on four surfaces exposed in an envelope (airtight container). , A plate thickness of 200 μm and a length of 20 mm) were fixed on the row-directional wiring 13 on the substrate 11 at equal intervals in parallel with the row-directional wiring 13. Thereafter, a face plate 17 provided with a fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 on its inner surface is disposed 5 mm above the substrate 11 via a side wall 16, and a joint between the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, the side wall 16 and the spacer 20 is provided. Was fixed. The side wall 16 was arranged as close as possible to the electron emission portion forming film of the substrate 11 and the fluorescent film 18 of the face plate 17 as long as the electron trajectory emitted from each cold cathode element 12 was not interrupted.
[0264]
The joint between the substrate 11 and the rear plate 15 was sealed by applying frit glass (not shown) and firing at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the air for 10 minutes or more.
[0265]
The spacer 20 is formed on the row-direction wiring 13 (line width 300 μm) on the substrate 11 side, on the metal back 19 surface on the face plate 17 side, and in the black conductor (line width 300 μm) region of the fluorescent film 18. Is placed through a conductive frit glass (not shown) in which a conductive material such as a metal is mixed, and baked at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the air for 10 minutes or more to seal and connect electrically. I also went.
[0266]
The joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16 and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are also arranged via conductive frit glass (not shown) in which a conductive material such as metal is mixed. By baking at a temperature of 500 to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more, sealing and electrical connection were performed. The semiconductive thin film 164b of the side wall 16 was electrically connected to the ground potential on the rear plate 15 side, and was electrically connected to the high voltage terminal Hv on the face plate 17 side.
[0267]
The spacer 20 is made of tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] as a semiconductive thin film 20b on an insulating member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass, and ion-plating using an electron beam method in an argon / oxygen atmosphere. The film was formed inside. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □].
[0268]
The side walls 16 are made of tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] as a semiconductive thin film 16b on the inner surface of an insulated member made of cleaned soda lime glass. The film was formed in an atmosphere. At this time, the surface resistance value of the semiconductive thin film 16b was about 10 9 [Ω / □].
[0269]
As shown in FIG. 24, the fluorescent film 18, which is an image forming member, adopts a stripe shape in which each color phosphor (R, G, B) 21a extends in the Y direction. A fluorescent film disposed so as to separate not only between the R, G, and B of the body 21a but also between the pixels in the Y direction is used, and the spacer 20 is provided in a black conductor 21b region (parallel to the X direction). It was arranged within a metal back 19 within a line width of 300 μm.
[0270]
When the above-mentioned sealing is performed, each color phosphor 21a is made to correspond to each of the above-mentioned conductive films 4 (see FIG. 22 (h)) for forming the electron emission portions arranged on the substrate 11 ′. Because of the necessity, the rear plate 15, the face plate 17, and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0271]
The atmosphere in the envelope (airtight container) completed as described above is evacuated by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the outer terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1. Through Dyn, a voltage is applied to each of the above-described conductive films 4 for forming an electron emission portion, and the conductive film 4 for forming an electron emission portion is subjected to an energization process (an energization forming process). An electron emission portion was formed on the substrate, and a multi-electron beam source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices were wired in a matrix as the cold cathode device 12 as shown in FIG. The energization forming process was performed by applying a voltage having a waveform shown in FIG.
[0272]
Next, an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner at a degree of vacuum of about 10 −6 [Torr] to seal the envelope (airtight container).
[0273]
Finally, a getter process was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.
[0274]
In the image display device using the display panel as shown in FIGS. 29 and 30 completed as described above, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 has external terminals Dx1 to Dxm, Through Dy1 to Dyn, a scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied from signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam. An image was displayed by causing electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 to excite and emit phosphors of each color (R, G, B in FIG. 24). The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0275]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 12 located near the spacer 20 and the side wall 16 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility is obtained. Display was completed. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 is provided and the side wall 16 is arranged close to the cold cathode device 12, no electric field disturbance affecting the electron trajectory occurs.
[0276]
The image display device according to the fourth embodiment described above has the following effects in addition to the effects described in each of the above-described embodiments.
[0277]
First, since the charge to be prevented is generated on the surface of the side wall 16 disposed close to the cold cathode element 12 on the substrate 11, it is sufficient for the side wall 16 to have an antistatic function only on its surface. Therefore, an insulating member was used as the member forming the side wall 16, and the semiconductive thin film 16 was formed on the surface of the insulating member. As a result, the side wall 16 having a sufficiently low resistance value to neutralize the charge on the surface of the side wall 16 and having a leakage current amount that does not significantly increase the power consumption of the entire device can be realized. That is, a thin and large-area image forming apparatus was obtained without impairing the low heat generation characteristic of the cold cathode such as the surface conduction electron-emitting device.
[0278]
In addition, the use of the above-described side wall 16 can reduce the size of the peripheral area of the image display area, thereby reducing the size of the entire apparatus.
[0279]
Further, another embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.
[0280]
FIG. 31 is a partially cutaway perspective view of another embodiment of the display panel according to the present invention.
[0281]
The display panel shown in FIG. 31 is different from the above-described embodiments in the contact portion between the spacer 20 and the substrate 11 (for example, the row wiring 13) and the spacer 20 and the face plate 17 (for example, The difference is that a contact member 40 for improving mechanical fixation and electrical connection is provided at a contact portion with the metal back 19).
[0282]
In FIG. 31, a substrate 11 on which a plurality of cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12 are arranged in a matrix and fixed to a rear plate 15 is fixed. A fluorescent film 18 and a metal back 19 serving as an acceleration electrode are formed on the inner surface of the face plate 17. The face plate 17 faces the substrate 11 via a side wall 16 made of an insulating material therebetween. Are located. A high voltage is applied between the substrate 11 and the metal back 19 by a power supply (not shown). The rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 are sealed with each other with frit glass or the like, and the rear plate 15, the side wall 16, and the face plate 17 form an envelope (airtight container).
[0283]
A thin plate-shaped spacer 20 is provided inside the envelope (airtight container) as an atmospheric pressure resistant structure. In this embodiment, the spacer 20 has a semiconductive thin film 20b formed on the entire surface of the insulating member 20a and a conductive film (hereinafter, referred to as a "spacer electrode") on the surface facing the substrate 11 side and the face plate 17 side. (Refer to FIG. 7 (c)), and are arranged in parallel with the row-directional wiring 13 by a necessary number for atmospheric pressure resistance and at a necessary interval. . In the spacer 20, good electrical continuity is obtained between the semiconductive thin film 20b and the spacer electrode 20c due to their contact.
[0284]
The spacer 20 is fixed to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the surface of the row wiring 13 on the substrate 11 via the contact member 40. Further, the semiconductive thin film 20 b on the surface of the spacer 20 is electrically connected to the metal back 19 on the inner surface of the face plate 17 and the row wiring 13 on the substrate 11 via the contact member 40.
[0285]
Also in each of the embodiments described below, N × M (N = 3072) surface conduction electron-emitting devices 12 of the type having an electron-emitting portion in the conductive fine particle film between the electrodes used in the above-described embodiments were used. , M = 1024), and a multi-electron beam source using matrix wiring (see FIG. 31) with M row-directional wirings and N column-directional wirings was used.
[0286]
The method of manufacturing the multi-electron beam source is performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
[0287]
(Example 5-1)
In this embodiment, a contact member having both a mechanical fixing function and an electrical connection function is used as the contact member 40 shown in FIG. Further, as the spacer 20 shown in FIG. 31, a spacer having a semiconductive thin film 20b and a spacer electrode 20c as shown in FIG. 7C was used. 32A and 32B are a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F 'and a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G' of FIG. 31, respectively, of the image display device of this embodiment.
[0288]
The spacer 20 (see FIG. 7C) used in this example was manufactured by the following method. First, tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is applied as a semiconductive thin film 20b on an entire surface of an insulating member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass by ion plating using an electron beam method in an argon / oxygen atmosphere. The film was formed inside. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □]. Next, as the spacer electrode 20c, Ti having a thickness of 20 [angstrom] and Au having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] were sequentially laminated by sputtering to form a film. In the above steps, electrical connection between the semiconductive thin film 20b and the spacer electrode 20c was also obtained.
[0289]
Next, an airtight container was produced in the following procedure.
[0290]
First, the spacer 20 (height: 5 mm, plate thickness: 200 μm, length: 20 mm) manufactured by the above-described method is applied to a conductive frit glass obtained by mixing a conductive material such as metal on the surface of the metal back 19 formed on the face plate 17. Mechanical fixing and electrical connection were performed by arranging through the contact member 40 and baking and sealing at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more in the atmosphere. The fluorescent film 18 used in the present embodiment is the fluorescent film shown in FIG. 4A, and the spacer 20 is located within the region of the black conductor 21b of the fluorescent film 18 (line width 300 μm). Is disposed via the metal back 19.
[0291]
Next, the joint between the substrate 11 and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are coated with frit glass glass (not shown), and Sealing was performed by baking at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more. At this time, the spacer electrode 20c on the substrate 11 side is also arranged on the row-directional wiring 13 (line width 300 μm) via a conductive frit glass in which a conductive material such as a metal is mixed, that is, a contact member 40, and is placed in the air in the air. By sintering and sealing at a temperature of 500 to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more, mechanical fixing and electrical connection were performed.
[0292]
When the above-described sealing is performed, since the phosphors 21a of each color (see FIG. 4A) must correspond to the cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12, the substrate 11, the rear plate 15, The face plate 17 and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0293]
In the airtight container manufactured as described above, vacuum evacuation, forming treatment, activation treatment, sealing, getter treatment and the like were performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
[0294]
In the image display device using the display panel completed as described above, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Electrons are emitted by applying a signal from a signal generating means (not shown), and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam and cause the electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 so that each color is emitted. An image was displayed by exciting and emitting the phosphor 21a. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0295]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements (surface-conduction electron-emitting elements) 12 located close to the spacers 20 are formed at two-dimensional intervals, resulting in clear color reproduction. Good color image display was achieved. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0296]
(Reference Example 1)BookreferenceIn the example, as shown in FIG. 33, a contact member having a mechanical fixing portion 40a and an electrical connection portion 40b as separate means is used as the contact member 40 shown in FIG. Different from 1. (A) and (b) of FIG.referenceFIG. 32 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line FF ′ and a line GG ′ of FIG. 31 of the example image display device.
[0297]
BookreferenceThe spacer 20 used in the example (see FIG. 7C) was manufactured by the following method. First, tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is applied as a semiconductive thin film 20b on an entire surface of an insulating member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass by ion plating using an electron beam method in an argon / oxygen atmosphere. The film was formed inside. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □]. Next, as the spacer electrode 20c, Ti having a thickness of 20 [angstrom] and Au having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] were sequentially laminated by sputtering to form a film. In the above steps, electrical connection between the semiconductive thin film 20b and the spacer electrode 20c was also obtained.
[0298]
Next, an airtight container was produced in the following procedure.
[0299]
First, the spacer 20 (height: 5 mm, plate thickness: 200 μm, length: 20 mm) manufactured by the above method is attached to the metal back 19 formed on the face plate 17 by frit glass forming a mechanical fixing portion 40 a and electrically connected. Arranged via a conductive frit glass mixed with a conductive material such as a metal forming the part 40b, and baked and sealed at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more in the atmosphere to achieve mechanical fixing and electrical connection. went. The bookreferenceThe fluorescent film 18 used in the example is the fluorescent film shown in FIG. 4 (A), and the spacer 20 is provided in the region (line width 300 μm) of the black conductor 21 b of the fluorescent film 18. Arranged via the back 19.
[0300]
Next, the joint between the substrate 11 and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are coated with frit glass glass (not shown), Sealing was performed by baking at 500 to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more. At this time, the spacer electrode 20c on the substrate 11 is also formed of a conductive material obtained by mixing a conductive material such as frit glass forming the mechanical fixing portion 40a and metal forming the electrical connecting portion 40b on the row-directional wiring 13 (line width 300 μm). Mechanical fusing and electrical connection were performed by arranging via a frit glass and baking and sealing at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in air for 10 minutes or more.
[0301]
When the above-described sealing is performed, since the phosphors 21a of each color (see FIG. 4A) must correspond to the cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12, the substrate 11, the rear plate 15, The face plate 17 and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0302]
In the airtight container manufactured as described above, vacuum evacuation, forming treatment, activation treatment, sealing, getter treatment and the like were performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
[0303]
In the image display device using the display panel completed as described above, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Electrons are emitted by applying a signal from a signal generating means (not shown), and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam and cause the electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 so that each color is emitted. An image was displayed by exciting and emitting the phosphor 21a. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0304]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements (surface-conduction electron-emitting elements) 12 located close to the spacers 20 are formed at two-dimensional intervals, resulting in clear color reproduction. Good color image display was achieved. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0305]
(Reference Example 2)BookreferenceIn the example, as shown in FIG. 34, as the contact member 40 shown in FIG. 31, as shown in FIG. 34, the electrical connection is made by forming a conductive material on the contact surface and a part of the side surface after mechanical fixing. The configuration used was used. On the other hand, on the substrate 11 side, a contact member having both a mechanical fixing function and an electrical connection function was used. The conductive material for electrical connection on the face plate 17 side was formed during the hermetic container forming step. (A) and (b) of FIG.referenceFIG. 32 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line FF ′ and a line GG ′ of FIG. 31 of the example image display device.
[0306]
BookreferenceThe spacer 20 used in the example (see FIG. 7C) was manufactured by the following method. First, tin oxide having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] is applied as a semiconductive thin film 20b on an entire surface of an insulating member 20a made of cleaned soda lime glass by ion plating using an electron beam method in an argon / oxygen atmosphere. The film was formed inside. At this time, the surface resistance of the semiconductive thin film 20b was about 10 9 [Ω / □]. Next, as the spacer electrode 20c, Ti having a thickness of 20 [angstrom] and Au having a thickness of 1000 [angstrom] were sequentially laminated by sputtering to form a film. In the above steps, electrical connection between the semiconductive thin film 20b and the spacer electrode 20c was also obtained.
[0307]
Next, an airtight container was produced in the following procedure.
[0308]
First, the spacer 20 (height: 5 mm, plate thickness: 200 μm, length: 20 mm) manufactured by the above method is disposed on the metal back 19 formed on the face plate 17 via frit glass forming a mechanical fixing portion 40 a. Then, by baking and sealing at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. in the air for 10 minutes or more, mechanical fixing was performed. Next, using an application device such as a dispenser, an Ag paste that forms an electrical connection portion 40b is applied over the surface of the mechanical fixing portion 40a, the surface of the metal back 19, and the semiconductive film 20b, and is applied in the air. Electrical connection was made by firing. The bookreferenceAlso in the example, the fluorescent film shown in FIG. 4A is used, and the spacer 20 is disposed in the region of the black conductor 21 b (line width 300 μm) of the fluorescent film 18 via the metal back 19. Was done.
[0309]
Next, the joint between the substrate 11 and the rear plate 15, the joint between the rear plate 15 and the side wall 16, and the joint between the face plate 17 and the side wall 16 are coated with frit glass glass (not shown). Sealing was performed by baking at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more. At this time, the spacer electrode 20c on the substrate 11 is also formed of a conductive frit obtained by mixing a conductive material such as a frit glass having a mechanical fixing function and a metal having an electrical connection function on the row-directional wiring 13 (line width: 300 μm). The glass was placed via the contact member 40, and baked and sealed at 400 ° C. to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more in the atmosphere to perform mechanical fixing and electrical connection.
[0310]
When the above-described sealing is performed, since the phosphors 21a of each color (see FIG. 4A) must correspond to the cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices) 12, the substrate 11, the rear plate 15, The face plate 17 and the spacer 20 were sufficiently aligned.
[0311]
In the airtight container manufactured as described above, vacuum evacuation, forming treatment, activation treatment, sealing, getter treatment and the like were performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
[0312]
In the image display device using the display panel completed as described above, each cold cathode device (surface conduction electron-emitting device) 12 receives a scanning signal and a modulation signal through terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn outside the container. Electrons are emitted by applying a signal from a signal generating means (not shown), and a high voltage is applied to the metal back 19 through a high voltage terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electron beam and cause the electrons to collide with the fluorescent film 18 so that each color is emitted. An image was displayed by exciting and emitting the phosphor 21a. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 [kV] to 10 [kV], and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 13 and 14 was 14 [V].
[0313]
At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements (surface-conduction electron-emitting elements) 12 located close to the spacers 20 are formed at two-dimensional intervals, resulting in clear color reproduction. Good color image display was achieved. This indicates that even when the spacer 20 was provided, no disturbance of the electric field that would affect the electron trajectory occurred.
[0314]
(Example 5-1))ofThe image display device has the following effects in addition to the effects described in (Example 1-1) to (Example 1-4).
[0315]
First, the semiconductive thin film 20b formed on the spacer 20 needs to be electrically connected on the substrate 11 and the face plate 17, but by providing the spacer electrode 20c, the entire contact surface of the spacer 20 can be formed. Can be stably maintained at a constant value, so that the potential distribution of the semiconductive thin film 20b electrically connected to the spacer electrode 20c can be more reliably maintained at a desired value.
[0316]
In addition, by arranging the contact member 40 having a mechanical fixing function and an electrical connection function, both the functions of mechanically fixing and electrically connecting the spacer 20 can be further ensured.
[0317]
Although only one electrical connection portion is required, at least three electrical connection portions are provided for each spacer 20, so that electrical connection can be performed more reliably.
[0319]
(Example 6)
FIG. 35 is a diagram showing an example of an image display device configured to be able to display image information provided from various image information sources such as a television broadcast on the image forming apparatus of the present invention. . When the present display device receives a signal containing both video information and audio information, such as a television signal, it naturally reproduces the audio simultaneously with the display of the video. Descriptions of circuits, speakers, and the like related to reception, separation, reproduction, processing, storage, and the like of audio information that are not directly related to the above are omitted.
[0320]
Hereinafter, each part will be described along the flow of the image signal.
[0321]
First, the TV signal receiving circuit 513 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. Further, a TV signal (for example, a so-called high-definition TV such as a MUSE system) composed of a larger number of scanning lines is used for a display panel using the image forming apparatus of the present invention, which is suitable for a large area and a large number of pixels. It is a suitable signal source to take advantage of the advantages of 500. The TV signal received by the TV signal receiving circuit 513 is output to the decoder 504.
[0322]
The image TV signal receiving circuit 512 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wired transmission system such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber. As with the TV signal receiving circuit 513, the type of the TV signal to be received is not particularly limited, and the TV signal received by this circuit is also output to the decoder 504.
[0323]
Further, the image input interface circuit 511 is a circuit for receiving an image signal supplied from an image input device such as a TV camera or an image reading scanner, and the captured image signal is output to the decoder 504.
[0324]
Further, the image memory interface circuit 510 is a circuit for taking in an image signal stored in a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as TVR), and the taken image signal is outputted to the decoder 504.
[0325]
The image memory interface circuit 509 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 504.
[0326]
The image memory interface circuit 508 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 504.
[0327]
The input / output interface circuit 505 is a circuit for connecting the present 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 and character / graphic information, control signals and numerical data can be input and output between the CPU 506 of the display device and the outside in some cases.
[0328]
Further, the image generation circuit 507 generates display image data based on image data and character / graphic information input from the outside via the input / output interface circuit 505, or image data and character / graphic information output from the CPU 506. This is a circuit for generating. 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 circuits necessary for generating an image.
[0329]
The display image data generated by the image generation circuit 507 is output to the decoder 504, but may be output to an external computer network or a printer via the input / output interface circuit 505 in some cases.
[0330]
In addition, the CPU 506 mainly performs operation control of the present display device and operations related to generation, selection, and editing of a display image.
[0331]
For example, a control signal is output to the multiplexer 503, and an image signal to be displayed on the display panel is appropriately selected or combined. At that time, a control signal is generated to the display panel controller 502 in accordance with the image signal to be displayed, and the display frequency, the scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced), and the number of scanning lines on one screen are displayed. The operation of the device is appropriately controlled.
[0332]
Further, image data and character / graphic information are directly output to the image generation circuit 507, or an external computer or memory is accessed via the input / output interface circuit 505 to input image data or character / graphic information. .
[0333]
The CPU 506 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.
[0334]
Alternatively, as described above, the computer may be brought into contact with an external computer network via the input / output interface circuit 505 to perform operations such as numerical calculations in cooperation with external devices.
[0335]
The input unit 514 is used by a user to input commands, programs, data, and the like to the CPU 506. 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.
[0336]
The decoder 504 is a circuit for inversely converting various image signals input from the image generation circuit 507 to the TV signal reception circuit 513 into three primary color signals or a luminance signal and an I signal and a Q signal. The decoder 504 desirably includes an image memory therein, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. This is for handling a television signal that requires an image memory when performing inverse conversion, such as the MUSE method. Further, the provision of the image memory facilitates display of a still image, or facilitates image processing and editing including image thinning, interpolation, enlargement, reduction, and synthesis in cooperation with the image generation circuit 507 and the CPU 506. This is because there is an advantage of being able to perform
[0337]
The multiplexer 503 selects a display image appropriately based on a control signal input from the CPU 506. That is, the multiplexer 503 selects a desired image signal from the inversely converted image signals input from the decoder 504 and outputs the selected image signal to the drive circuit 501. In that case, by switching and selecting an image signal within one screen display time, it is also possible to divide one screen into a plurality of areas and display different images depending on the areas, as in a so-called multi-screen television. .
[0338]
The display panel controller 502 is a circuit for controlling the operation of the drive circuit 501 based on a control signal input from the CPU 506.
[0339]
First, for example, a signal for controlling an operation sequence of a drive power supply (not shown) of the display panel 500 is output to the drive circuit 501 as one related to the basic operation of the display panel 500.
[0340]
In addition, as a signal related to the driving method of the display panel 500, 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 501.
[0341]
In some cases, a control signal relating to image quality adjustment such as luminance, contrast, color tone, and sharpness of a display image may be output to the drive circuit 501.
[0342]
The drive circuit 501 is a circuit for generating a drive signal to be applied to the display panel 500, and operates based on an image signal input from the multiplexer 503 and a control signal input from the display panel controller 502. It is.
[0343]
The function of each unit has been described above. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 35, in the present display device, image information input from various image information sources can be illustrated on the display panel 500. That is, various image signals including television broadcasts are inversely converted by the decoder 504, are appropriately selected by the multiplexer 503, and are input to the drive circuit 501. On the other hand, the display controller 502 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the drive circuit 501 according to the image signal to be displayed. The drive circuit 501 applies a drive signal to the display panel 500 based on the image signal and the control signal. Thus, an image is displayed on the display panel 500. A series of these operations are controlled by the CPU 506 as a whole.
[0344]
Further, in the present display device, the image memory incorporated in the decoder 504, the image generation circuit 507, and the CPU 506 are involved, so that not only a display selected from a plurality of pieces of image information but also an image to be displayed is displayed. For information, for example, image processing such as enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, edge emphasis, thinning, interpolation, color conversion, image aspect ratio conversion, and synthesis, deletion, connection, replacement, insertion, etc. It is also possible to perform image editing as follows. Although not particularly described in the description of the present embodiment, a dedicated circuit for processing and editing audio information may be provided similarly to the image processing and image editing.
[0345]
Therefore, the present display device can be used as a display device for television broadcasting, a terminal device for a video conference, an image editing device for handling still images and moving images, a computer terminal device, an office terminal device including a word processor, a game machine, and the like. It is possible to have a single function, and it has a very wide range of applications for industrial or consumer use.
[0346]
Note that FIG. 35 only shows an example of the configuration of a display device using the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this. For example, among the components shown in FIG. 35, 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 the present display device is applied as a video phone, it is preferable to add a television camera, an audio microphone, a lighting device, a transmission / reception circuit including a modem, and the like to the components.
[0347]
In the present display device, in particular, it is easy to reduce the thickness of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention, so that the depth of the display device can be reduced. In addition, since the screen can be easily enlarged, the luminance is high, and the viewing angle characteristics are excellent, the present display device can display an image full of presence and full of power with good visibility.
[0348]
(Other Examples)
The present invention is applicable not only to the surface conduction electron-emitting device but also to any electron-emitting device as long as it is a cold cathode type electron-emitting device. As a specific example, a field emission type (FE type) electron in which a pair of opposed electrodes are formed along a substrate surface forming an electron source, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-27447 by the present applicant. There are an emission element and a metal / insulating layer / metal type (MIM type).
[0349]
Further, the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus using an electron source other than the simple matrix type. For example, in an image forming apparatus for selecting a surface-conduction type electron-emitting device using a control electrode as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-257551 by the present applicant, or between a face plate and a control electrode or an electron source. This is the case where the above-described support member is used between the control electrode and the control electrode.
[0350]
Further, in the above-described embodiments, the spacers and the side walls have been described as examples in which the semiconductive film is formed on the surface of the insulating member. However, the spacers and the side walls themselves may have semiconductivity. In this case, it is not necessary to form a semiconductive film on the surface of the spacer or the side wall.
[0351]
Further, according to the idea of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the image forming apparatus suitable for display, but may be any of the above-described alternative light emitting sources such as a light emitting diode of an optical printer including a photosensitive drum and a light emitting diode. An image forming apparatus can also be used. At this time, by appropriately selecting the above-mentioned M row-directional wirings and N column-directional wirings, the present invention can be applied not only to a linear light emitting source but also to a two-dimensional light emitting source. In this case, the image forming member is not limited to a substance that directly emits light, such as the phosphor used in the above-described embodiments, and a member that forms a latent image by electron charging may be used. it can.
[0352]
Further, according to the concept of the present invention, the present invention can be applied to a case where a member to be irradiated with electrons emitted from an electron source is a member other than the image forming member, such as an electron microscope. Therefore, the present invention can take a form as an electron beam generator that does not specify a member to be irradiated.
[0353]
【The invention's effect】
Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be obtained.
[0354]
The electron beam device of the present inventionSemi-conductiveSpacerBut, Electron source and powerExtremelyElectrically connected toRukoAccordingly, the spacer is prevented from being charged, and the deviation of the electron trajectory emitted from the electron-emitting device can be prevented.
[0355]
MoreoverContact the spacer with other members., MachineCombines mechanical fixing function and electrical connection functionContactComponents andConductive frit glassBy doing so, it is possible to maintain the mechanical bonding strength while making the electrical connection of the spacers good.
[0357]
In addition, by using a cold cathode type electron-emitting device as the electron-emitting device, it is possible to configure a large-sized electron beam device with a low power consumption, a high response speed, and the like. Among them, in particular, the surface conduction electron-emitting device has a simple structure, and a plurality of devices can be easily arranged. Therefore, by using the surface conduction electron-emitting device as the electron-emitting device, the structure is simple. In addition, a large-sized electron beam device can be achieved.
[0358]
Also,The electron source has a plurality of electron-emitting devices connected by wiring, and further,By arranging the spacers in a rectangular shape so that the longitudinal direction and the wiring are parallel to each other, the spacers can be arranged without interrupting the electron trajectory from the electron-emitting device.
[0359]
In particular, by applying the image forming apparatus of the present invention to an image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating a target with electrons, the trajectory of electrons emitted from the electron-emitting device is stabilized as described above, and It is possible to form a good image without deviation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA ′ near a spacer of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which a part of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is broken.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of an electron source of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of a fluorescent film.
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the trajectories of electrons and scattered particles in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and is a diagram in which an electron emission portion near a spacer is viewed from a Y direction.
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a trajectory of electrons in the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and is a view when an electron emission portion near a spacer is viewed from an X direction.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a spacer provided in the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where a spacer is provided with a contact member.
FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a view showing an example of a method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention in the order of steps.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an energization forming voltage waveform.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a voltage waveform of activation of conduction.
FIG. 14 is a schematic view showing an example of the configuration of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing another example of the configuration of the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.
FIG. 16 is a view showing an example of a method of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention in the order of steps.
FIG. 17 is a view for explaining basic characteristics of a surface conduction electron-emitting device.
FIG. 18 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a driving circuit of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is a partial circuit diagram of an electron source of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of an original image for describing a driving method of the image forming apparatus according to the invention.
FIG. 21 is a partial circuit diagram of an electron source to which a driving voltage of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a method of manufacturing an electron source of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention in order of steps.
FIG. 23 is a plan view of an example of a mask used when forming a thin film for forming an electron-emitting portion.
FIG. 24 is a view for explaining another configuration example of the fluorescent film.
FIG. 25 is a partially broken perspective view of another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
26 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the spacer of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 25, taken along line CC '.
FIG. 27 is a plan view of a main part of the electron source of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 28 is a partially broken perspective view of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 29 is a partially broken perspective view of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
30 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE ′ of the vicinity of a spacer and a support frame of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 29;
FIG. 31 is a partially broken perspective view of still another embodiment of the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
32 is a sectional view taken along line F-F 'and a sectional view taken along line G-G' of an example of the spacer mounting structure of the image forming apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 33 illustrates a structure for attaching a spacer of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 31;Reference Example 11 is a sectional view taken along line FF ′ and a line GG ′ of FIG.
FIG. 34 illustrates a structure for attaching a spacer of the image forming apparatus illustrated in FIG. 31;Reference Example 21 is a sectional view taken along line FF ′ and a line GG ′ of FIG.
FIG. 35 is a block diagram of an example of an image display device using the image forming apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 36 is a plan view of a conventional surface conduction electron-emitting device.
FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional FE element.
FIG. 38 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional MIM element.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 11, 11 'substrate
2, 3 element electrode
4 conductive film
5 Electron emission section
12. Cold cathode devices (surface conduction electron-emitting devices)
13 Row direction wiring
14 Column wiring
15 Rear plate
16 Side wall
17 Face plate
18 fluorescent film
19 Metal back
20 Spacer
20a Insulating member
20b Semiconductive thin film
20c conductive film (spacer electrode)
21a phosphor
21b Black conductor
40 abutment member
40a mechanical fixing part
40b electrical connection

Claims (9)

An electron source having an electron-emitting device, an electrode for controlling electrons emitted from the electron source, a target irradiated with electrons emitted from the electron source, and disposed between the electron source and the electrode. Electron beam device having a semiconductive spacer and
The spacer, the the contact portion between the electron source and the electrode, the electrical and the spacers the mechanical fixing function and each of the electron source and the electrode, and each of said electron source and said electrode and said spacer An electron beam device, comprising: a contact member having a dual connection function; and electrically connected to the electron source and the electrode via the contact member. An electron source having an electron-emitting device, an electrode for controlling electrons emitted from the electron source, a target irradiated with electrons emitted from the electron source, and disposed between the electron source and the electrode. An electron beam device having a semiconductive spacer and
The spacer has a conductive frit glass at a contact portion with the electron source and the electrode, and is electrically connected to the electron source and the electrode via the conductive frit glass. An electron beam apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned . The electron beam device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer further has a conductive film on a contact surface with the electron source and the electrode, and the conductive film is electrically connected to the spacer. 4. The electron beam device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer has a semiconductive film on a surface of an insulating member. The electron source includes a plurality of electron-emitting devices wired by wiring, the spacer, as claimed in any one of to interconnect with the claims 1 and is electrically connected to the electrode 4 Electron beam device. The electron source has a plurality of electron-emitting devices connected by wiring, and the spacer has a rectangular shape disposed between the wiring and the electrode such that a longitudinal direction is parallel to the wiring. 5. The electron beam device according to claim 1, wherein the electron beam device is a spacer, and the spacer is electrically connected to the wiring and the electrode. The electron emission device, an electron beam apparatus according to any one of claims 1 is a cold cathode element 6. The electron beam apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the electron beam apparatus is an image forming apparatus that forms an image by irradiating the target with electrons emitted from the electron emission element in response to an input signal. The electron beam apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the target is a phosphor.

Images