JP3740484B2 - Energization processing method, electron source substrate manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an energization processing method for a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate, and more particularly, an energization processing method capable of preventing substrate cracking due to a temperature difference of the substrate during the energization processing, and further such an energization processing method. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source substrate on which a plurality of electron-emitting devices to which is applied are arranged.

  Conventionally, as an electron-emitting device, two types of devices using a thermionic electron-emitting device and a cold cathode electron-emitting device are broadly known. As the cold cathode electron-emitting device, a field emission type, a metal / insulating layer / metal type, a surface conduction type electron-emitting device, and the like are known.

  A surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which electron emission occurs when a current is passed through a small-area conductive film formed on a substrate in parallel to the film surface. The present applicant has made a number of proposals regarding a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a novel structure and its application. The basic configuration and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  The surface conduction electron-emitting device described in the above-mentioned patent document has a pair of device electrodes opposed to each other on a substrate, and a conductive film connected to the device electrode and having an electron-emitting portion in a part thereof. It is characterized by. In addition, a crack is formed in a part of the conductive film. A deposited film containing at least one of carbon and a carbon compound as a main component is formed at the end of the crack.

  By arranging a plurality of such electron-emitting devices on the substrate and electrically connecting each electron-emitting device with wiring, an electron source substrate having a plurality of surface-conduction electron-emitting devices can be produced. .

  Moreover, a display panel of an image forming apparatus can be formed by combining the electron source substrate and the phosphor.

Conventionally, such an electron source substrate has been manufactured as follows.
First, a plurality of elements each including a conductive film and a pair of element electrodes connected to the conductive film and a wiring connecting the plurality of the elements are formed on the substrate. Next, a part of the created electron source substrate (including at least the conductive film formation region) is placed in a vacuum chamber. Next, after evacuating the vacuum chamber, a voltage is applied to the element through a probe and wiring, and a crack is formed in the conductive film of each element (hereinafter referred to as forming). Thereafter, a gas containing an organic substance is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a voltage is applied to each element again under a gas partial pressure of the desired organic substance to deposit carbon or a carbon compound at the crack end (hereinafter: activation).

  Further, in Patent Document 3, as shown in FIG. 10, an airtight atmosphere is formed between a substrate and a container covering the substrate, and a conductive film disposed on the substrate surface is subjected to energization (forming, activation) treatment. Are listed.

  10, 1010 is a substrate, 1011 is a support, 1012 is a vacuum vessel, 1015 is a gas inlet, 1016 is an exhaust port, 1018 is a sealing member, 1019 is a diffusion plate, 1020 is a heater, and 1021 is hydrogen or an organic substance. Gas, 1022 is a carrier gas, 1023 is a moisture removal filter, 1024 is a gas flow rate control device, 1025a to 1025f are valves, 1026 is a vacuum pump, 1027 is a vacuum gauge, 1028 is piping, and 1032 is a drive composed of a power source and a current control system. 1031 is a driver, 1031 is a wiring for connecting a substrate extraction wiring and a driving driver, 1033 is an opening of a diffusion plate 1019, and 1041 is a heat conduction member.

  The support 1011 holds and fixes the substrate 1010 and has a mechanism for mechanically fixing the substrate 1010 by a vacuum chucking mechanism, an electrostatic chucking mechanism, a fixing jig, or the like.

  A vacuum pump 1026 for exhausting the inside of the container and a gas introduction device for introducing an organic substance into the container as a gas are connected to the vacuum container 1012.

  A substrate 1010 is placed on a support 1011, and the substrate surface is covered with a vacuum vessel 1012 for exhausting a partial region including a plurality of elements formed on the substrate. Thereby, the area surface having a plurality of elements formed on the substrate can be evacuated to a vacuum, or an organic substance can be exposed to an atmosphere having a desired pressure or partial pressure. Furthermore, since a part of each wiring formed so as to be connected to a plurality of elements formed on the substrate is exposed, each element is configured with a desired electrical signal (potential) from the drive driver 1032. A pair of electrodes can be supplied via a probe unit (not shown).

  After the activation step is completed, the substrate 1010 obtained by removing the container 1012 from the substrate surface and further peeling from the support 1011 becomes an electron source substrate.

JP 7-235255 A JP-A-8-171849 JP 2000-311594 A

  Although the above manufacturing method was adopted, the voltage waveform applied to each element in the gas containing the organic substance in the activation step in order to shorten the tact time of manufacturing the electron source substrate and improve the electron source characteristics. High duty is essential.

  On the other hand, a narrow frame structure is required due to user needs for recent liquid crystal displays and plasma displays.

  When a high-duty current is applied to a narrow frame electron source substrate by an energization method in an organic gas in a conventional activation process, the temperature of the electron-emitting device formation region (the center of the substrate) on the electron source substrate mainly increases due to heat generation. It has become a big problem that cracks occur at the edge of the electron source substrate due to thermal stress due to a temperature difference from the periphery of the electron source substrate.

  Although there is a technique to relieve stress by cooling the back surface of the electron-emitting device formation region of the electron source substrate and heating the peripheral part, the heat recovery is performed in the thickness direction of the substrate. The temperature difference increased, and the stress relaxation effect was limited.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an energization processing method capable of preventing the occurrence of substrate cracking due to the temperature difference between the energized region (heat generation region) and its peripheral region.
The present invention also provides an electron source substrate manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus that achieves improvement in the characteristics of the electron-emitting device of the electron source substrate, mass productivity, and yield.

  The configuration of the present invention made to achieve the above object is as follows.

That is, the present invention
An energization processing method for a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate,
The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 where the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C. or more,
The substrate is characterized in that the width L0 [m] of the region S0 and the width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfy the following relational expression.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.)

Further, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an electron source substrate in which a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate are energized in an airtight atmosphere and an electron emission function is imparted to a part of the conductors.
The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 where the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C. or more,
The substrate is characterized in that the width L0 [m] of the region S0 and the width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfy the following relational expression.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.)

The manufacturing method of the electron source substrate of the present invention as a preferred embodiment,
“Having a cutting step of cutting the substrate into a desired size after the energization process”,
“The cutting step includes a dust-proofing step that covers the region of the conductor, a wheel cutter cutting step, a dicing cutting step, or a sandblast cutting step,” and “the periphery of the substrate after cutting. Having a chamfering process, a polishing process and a cleaning process "
"The step of energizing in the airtight atmosphere includes a covering step of covering the region of the conductor on the substrate with a container, and a gas exhausting step and an introducing step after the covering step."
“The conductor is composed of a pair of electrodes and a conductive film formed between the electrodes, and the electrode is electrically connected to the wiring. After the energization process, the conductive film is subjected to surface conduction electron emission. To be an element, "
Is included.

  The present invention also provides an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source substrate that energizes a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate in an airtight atmosphere and imparts an electron emission function to a part of the conductors, It is characterized by comprising fixing means for fixing and supporting the substrate, atmosphere control means for controlling the atmosphere of the substrate, and cutting means for cutting the substrate into a desired size after energization processing.

The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is a preferred embodiment.
"The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 on which the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C or more,
In the substrate, the width L0 [m] of the region S0 and the width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfy the following relational expression.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.) ,
“Processing an electron source substrate having the material constant σth of 20 × 10 ⁶ [Pa]”;
“The cutting means has a wheel cutter, dicing or sandblast cutting means, and a dustproof means for covering the conductor region”, and further “chamfering means and polishing means for the peripheral portion of the substrate after cutting. And cleaning means ",
"The atmosphere control means comprises a container covering the region of the conductor on the substrate, and the container is provided with gas exhaust means and introduction means."
"The fixing means includes means for vacuum-adsorbing the substrate on the fixing means",
"The fixing means includes means for electrostatically adsorbing the substrate on the fixing means",
“The fixing means includes control means including heating means and cooling means for controlling the temperature of the substrate on the fixing means”.

  According to the energization processing method of the present invention, it is possible to effectively prevent the substrate from being cracked due to the temperature difference between the energized region (heat generation region) and its peripheral region. For example, the electron source substrate and the image formation By applying it to the device manufacturing process, it is possible to improve image quality (high duty activation), product added value (narrow frame structure), and cost reduction (yield, mass productivity).

  The energization processing method of the present invention relates to an energization processing method for a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate, and the substrate generated in an energization region (that is, a region where a conductor is disposed) and its peripheral region. It is intended to prevent the substrate from cracking due to the temperature difference. Specifically, the energization processing method of the present invention can be suitably used for an energization process step such as activation in a surface conduction electron-emitting device manufacturing process. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail by taking as an example the manufacture of an electron source substrate having this surface conduction electron-emitting device.

  1 and 2 are cross-sectional views showing an electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to a preferred first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an apparatus portion for energizing a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate in an airtight atmosphere, and FIG. 2 is an apparatus for cutting the energized substrate to a desired size. Shows the part.

  1 and 2, 10 is a substrate, 11 is a support, 12 is a vacuum vessel, 15 is a gas inlet, 16 is an exhaust port, 18 is a sealing member, 19 is a diffusion plate, 20a and 20b are heaters, 21 Is a hydrogen or organic substance gas, 22 is a carrier gas, 23 is a moisture removal filter, 24 is a gas flow rate control device, 25a to 25f are valves, 26 is a vacuum pump, 27 is a vacuum gauge, 28 is piping, 31 is on the substrate 10 Wiring for connecting the lead-out wiring (not shown) formed in 1 and a driving driver, 32 is a driving driver comprising a power source and a current control system, 33 is an opening of the diffusion plate 19, and 41 is a heat conducting member. Reference numeral 6 denotes a region on the substrate 10 where the conductor is disposed (hereinafter referred to as “conductor formation region”), 70 is a cutting means, 71 is a dustproof means, 72 is a fixing base at the time of cutting, 73 is a substrate cutting Reference numeral 74 denotes a fixed base escape portion at the time of cutting.

  The support 11 holds and fixes the substrate 10 and has a mechanism for fixing the substrate 10 by a vacuum chucking mechanism, an electrostatic chucking mechanism, a mechanical fixing jig, or the like. Heaters 20a and 20b are provided inside the support 11, and the substrate 10 can be heated via the heat conducting member 41 as necessary.

  The heat conducting member 41 is installed on the support 11 and is sandwiched between the support 11 and the substrate 10 so as not to hinder the mechanism for holding and fixing the substrate 10 or attached to the support 11. You may install so that it may be embedded.

  The heat conducting member 41 absorbs warpage and undulation of the substrate, and can reliably transmit heat generated in the electrical processing step to the substrate 11 to dissipate heat.

  As the heat conducting member 41, a viscous liquid substance such as silicone grease, oil silicone, or gel-like substance can be used. When there is a harmful effect that the heat conduction member 41 that is a viscous liquid material moves on the support 11, the viscous liquid material is on the support 11 at a predetermined position and region, that is, at least below the conductor formation region of the substrate 10. A stopping mechanism may be installed on the support 11 so as to stop. For example, it can be configured as a heat conductive member sealed by putting a liquid viscous substance in an O-ring or a heat-resistant bag.

  On the other hand, an elastic member can be used as the heat conducting member 41. As the elastic member, a synthetic resin material such as Teflon (registered trademark) resin, a rubber material such as silicone rubber, a ceramic material such as alumina, or a metal material such as copper or aluminum can be used.

  The heaters 20a and 20b are a heater and a cooler provided with a temperature control thermocouple. Both are tubular and sealed, and a temperature control medium is enclosed therein.

  The vacuum container 12 is a glass or stainless steel container, and is preferably made of a material that emits less gas from the inner wall of the container. The vacuum vessel 12 has a structure that covers the conductor forming region 6 and can withstand a pressure of at least atmospheric pressure, except for the take-out wiring portion of the substrate 10.

  The seal member 18 is for maintaining the airtightness between the substrate 10 and the vacuum vessel 12, and an O-ring, a rubber sheet, or the like is used.

  As the organic substance gas 21, an organic substance used for activation of an electron-emitting device described later or a mixed gas obtained by diluting an organic substance with nitrogen, helium, argon, or the like is used. Further, when performing a forming energization process, which will be described later, a gas for promoting the formation of cracks in the conductive film, such as a hydrogen gas having a reducing property, may be introduced into the vacuum vessel 12. Thus, when introducing gas in another process, it can be used if a desired system is connected to the introduction pipe 28 to the vacuum vessel 12 using the introduction pipe and the valve 25e.

Examples of the organic substance used for activating the electron-emitting device include alkanes, alkenes, alkyne aliphatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, amines, nitriles, phenol, Examples thereof include organic acids such as carvone and sulfonic acid. More specifically, saturated hydrocarbons represented by C _n H _{2n + 2} such as methane, ethane, and propane, unsaturated hydrocarbons represented by composition formulas such as C _n H _2n such as ethylene and propylene, and benzene , Toluene, methanol, ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methylamine, ethylamine, phenol, benzonitrile, tolunitrile, acetonitrile and the like can be used.

Depending on the type of organic substance used for activation, the partial pressure of the organic substance gas is preferably about 10 ⁻⁴ to 10 ⁻¹ Pa in this embodiment.

  The organic gas 21 can be used as it is when the organic substance is a gas at normal temperature, and is evaporated or sublimated in a container when it is liquid or solid at normal temperature. Alternatively, it can be used by a method of mixing it with a diluent gas. The carrier gas 22 is nitrogen or an inert gas such as argon or helium.

  The organic substance gas 21 and the carrier gas 22 are mixed at a constant ratio and introduced into the vacuum vessel 12. The flow rate and mixing ratio of both are controlled by the gas flow rate control device 24. The gas flow rate control device 24 includes a mass flow controller and a solenoid valve. These mixed gases are heated to a desired temperature by a heater (not shown) provided around the pipe 28 as needed, and then introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 through the introduction port 15. The heating temperature of the mixed gas is desirably equal to the temperature of the substrate 10.

  It is preferable to provide a moisture removal filter 23 in the middle of the pipe 28 to remove moisture in the introduced gas. For the moisture removal filter 23, a hygroscopic material such as silica gel, molecular sieve or magnesium hydroxide can be used.

  The mixed gas introduced into the vacuum container 12 is exhausted at a constant exhaust speed through the exhaust port 16 by the vacuum pump 26, and the pressure of the mixed gas in the vacuum container 12 is kept constant. The vacuum pump 26 is a low vacuum pump such as a dry pump, a diaphragm pump, a scroll pump, etc., and an oil-free pump is preferable.

  Further, if a diffusion plate 19 is provided between the gas inlet 15 of the vacuum vessel 12 and the substrate 10, the flow of the mixed gas is controlled and the organic substance is uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate. It is preferable because of improved properties. As the diffusion plate 19, a metal plate having an opening 33 is used as shown in FIG.

  An extraction electrode (not shown) of the substrate 10 is outside the vacuum vessel 12, and is connected from the wiring 31 to the drive driver 32 using a TAB wiring, a probe, or the like.

  In this embodiment, since the vacuum container 12 only needs to cover the conductor forming region 6 on the substrate 10, the apparatus can be downsized. In addition, since the take-out electrode portion of the substrate 10 is outside the vacuum vessel, the electrical connection between the substrate 10 and the driving driver 32 for performing electrical processing can be easily performed.

  As described above, the device is activated by applying a pulse voltage to each element on the substrate 10 through the wiring 31 using the driving driver 32 in a state where the mixed gas containing the organic substance is flowed into the vacuum vessel 12. It can be carried out.

  In the manufacture of an electron source substrate having a surface conduction electron-emitting device, it is indispensable to increase the duty of a voltage pulse applied at the time of activation in order to improve device characteristics and reduce process time.

  However, as the duty increases, the temperature difference between the heat generation area (corresponding to the conductor formation area 6) on the substrate 10 and its peripheral portion, the heat generation area (corresponding to the conductor formation area 6), and the back surface thereof. ΔT1 and ΔT2 are enlarged. This is shown in FIG. As a result, a large tensile stress acts on the peripheral edge of the substrate 10, and the breakage probability of the substrate increases drastically.

  In order to prevent such damage to the substrate, a configuration in which heat from the heat generation region (conductor formation region 6) on the substrate 10 is efficiently released from the back surface of the substrate is known, but the amount of heat generation is increased. Accordingly, it is inevitable that the temperature difference ΔT2 increases. Furthermore, in recent years, the narrow frame structure has been strongly supported by users as a trend of liquid crystal displays and plasma displays, and the size of the image forming area (conductor forming area 6) and the electron source substrate should be made closer to make the peripheral part as narrow as possible. Is desired.

The stress σ acting on the periphery of the substrate due to heat generation in the conductor formation region 6 is approximately the average temperature difference ΔT (ΔT1 + ΔT2 / 2) between the conductor formation region 6 and the periphery, the width ratio L1 / L0, and the substrate 10. The linear expansion coefficient α and the elastic modulus (Young's modulus) E can be expressed as shown in Equation (1).
σ = EαΔT / (L1 / L0 + 1) (1)

  This means that the temperature difference ΔT increases as the duty increases, and the width ratio L1 / L0 decreases as the frame becomes narrower, so that an increase in stress naturally occurs.

  As a result of extensive efforts and intensive studies while overcoming many difficulties, the present inventor has arrived at the present invention capable of achieving both high duty and narrow frame. That is, since the temperature difference ΔT must be accepted, a substrate having a large width ratio L1 / L0 is used in the activation process, and after the process, the substrate is cut at an appropriate timing to obtain a desired narrow frame substrate.

In general, when a glass substrate is used as the substrate 10, it is preferable to set the material constant σth = 20 × 10 ⁶ [Pa] of the substrate in order to proceed the process stably with a high yield. When Expression (1) is modified with respect to the width ratio L1 / L0, Expression (2) is obtained.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1 Formula (2)

  That is, when the average temperature difference ΔT, the elastic coefficient E of the substrate 10 and the linear expansion coefficient α are obtained, the minimum required width ratio L1 / L0 is obtained. According to the research of the present inventor, when the temperature difference ΔT is larger than 15 ° C., the frequency of substrate cracking increases, but by designing L1 and L0 so as to satisfy the relationship of the expression (2) (that is, glue) By taking a large allowance), the frequency of substrate cracking can be greatly reduced.

  According to the manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, high duty activation and a narrow frame substrate can be produced with a good yield, that is, with a high productivity. On the other hand, brighter and lower power consumption can be achieved by improving the electron source characteristics. A narrow frame display panel is obtained.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to such examples, and the replacement and design of each element within a range in which the object of the present invention is achieved. Includes changes made.

[Example 1]
In Example 1, the electron source substrate shown in FIG. 8 having a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. 6 to 8, 10 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are element electrodes, 4 is a conductive film, 29 is a carbon film, 5 is a gap between the carbon films 29, and G is a gap between the conductive films 4.

A Pt paste is printed by an offset printing method on a glass substrate 10 (size 350 mm × 300 mm, thickness 2.8 mm) on which a SiO ₂ layer is formed, heated and fired, and a device electrode 2 having a thickness of 50 nm shown in FIG. 3 was formed. Further, by printing Ag paste by screen printing and heating and baking, the X direction wiring 7 (240 lines) and the Y direction wiring 8 (720 lines) shown in FIG. An insulating paste was printed on the intersecting portion of the Y-direction wiring 8 by screen printing, and the insulating layer 9 was formed by heating and baking.

  Next, a palladium complex solution is dropped between the device electrodes 2 and 3 using a bubble jet (registered trademark) type spraying device, and heated at 350 ° C. for 30 minutes to be composed of fine particles of palladium oxide (PdO). The conductive film 4 shown in FIG. The film thickness of the conductive film 4 was 20 nm.

  As described above, a substrate 10 in which a plurality of conductors composed of the pair of element electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductive film 4 were matrix-wired by the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 was produced. The size of the image forming area (conductor forming area 6) is 165.6 mm × 165.6 mm.

  As a result of observing the warpage and undulation of the substrate, it was found that the periphery of the substrate was about 0.5 mm away from the central portion of the substrate due to the warpage, undulation and the warpage and undulation of the substrate that seemed to be caused by the heating process described above. It was in a warped state.

  The substrate 10 on which the conductor was formed as described above was fixed on the support 11 of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. A heat conductive rubber sheet 41 having a thickness of 1.5 mm is sandwiched between the support 11 and the substrate 10.

  Next, the stainless steel vacuum container 12 was placed through the silicone rubber sealing member 18 so that the wiring on the substrate 10 was outside the vacuum of the vacuum container 12. On the substrate 10, a metal plate having an opening 33 as shown in FIG.

Next, the valve 25f on the exhaust port 16 side is opened, and the inside of the vacuum vessel 12 is evacuated to about 1.33 × 10 ⁻¹ Pa by the vacuum pump 26 (scroll pump), and then attached to the piping of the exhaust device or the substrate 10. In order to remove the moisture, the temperature was raised to 120 ° C. using a heater for piping (not shown) and the heaters 20a and 20b for the substrate 10, held for 2 hours, and then gradually cooled to room temperature.

  After the temperature of the substrate 10 returns to room temperature, each element is passed through the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 using a drive driver 32 connected to the extraction wiring (not shown) via the wiring 31 shown in FIG. A voltage was applied between the element electrodes 2, 3 to form the conductive film 4, and a gap G shown in FIG. 7 was formed in each conductive film 4.

Subsequently, an activation process was performed using the same apparatus. The gas supply valves 25 a to 25 d and the gas inlet 15 side valve 25 e shown in FIG. 1 were opened, and a mixed gas of the organic substance gas 21 and the carrier gas 22 was introduced into the vacuum container 12. The organic gas 21 was 1% ethylene mixed nitrogen gas, and the carrier gas 22 was nitrogen gas. The flow rates of both were 40 sccm and 400 sccm, respectively. While checking the pressure of the vacuum gauge 27 on the exhaust port 16 side, the degree of opening and closing of the valve 25f was adjusted so that the pressure in the vacuum vessel 12 was 133 × 10 ² Pa.

  About 30 minutes after the start of the introduction of the organic substance gas, activation processing was performed by applying a voltage between the electrodes 2 and 3 of each element through the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8 using the driving driver 32. The voltage was controlled to increase from 10 V to 17 V in 25 minutes, the pulse width was 1 ms, the frequency was 100 Hz, and the activation time was 30 minutes. The activation is performed by connecting all the Y-direction wirings 8 and the non-selected lines of the X-direction wirings 7 to GND (ground potential), selecting 24 lines of the X-direction wirings 7 and adding 1 ms to the 24 selection lines. The pulse voltage was sequentially applied, and the above method was repeated 10 times to activate all the lines in the X direction. Since it performed by the said method, activation of all the lines was completed in 5 hours.

  Conventionally, since 10 lines were selected and the activation was repeated 24 times, it took 12 hours to activate all the lines (for example, Patent Document 3). Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the device characteristics are improved by the high duty activation.

When high duty activation is performed as in this embodiment, the average temperature difference ΔT between the conductor forming region 6 and the peripheral portion of the electron source substrate 10 shown in FIG. 3 is 53.5 ° C. Considering the width ratio L1 / L0 from the above equation (2), assuming that the width of the conductor forming region 6 is L0 and the width of the peripheral portion is L1,
L1 / L0> 0.64
Is obtained. However, the substrate used in this example is PD200 glass, elastic modulus E = 77.5 × 10 ⁹ [Pa], linear expansion coefficient α = 79 × 10 ⁻⁷ [/ ° C.], σth = 20 × 10 ⁶ [Pa].

  From the above conditions, L0 = 165.6 mm and L1> 105 mm are obtained, and the substrate size under the conditions in this example needs to be 270.6 mm or more. Therefore, as shown in FIG. A conductor forming region size of 165.6 mm × 165.6 mm) was employed. The size after cutting is 265.6 mm × 265.6 mm. By adopting the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of this example, it becomes possible to perform the activation process stably without causing substrate cracking.

  When the device current If at the end of activation (current flowing between the device electrodes of the electron-emitting device) is measured for each X-direction wiring and the device current If value is compared, the value is about 1.35 A to 1.. It was 56 A, 1.45 A on average (corresponding to about 2 mA per element), and the variation for each wiring was about 8%, and a good activation process could be performed.

  A carbon film 29 was formed across the gap 5 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 in the electron-emitting device for which the activation process was completed.

  Moreover, when the gas analysis on the exhaust port 16 side was performed using the mass spectrum measuring apparatus with differential exhaust during the activation process, the mass number 28 of nitrogen and ethylene and the ethylene The fragment mass number 26 increased instantaneously and became saturated, and both values were almost constant during the activation process.

  Next, in order to use the electron source substrate 10 prepared as described above as a narrow frame substrate, as shown in FIG. 2, the electron source substrate 10 is placed on the fixing base 72 at the time of cutting, and a conductor is covered with a cover 71 which is dustproof means. The formation region 6 is covered. Subsequently, the substrate edge was cut with a wheel cutter 70 as a cutting means, and then chamfering, polishing, and cleaning were performed using a chamfering means, a polishing means, and a cleaning means (not shown).

  The cutting is performed leaving the X direction wiring 7 and the Y direction wiring 8. The cutting method is not limited to the present embodiment, and general methods such as a dicing method and a sandblasting method can be applied in addition to the wheel cutter.

  An image forming apparatus (display panel) as shown in FIG. 5 was manufactured using the electron source substrate 10 thus prepared. In FIG. 5, 69 is an electron-emitting device, 62 is a support frame, 66 is a face plate made of a glass substrate 63, a metal back 64 and a phosphor 65, and 68 is a display panel.

  First, the face plate 66 was installed 2 mm above the electron source substrate 10 via a support frame 62 and a spacer (not shown). An exhaust pipe (not shown) and a getter (not shown) for evacuating the inside of the panel are also provided in the panel. The panel was sealed at 420 ° C. in an argon atmosphere.

  Thereafter, an X-direction and Y-direction wiring driver (not shown) and a high voltage power source were connected to the panel shown in FIG. 5, and an image was displayed with a high voltage applied to the metal back 64 of the face plate 66 at 8 kV. As a comparative example, a panel with a low duty activation according to the conventional method was prepared by the above-described method, but the panel based on the present invention was clearly superior in terms of brightness and contrast. Further, in the present invention, since substrate cracking due to thermal stress is suppressed, improvement in yield and mass productivity is achieved.

It is sectional drawing which shows typically the part for energizing in the airtight atmosphere in the manufacturing apparatus of the electron source board | substrate which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the part for cut | disconnecting the board | substrate after the electricity supply process in a desired magnitude | size in the manufacturing apparatus of the electron source board | substrate which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the force which arises in a board | substrate by the temperature difference of an electricity supply area | region and its peripheral region. It is a top view which shows typically the structure of the electron source board | substrate which concerns on the Example of this invention. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an image forming apparatus with a part thereof broken. FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the electron emission element which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the electron emission element which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the electron source board | substrate which concerns on this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the preparation method of the electron source board | substrate which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the manufacturing apparatus of the conventional electron source board | substrate.

Explanation of symbols

2, 3 Element electrode 4 Conductive film 5 Electron emission part 6 Conductor region (heat generation region)
7 X-direction wiring 8 Y-direction wiring 9 Insulating layer 10 Electron source substrate 11 Support 12 Vacuum container 15 Gas inlet 16 Exhaust outlet 18 Seal member 19 Diffusion plate 20a, 20b Heater 21 Hydrogen or organic substance gas 22 Carrier gas 23 Moisture Removal filter 24 Gas flow control device 25a to 25f Valve 26 Vacuum pump 27 Vacuum gauge 28 Piping 29 Carbon film 31 Wiring for connecting take-out wiring and drive driver 32 Drive driver 33 comprising power supply, current measuring device and current-voltage control device Diffusion plate opening 62 Support frame 63 Glass substrate 64 Metal back 65 Phosphor 66 Face plate 68 Image forming apparatus (display panel)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 Cutting means 71 Dust-proof means 72 Fixed base 73 at the time of cutting 73 Center line which shows a board | substrate cutting part 74 Fixed base escape part at the time of cutting 1010 Substrate 1011 Support body 1012 Vacuum container 1015 Gas inlet 1016 Exhaust port 1018 Seal member 1019 Diffusion plate 1020 Heater 1021 Hydrogen or organic substance gas 1022 Carrier gas 1023 Moisture removal filter 1024 Gas flow rate control device 1025a to 1025f Valve 1026 Vacuum pump 1027 Vacuum gauge 1028 Piping 1031 Wiring 1032 Driver 1033 Diffusion plate opening 1041 Heat conduction member

Claims (16)

An energization processing method for a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate,
The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 where the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C. or more,
The energization method according to claim 1, wherein the width L0 [m] of the region S0 and the width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfy the following relational expression.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.) In the method of manufacturing an electron source substrate, a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate are energized in an airtight atmosphere, and an electron emission function is imparted to a part of the conductors.
The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 where the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C. or more,
The method for manufacturing an electron source substrate, wherein the width L0 [m] of the region S0 and the width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfy the following relational expression:
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.) The method of manufacturing an electron source substrate according to claim 2, further comprising a cutting step of cutting the substrate into a desired size after the energization process. The method of manufacturing an electron source substrate according to claim 3, wherein the cutting step includes a cutting step of any one of a dustproof step, a wheel cutter cutting step, a dicing cutting step, and a sandblast cutting step that covers the region of the conductor. . The method for manufacturing an electron source substrate according to claim 3, further comprising a chamfering process, a polishing process, and a cleaning process for the peripheral portion of the substrate after cutting. 6. The process according to claim 2, wherein the step of energizing in the airtight atmosphere includes a covering step of covering the region of the conductor on the substrate with a container, and a gas exhausting step and an introducing step after the covering step. The manufacturing method of the electron source board | substrate of description. The conductor is composed of a pair of electrodes and a conductive film formed between the electrodes, and the electrode is electrically connected to the wiring, and the conductive film is a surface conduction electron-emitting device after the energization process. The method for manufacturing an electron source substrate according to any one of claims 2 to 6. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source substrate that energizes a plurality of conductors arranged on a substrate in an airtight atmosphere and imparts an electron emission function to a part of the conductors, and fixes and supports the substrate An electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus comprising: means; atmosphere control means for controlling the atmosphere of the substrate; and cutting means for cutting the substrate into a desired size after energization processing. The average temperature difference during the energization process between the region S0 where the plurality of conductors are arranged on the substrate and the peripheral region S1 of the region S0 is 15 ° C. or more,
9. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate has a width L0 [m] of the region S0 and a width L1 [m] of the region S1 satisfying the following relational expression.
L1 / L0> EαΔT / σth−1
(Here, ΔT [K] is the average temperature difference, E [Pa] is the Young's modulus of the substrate, α [/ K] is the linear expansion coefficient of the substrate, and σth [Pa] is the material constant of the substrate.) The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an electron source substrate having a material constant σth of 20 × 10 ⁶ [Pa] can be processed. 11. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cutting unit includes a wheel cutter, a dicing unit, or a sand blasting unit, and a dustproof unit that covers a region of the conductor. 12. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a chamfering unit, a polishing unit, and a cleaning unit for a peripheral portion of the substrate after cutting. 13. The electron source substrate according to claim 8, wherein the atmosphere control unit includes a container that covers the region of the conductor on the substrate, and the container includes a gas exhaust unit and an introduction unit. Manufacturing equipment. 14. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fixing means includes means for vacuum-adsorbing the substrate on the fixing means. 14. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the fixing means includes means for electrostatically adsorbing the substrate on the fixing means. The electron source substrate manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 15, wherein the fixing means includes control means including heating means and cooling means for controlling the temperature of the substrate on the fixing means.

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