JP4039981B2 - Manufacturing method of electron emission display device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electron emission display device (field electron emission display device).
[0002]
[Prior art]
Thermionic source type display devices used for television receivers, information terminal devices, etc. are (1) large in power consumption and (2) slow in modulation speed, so that large capacity display is difficult. (3) There is a problem that variation between elements is likely to occur, and (4) the structure is complicated, so that it is difficult to enlarge the screen.
[0003]
Therefore, in recent years, display devices using a cold cathode electron source have been proposed in place of the thermionic source. Examples of the cold cathode electron source include a field emission type, a metal / insulating layer / metal type, and a surface conduction type electron emission element. In particular, a cold cathode field emission display (Field Emission Display (FED)) has attracted attention as one of large-scale, high-definition future displays. This is not expected to be excited thermally like a cathode ray tube (CRT), but has an element that emits electrons in the vacuum region due to the quantum tunneling effect, and is therefore promising from the standpoint of high brightness and low power consumption. ing.
[0004]
The electron-emitting device that constitutes the cathode electrode is a fundamental part that emits electrons, and the FED is classified into several types according to the difference in structure. Among them, the one using a carbon-based material for the electron emitting portion is promising because it has the possibility of operating stably even at a relatively low vacuum.
There are also several methods for attaching the carbon-based material as an electron emission part , and one of them is a thermal CVD method in which a source gas (reaction gas) is chemically reacted at a high temperature using a catalyst to obtain an electron emission part. . This thermal CVD method is characterized in that an electron emission portion can be formed over a large area at a time, and is one of the methods suitable for manufacturing a large screen display device.
[0005]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a back plate on which a catalyst layer for depositing an electron emission portion is formed by a thermal CVD method in a conventional display device manufacturing method. In this back plate, a metal cathode electrode bus 3 is formed on a glass substrate 1. An insulating layer 5 is formed on the cathode electrode bus 3 , and a metal gate electrode bus 6 is formed thereon. The insulating layer 5 and the gate electrode bus 6 are patterned, and a metal catalyst layer 4 serving as a catalyst for forming an electron emitting portion is formed on the cathode electrode bus 3 exposed by patterning. Yes. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 2 denotes an attachment port for the exhaust tip tube.
[0006]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a case where a back plate is placed in a thermal CVD apparatus used in a conventional display device manufacturing method. The back plate shown in FIG. 1 is set on the sample stage 7 provided in the chamber 12, the reaction gas is caused to flow from the intake port 10, and a chemical reaction is performed at a high temperature by the catalytic action of the catalyst layer 4, thereby the insulating layer 5 and the gate electrode. An electron emission portion 8 is formed at the bottom of the opening 6. The gate electrode 6 is for extracting electrons from the electron emission portion 8. In FIG. 2, 9 is a lamp as a heating means, and 11 is an exhaust port. The same components as those in FIG.
[0007]
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display device shown for explaining a process of bonding the inner surface of the back plate and the inner surface of the front plate so as to face each other. As shown in FIG. 1, spacer 13 is used to connect the back plate on which electron emission portion 8 is formed by the catalytic action of catalyst layer 4 and the front plate having anode electrode 15 and phosphor layer 16 formed on glass substrate 14. Pasted together and sealed. As the sealing material, frit glass, which is a low-melting-point powder glass, is usually used, and heat welding is performed at about 400 to 500 ° C. This frit glass is mixed with an organic solvent to form a paste, which is used by being applied by a screen printing method or a dispenser method. In this case, the viscosity can be adjusted by using a binder (such as nitrocellulose or an acrylic resin).
[0008]
As described above, the conventional sealing step is Ca cathode electrode, anode electrode, gate electrode, phosphor layer was done after forming each part such as the electron-emitting portion (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 reference.). That is, the back plate and the front plate forming the respective parts allowed sealing by bonding with frit glass through the spacer 13 and then the exhaust tip tube 17 mounted on the mounting opening 2, after evacuating to a high vacuum, and the chip-off It was. In FIG. 3, the same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
[0009]
[Patent Document 1]
Patent Rights 8-83579 JP (claims)
[Patent Document 2 ]
JP 2002-358899 A (paragraph number 0073)
[0010]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As in the conventional method, when manufacturing the display device to implement a sealing step after the formation of Parts, during the performance of the sealing step, the electron emitting portion, unavoidable is in contact with the air, contaminated There was. In this case, there is a problem that a large-scale manufacturing apparatus is necessary to avoid contact with the atmosphere, which is not economical.
[0011]
In addition, the conventional thermal CVD apparatus for forming an electron emission portion requires a large chamber for accommodating a substrate and filling with a reaction gas, so that the scale of the apparatus is large. Furthermore, since many harmful gases such as hydrogen, benzene, methane, and carbon monoxide are used as the reaction gas, it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to environmental safety, and the scale of the safety device is large.
[0012]
In the conventional sealing process, a heat-resistant sealing material is required for the gas discharge process, and sealing with glass frit is generally performed. This process is a thermal process at the temperature at which the glass melts. However, in FED using carbon-based materials, the generated carbon-based materials may undergo chemical reactions and change in quality, making it difficult to secure a stable electron emission part. Met. For this reason, the thermal process is performed in a nitrogen atmosphere so that the electron emission part does not chemically react, resulting in an increase in the process and the cost of equipment maintenance.
[0013]
The process of attaching the phosphor layer to the front plate is generally a method of applying the particulate phosphor mixed with an organic solvent or vehicle, and increasing the temperature to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing. However, there is a problem in that the phosphor layer again adsorbs gas such as water vapor and influences the degree of vacuum while passing through another process after the gas is discharged.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is possible to emit electrons that can be driven at a low voltage while simplifying the manufacturing process, downsizing the manufacturing apparatus, and reducing the environmental load. The object is to provide a method of manufacturing a display device.
[0014]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above-described problem can be solved by performing a sealing step between the back plate and the front plate before forming the electron emission portion on the cathode electrode, thereby producing an envelope.
The method for manufacturing an electron emission type display device according to the present invention includes a front plate and a back plate on which an electron emission portion is not formed sealed with a spacer to form an envelope, and then a chip tube provided on the back plate A source gas is directly supplied into the envelope, and an electron emission portion is formed on the cathode electrode of the back plate by the catalytic action of a metal catalyst layer previously formed on the cathode electrode of the back plate. And
[0015]
The manufacturing method of the electron emission type display device of the present invention comprises a front plate as an image forming member having a phosphor layer provided on a substrate via an anode electrode, and a back plate having a cathode electrode formed on another substrate. After sealing with a glass frit through a spacer to form an envelope, a raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from a tip tube provided on the back plate, and on the cathode electrode of the back plate An electron emission portion is formed on the cathode electrode by the catalytic action of a previously formed metal catalyst layer.
[0016]
The manufacturing method of the electron emission type display device of the present invention includes a front plate which is an image forming member in which a phosphor layer is provided on a substrate via an anode electrode, and a patterned insulating layer on another substrate via a cathode electrode. And the back plate provided with the gate electrode by using a glass frit through a spacer to form an envelope, and then the raw material gas is directly introduced into the envelope from the tip tube provided on the back plate. The electron emission portion is formed on the cathode electrode by the catalytic action of the metal catalyst layer previously formed on the cathode electrode of the back plate , and then the inside of the envelope is evacuated through the tip tube. The tip tube is later chipped off.
[0017]
The method for manufacturing an electron emission display device according to the present invention includes a step of forming a cathode electrode on a substrate, a step of forming an insulating layer on the cathode electrode, and a gate electrode having a first opening on the insulating layer. Forming a back plate for functioning as an electron source having a step of forming, and a step of forming a second opening in the insulating layer, the second opening communicating with the first opening formed in the gate electrode; A step of forming a front plate that functions as an image forming member having a step of forming an anode electrode on another substrate, and a step of forming a phosphor layer on the anode electrode; Sealing with a glass frit through a spacer, and a raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from a tip tube provided on the back plate, and a cathode electrode of the back plate Pre-formed on The chip tube and forming an electron emitting portion on the cathode electrode, then the outer envelope via a chip tube was evacuated located at the bottom of said second opening by the catalytic action of the metal catalyst layer And a step of chip-off.
[0018]
In the method for manufacturing an electron emission display device according to the present invention, an electron emission portion made of a carbon-based material is formed on a cathode electrode at a predetermined temperature by a thermal CVD method, and a gas emission step of a phosphor layer on a front plate is also performed It is characterized by performing together.
As described above, since the electron emission portion is formed after sealing the front plate and the back plate, it is sufficient to flow the reaction gas to the limited volume in the envelope surrounded by the front plate and the back plate. As a result, there is no need for a chamber for accommodating and sealing the back plate, the amount of harmful gas used is drastically reduced, and the environmental load can be reduced. In addition, since the glass frit thermal process in a nitrogen atmosphere is performed before the carbon-based material is formed, it is not necessary to perform it in a nitrogen atmosphere, and the process can be shortened and the cost of equipment can be reduced.
[0019]
In addition, since the electron emission part is formed and the chip is turned off in an environment that does not come into contact with the atmosphere after sealing the front plate and the back plate, the obtained electron emission part is not exposed to the atmosphere, and stable and high quality electron emission is achieved. An element can be obtained.
In addition, since the gas emission effect of the phosphor layer can be expected at the time of forming the electron emission portion , the process can be shortened and the life of the display device can be extended.
[0020]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 4-6, the same component as FIGS. 1-3 is shown with the same code | symbol.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the back plate for explaining a back plate manufacturing process used in the display device manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. A cathode electrode (bus bar) 3 of a metal such as chromium is formed on the glass substrate 1 by sputtering or vapor deposition. An insulating layer 5 is formed on the cathode electrode by sputtering or vapor deposition, and a metal gate electrode (bus) 6 such as chromium is formed thereon by sputtering or vapor deposition. The insulating layer 5 and the gate electrode 6 are patterned, and the catalyst layer 4 is formed on the cathode electrode 3 located at the bottom of the opening of the insulating layer 5 and the gate electrode 6 exposed by the patterning. Is formed. A through hole is formed in the glass substrate 1 in the thickness direction, and an exhaust tip pipe 18 is attached to the through hole in addition to the intake tip pipe 17.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the above example has been described as the configuration of the back plate. However, it may be a structure in which the metal catalyst layer 4 is formed on the metal cathode electrode 3, and is limited to a structure having a gate electrode or an insulating layer. I don't mean.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the display device in order to explain the sealing step. The front plate and the back plate shown in FIG. 4 are bonded together with a spacer 13 therebetween. In the present embodiment, the front plate is composed of an anode electrode 15 formed on a glass substrate 14 by sputtering or vapor deposition, and a phosphor layer 16 applied thereon by printing or the like. Yes. The spacer 13 may be made of glass or ceramics, and the material is not particularly limited.
[0022]
The sealing step, for example a sealing material mixed with a binder to the glass frit, between the back plate and the space over support 13, and by adhering the coating to between the front plate and the spacer 13, then 400 It is performed by baking at ˜460 ° C. At this firing stage, since the electron emission portion is not formed, there is no fear of damaging the characteristics, and there is no need for firing in a nitrogen atmosphere.
FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing a cross section of the manufacturing apparatus for explaining a display device obtained by forming the electron emission portion 8 by the thermal CVD method after the sealing step. The display device sealed as described above is set on the sample stage 7. At that time, each of the intake tip tube 17 and the exhaust tip tube 18 is attached to the intake port 10 and the exhaust port 11 through a through hole provided in the sample stage 7.
[0023]
Next, the display device is set to a predetermined temperature of, for example, 500 to 600 ° C. using heating means such as the lamp 9, and the raw material gas heated to 500 to 600 ° C. is introduced from the inlet 10, and the catalyst layer The electron emission portion 8 is formed on the cathode electrode 3 by the catalytic action 4. Since the amount of the source gas introduced is sufficient for the inner volume of the sealed envelope, the amount of source gas to be used can be reduced compared to the conventional method. Further, since the amount of harmful source gas to be used is reduced, it is possible to reduce the environmental load and downsize the safety device.
The electron-emitting region, for example, a carbon nanofiber or the like made of carbon-based material is preferably formed on the cathode electrode by a thermal CVD method.
[0024]
When forming the electron emission portion 8, the raw material gas is chemically reacted at, for example, about 500 ° C. using a catalyst. The temperature raising means for raising the reaction temperature can also be reduced in size.
Electron-emitting portion 8 by the electron emitting portion forming step is formed on the cathode electrode 3. After the formation of the electron emission portion 8, the introduction of the source gas is stopped, and the temperature in the display device is maintained at the temperature at which the phosphor layer 16 emits the gas, thereby performing gas emission. The exhaust from the exhaust port 11 is exhausted to a high vacuum as it is, and after the temperature is lowered, both the intake tip tube 17 and the exhaust tip tube 18 are chipped off. Therefore, the display device has two chip-off shapes in appearance.
As described above, the electron-emitting display device of this embodiment can be formed by exhausting and chip-off after the thermal CVD process.
[0025]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, after the step of manufacturing the envelope by sealing the front plate and the back plate, the source gas is directly supplied into the envelope to form the electron emission portion on the back plate. Compared with this manufacturing method , the cost can be reduced by reducing the size of the manufacturing apparatus, and the safety can be improved as the amount of gas used is reduced.
Also, the glass frit thermal process does not need to be in a nitrogen atmosphere, and the phosphor layer on the front plate can be outgassed during the electron emission portion forming process before chip-off. The extraction process and the exhaust process at the time of chip-off can be shortened. Furthermore, it is possible you to form an electron emitting portion without contact with the atmosphere, the stabilization of the display device, leading to long service life.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a back plate structure before producing an electron emission portion in the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a configuration in which a back plate is placed in a thermal CVD apparatus in order to explain an electron emission portion manufacturing process in the prior art.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a configuration of a display device for explaining a sealing process in the prior art.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a back plate structure before a sealing step according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a configuration of a display device for explaining a sealing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of a display device in order to explain an electron-emitting device manufacturing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
3 Cathode electrode 4 Catalyst layer 5 Insulating layer 6 Gate electrode 8 Electron emission portion 12 Chamber 13 Spacer 15 Anode electrode 16 Phosphor layer 17 Intake tip tube 18 Exhaust tip tube

Claims (5)

A front plate and a back plate on which no electron emission portion is formed are sealed with a spacer to form an envelope, and then a raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from a chip tube provided on the back plate. A method of manufacturing an electron emission type display device, wherein an electron emission portion is formed on a cathode electrode of the back plate by a catalytic action of a metal catalyst layer previously formed on the cathode electrode of the back plate. A front plate, which is an image forming member having a phosphor layer provided on a substrate via an anode electrode, and a back plate having a cathode electrode formed on another substrate are sealed with a glass frit via a spacer. After forming the envelope, the raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from the tip tube provided on the back plate, and the metal catalyst layer formed on the cathode electrode of the back plate catalyzes the catalyst. An electron emission type display device manufacturing method comprising forming an electron emission portion on a cathode electrode. A front plate, which is an image forming member provided with a phosphor layer via an anode electrode on a substrate, and a back plate provided with a patterned insulating layer and a gate electrode via a cathode electrode on another substrate, a spacer After sealing with a glass frit to form an envelope, a raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from a tip tube provided on the back plate, and is previously placed on the cathode electrode of the back plate. An electron emission portion is formed on the cathode electrode by the catalytic action of the formed metal catalyst layer, and then the tip tube is chipped off after the inside of the envelope is evacuated through the tip tube. Manufacturing method of electron emission type display device. Forming a cathode electrode on the substrate; forming an insulating layer on the cathode electrode; forming a gate electrode having a first opening on the insulating layer; and a second electrode formed on the gate electrode. Forming a back plate for functioning as an electron source having a step of forming a second opening communicating with one opening in the insulating layer, a step of forming an anode electrode on another substrate, and A step of forming a front plate that functions as an image forming member having a step of forming a phosphor layer on the anode electrode, and the prepared front plate and back plate are sealed using a glass frit through a spacer. The step of producing the envelope, and the raw material gas is directly supplied into the envelope from the tip tube provided on the back plate, and the catalytic action of the metal catalyst layer formed in advance on the cathode electrode of the back plate The second opening A step of forming an electron emission portion on a cathode electrode located at the bottom of the substrate, and then a step of chipping off the tip tube after evacuating the inside of the envelope through the tip tube. Manufacturing method of electron emission type display device.   5. The method according to claim 1, wherein an electron emission portion made of a carbon-based material is formed on the cathode electrode at a predetermined temperature by a thermal CVD method, and a gas out step of the phosphor layer of the front plate is also performed. A method for manufacturing an electron emission display device.

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