JPH04369626A - Image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a sharp image which is high in contrast and sharp for a long period by setting the creeping distance from an image formation member to another element of member on a base surface which is closest to the image formation member >=2 times as long as the straight distance. CONSTITUTION:This image forming device is equipment with an electron emitting element 10 and the image forming member 16 which is irradiated with an electron beam emitted from the electron emitting element 10 to from an image. The electron emitting element 10 and image forming member 16 are juxtaposed on the base surface and the creeping distance from at least the image forming member 16 to the closest element or member on the base surface is set to >=2 times as long as the straight distance. The device is provided preferably with an auxiliary means which assists the irradiation of the image forming member 16 with the electron beam emitted by the electron emitting element 10. Therefore, the sharp image which has the high contrast and high definition for a long period is obtained and the color tone irregularity of, specially, a full-color image forming device is reduced and the image with superior color reproducibility can be formed and the device is easily manufactured and reduced in thickness.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display device using electron-emitting devices.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a display member (e.g., phosphor, resist material, etc.) that forms an image by irradiating a plurality of electron-emitting devices spread out in a planar manner with an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting devices (for example, a phosphor, a resist material, etc.) Collision causes luminescence, discoloration, charging,
A thin image display device is known in which two parts (members subject to deterioration, etc.) are placed opposite each other.

As an example of such an image display device, FIG. 8 shows a schematic configuration of a conventional electron beam display device. This device is an electron beam display device having a configuration in which a modulation electrode is arranged between an electron-emitting element and a display member that face each other. In the figure, 91 is a rear plate. Reference numeral 92 is a support, 93 is a wiring electrode, and 94 is an electron emitting portion, and these constitute an electron emitting element. 96 is a modulation electrode, and 95 is an electron passage hole provided in the modulation electrode 96. 97 is a glass plate, 98 is a transparent electrode, 99 is a phosphor (
display member), and these make the face plate 10
0 is formed. 101 is a bright spot of the phosphor. The electron emitting section 94 is formed by thin film technology and is attached to the rear plate 91.
It forms a hollow structure that does not come into contact with. Modulation electrode 96
is arranged in a space above the electron emission section 94 (in the electron emission direction), and the electron beam emitted from the electron emission section 94 passes through the electron passage hole 95.

In this configuration, thermoelectrons are emitted by applying a voltage to the wiring electrode 93 and heating the electron emitting section 94. The emitted electrons are extracted through the electron passage hole 95 and accelerated by applying a voltage to the modulation electrode 96 that modulates the electron flow according to the information signal.
The light collides with the phosphor 99 and generates a bright spot 101. The wiring electrode 93 and the modulation electrode 96 form an XY matrix, and by applying a predetermined signal to these electrodes,
An image is displayed on a phosphor 99 which is an image forming section.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in this conventional image display device, the display member (phosphor)
Since it is disposed in a space above the electron-emitting device (in the electron-emitting direction) and facing the electron-emitting device, it has the following problems.

First, when the residual gas in the display member or device is irradiated with an electron beam, positive ions are generated, which are accelerated in the opposite direction to the electron acceleration direction by a high voltage for accelerating the electrons. There is a problem in that the electrons collide with the electron-emitting device and damage the electron-emitting device. This kind of damage becomes especially noticeable when the device is operated under conditions where the vacuum level inside the device is 10-5 torr or less, but even if the device is kept at a high vacuum level, continuous operation of the device for a long period of time will cause damage. , causes similar damage. Such damage to the electron-emitting device will eventually lead to a reduction in the amount of electron emission (electron emission efficiency) or, in the worst case, destruction of the device, causing uneven brightness and fluctuations in the brightness of the phosphor, and resulting in poor quality of the image formed. This will reduce the contrast.

Second, since it is difficult to precisely align the display member (phosphor) and the electron-emitting portion in the lateral direction, slight positional deviation occurs, which causes a significant decrease in contrast in the formed image, that is, There is a problem in that brightness unevenness and brightness fluctuations occur in fluorescent images.

Thirdly, it is difficult to maintain a constant distance between the display member (phosphor) and the electron-emitting part of the electron-emitting device, and as a result, the distance fluctuates due to impact, thermal strain during driving, etc. There is a problem in that this causes an unintended decrease in the contrast of the formed image, that is, brightness unevenness or brightness fluctuation of the fluorescent image.

[0009] Particularly, the second and third problems are that R (red), G (green), B (blue)
In an image display device having a display member in which multicolor phosphors are disposed, color unevenness is caused, and color reproducibility depending on an information signal is deteriorated. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to enable an image display device to provide clear images with high contrast over a long period of time. Also,
Another object is to enable an image display device that forms full-color images to form images with less unevenness in tone and excellent color reproducibility. Still another object is to make it possible to easily manufacture an image display device without requiring strict alignment between the display member and the electron-emitting portion of the electron-emitting device.

0010

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image display device comprising an electron-emitting device and a display member on which an image is formed by irradiation with an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device. , the electron-emitting device and the image forming member are arranged side by side on the substrate surface, and the creepage distance from at least the image forming member to the other element or member on the substrate surface closest to it is at least twice the straight line distance thereof. That's what I do.

In a preferred embodiment, an auxiliary means for assisting the irradiation of the display member with the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device, a potential regulating means for regulating the potential above the substrate, and an auxiliary means for assisting the irradiation of the display member with the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device; It has a modulation means etc. that modulates according to a predetermined information signal. As the auxiliary means, for example, one having a means for applying a voltage to the display member, one having a conductive member disposed facing the base and a means for applying a voltage thereto, etc. can be used. The modulation means includes a means for applying a voltage according to the information signal to the display member, a conductive member disposed opposite to the electron-emitting device, and a means for applying the voltage according to the information signal to the conductive member. You can use what you have.

The electron-emitting device may be either a hot cathode or a cold cathode as long as it has been conventionally used as an electron source for image forming apparatuses, but in the case of a hot cathode, heat diffusion to the substrate This reduces electron emission efficiency and response speed. Furthermore, the hot cathode and the image forming member cannot be arranged in a high density because the image forming member may be deteriorated by heat. From the above points, cold cathode type devices such as surface conduction type emitters and semiconductor electron emitters are preferable in the present invention, but among them, surface conduction type emitters are preferable in the image forming apparatus of the present invention (1). High electron emission efficiency can be obtained; 2) Since the structure is simple, the element structure of the present invention is possible and the structure is easy; 3) A large number of elements can be arranged and formed on the same substrate; 4) It is particularly preferable because it has advantages such as fast response speed, and 5) better brightness contrast.

[0013] Here, the surface conduction type element refers to, for example, a cold cathode element [Radio Eng.
．． Electron. Phys. ) Volume 10, 1290
1296, 1965], which applies a voltage between the electrodes (device electrodes) on a small area thin film (electron emission region) formed between the electrodes (device electrodes) provided on the substrate surface. This device emits electrons when a current is applied parallel to the film surface, and in addition to the device using the SnO2 (Sb) thin film developed by Ellingson et al., the device using an Au thin film [G.-Dittmer: “Thin Solid Films” (G. Dittmer: “Thin
Solid Films”), Volume 9, Page 317, (1
972)], by ITO thin film [M. Hartwell and C.G. Fonstad “I.
E-E-E-E-Trans-E-D-Conf”
(M. Hartwell and C.G. Fonst
ad: “IEEE Trans.ED Conf.
”), p. 519, (1975)], carbon thin film [Hisashi Araki et al.: “Vacuum”, Vol. 26, No. 1, p. 22 (1983)], etc. Used in the present invention. In addition to the above, the surface conduction type emitter may have an electron emitting portion formed by dispersing fine metal particles. Preferred forms of the surface conduction type emitter include: The sheet resistance of the thin film (electron emission part) is 103 Ω/□ to 109 Ω/□, and
The electrode spacing is 0.01 μm to 100 μm.

[0014] Another advantage of using a surface conduction type emitter as an electron emitter is that in the surface conduction type emitter, electrons emitted from the electron emitting part formed between the electrodes are Since the electron beam acquires a velocity component on the positive pole side and flies, the trajectory of the electron beam is largely deflected toward the positive pole side with respect to the vertical direction. That is, as is clear from FIG. 9, the use of an electron-emitting device with a large degree of horizontal deflection of the electron beam trajectory is mainly due to the fact that the electron-emitting device and the image forming member are arranged side by side on the substrate surface. This is a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention. Here, in FIG. 9, 12 is an insulating substrate, 14a is a positive element electrode, 14b is a negative element electrode, and 15 is an electron-emitting part (the electron-emitting element in the present invention is 14a in the figure).
, 14b, 15), and the arrow represents the electron beam trajectory.

Next, in the above structure of the present invention, the image forming member may be formed of a material that emits light, changes color, is charged, changes in quality, or deforms when irradiated with the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device. Any material may be used, and examples thereof include a phosphor, a resist material, and the like. In particular, when a phosphor is used as an image forming member, the image formed is a luminescent (fluorescent) image;
In forming a full-color light emitting image, the image forming member is formed of three primary color light emitters of R (red), G (green), and B (blue).

Further, when the modulation means applies a voltage corresponding to the information signal to the display member, for example, a plurality of electron-emitting devices and a plurality of display members are formed in a plurality of rows, and each row is driven or A voltage is applied thereto, and the plurality of columns are arranged in a matrix so that they intersect. In addition, when the modulation means applies a voltage according to the information signal to a conductive member disposed opposite to the electron-emitting device, the conductive member is formed into a plurality of stripes, and the stripe-like The conductive member and the plurality of rows of electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix so as to face each other and intersect with each other.

[0017]Furthermore, the recording medium may include a recording medium on which an image is recorded by irradiation with light from a light emitter used as a display member, and a means for supporting the recording medium.

To determine whether the creepage distance from the image forming member to another element or member on the substrate surface is more than twice the straight line distance, measure the straight line distance using an ordinary optical microscope, etc., and This can be confirmed by measuring the creepage distance by monitoring the cross section with a film thickness meter, etc. Also,
In the case of a curved surface, the creepage distance can be measured by placing a thread or the like on the measurement line and stretching it to measure its length.

[0019] This increase in the creepage distance is achieved, for example, by forming a number of grooves around the image forming member, each of which has an uneven longitudinal section. This formation may be performed by any conventionally known method, but the longer the creepage distance, the more preferable it is. The uneven shape does not necessarily have to be regular, but if it is periodic, it is desirable that the pitch is 1/5 or less of the linear distance.

[0020]

[Operation] In this configuration, when the electron-emitting device is driven, electrons are emitted from the electron-emitting device, and this electron beam is then emitted by the electric field formed on the display member by the modulation means and the potential regulating means. It is accelerated and reaches the display member, and depending on the electric field, it collides with the display member and exerts an effect on the display member, or it does not collide and exerts no effect on the display member. Thereby, the image forming action by the display member is controlled ON/OFF according to the fluctuation of the electric field on the display member, and an image is formed accordingly.

At this time, the flight direction of the emitted electrons is deflected toward the corresponding display member, but since the positive ions generated by the emitted electrons have a much larger mass than the electrons, their orbits are hardly bent. do not have. Therefore, these positive ions do not collide with the electron-emitting device and cause almost no damage to the electron-emitting device.

[0022] Furthermore, since the creepage distance from at least the image forming member to the other element or member on the substrate surface closest to it is at least twice the linear distance, the creepage withstand voltage therebetween is improved; Accordingly, higher voltages can be applied to the imaging member without hindrance, resulting in higher brightness imaging. Further, partial sparks between the image forming member and other elements or members on the substrate surface are prevented, and stable image formation is performed.

On the other hand, in manufacturing the device, since the display member and the electron-emitting device are arranged side by side on the base, the display member and the electron-emitting device are formed on the same base by a printing method or the like. , strict alignment between the electron-emitting device and the display member is not required, and the display member can be arranged very easily. Further, after the device is manufactured, there is no change in the positional relationship between the electron-emitting device and the display member. therefore,
High-contrast, clear, and high-definition images are maintained over long periods of time, especially in full-color image display devices.
An image with less color tone unevenness and excellent color reproducibility is formed, and the device can be easily manufactured and made thinner. Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the creepage resistance per unit linear distance between the image forming member and other elements or members is improved, the distance between the image forming member and other elements or members can be made closer. This allows for a finer pitch pixel arrangement.

[0024]

【Example】

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion thereof, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the portion shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line A-A' of FIG. As shown in these figures, this device includes an electron-emitting device 10 that has positive and negative electrodes 14a and 14b facing each other and emits electrons when a voltage is applied between these electrodes, and a fluorescent device. An electron-emitting device 10
and an image forming member 16 that forms an image by irradiation with an electron beam emitted from the image forming member 16. The electron-emitting device 10 and the image forming member 16 are disposed side by side on the insulating substrate 12, and at least the electron-emitting device 10 or the device wiring electrode 1 on the insulating substrate 12 closest to the image forming member 16
The creepage distance to 3a and 13b is more than twice the straight line distance. A groove-shaped portion 18 having a plurality of uneven shapes in its longitudinal section is formed on the insulating substrate 12 around the image forming member 16, thereby increasing the creepage distance.

There are a plurality of electron-emitting devices 10 and corresponding image forming members 16, and the positive and negative electrodes 14a and 14b of each electron-emitting device 10 are connected by device wiring electrodes 13a and 13b, respectively. Each electron-emitting device 10 connected by one device wiring electrode 13a and 13b forms one electron-emitting device row that is driven simultaneously. In addition, each image forming member 16 is connected to each column in a direction perpendicular to this element column by an image forming member wiring electrode (not shown). Therefore, the element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b and the image forming member wiring electrodes each form a plurality of columns, and are arranged in a matrix so that the plurality of columns intersect. Further, the face plate 19 is supported by the support frame 17 with respect to the insulating substrate 12.

Further, the electron-emitting device 10 has an electron-emitting section 15 between the electrodes 14a and 14b, and when a voltage is applied between these electrodes, electrons are emitted from the electron-emitting section 15. It is of type.

Next, a method for manufacturing the device will be explained. First, an insulating substrate is treated with hydrofluoric acid, and a groove-shaped portion 1 is formed on its surface.
form 8. Next, this insulating substrate is thoroughly cleaned, and element electrodes 14a and 14b and image forming member wiring electrodes are made of Ni material using commonly used vapor deposition and photolithography techniques. The image forming member wiring electrode may be made of a material other than Ni as long as it is made to have a sufficiently low electrical resistance.

Next, by using vapor deposition technology, 3μ of SiO2 was deposited.
An insulating layer with a thickness of m is formed. This insulating layer may be formed using glass or other ceramic materials.

Next, element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b are made of Ni material by vapor deposition and etching techniques. At this time, the element electrodes 14a and 14b are connected by the element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b, so that the element electrodes 14a and 14b form an electron emitting section 15 facing each other. Electrode gap G (
(see FIG. 4) is preferably 0.1 to 10 μm, and here it is formed to 2 μm. The length L (see FIG. 2) of the opposing portion corresponding to the electron emitting portion 15 is formed to be 300 μm. Although the width W (see FIG. 4) of the element electrodes 14a and 14b is preferably narrow, it is actually preferably 1 to 100 μm, and more preferably 1 to 10 μm. The electron emitting section 15 is manufactured so as to be located near the center between the wiring electrodes of the image forming member. In addition, each element wiring electrode 13a and 13
The arrangement pitch of each set b is 2 mm, and the arrangement pitch of the electron emitting portions 15 in the direction of the element wiring electrodes is 2 mm.

Next, the electron emitting section 15 is formed by providing an ultrafine particle film between the opposing electrodes using a gas deposition method. Pd is used as the material for the ultrafine particles, but
Other materials include metal materials such as Ag and Au, and SnO2.
, In2 O3 and the like are preferred, but are not limited thereto. In this example, the diameter of the Pd particles was set to about 100 Å, but the diameter is not limited to this. In addition to the gas deposition method, desired characteristics can also be obtained by forming an ultrafine particle film between the electrodes, for example, by dispersing and coating an organic metal and then heat-treating it.

Next, an image forming member 16 made of phosphor is formed to a thickness of approximately 10 μm by a printing method. The image forming member 16 may be formed by other methods such as a slurry method or a precipitation method.

[0032] Then, the insulating substrate 12 on which the electron-emitting devices and the like are formed in this manner is placed via the support frame 17,
The face plate 19 is placed 5 mm away from the insulating substrate 12.
By providing this, the image display device is completed.

Next, a method of driving the apparatus will be explained. When a voltage pulse of 14V is applied to the pair of element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b, electrons are emitted from each electron emitting part 15 of the element row connected thereto. The electron beams emitted from each electron emitting section 15 are transmitted to the device electrode 14 on the positive electrode side.
The electron beam flies in the a direction, and is then turned on and off by a voltage of 10 to 1000 V applied to the image forming member wiring electrode 20 in response to an information signal.
controlled. That is, the electron beam that is ON-controlled is accelerated and collides with the image forming member 16 adjacent to each element electrode 14a, causing it to emit light, and the electron beam that is OFF-controlled does not cause the image forming member 16 to emit light. Note that this applied voltage is a value determined by the type of phosphor used and the required brightness, and is not limited to the above range. In this way, when the corresponding 16 rows of image forming members finish displaying one line according to the information signal, the next pair of element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b next to them is selected and a 14V voltage pulse is applied. Then, the next line is displayed in the same manner. By performing this sequentially, one screen of images is formed. That is, the element wiring electrode 13a
, 13b are used as scanning electrodes, and an XY matrix is formed by the scanning electrodes and the image forming member wiring electrode 20 to display an image.

According to this, since the electron-emitting device 15 is of the surface conduction type and can be driven in response to a voltage pulse of 100 picoseconds or less, it is assumed that one screen worth of image is displayed in one-thirtieth of a second. For example, more than 10,000 scanning lines can be formed. Further, the electron-emitting device 15 and the image forming member 16 are formed on the same substrate 12, and the groove-like portion 18 is formed between the electron-emitting device 10, its wiring electrodes, and other members, and the image forming member 16. Since the electron beam is focused on the image forming member 16 by the voltage applied to the image forming member 16, the electron emitting elements 15 are not destroyed by ion bombardment and uneven brightness occurs, and the brightness is more uniform over a long period of time. In addition, stable image display is performed. That is, when a surface conduction electron-emitting device is used, electrons having an initial velocity of several electron volts are emitted into a vacuum, and such electron beam modulation is extremely effective.

Furthermore, in manufacturing the device, alignment between the electron-emitting device 15 and the image forming member 16 is easy;
In addition, since thin film manufacturing technology can be used, a large-screen, high-definition display can be obtained at low cost. Further, since the distance between the electron emitting portion 15 and the image forming member 16 can be manufactured with extremely high precision, an extremely uniform image display device without uneven brightness can be obtained. Furthermore, by forming the element electrodes 14 together with the image forming member 16 by a printing method, alignment is further facilitated.

Example 2 Same as Example 1 except that the arrangement pitch of each pair of element wiring electrodes 13a and 13b and the arrangement pitch of electron emitting portions 15 in the element wiring electrode direction were both 1 mm. It has the following structure and is manufactured in the same manner. However, during driving, the voltage applied to the image forming member 16 is 20 to 800V.

According to this, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained despite the fine pitch. In other words, a higher definition device can be obtained.

Example 3 In the apparatus of Example 1, a striped ITO electrode was provided on the face plate 19 at a position facing the image forming member 16 and the image forming member wiring electrode 20. A constant voltage is applied to the ITO electrode, and a voltage corresponding to an information signal is applied to the ITO electrode, thereby controlling ON/OFF of the electron beam. However, the image forming member 16 has two
A voltage of kV is applied. In such a case, rather than modulating the potential applied to the imaging member 16, the opposite I
It is preferable to modulate with a TO electrode. This results in even higher brightness display.

Example 4 Phosphors of three colors, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) were used as the image forming member 16, and these three types of phosphors were repeatedly arranged, and for each color. Wiring is done using image forming member wiring electrodes, and one pixel is formed by one set of three colors, making full color display possible. Other configurations are the same as in Example 1,
It is created in the same manner as in Example 1.

In this case as well, the same effects as in Example 1 are obtained, and stable image formation without color unevenness or color shift is performed.

Embodiment 5 FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an optical printer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. This device includes a light emitting source 48, a lens array 49, and a recording medium 45. Lens array 4
9 is generally formed by a SELFOC lens, and is placed between the light emitting source 48 and the recording object 45 to form an image of the light pattern emitted by the light emitting source 48 onto the recording object 45. be. The light emitting source 48 is an image forming apparatus according to any one of Examples 1 to 4 described above, and has only one pair of device wiring electrodes 13a and 13b, and therefore has one electron-emitting device array.
It has the same configuration as the one having only columns.

The recording medium 45 is manufactured by uniformly applying a photosensitive composition onto a polyethylene terephthalate film to a thickness of 2 μm. This photosensitive composition comprises a. Bander: 10 parts by weight of polyethylene methacrylate (trade name: Dianal BR, Mitsubishi Rayon), b. Monomer: Trimethylolpropane triacrylate (trade name;
TMPTA, Shin Nakamura Chemical) 10 parts by weight, c. Polymerization initiator: 2-methyl-2-morpholino(4-thiomethylphenyl)propane-1-xy (trade name: Irgacure 907
, Ciba Geigy) 2.2 parts by weight,
It is produced using 70 parts by weight of methyl ethyl ketone as a solvent. The phosphor constituting the image forming member is a silicate phosphor (Ba, Mg, Zn)3 Si2 O7 :Pb2+
The main material is

In this configuration, only one row of electron-emitting devices is driven at a predetermined period, and in synchronization with this driving, a modulation signal corresponding to an information signal of an image to be formed is generated.
The light is sequentially applied to the wiring electrodes of the image forming member or the striped ITO electrodes for each line of the image, and in synchronization with this, the relative movement between the light emitting source 48 and the recording medium 45 is performed. At the time of each drive, the irradiation of each electron beam onto the image forming member is controlled by the corresponding image forming member wiring electrode or striped ITO electrode, as in the case of each of the above-mentioned embodiments. A luminescent pattern of is formed on the imaging member. The light beams of this emission pattern irradiate the recording medium 45 via the lens array 49. As a result, the recording medium 45 is cured by photopolymerization according to the light emitting pattern, and an image for one line is formed.

The relative movement between the light emitting source 48 and the recording medium 45 in synchronization with the image forming timing for one line is shown in FIG.
This can be done by driving the conveying roller 53 while supporting the recording medium 45 with the support 52, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting source 48 may be moved. In any case, by performing this synchronized driving, a photopolymerized pattern corresponding to the information signal is formed on the recording medium 45. Then, by developing this photopolymerized pattern with methyl ethyl ketone, an optical recording pattern corresponding to the information signal is formed on the polyethylene terephthalate of the recording medium 45.

According to this, a uniform, high-speed, high-contrast, clear optical recording pattern can be obtained.

Embodiment 6 FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an optical printer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus has a light emitting source 48 and a lens array 49 that have the same configuration and operate in the same manner as in Example 5, a drum-shaped electrophotographic photoreceptor 64 that is a recording medium, a charger 68, a developer 65, and a remover. Electric appliances 66 and cleaners 67
The final image is formed on the paper 69. As the phosphor used for the light emitting source 48, Zn2S
A yellow-green emitting phosphor of iO4:Mn (P1 phosphor) is used. Further, as the electrophotographic photoreceptor 64, an amorphous silicon photoreceptor is used.

In this configuration, the recording medium 64 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 61 in synchronization with the light emitting source 48 as described above, and the paper 69 is also moved in the direction of the arrow 62 in synchronization. During this time, the recording medium 64 is charged to a positive voltage by the charger 68, and the light irradiation part is neutralized by the irradiation of the light emission pattern from the light emission source 48 via the lens array 49, and the electrostatic latent image pattern is formed. It is formed. The appropriate charging voltage is 100 to 500V, but it is not limited to this. This latent image pattern is developed with toner particles by developer 65. The attracted toner moves as the recording medium 64 rotates, and when the charge is released by the static eliminator 66, it falls onto the paper 69 located between the recording medium 64 and the static eliminator 66. Then, the paper 69 that has received the toner is subjected to a fixing process in a fixing device (not shown).
As a result, the image represented by the light emitting source 48 is reproduced and recorded on the paper 69. At this time, the remaining toner is removed by the cleaner 67.
On the way down, it is thereby brushed off and the part is charged again by the charger 68.

According to this, due to the above-mentioned advantages of the light emitting source 48, a high-contrast, clear, and high-resolution image can be formed at high speed without exposure unevenness.

[0049]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, since the electron-emitting device and the image forming member are arranged side by side on the substrate, damage and deterioration of the electron-emitting device due to collisions of positive ions can be prevented. be able to. In addition, when manufacturing the device, by forming the image forming member, the electron emitting device, etc. on the same substrate by a printing method or the like, strict alignment of the electron emitting device and the image forming member is not necessary.
The imaging member can be placed very easily. Further, after the device is manufactured, there is no change in the positional relationship between the electron-emitting device and the image forming member. Therefore, it is possible to maintain high-contrast, clear, and high-definition images over a long period of time, and in particular, in full-color image forming devices, it is possible to form images with less color tone unevenness and excellent color reproducibility, and the device is easy to manufacture. It can be made smaller and thinner.

Furthermore, since the creepage distance from at least the image forming member to the other element or member on the substrate surface closest to it is at least twice the linear distance, the creepage withstand voltage therebetween is improved; Therefore, a higher voltage can be applied to the image forming member without any problem, and images can be formed with higher brightness. Moreover, partial sparks between the image forming member and other elements or members on the substrate surface are prevented, and more stable image formation can be performed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an image forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the portion in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an optical printer according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a modification of the device of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical printer according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional image forming apparatus.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a surface conduction type emission device preferably used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10　Electron-emitting device 12 Insulating substrate 13a, 13b Element wiring electrode 14a, 14b Element electrode 15　Electron emission part 16 Image forming member 17 Support frame 18 Groove part 19 Face plate 45 Recorded object 48 Light source 49 Lens array

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. In an image forming apparatus comprising an electron-emitting element and an image-forming member on which an image is formed by irradiation with an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting element, the electron-emitting element and the image-forming member are aligned on a substrate surface. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the creepage distance from at least the image forming member to another element or member on the substrate surface closest to the image forming member is at least twice the linear distance. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising auxiliary means for assisting irradiation of the image forming member with the electron beam emitted from the electron emitting device. 3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary means includes means for applying a voltage to the image forming member. 4. In an image forming apparatus comprising an electron-emitting element and an image-forming member on which an image is formed by irradiation with an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting element, the electron-emitting element and the image-forming member are arranged side by side on a substrate surface. The creepage distance from at least the image forming member to another element or member on the substrate surface closest to the image forming member is at least twice the linear distance, and potential regulating means for regulating the potential above the substrate surface is provided. An image forming apparatus comprising: 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the potential regulating means includes a conductive member disposed opposite to the base. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the potential regulating means includes means for applying a voltage to the conductive member. 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising auxiliary means for assisting irradiation of the image forming member with the electron beam emitted from the electron emitting device. 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the auxiliary means includes means for applying a voltage to the image forming member. 9. An image forming member that forms an image by irradiating the electron beam modulated by the modulating means, comprising: an electron-emitting device; a modulating device that modulates an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device according to a predetermined information signal; In the image forming apparatus, the electron-emitting device and the image forming member are arranged in parallel on the base surface, and the creepage distance from at least the image forming member to another element or member on the base surface closest to the image forming member is equal to that straight line. An image forming apparatus characterized in that the distance is at least twice the distance. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the modulating means includes means for applying a voltage to the image forming member according to the information signal. 11. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the modulating means includes a conductive member disposed opposite to the electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the conductive member according to the information signal. 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting device is a cold cathode type. 13. An electron-emitting device has positive and negative electrodes and an electron-emitting part between these electrodes, and emits electrons from the electron-emitting part when a voltage is applied between these electrodes. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image forming member is a light emitting body that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam. 15. Claims 1 to 11, wherein the image forming member is a luminescent body that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam, and has luminescent bodies of three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. 16. Each of the electron-emitting devices and the image forming member is plural and forms a plurality of rows, each row is driven or a voltage is applied, and each of the plurality of rows intersects in a matrix. The image forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image forming apparatus is located at. 17. The conductive member of the modulation means has a plurality of stripes, and the stripe-like conductive member and
12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix so as to face and intersect with the plurality of rows of electron-emitting devices. 18. The image forming member is a light-emitting body that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam, and further includes a recording medium on which an image is recorded by irradiation with light from the light-emitting body.
18. The image forming apparatus according to any one of 17 to 17. 19. The image forming member is a light-emitting body that emits light when irradiated with an electron beam, and further includes means for supporting a recording medium on which an image is recorded by irradiation with light from the light-emitting body. The image forming apparatus according to any one of the above. 20. The substrate surface has a step between the electron-emitting device and the image-forming member, so that the surface of the image-forming member is lower than the electron-emitting surface of the electron-emitting device at least in the vicinity of the electron-emitting device, and the surface of the image-forming member is lower than the electron-emitting surface of the electron-emitting device and 10. An imaging device according to claim 1, 4 or 9, wherein insulation is established between the emissive element and the imaging member.