JPH1012135A - Manufacture of electron emission element, electron source, display panel, and image forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ensure a uniform film thickness of a conductive thin film, simplify a manufacturing process of the film thickness, and enable an element to be formed on a large-area substrate at a low cost easily by applying a droplet by means of an ink jet method. SOLUTION: A constitutive example of a flat, surface conductive electron emission element is shown in Fig. Element electrodes 2 and 3 made of a semiconductor material such as poly-silicon are opposed to each other on a substrate 1 such as quartz glass. An interval L between the element electrodes 2 and 3 is 1 to 100 micrometers in consideration of an applied voltage or the like, and a length W is several micrometers or several hundreds of micrometers in consideration of an electrode resistance value and electron emission characteristics. In addition, a conductive film 4 using a fine particle film is formed between the element electrodes 2 and 3 to obtain good electrode emission characteristics. The conductive thin film 4 is formed by using a device employing an ink jet method and applying a droplet of solution containing a material for thin film formation. After heating and firing process, an electron emission portion 5 is formed by means of a forming process.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, an electron source, a display panel and an image forming apparatus using a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film. More specifically, a method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device to which the solution is applied using an inkjet method, a method of manufacturing an electron source using the electron-emitting device, a method of manufacturing a display panel using the electron source, and the display panel The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of electron emitting devices, a thermionic electron source and a cold cathode electron source, are known. The cold cathode electron source includes a field emission type (hereinafter abbreviated as FE type), a metal / insulating layer / metal type (hereinafter abbreviated as MIM type), and a surface conduction electron-emitting device.

[0003] As an example of the FE type electron-emitting device, W.S.
P. Dyke & W. W. Dolan, "Field e
mission ", Advance in Elect
ronPhysics, 8, 89 (1956), or C.I. A. Spindt, “Physical Pro
parties of thin-film field
de emission cathodes with
molybdeniumcones ", J. Appl.
Phys. , 47, 5248 (1976). Examples of the MIM type electron-emitting device include C.I. A. Mead, “Operation
of Tunnel-EmissionDevice
s ", J. Appl. Phys., 32, 646 (19
61) are known. As an example of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, M.S. I. Elins
on, Radio Eng. Electron Phys
s. , 10, 1290 (1965).

[0004] The surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes the phenomenon that electron emission occurs when a current flows in a small-area thin film formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface. Examples of the surface conduction electron-emitting device include a device using an SnO ₂ thin film by Elinson et al. And a device using an Au thin film [G. Dittmer, “Thin Solid Fi
lms ", 9,317 (1972)] , In 2 O 3 / S
nO ₂ thin film [M. Hartwell and
C. G. FIG. Fonstad, "IEEE Trans.
ED Conf. , 519 (1975)], based on a carbon thin film [Hisashi Araki et al., Vacuum, Vol. 26, No. 1,
No. 22, p. 22 (1983)].

As a typical device configuration of these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, the device configuration of the above-mentioned Hartwell is shown in FIG.
It is shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate. Reference numeral 4 denotes a conductive thin film, which is formed of a metal oxide thin film or the like formed by sputtering in an H-shaped pattern. The electron emitting portion 5 is formed by an energization process called energization forming described later. Note that the device electrode interval L1 in FIG.
Is set at about 0.1 mm. In addition, the electron emission portion 5
The positions and shapes of are shown as schematic diagrams.

Conventionally, in these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, the electron-emitting portion 5 is generally formed by subjecting the conductive thin film 4 to an energization process called energization forming before performing electron emission. there were. That is,
The energization forming means a DC voltage or a very slowly increasing voltage, for example, 1 V /
This means that the conductive thin film 4 is locally broken, deformed or deteriorated by applying an electric current for about a minute to form the electron emitting portion 5 in an electrically high resistance state. Note that the electron-emitting portion 5
Has a crack in a part of the conductive thin film 4,
Electrons are emitted from the vicinity of the crack. In this way, the conductive thin film is locally destroyed, deformed or deteriorated by the energization forming, and the portion where the structure is changed is replaced with the electron emitting portion 5.
In addition, the conductive thin film 4 on which the electron emitting portions 5 are formed by the energization forming is referred to as a conductive thin film 4 including the electron emitting portions 5. The surface conduction electron-emitting device that has been subjected to the energization forming process applies a voltage to the conductive thin film 4 including the above-described electron-emitting portion 5 and allows a current to flow through the device.
The electron is emitted from the electron emitting section 5.

As the surface conduction electron-emitting device, the above-mentioned M.I. In addition to the Hartwell device, the present applicant formed a pair of opposing device electrodes formed of a conductor on an insulating substrate, and formed a conductive thin film by connecting both electrodes separately from these electrodes. Then, an element having a configuration in which an electron emitting portion is formed by energization forming is reported. As a method of energization forming, it is also reported that a method of applying a pulse voltage and gradually increasing the peak value of the pulse can be applied in addition to the method of applying a slow rising voltage as described above. It is also reported that as a method for forming a conductive thin film, a method in which a solution of an organometallic compound is applied and a metal or metal oxide fine particle film is formed by heat treatment can be employed. An example of these configurations and methods is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-235255.

[0008]

However, since the above-mentioned conventional surface conduction type electron-emitting device is mainly manufactured by using a photolithography technique based on a semiconductor process, the electron-emitting device is formed on a large-area substrate. However, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high, for example, a large manufacturing apparatus is required.

As a means for solving this problem, when a method of applying a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film to a substrate by an ink-jet method is used, various factors such as wetting of the substrate and the droplet are used. The thickness of the finally formed conductive thin film may not be sufficiently uniform depending on the properties, the size of the droplets, and the like. In the conductive thin film in such a state,
When the energization forming process is performed, the electron emission characteristics may vary due to the non-uniformity of the film thickness.

[0010] In a place where the film thickness is too thick, a large current may flow during the formation of a crack that becomes an electron-emitting portion. However, the width of the crack is widened, and activation treatment described later is not performed. After that, there are cases where too many electrons are not emitted. On the other hand, in places where the film thickness is too thin, it is probably because sufficient current does not flow,
A crack may not be formed, and this portion may be a path for a leak current.

An object of the present invention is to make the thickness of a conductive thin film uniform, to simplify the manufacturing process of the thin film, to form an element on a large-area substrate at low cost and easily, and to obtain an electron obtained by the method. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device having uniform electron emission characteristics of an electron-emitting device, and a method of manufacturing an electron source, a display panel, and an image forming apparatus using the device.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This can be solved by the present invention. That is, in the method of manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention, a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film is applied between opposing electrodes on a substrate to form a conductive thin film. A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device in which an electron-emitting portion is formed on a thin film, wherein (1) a convex portion is formed between opposing electrodes on a substrate, and the application of the droplet is performed by an inkjet method. And (2) forming a concave portion on the substrate and / or the electrode so as to be located at the peripheral portion of the applied droplet;
It is performed by an ink jet method. (3) The method is characterized in that the droplets having different concentrations are applied by using an ink jet method. (4) The application of the droplets is performed by an ink jet method while applying ultrasonic vibration to the substrate.

According to the above method (1), it is possible to prevent the film thickness on the convex portion from becoming slightly thinner than the surrounding portion, and preventing the electron emission from becoming difficult to occur due to the film thickness being too thick at this portion. According to the above method (2), it is possible to prevent the solution from flowing into the concave groove and excessively increasing the film thickness near the center of the droplet. According to the above method (3), even when the thick portion at the center does not spread sufficiently and does not become thin when the high-concentration droplet dries, the low-concentration droplet is continuously applied to form the inner droplet. By forming the flow of the solution in the above, the vicinity of the center of the droplet can be thinned, and the difference in film thickness can be reduced.
By the method (4), the applied droplets can be made uniform in film thickness without unevenness. Furthermore, since the bubbles contained in the droplet can be removed by ultrasonic waves,
Formation of minute holes in the film due to vaporization of bubbles during droplet firing can be suppressed. In addition, the above (1) to
The methods (4) can be combined.

The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing an electron source, a display panel, and an image forming apparatus. That is, a method of manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing an electron source including an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device. It is manufactured by a method.

A method of manufacturing a display panel according to the present invention comprises an electron source having an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device, and a fluorescent film which emits light by receiving electrons emitted from the device. A method for manufacturing a display panel, wherein the element is manufactured by the method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device according to the present invention.

Further, according to the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus of the present invention, there is provided an electron source including an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device, a phosphor film for receiving and emitting light from the device, A driving circuit for controlling a voltage applied to the element by using an external signal, wherein the element is manufactured by the method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention. Features.

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a surface conduction electron-emitting device manufactured by the method (1) of the present invention. FIG.
1A and 1B, reference numeral 1 denotes an insulating substrate, reference numerals 2 and 3 denote device electrodes, reference numeral 4 denotes a conductive thin film, reference numeral 5 denotes an electron-emitting portion, and reference numeral 6 denotes a convex member.

Examples of the substrate 1 include quartz glass, glass having a reduced impurity content such as Na, blue plate glass, a glass substrate in which blue plate glass is laminated with SiO ₂ formed by a sputtering method or the like, and a ceramic substrate such as alumina. Are used.

The device electrodes 2 and 3 which are opposed to each other on the substrate 1
As a material for the material, a general conductor material is used, for example, Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, C
metals such as u and Pd or alloys thereof, Pd, As,
Ag, Au, and printed conductor composed of RuO _2, metal or metal oxide such as Pd-Ag and glass, an In ₂
It is appropriately selected from a transparent conductor such as O ₃ —SnO _{2 and} a semiconductor material such as polysilicon.

The element electrode interval L, the element electrode length W1, the shape of the element electrodes 2, 3 and the like are appropriately designed according to the applied form and the like. The element electrode interval L is preferably in the range of several thousand to several hundred μm, and more preferably in the range of 1 to 100 μm in consideration of the voltage applied between the element electrodes.
The element electrode length W is preferably in the range of several μm to several hundred μm in consideration of the resistance value of the electrode and the electron emission characteristics. Further, the film thickness d of the device electrodes 2 and 3 is preferably in the range of several hundreds to several μm.

The conductive thin film 4 is particularly preferably a fine particle film composed of fine particles in order to obtain good electron emission characteristics. The film thickness of the conductive thin film 4 is appropriately set in consideration of the step coverage to the device electrodes 2 and 3, the resistance value between the device electrodes 2 and 3, a forming process condition described later, and the like. 、, particularly preferably 10Å
To 500 °. The resistance value of the conductive thin film 4 is such that Rs is 10 ² to 10 ⁷ Ω. Note that Rs
Is a value that appears when a resistance R measured in the length direction of a thin film having a thickness t, a width w, and a length 1 is defined as R = Rs (l / w). Let ρ be Rs = ρ / t
It is represented by In the present specification, the forming process will be described using an energizing process as an example, but the forming process is not limited to this, and any method may be used as long as it forms a high resistance state by causing a crack in the film. good.

The materials constituting the conductive thin film 4 include Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, and C.
metals such as u, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W and Pb, PdO, SnO ₂ , In ₂ O ₃ , PbO and Sb ₂ O
It is appropriately selected from oxides such as _{3 and the} like.

The fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are gathered, and has a fine structure not only in a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also in a state in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlap each other ( (Including a case where some fine particles are aggregated to form an island structure as a whole). The particle size of such fine particles is from several Å to 1 μm.
m, particularly preferably from 10 ° to 200 °.
範 囲 range.

The electron-emitting portion 5 is a high-resistance crack formed in a part of the conductive thin film 4 and depends on the film thickness, film quality and material of the conductive thin film 4 and a manufacturing method such as energization forming which will be described later. It is formed. The inside of the electron emission portion 5 may include conductive fine particles having a particle diameter of several hundreds of mm or less. The conductive fine particles contain some or all of the elements of the material constituting the conductive thin film 4. Further, the electron emitting portion 5 and the conductive thin film 4 in the vicinity thereof may contain carbon and / or a carbon compound.

As a method of manufacturing the above-mentioned surface conduction electron-emitting device, an example of a manufacturing method in the case of forming a convex portion is shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a droplet applying means, and reference numeral 8 denotes a droplet.

1) After sufficiently washing the substrate 1 with a detergent, pure water, and an organic solvent, an element electrode material is deposited on the substrate 1 by a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like, and then the substrate 1 is deposited on the substrate 1 by, for example, a photolithography technique. The device electrodes 2 and 3 are formed (FIG. 2A).

2) A protrusion 6 is formed between the electrodes of the device electrodes 2 and 3 on the substrate 1 (FIG. 2B). The projections can be formed by using, for example, ordinary photolithography technology. In addition to the above-described photolithography technique, the projections can be formed by an inkjet method, a printing method, a method of digging the periphery of the substrate by etching, or the like. In the case of forming by an ink-jet method, a printing method, or the like, a mask used in the photolithography technique is not required, so that the forming process is simplified.

3) Next, a droplet of a solution containing the conductive thin film forming material is applied between the electrodes by the droplet applying means 7 (FIG. 2C). At this time, the center of the dot (droplet) is preferably located at the center between the electrodes 2 and 3. Further, it is preferable that the length W2 of the portion where the dot overlaps the electrodes 2 and 3 is equal to or less than the length W1 of the element electrode.

As the liquid droplet applying means 7, any device can be used as long as it can form an arbitrary liquid droplet. In particular, the liquid droplet applying means 7 can be controlled in the range of about ten ng to several tens ng, and An ink jet type apparatus which can easily form a small amount of droplets of about ng or more is preferable. What is inkjet?
After forming a liquid droplet, eject it toward the surface to be applied,
This is a droplet applying means which transfers the liquid droplet to the surface to be applied mainly by inertia of the liquid droplet. Usually, the ink jet means for changing the relative position between the droplet ejection unit and the applied surface, or the liquid droplet being transferred due to the inertia, for the purpose of transferring the liquid droplet to a desired position on the applied surface. In many cases, a means for adjusting the flight direction of the liquid droplet by applying an external force due to non-contact such as static electricity to the droplet is used in many cases.

The ink jet system includes a piezo system, a heating foaming (bubble jet) system, and the like. The piezo method is an ink jet method in which a liquid droplet is formed and ejected by utilizing a deformation force when a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric body. The bubble jet method is also a method of ink jet, in which a small droplet of liquid is formed and ejected by utilizing a bumping force when a liquid is heated in a small space. The state of the droplets may be any state as long as the droplets can be formed, and examples thereof include a solution in which the above-mentioned metal or the like is dispersed and dissolved in water, a solvent, or the like, a solution, an organic metal solution, or the like. Can be

After the droplets of the solution containing the material constituting the conductive thin film are applied by the above-described method, a heating and baking treatment is performed to form the conductive thin film 4 (FIG. 2D). Usually, the conductive thin film formed as described above has a microscopic form in which a large number of fine particles made of a material constituting the conductive thin film are aggregated. By this method, the reproducibility of a desired dot diameter and resistance is improved, and as a result, a surface conduction electron-emitting device having desired electron emission characteristics can be manufactured with good reproducibility. Also,
In some cases, the width and the like of the electron-emitting portion formed by the forming process described later vary greatly depending on the thickness of the conductive thin film. Even in such a case, if the projections are formed as in the present invention, the problem due to the difference in the film thickness can be improved.

To form a conductive thin film, it is necessary to form at least one droplet dot, but it is also possible to form a plurality of dots according to the specifications and characteristics of the element. Further, the positions of the dots may be formed so as to overlap at the same position, or may be shifted as needed. Also,
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a multi-pattern (pad) may be formed. FIG. 3A is a plan view of dots provided in a multi-pattern (pad) shape, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view thereof. In this case, the distance between the centers of the dots is set to be equal to or less than the diameter of one dot, and the dots are provided so that adjacent dots overlap. In addition, in forming the conductive thin film, a heating and baking treatment may be performed after all the dots have been provided, or a heating and baking treatment may be performed after providing all of the dots, and this may be repeated.
In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components.
In addition, the shape of the convex portion can be appropriately changed according to the state of the dot.

4) Subsequently, a forming process is performed. As an example of the forming process, a method using an energization process will be described. This process is a process in which a current is applied between the element electrodes 2 and 3 using a power supply (not shown) to form a portion of the conductive thin film 4 whose structure has changed (FIG. 2E). The conductive thin film 4 is locally destroyed, deformed or deteriorated by the energization forming, and a portion where the structure is changed is referred to as an electron emitting portion 5.

In the case of forming a concave portion, for example, FIG.
After the device electrodes are formed using the substrate as described above (FIG. 5A), the concave portions 9 are formed in the device electrodes (FIG. 5A).
(B)). The recess is formed by, for example, forming a mask using a normal photolithography technique and then performing RIE (Reactive I
on Etching). In addition to the RIE, a laser etching method or a FIB (focused ion beam) method can be used for forming the recess 9. In the case where the laser etching method or the FIB method is used, a mask used for the photolithography technique is not required, so that the forming process is simplified. The position where the concave portion is formed is not limited to the position shown in FIG.
It can also be formed on a substrate. A plurality of dots can be formed in the same manner as in the case of forming the projections. For example, the dots may be formed in a multi-pattern as shown in FIG. Thereafter, droplets are applied as described above to form the conductive thin film 4 and form the electron-emitting portion (FIG. 5C).
(E)). 5 and 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components, and the width, length, and depth of the concave portion can be changed as appropriate.

In a manufacturing method in which liquid droplets having different concentrations are applied, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example, after forming device electrodes using the above-described substrate (FIG. 7).
(A)), a high-concentration droplet is applied once (FIG. 7).
(B)), droplets having a lower concentration than that are applied to the same place (FIG. 8D). At this time, the applied droplet is made to straddle the device electrode. The width L ′ at which the droplet overlaps the element electrode is set to be equal to or less than the electrode interval L. Thereafter, droplets are applied as described above to form a conductive thin film 4,
Then, an electron-emitting portion is formed (FIGS. 8E and 8F).

In a manufacturing method in which ultrasonic vibration is applied to a substrate, droplets are applied while applying ultrasonic vibration after forming element electrodes using the above-described substrate. At this time, by heating the substrate with a heater, volatilization of the solvent at the time of adhering the droplet can be promoted, and the spread of the droplet can be suppressed. As an ultrasonic generator for generating ultrasonic waves, an apparatus having an oscillation frequency of 36 to 42 kHz and a high frequency output of about 300 to 600 W can be used. FIG. 9 shows an example of a voltage waveform at the time of energization forming. The voltage waveform is particularly preferably a pulse waveform. FIG. 9A shows a case where a pulse having a constant pulse height is applied as a constant voltage, and FIG. 9B shows a case where a pulse is applied while increasing the pulse peak value. ). First, a case where the pulse peak value is a constant voltage will be described with reference to FIG.

T1 and T2 in FIG. 9A are the pulse width and pulse interval of the voltage waveform, respectively. T1 to 1
Microsecond to 10 milliseconds, T2 is 10 microsecond to 10
The peak value of the triangular wave (peak voltage at the time of energization forming) is appropriately selected according to the above-described form of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, and is set to an appropriate degree of vacuum, for example, 10 ⁻⁵ T.
Under a vacuum atmosphere of about orr, a voltage is applied for several seconds to several tens minutes. The voltage waveform applied between the electrodes of the element is not limited to a triangular wave, and a desired waveform such as a rectangular wave may be adopted.

T1 and T2 in FIG. 9B are the same as those in FIG. 9A, and are applied in an appropriate vacuum atmosphere while increasing the peak value of the triangular wave by, for example, about 0.1 V steps. .

The end of the energization forming process in the above case is determined by measuring the element current at a voltage that does not locally destroy or deform the conductive thin film 4 during the pulse interval T2, for example, a voltage of about 0.1 V. Then, the resistance value is obtained, and when the resistance value indicates, for example, 1 M ohm or more, the energization forming is terminated.

5) Next, it is preferable to perform a process called an activation step on the element after the energization forming. The activation step is a step in which the element current If and the emission current Ie are significantly changed by this step.

That is, the activation step can be performed, for example, by repeatedly applying a pulse in an atmosphere containing a gas of an organic substance, similarly to the energization forming.
This atmosphere can be formed using an organic gas remaining in the atmosphere when the inside of the vacuum vessel is evacuated using, for example, an oil diffusion pump or a rotary pump.
In a vacuum once exhausted sufficiently by an ion pump,
It can also be obtained by introducing a gas of an appropriate organic substance. The preferable gas pressure of the organic substance at this time varies depending on the above-described application form, the shape of the vacuum vessel, the type of the organic substance, and the like, and is appropriately set according to the case. Suitable organic substances include alkanes, alkenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons of alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, amines, phenols, carboxylic acids,
Organic acids such as sulfonic acid can be exemplified. Specifically, methane, ethane, saturated hydrocarbon represented by C _n H _{2n + 2} such as propane, ethylene, propylene, etc. C _n H
Unsaturated hydrocarbon represented by a composition formula such as _2n , benzene, toluene, methanol, ethanol, formaldehyde,
Acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methylamine, ethylamine, phenol, formic acid, acetic acid,
Propionic acid or the like can be used. By this treatment, carbon or a carbon compound is deposited on the device from the organic substance existing in the atmosphere, and the device current If and the emission current Ie are significantly changed.

The end of the activation step is determined as appropriate while measuring the device current If and the emission current Ie. The pulse width, pulse interval, pulse crest value, and the like are also set as appropriate.

The above carbon or carbon compound is, for example, graphite (this graphite is a so-called HOP
G, PG, and GC are included, and HOPG has a crystal structure of almost perfect graphite, PG has a crystal grain of about 200 ° and has a slightly disordered crystal structure, and GC has a crystal grain of about 20 °. It refers to a crystal structure with more disorder. ), Amorphous carbon (carbon containing amorphous carbon and a mixture of amorphous carbon and the above-mentioned graphite microcrystals), and the film thickness is preferably 500 ° or less, more preferably 300 ° or less.

6) The electron-emitting device obtained through such a step is preferably subjected to a stabilization step. This step is a step of exhausting the organic substance in the vacuum container. It is preferable to use a vacuum exhaust device that does not use oil so that the oil generated from the device does not affect the characteristics of the element. Specifically, a vacuum exhaust device such as a sorption pump and an ion pump can be used.

In the activation step, when an oil diffusion pump or a rotary pump is used as an exhaust device and an organic gas derived from an oil component generated therefrom is used, it is necessary to keep the partial pressure of this component as low as possible. The partial pressure of the organic component in the vacuum vessel is preferably a partial pressure at which the above-mentioned carbon and carbon compound hardly newly accumulate, specifically 1 × 10 ⁻⁸ T
or less, more preferably 1 × 10 ⁻¹⁰ Torr
The following are particularly preferred. The pressure in the vacuum vessel is 1-3 × 1
It is preferably 0 ^-7 Torr or less, particularly 1 × 10 ^-8 Torr.
The following is preferred.

Further, when the inside of the vacuum vessel is evacuated, it is preferable to heat the entire vacuum vessel so that the organic substance molecules adsorbed on the inner wall of the vacuum vessel and the electron-emitting device can be easily evacuated. The heating condition at this time is desirably 80 to 200 ° C., preferably 150 ° C. or more, and it is desirable to perform the heating for as long as possible. However, the heating condition is not particularly limited to this. This is performed under conditions appropriately selected according to various conditions such as the above. Note that the partial pressure measurement of the organic substance is obtained by measuring the partial pressure of organic molecules having carbon and hydrogen having a mass number of 10 to 200 as a main component by a mass spectrometer and integrating the partial pressures. .

The atmosphere at the time of driving after performing the stabilizing step is preferably the same as that at the end of the stabilizing treatment, but is not limited to this. If the organic substance is sufficiently removed, Even if the degree of vacuum itself is slightly reduced, sufficiently stable characteristics can be maintained.

Therefore, by adopting such a vacuum atmosphere, it becomes possible to suppress the deposition of new carbon and carbon compounds, and as a result, the device current If and the emission current Ie are stabilized.

The basic characteristics of the electron-emitting device having the above-described element structure and manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a measurement evaluation apparatus for measuring the electron emission characteristics of the device having the configuration shown in FIG. 10, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components as those in FIG. Reference numeral 100 denotes an ammeter for measuring a device current If flowing through the conductive thin film 4 between the device electrodes 2 and 3, and 101 denotes a device voltage Vf applied to the electron-emitting device.
, A current meter 102 for measuring an emission current Ie emitted from the electron emission section 5 of the device,
03 is a high voltage power supply for applying a voltage to the anode electrode 104, 104 is an anode electrode for capturing the emission current Ie emitted from the electron emission section 5 of the device, 105 is a vacuum device, and 106 is an exhaust pump.

The electron-emitting device and the anode 1
04 etc. are installed in the vacuum device 105 and the vacuum device 1
The device 05 is provided with equipment necessary for a vacuum device such as a vacuum gauge (not shown) so that measurement and evaluation of the electron-emitting device can be performed under a desired vacuum. Note that the exhaust pump 106
Consists of an ordinary high vacuum system including a turbo pump and a rotary pump, and an ultra high vacuum system including an ion pump and the like. The entire vacuum device and the electron-emitting device can be heated up to 200 degrees by a heater (not shown). Therefore, the present measurement and evaluation apparatus can also perform the steps after the energization forming described above.

As an example, the voltage of the anode electrode is 1 kV
-10 kV, and the distance H between the anode electrode and the electron-emitting device can be measured in the range of 2 mm to 8 mm.

FIG. 11 shows a typical example of the relationship between the emission current Ie, the device current If, and the device voltage Vf measured by the measurement and evaluation apparatus shown in FIG. The emission current I
Since e is significantly smaller than the element current If, FIG. 11 is shown in arbitrary units. The vertical and horizontal axes are linear scales.

As is apparent from FIG. 11, the electron-emitting device manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention has an emission current I
It has the following three characteristic characteristics for e.

First, when an element voltage higher than a certain voltage (referred to as a threshold voltage, which is Vth in FIG. 11) is applied to the above-mentioned electron-emitting device, the emission current Ie sharply increases, while the emission current Ie increases. Below the threshold voltage Vth, the emission current Ie is hardly detected. That is, the above-mentioned electric emission element
This is a nonlinear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth for the emission current Ie.

Second, since the emission current Ie depends monotonically on the device voltage Vf, the emission current Ie can be controlled by the device voltage Vf.

Third, the amount of charge discharged to the anode electrode 104 depends on the time during which the device voltage Vf is applied. That is, the amount of charge captured by the anode electrode 104 can be controlled by the time during which the device voltage Vf is applied.

Since the electron-emitting device manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention has the above-described characteristics, the electron-emitting characteristics of an electron source, an image forming apparatus, and the like in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged according to an input signal. Can be easily controlled, and application to various fields is possible.

An example of a preferable characteristic in which the element current If monotonically increases with respect to the element voltage Vf (referred to as MI characteristic) is shown by a solid line in FIG. It may exhibit a voltage-controlled negative resistance (referred to as VCNR characteristic) characteristic with respect to Vf (not shown). In addition, the characteristics of these device currents depend on the manufacturing method, measurement conditions at the time of measurement, and the like. Also in this case, the electron-emitting device has the above-mentioned three characteristics.

Next, a method for manufacturing an electron source of the present invention and an electron source manufactured by the method will be described. In the method of manufacturing an electron source of the present invention, there is no particular limitation except that the electron-emitting device is manufactured by the above-described method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device of the present invention. There is no particular limitation.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention and preferred embodiments of an electron source manufactured by the method will be described. The method of arranging the electron-emitting devices on the substrate includes:
For example, as described in the conventional example, a large number of electron-emitting devices are arranged in parallel, a large number of rows of electron-emitting devices in which both ends of each element are connected by wiring are arranged (referred to as a row direction), and are orthogonal to this wiring. A ladder-like arrangement in which electrons emitted from the electron-emitting devices are controlled and driven by a control electrode (also called a grid) provided in a space above the electron source in a direction (called a column direction), There is an arrangement in which n Y-directional wirings are provided on the X-directional wiring via an interlayer insulating layer, and the X-directional wiring and the Y-directional wiring are respectively connected to a pair of device electrodes of the electron-emitting device. Hereinafter, the latter arrangement is referred to as a simple matrix arrangement. First, the simple matrix arrangement will be described in detail.

According to the characteristics of the three basic characteristics of the electron-emitting device manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method of the present invention, even in an electron-emitting device arranged in a simple matrix, the electrons emitted from the device are threshold. Above the value voltage, it is controlled by the peak value and width of the pulse voltage applied between the opposing element electrodes. On the other hand, below the threshold voltage, emitted electrons are hardly emitted. According to this characteristic, even when a large number of electron-emitting devices are arranged, if the pulse-like voltage is appropriately applied to each of the devices, the electron-emitting device is selected according to an input signal, and the amount of electron emission is controlled. It is possible to

The configuration of the electron source based on this principle will be described below with reference to FIG. 121 is an electron source substrate, 122 is an X direction wiring, 123 is a Y direction wiring,
Reference numeral 124 denotes an electron-emitting device, and reference numeral 125 denotes a connection. Note that the electron-emitting device 124 may be of a flat type or a vertical type as long as it is manufactured by the above-described manufacturing method of the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the electron source substrate 121 is the above-mentioned glass substrate or the like, and the number of electron-emitting devices to be installed and the design shape of each device are appropriately set according to the application.

The X-direction wiring 122 has Dx1, Dx2,.
A conductive metal formed by m (D is a positive integer) Dxm wirings formed on the electron source substrate 121 by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like. Further, the material, the film thickness, and the wiring width are appropriately set so that a substantially uniform voltage is supplied to many electron-emitting devices. Y direction wiring 123 is Dy
, Dyn, and n (n is a positive integer) wirings, and are manufactured in the same manner as the X-directional wiring 122.
These m X-directional wires 122 and n Y-directional wires 12
An interlayer insulating layer (not shown) is provided between the layers 3 and electrically separated to form a matrix wiring.

The interlayer insulating layer (not shown) is, for example, SiO ₂ formed by a vacuum deposition method, a printing method, a sputtering method, or the like, and has a desired shape on the entire surface or a part of the substrate 121 on which the X-direction wiring 122 is formed. In order to withstand the potential difference at the intersection of the X-direction wiring 122 and the Y-direction wiring 123,
The material and the production method are appropriately set. The X-direction wiring 122
And the Y-direction wiring 123 are led out as external terminals.

Further, device electrodes (not shown) facing the electron-emitting devices 124 are formed by m X-directional wires 122 and n Y-directional wires 123 by vacuum deposition, printing, sputtering, or the like. Are electrically connected by a connection 125 made of a conductive metal or the like.

Here, even if some or all of the constituent elements of the m X-directional wirings 122, the n Y-directional wirings 123, the connection 125, and the conductive metal of the opposing element electrode are the same, Further, they may be different from each other, and are appropriately selected from the above-described materials of the device electrodes and the like. Note that the wiring to these device electrodes may be collectively referred to as a device electrode when the material of the device electrode and the wiring material are the same. The electron-emitting device may be formed on either the substrate 121 or an interlayer insulating layer (not shown).

Although not described in detail later, the X-direction wiring 122 is not shown for applying a scanning signal for scanning a row of the electron-emitting devices 124 arranged in the X-direction in accordance with an input signal. The scanning signal generating means is electrically connected. On the other hand, a modulation signal generating means (not shown) for applying a modulation signal for modulating each of the columns of the electron-emitting devices 124 arranged in the Y direction according to an input signal is electrically connected to the Y-direction wiring 123. It is connected to the. Further, the driving voltage applied to each element of the electron-emitting device is supplied as a difference voltage between the scanning signal and the modulation signal applied to the element.

In the above configuration, individual elements can be selected and driven independently only by simple matrix wiring.

Next, a method for manufacturing a display panel of the present invention,
A display panel manufactured by the method will be described. In the method of manufacturing a display panel of the present invention, there is no particular limitation except that the electron-emitting device is manufactured by the above-described method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device of the present invention. The configuration is not particularly limited.

Hereinafter, as a preferred embodiment of the method of manufacturing a display panel of the present invention and the display panel manufactured by the method, a display panel used for display by a simple matrix arrangement of electron sources manufactured as described above will be described. ,
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 13 is a basic configuration diagram of a display panel, and FIG. 14 is a pattern diagram of a fluorescent film.

In FIG. 13, reference numeral 121 denotes an electron source substrate on which the electron-emitting devices are arranged as described above; 131, a rear plate on which the electron source is fixed; 136, a fluorescent film 134 and a metal back 135 on the inner surface of a glass substrate 133; Is a support plate, 132 is a support frame, and the rear plate 131, the support frame 132, and the face plate 13
6 is coated with frit glass or the like and then fired at 400 to 500 ° C. for 10 minutes or more in the air or in a nitrogen atmosphere to seal, thereby forming an envelope 138.

In FIG. 13, reference numeral 124 corresponds to the electron-emitting portion in FIG. Reference numerals 122 and 123 denote an X-direction wiring and a Y-direction wiring connected to a pair of device electrodes of the electron-emitting device, respectively.

As described above, the envelope 138 includes the face plate 136, the support frame 132, and the rear plate 131.
The rear plate 131 is mainly composed of the substrate 121
Is provided for the purpose of reinforcing the strength of the rear plate 131. If the substrate 121 itself has sufficient strength, a separate rear plate 131 is provided.
The support frame 132 may be directly sealed to the substrate 121, and the envelope 138 may be configured by the face plate 136, the support frame 132, and the substrate 121. Further, by installing a support (not shown) called a spacer between the face plate 136 and the rear plate 131, the envelope 138 having sufficient strength against atmospheric pressure is provided.
The configuration can also be adopted.

FIG. 14 shows a fluorescent film. The fluorescent film 134
In the case of monochrome, it is composed only of a phosphor, but in the case of a color phosphor film, it is composed of a black conductive material 141 called a black stripe or a black matrix and a phosphor 142 depending on the arrangement of the phosphor. The purpose of providing the black stripes and the black matrix is to provide each of the three primary color phosphors 14 necessary for color display.
The purpose is to make the color mixture or the like inconspicuous by making the painted portion between the two black, and to suppress a decrease in contrast due to external light reflection on the fluorescent film 134. The material of the black stripe is not limited to the commonly used material containing graphite as a main component, as long as it is conductive and has little light transmission and reflection.

The method of applying the phosphor on the glass substrate uses a precipitation method or a printing method irrespective of monochrome or color.

A metal back 135 is usually provided on the inner side of the fluorescent film 134. The purpose of the metal back is to improve the brightness by mirror-reflecting light toward the inner surface side of the phosphor emission toward the face plate 136, to act as an electrode for applying an electron beam acceleration voltage, The purpose is to protect the phosphor from damage caused by the collision of negative ions generated in the enclosure. The metal back performs a smoothing process (usually called "filming") on the inner surface of the phosphor film after the phosphor film is formed,
Thereafter, it can be manufactured by depositing Al by vacuum evaporation or the like.

The face plate 136 may be provided with a transparent electrode (not shown) on the outer surface side of the fluorescent film 134 in order to further increase the conductivity of the fluorescent film 134. When the above-mentioned sealing is performed, in the case of color, the phosphors of each color must correspond to the electron-emitting devices, so that it is necessary to perform sufficient alignment.

The envelope 138 passes through an exhaust pipe (not shown)
The degree of vacuum is set to about 10 ⁻⁷ Torr, and sealing is performed.
Further, a getter process may be performed in order to maintain the degree of vacuum of the envelope 138 after sealing. This is envelope 1
Immediately before or after the sealing of the seal 38, a getter disposed at a predetermined position (not shown) in the envelope 138 is heated by a heating method such as resistance heating or high-frequency heating to form an evaporation film. Processing. The getter is usually composed mainly of Ba or the like.
The vacuum degree of 0 ^-5 or 1 × 10 ^-7 Torr is maintained. Steps after the forming of the electron-emitting device are appropriately set.

Next, a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus of the present invention and an image forming apparatus manufactured by the method will be described. In the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus of the present invention,
There is no particular limitation except that the electron-emitting device is manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device of the present invention, and specific configurations of an electron source, a fluorescent film, a driving circuit, and the like of an image forming apparatus are also particularly limited. Not done.

Hereinafter, as a preferred embodiment of the method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus of the present invention and the image forming apparatus manufactured by the method, an NTSC system using a display panel constituted by electron sources having a simple matrix arrangement will be described. An image forming apparatus for performing television display based on a television signal is shown, and a schematic configuration thereof will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a drive circuit of the image forming apparatus in which display is performed according to an NTSC television signal. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 151 denotes the display panel;
Is a scanning circuit, 153 is a control circuit, 154 is a shift register, 155 is a line memory, 156 is a synchronization signal separation circuit, 157 is a modulation signal generator, and Vx and Va are DC voltage sources.

The function of each section will be described below. First, the display panel 151 is connected to an external electric circuit via terminals Dox1 to Doxm, terminals Doy1 to Doyn, and a high-voltage terminal Hv. Of these, the terminals Dox1 to Doxm sequentially drive electron sources provided in the display panel, that is, a group of electron-emitting devices arranged in a matrix of M rows and N columns, one row at a time (N elements). A scanning signal is applied to the scan. On the other hand, to the terminals Doy1 to Doyn, a modulation signal for controlling an output electron beam of each of the electron-emitting devices in one row selected by the scanning signal is applied. Also, the high voltage terminal H
DC voltage of, for example, 10 k [V] is supplied to v from a DC voltage source Va. This is to apply sufficient energy to the electron beam output from the electron-emitting device to excite the phosphor. Is the accelerating voltage.

Next, the scanning circuit 152 will be described.
This circuit includes M switching elements inside (in the figure, schematically indicated by S1 to Sm), and each switching element is connected to an output voltage of a DC voltage source Vx or 0 [V] (ground). Level), and is electrically connected to the terminals Dox1 to Doxm of the display panel 151. Each of the switching elements S1 to Sm outputs a control signal T output from the control circuit 153.
Although it operates based on scan, in practice, it can be easily configured by combining switching elements such as FETs.

In the case of the present embodiment, the DC voltage source Vx supplies a drive voltage applied to an unscanned element based on the characteristics (electron emission threshold voltage) of the electron emission element. It is set so as to output a constant voltage lower than the threshold voltage.

The control circuit 153 has a function of coordinating the operation of each unit so that an appropriate display is performed based on an image signal input from the outside. The synchronization signal Ts sent from the synchronization signal separation circuit 156 described next
Tscan, Tsft for each part based on the sync
And Tmry control signals.

The synchronizing signal separation circuit 156 is a circuit for separating a synchronizing signal component and a luminance signal component from an NTSC system television signal input from the outside. As is well known, a frequency separation (filter) is performed. If a circuit is used, it can be easily configured. As is well known, the synchronization signal separated by the synchronization signal separation circuit 156 is composed of a vertical synchronization signal and a horizontal synchronization signal, but is shown here as a Tsync signal for convenience of explanation. On the other hand, the luminance signal component of the image separated from the television signal is referred to as DAT for convenience.
This signal is represented by an A signal, which is input to the shift register 154.

The shift register 154 is for serially / parallel converting the DATA signal input serially in time series for each line of an image, and is based on a control signal Tsft sent from the control circuit 153. (That is, the control signal Tsft may be a shift clock of the shift register 154). The data for one line of the image that has been subjected to the serial / parallel conversion (corresponding to the drive data for the N electron-emitting devices) is output from the shift register 154 as N parallel signals Id1 to Idn.

The line memory 155 is a storage device for storing data for one line of an image for a required time only, and stores the contents of Id1 to Idn as appropriate according to a control signal Tmry sent from the control circuit 153. The stored contents are output as Id′1 to Id′n and input to the modulation signal generator 157.

The modulation signal generator 157 is a signal source for appropriately driving and modulating each of the electron-emitting devices in accordance with each of the image data Id'1 to Id'n. The output signal is a terminal Doy1. Through Doyn to the electron-emitting devices in the display panel 151.

As described above, the electron-emitting device according to the present invention has the following basic characteristics with respect to the emission current Ie. That is, as described above, electron emission has a clear threshold voltage Vth, and electron emission occurs only when a voltage higher than Vth is applied. For a voltage equal to or higher than the electron emission threshold, the emission current also changes according to the change in the voltage applied to the element. The value of the electron emission threshold voltage Vth and the degree of change of the emission current with respect to the applied voltage may be changed by changing the material, configuration, and manufacturing method of the electron-emitting device. Something like that can be said.

That is, when a pulse-like voltage is applied to the device, for example, when a voltage lower than the electron emission threshold is applied, no electron emission occurs, but when a voltage higher than the electron emission threshold is applied. Outputs an electron beam. At that time, first, it is possible to control the intensity of the output electron beam by changing the peak value Vm of the pulse. Second, it is possible to control the total amount of charges of the output electron beam by changing the pulse width Pw.

Therefore, as a method of modulating the electron-emitting device according to the input signal, a voltage modulation method, a pulse width modulation method, and the like can be mentioned. In order to implement the voltage modulation method, the modulation signal generator 157 generates a voltage pulse of a fixed length, but modulates the peak value of the pulse appropriately according to input data. Is used. In order to implement the pulse width modulation method, the modulation signal generator 157 generates a voltage pulse having a constant peak value, but modulates the width of the voltage pulse appropriately according to input data. A modulation type circuit is used.

By the series of operations described above, television display can be performed using the display panel 151. In addition,
Although not specifically described in the above description, the shift register 1
The memory 54 and the line memory 155 may be of a digital signal type or an analog signal type. In short, serial / parallel conversion and storage of image signals may be performed at a predetermined speed.

When the digital signal type is used, the output signal DATA of the synchronizing signal separation circuit 156 needs to be converted into a digital signal.
It goes without saying that it is easily possible if a converter is provided. In connection with this, it goes without saying that the circuit used for the modulation signal generator 157 is slightly different depending on whether the output signal of the line memory 155 is a digital signal or an analog signal. That is, in the case of a digital signal, in the case of a voltage modulation method, the modulation signal generator 157 includes:
For example, a well-known D / A conversion circuit may be used, and an amplification circuit or the like may be added as needed. In the case of the pulse width modulation method, the modulation signal generator 157 includes, for example, a high-speed oscillator, a counter that counts the number of waves output from the oscillator, and a comparison that compares the output value of the counter with the output value of the memory. Those skilled in the art can easily configure the circuit by using a circuit in which devices (comparators) are combined. If necessary, an amplifier for voltage-amplifying the pulse-width-modulated signal output from the comparator to the drive voltage of the electron-emitting device may be added.

On the other hand, in the case of an analog signal, in the case of a voltage modulation system, an amplification circuit using, for example, a well-known operational amplifier may be used as the modulation signal generator 157.
If necessary, a level shift circuit or the like may be added.
In the case of the pulse width modulation method, for example, a well-known voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) may be used, and an amplifier for amplifying the voltage up to the drive voltage of the electron-emitting device may be added as necessary. Is also good.

In the image display device suitable for the present invention completed as described above, each of the electron-emitting devices has a terminal Dox outside the container.
Electrons are emitted by applying a voltage through 1 to Doxm, Doy1 to Doyn, and a metal back 135 or a transparent electrode (not shown) through a high voltage terminal Hv.
To apply a high voltage to accelerate the electron beam,
An image can be displayed by exciting and emitting the fluorescent film 134 by colliding with the light.

The configuration described above is a schematic configuration necessary for manufacturing a suitable image forming apparatus used for display and the like. For example, detailed portions such as materials of each member are not limited to those described above. Is appropriately selected so as to be suitable for the use of the image forming apparatus. Also, the NTSC system has been described as an example of the input signal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and PAL, SEC
Various systems such as the AM system may be used, and a TV signal (for example, a high-definition TV including the MUSE system) including a larger number of scanning lines may be used.

Next, examples of the electron source, the display panel, and the image forming apparatus having the ladder-type arrangement described above will be described with reference to FIGS.
7 will be described. In FIG. 16, reference numeral 160 denotes an electron source substrate, 161 denotes an electron-emitting device, and 162 denotes common wirings Dx1 to Dx10 for wiring the electron-emitting devices.
A plurality of electron-emitting devices 161 are arranged on the substrate 160 in parallel in the X direction (this is called an element row). A plurality of the element rows are arranged and serve as an electron source. By appropriately applying a drive voltage between the common wires of each element row, each element row can be driven independently. That is, a voltage equal to or higher than the electron emission threshold may be applied to an element row that wants to emit an electron beam, and a voltage equal to or lower than the electron emission threshold may be applied to an element row that does not emit an electron beam. Further, the common wirings Dx2 to Dx9 between the element rows may be configured such that, for example, Dx2 and Dx3 are the same wiring.

FIG. 17 shows a display panel of an image forming apparatus provided with the above-described ladder-shaped electron source. 170 is a grid electrode, 171 is a hole through which electrons pass, 172 is an outer terminal made of Dox1, Dox2,... Doxm, 173 is G1, G connected to the grid electrode 170.
The external terminals 174 made of Gn are the electron source substrates in which the common wiring between the element rows is the same as described above. In FIG. 17, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 13 and 16 denote the same components as those in both figures. A major difference from the image forming apparatus having the simple matrix arrangement (shown in FIG. 13) is that a grid electrode 170 is provided between the electron source substrate 160 and the face plate 136.

A grid electrode 170 is provided between the substrate 160 and the face plate 136. The grid electrode 170 is capable of modulating the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device. In order to allow the electron beam to pass through a stripe-shaped electrode provided orthogonally to the ladder-shaped arrangement of the element rows, , A circular opening 171 is provided one by one. The shape and installation position of the grid need not necessarily be as shown in FIG. 17, and a large number of passage openings may be provided in a mesh shape as openings.
Also, for example, it may be provided around or near the electron-emitting device.

The outer terminal 172 and the outer terminal 173 are electrically connected to a control circuit (not shown).

In the above-described image forming apparatus, a modulation signal for one line of an image is simultaneously applied to the grid electrode rows in synchronization with the sequential driving (scanning) of the element rows one by one. By controlling the irradiation of the phosphor, one image
Can be displayed line by line.

Further, according to the concept of the present invention, there is provided an image forming apparatus suitable not only for a display device of a television broadcast but also for a display device of a video conference system, a computer or the like. Furthermore, it can be used as an image forming apparatus as an optical printer configured in combination with a photosensitive drum or the like. At this time, by appropriately selecting the above-mentioned m row-directional wirings and n column-directional wirings, the present invention can be applied not only to a linear light emitting source but also to a two-dimensional light emitting source.

[0105]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described specifically with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

Example 1 An element as shown in FIG. 1 was produced as a surface conduction electron-emitting element. 1A is a plan view, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view. In FIG. 1, 1 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are device electrodes, 4 is a conductive thin film, 5 is an electron emitting portion, 6 is a projection, L is a device electrode interval, W1 is a device electrode length, and W2 is a dot electrode. Indicates the length of the overlapping part. Hereinafter, a basic configuration and a manufacturing method of an element according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 2, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components.

First, quartz glass was used as the insulating substrate 1,
This was sufficiently washed with an organic solvent or the like, and then dried at 120 ° C. Next, the device electrode 2 made of Ni is formed on the substrate having been subjected to the above-described cleaning process by photolithography technology.
No. 3 was formed (FIG. 2A). At this time, the electrode interval L is 2
0 μm, device electrode length W1 is 100 μm, thickness is about 10
It was formed to have a thickness of 0 nm.

The projections 6 were formed between the device electrodes on the substrate by printing a glass paste (FIG. 2B). At this time, the projection 6 was formed so as to be located at the center between the electrodes.
The shape of the convex portion 6 was a dome shape having a diameter of 10 μm and a height of about 1 μm. Next, palladium acetate was dissolved in an aqueous solution containing 40% by weight of dimethyl sulfoxide so that the palladium concentration became 0.4% by weight, to obtain a dark red organic palladium-containing solution. A droplet of this solution is used as a droplet applying means 7 using an inkjet ejecting apparatus using a piezoelectric element.
The dot diameter was adjusted so as to be 40 μm and applied between the electrodes (FIG. 2C), and heated and baked at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes to obtain palladium oxide (PdO). A conductive thin film 4 having a thickness of 40 μm and a maximum thickness of 30 nm was obtained (FIG. 2D).

Next, a voltage was applied between the device electrodes 2 and 3, and the conductive thin film 4 was energized (formed) to form the electron-emitting portion 5 (FIG. 2 (e)).
Observation with a microscope did not reveal any portion where the width of the electron-emitting portion 5 was extremely widened. When a plurality of devices as described above were manufactured and the variation in emission current ΔIe between the devices was evaluated, ΔIe was 8%. As described above, in the electron-emitting device manufactured by the method as in the first embodiment, the film thickness at the position where the convex portion is formed becomes thin, and the portion where the film thickness is too large is eliminated, so that the uniform electron-emitting portion is formed. Can be formed.

Embodiment 2 This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components.

The same cleaning was performed using the same substrate 1 as in Example 1, and the device electrodes 2 and 3 made of Ni having a device electrode interval L of 30 μm, a device electrode length W1 of 200 μm, and a thickness of 100 nm were formed. Formed on a substrate in the same manner as in Example 1.
Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, a protrusion 6 is formed at a center of the electrode gap on the substrate at a width of 15 μm, a length of 150 μm, and a height of 2 μm.
m was formed in the same manner as in Example 1.

Next, droplets of the same solution as in Example 1 were adjusted so as to have a dot diameter of 60 μm, and the electrode 2 was formed using the same droplet applying means as in Example 1 as shown in FIG. And between 3. At this time, the distance between the centers of the dots is 30 μm.
m, that is, five dots are provided so that the portion where the upper and lower dots overlap has a length of 30 μm. Next, the applied droplets were subjected to a heat treatment at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a fine particle film made of palladium oxide (PdO) fine particles, thereby forming a conductive thin film 4. Further, the electron-emitting portion 5 was formed by applying the same electric current as in Example 1. These steps were repeated to form a plurality of devices.

When the variation ΔIe of the emission current among the plurality of electron-emitting devices manufactured by the above method was evaluated, ΔIe was 9%. Also, in one element,
By applying dots in a superimposed manner, W2 became constant, there was no variation in W2 due to displacement in the longitudinal direction, there was no coating unevenness, and the variation in resistance was small because the film thickness between elements was uniform.

Embodiment 3 Hereinafter, a basic structure and a manufacturing method of an element according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 9 denotes a concave portion. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components.

First, the same substrate was used for cleaning as in Example 1, and the same device electrodes were formed (FIG. 5A).
Next, a recess 9 was formed on the device electrode by the FIB method as shown in FIG. 4 (FIG. 5B). In the present embodiment, the concave portion is formed at a position 15 μm away from the center between the electrodes, one at a time on the electrodes 2 and 3 so as to at least partially enter the peripheral portion of the dot, assuming the dot position. The concave portion had a width of 2 μm, a length of about 16 μm, and a depth of 5 μm.

A droplet of the same solution as in Example 1 was applied between the electrodes by adjusting the dot diameter to 40 μm using the same droplet applying means 7 (FIG. 5C). Next, the applied droplet was heated and baked at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a conductive thin film 4 made of palladium oxide (PdO) fine particles (FIG. 5D).

Next, a voltage was applied between the device electrodes 2 and 3, and the conductive thin film 4 was subjected to an energizing process (forming process) to form the electron-emitting portion 5 (FIG. 5E).
Microscopic observation did not reveal any part where the width of the electron-emitting portion 5 was extremely wide.

When a plurality of devices as described above were manufactured and the variation of emission current ΔIe between the devices was evaluated,
e was 8%. It can be seen that if the recess is formed so as to be located at the periphery of the dot, the film thickness becomes uniform and the electron emission characteristics become uniform.

Embodiment 4 This embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same components. The same cleaning was performed using the same substrate 1 as in Example 1, and the device electrodes 2 and 3 made of Ni having a device electrode length W1 of 200 μm, a device electrode interval L of 30 μm, and a device electrode thickness of 100 nm were used. Formed on a substrate in the same manner as in Example 1. Next, a recess 9 having a width of 4 μm, a length of 150 μm, and a depth of 8 μm was formed on the electrode 20 μm away from the center between the electrodes in the same manner as in Example 3.

Next, droplets of the same solution as in Example 1 were adjusted so as to have a dot diameter of 60 μm, and the electrode 2 as shown in FIG. And between 3. At this time, the distance between the centers of the dots is 30 μm.
m, that is, dots were applied five times so that the portion where the upper and lower dots overlap was 30 μm long. Next, the applied droplets were subjected to a heat treatment at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a fine particle film made of palladium oxide (PdO) fine particles, thereby forming a conductive thin film 4. Further, the electron-emitting portion 5 was formed by applying the same electric current as in Example 1. These steps were repeated to form a plurality of devices.

When the variation ΔIe of the emission current among the plurality of electron-emitting devices manufactured by the above method was evaluated, ΔIe was 8%. Also, in one element,
By applying dots in a superimposed manner, W2 became constant, there was no variation in W2 due to displacement in the longitudinal direction, there was no coating unevenness, and the variation in resistance was small because the film thickness between elements was uniform. When the number of droplets per element was set to two and the depth of the concave portion was set to 16 μm, the film thickness was about twice and the resistance was about half. It has been found that a desired conductive thin film resistor can be obtained by changing the number of droplets per dot and the depth of the concave portion.

The electron-emitting device thus manufactured was observed under a microscope in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the electron emission portion 5
No extremely wide part was seen.

Embodiment 5 This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7
8 and FIG. 8, reference numeral 10 denotes a droplet of a highly concentrated solution, 1
Numeral 1 denotes a liquid droplet of a low concentration solution, and the same as FIG. 1 indicates the same.

First, using the same substrate as in Example 1, cleaning was performed in the same manner, and the device electrodes 2 and 3 made of Ni having a device electrode interval L of 30 μm, a device electrode length of 100 μm, and a device electrode thickness of 100 nm were used. Was formed on a substrate in the same manner as in Example 1 (FIG. 7A). Next, a solution containing the two materials for forming a conductive thin film was prepared as a solution A using the same solution as in Example 1 and a solution B obtained by diluting the solution A to a concentration of 1/4 to obtain a solution B.

The droplet 10 of the solution A is applied once between the electrodes on the substrate that has been subjected to the above-mentioned cleaning step by using the same droplet applying means 7 as in the first embodiment (FIG. 7B). (C)) After several seconds, the droplet 11 of the solution B is applied once to the same place using the droplet applying means 7 (FIG. 8D), and the applied droplet
Palladium oxide (Pd
O) A conductive thin film 4 composed of fine particles was formed (FIG. 8).
(E)). The diameter per dot was about 150 μm in total for both droplets, and the thickness was 300 °. Then, the electron-emitting portion 5 was formed by applying the same electric current as in Example 1. These steps were repeated to form a plurality of devices.

The conductive thin film made of palladium oxide fine particles similarly formed on a quartz substrate having no device electrode was about 300 °. EPMA (Electron
When the film thickness was measured by Probe Micro Analysis, the cross section of the dot showed a substantially uniform film thickness as shown in FIG.

The electron-emitting device thus produced was observed under a microscope in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the electron emission portion 5
No extremely wide part was seen. When the variation ΔIe of the emission current among the plurality of electron-emitting devices manufactured by the above method was evaluated, ΔIe was 9%.

As described above, it is possible to form a conductive thin film having no thickness distribution and a uniform thickness by applying droplets having different concentrations to the same location. As a result, a uniform electron-emitting portion could be reliably produced, and the production yield was improved.

Example 6 The same substrate as in Example 1 was used for cleaning and device electrodes were formed in the same manner. Next, the same solution as in Example 1 was used for the solution A, the solution A whose concentration was reduced to 1/3 by diluting the solution A, and the solution D whose concentration was reduced to 1/10 by diluting the solution A was solution D.
, Solutions containing three types of materials for forming a conductive thin film were prepared.

Using the same droplet applying means 7 as in Example 1, the solution A was applied three times so as to have a dot diameter of 80 ° between the electrodes on the substrate subjected to the above-mentioned cleaning step.
A few seconds later, the solution C was applied to the same place twice, and a few seconds later, the solution D was further applied to the same place two times, so that a dot having a dot diameter of 80 mm and a film thickness of 150 mm was finally formed.

Next, heating was performed at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes to obtain a conductive thin film composed of fine particles of palladium oxide (PdO). Further, when the current was applied in the same manner as in Example 1, the electron-emitting portion 5 was formed with a uniform width substantially at the center of the gap.

Further, since the number of times of application of droplets having the same concentration is proportional to the film thickness and at the same time inversely proportional to the film resistance, the desired conductive thin film resistance can be obtained by changing the number of droplets applied to each solution having a different concentration. I got it. When the variation ΔIe of the emission current between the plurality of electron-emitting devices manufactured by the above method was evaluated, ΔIe was 8%.

Example 7 The same substrate was used for cleaning as in Example 1, and a device electrode was formed in the same manner. Next, a solution containing the same conductive thin film forming material as in Example 1 was prepared, the substrate was placed on an ultrasonic generator, ultrasonic waves were applied to the substrate, and heat was applied using a heater. Droplets of the solution were applied between the electrodes using the droplet applying means 7 in the same manner as in 1. At this time, the ultrasonic oscillation frequency was 40 kHz. The temperature of the heater was set to about 50 to 60 ° C.

Next, the applied droplets were dried at 80 ° C. for 2 minutes and fired at 350 ° C. for 12 minutes to form a conductive thin film. At this time, the average film thickness and its variation were obtained by measuring a total of 20 locations in each of 10 locations in the X-axis and Y-axis directions between the electrodes using a wide-scan scanner (100 μm) of an atomic microscope. Was. As a result, the average was 90 °, and the variation was 5%.

Next, a voltage was applied between the device electrodes in a vacuum vessel, and the conductive thin film was subjected to an energizing process (forming process) to form an electron-emitting portion. FIG. 9 shows a voltage waveform of the forming process.

In this embodiment, the pulse width T1 of the voltage waveform is set to 1
Milliseconds, the pulse interval T2 was 10 milliseconds, the peak value of the triangular wave (peak voltage at the time of forming) was 4 V, and the forming process was performed in a vacuum atmosphere of about 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ Torr for 60 seconds. The electron emission part created in this way is
Fine particles mainly composed of palladium element were dispersed and arranged, and the average particle size of the fine particles was 50 °.

The electron emission characteristics of the device fabricated as described above were measured by a measurement and evaluation apparatus having the structure shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the distance between the anode and the electron-emitting device is 4 mm, and the potential of the anode is 1 k.
V, the degree of vacuum in the vacuum device at the time of measuring the electron emission characteristics is 1 × 1
It was set to 0 ^-6 Torr.

The device voltage was applied between the electrodes of the electron-emitting device using the measurement and evaluation apparatus as described above, and the device current If and the emission current Ie flowing at that time were measured.
The current-voltage characteristics as shown in FIG. 11 were obtained. In this device, the emission current Ie rapidly increases from a device voltage of about 7 V, and at a device voltage of 12 V, the device current If becomes 0.8 mA.
The emission current Ie becomes 0.62 μA, and the electron emission efficiency η =
Ie / If (%) was 0.08%.

The electron-emitting device thus produced was observed under a microscope in the same manner as in Example 1. As a result, the electron emission portion 5
No extremely wide part was seen. When the variation ΔIe of the emission current between the plurality of electron-emitting devices manufactured by the above method was evaluated, ΔIe was 10%.

In the embodiments described above, when forming the electron-emitting portion, the forming process is performed by applying a triangular wave pulse between the electrodes of the device, but the waveform applied between the electrodes of the device is limited to a triangular wave. However, a desired waveform such as a rectangular wave may be used, and the peak value, pulse width, pulse interval, and the like are not limited to the above-described values. Can be selected.

Comparative Example 1 A plurality of devices were formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that no convex portion was formed, and the variation in emission current ΔIe between the devices was evaluated. As a result, ΔIe was 16%.

Comparative Example 2 A plurality of devices were formed in the same manner as in Example 2 except that no convex portion was formed, and the variation in emission current ΔIe between the devices was evaluated. The ΔIe was 17%.

Embodiment 8 In this embodiment, an image forming apparatus was manufactured as follows. A method of manufacturing the electron source of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 19 is a plan view of a part of the electron source, and FIG.
FIG. 20 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′. 19 to 22, the same reference numerals denote the same components. Here, 1 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are device electrodes, 4 is a conductive thin film,
6 is a convex part, 122 is X corresponding to Dxm in FIG.
A direction wiring (also referred to as a lower wiring) 123 is a Y-direction wiring (also referred to as an upper wiring) corresponding to Dyn in FIG.
1 is an interlayer insulating layer, and 182 is a contact hole for electrical connection between the element electrode 2 and the lower wiring 122.

Step-a On a substrate 1 in which a 0.5 μm thick silicon oxide film was formed on a cleaned blue plate glass by a sputtering method, 50 mm thick Cr and 6000 mm thick Au were sequentially laminated by vacuum evaporation. After that, a photoresist (manufactured by AZ1370 Hoechst) is spin-coated and baked by a spinner, and then a photomask image is exposed and developed to form a resist pattern of the lower wiring 122, and then the Au / Cr deposited film is wet-etched. Then, a lower wiring 122 having a desired shape was formed.

Step-b Next, an interlayer insulating layer 181 made of a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 1.0 μm and the projections 6 were deposited by RF sputtering.

Step-c The contact hole 1 was formed in the silicon oxide film deposited in the step b.
A photoresist pattern for forming 82 was formed, and using this as a mask, the interlayer insulating layer 181 was etched to form a contact hole 182. Etching is CF ₄
(Reactive Ion Etching) using HF and H ₂ gas.

Step-d Thereafter, a photoresist (RD-2000N-41 manufactured by Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.) is formed on the device electrodes 2 and 3 and a pattern to be the device electrode interval L, and a 50 .ANG.
Ni having a thickness of 1000 ° was sequentially deposited. The photoresist pattern was dissolved with an organic solvent, the Ni / Ti deposited film was lifted off, and the element electrode interval L was 3 μm and the element electrode length W was 3
The device electrodes 2 and 3 of 00 μm were formed.

Step-e After forming a photoresist pattern of the upper wiring 123 on the device electrodes 2 and 3, the thickness of Ti is set to 50 ° and the thickness is set to 5000 °.
Were sequentially deposited by vacuum evaporation, and unnecessary portions were removed by lift-off, thereby forming an upper wiring 123 having a desired shape.

Step-f The organic palladium-containing solution used in Example 1 was used in Example 1
Using the same droplet applying means (not shown) as in
Heat treatment was performed at 300 ° C. for 10 minutes. The conductive film 4 thus formed has P as a main element.
It was a thin film composed of fine particles consisting of d, the maximum thickness was 300 °, and the sheet resistance value Rs was 2 × 10 ⁴ Ω / □. In addition, the fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated, and not only a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged as a fine structure, but also the fine particles are adjacent to each other.
Alternatively, it refers to a film in an overlapping state (including an island shape)
The particle diameter refers to the diameter of the fine particles whose particle shape can be recognized in the above state.

Step-g After forming a pattern for applying a resist to portions other than the contact hole 182, a thickness of 50 mm was formed by vacuum evaporation.
{Circle around (1)} Ti and 5,000 mm thick Au were sequentially deposited. Unnecessary portions were removed by lift-off to fill the contact holes 182. Through the above steps, the lower wiring 122, the interlayer insulating layer 181, the upper wiring 123, the device electrodes 2, 3, the conductive film 4, the projection 6, and the like were formed on the insulating substrate 1.

Next, a display panel was constructed using the electron source manufactured as described above. A method of manufacturing the display panel of the image forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. The reference numerals in both figures are as described above.

After fixing the substrate 121 on which many flat-type electron-emitting devices have been manufactured as described above on the rear plate 131, the face plate 136 (the fluorescent film 134 And the metal back 135 are formed).
2, the face plate 136, the support frame 1
32, frit glass was applied to the joint of the rear plate 131, and baked at 400 ° C. in the air for 10 minutes to seal (FIG. 13). Also, the substrate 121 on the rear plate 131
Was also fixed with frit glass.

The fluorescent film 134 is composed of only a phosphor in the case of monochrome, but in this embodiment, the phosphor is formed in a stripe shape, a black stripe is formed first, and each color phosphor is applied to the gap. Then, a fluorescent film 134 was manufactured. As a material for the black stripe, a material containing graphite as a main component, which is commonly used, was used, and a slurry method was used as a method for applying a phosphor on a glass substrate.

A metal back 135 is usually provided on the inner side of the fluorescent film 134. The metal back performs a smoothing process (usually called “filming”) on the inner surface of the fluorescent film 134 after the fluorescent film is formed, and then performs A
1 was produced by vacuum evaporation.

In the face plate 136, a transparent electrode may be provided on the outer surface side of the fluorescent film 134 in order to further increase the conductivity of the fluorescent film 134, but in this embodiment, sufficient conductivity is obtained only by the metal back. It was omitted because it was obtained.

At the time of the above-mentioned sealing, in the case of color, since the phosphors of each color must correspond to the electron-emitting devices, sufficient alignment was performed.

The atmosphere in the glass container (envelope) completed as described above is exhausted by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the external terminal D
A voltage was applied between the electrodes 2 and 3 of the electron-emitting device 124 through ox1 to Doxm and Doy1 to Doyn, and the conductive film 4 was subjected to an energizing process (forming process) to produce the electron-emitting portion 5. FIG. 9 shows a voltage waveform of the forming process.

In FIG. 9, T1 and T2 are the pulse width and pulse interval of the voltage waveform. In this embodiment, T1 is 1 ms,
T2 is 10 ms, the peak value of the triangular wave (peak voltage at the time of forming) is 5 V, and the forming process is about 1 ×
This was performed for 60 seconds under a vacuum atmosphere of 10 ^-5 Torr.

Next, the same T1 and T2 as the forming,
The activation process was performed while measuring the device current If and the emission current Ie with a rectangular wave having a peak value of 14 V and a vacuum degree of 2 × 10 ⁻⁵ Torr.

Next, after reducing the pressure to about 10 ⁻⁶ Torr, the exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner, and the envelope was sealed. Finally, a getter process was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.

Using the display panel completed as described above, an image forming apparatus is formed (a drive circuit is not shown), and external terminals Dox1 to Doxm, Doy1 to Doy1 are connected to each electron-emitting device.
Electrons are emitted by applying a scanning signal and a modulation signal from the signal generation means (not shown) through Doyn, respectively, and several k are applied to the metal back 135 through the high voltage terminal Hv.
A high voltage of V or more is applied to accelerate the electron beam, and the fluorescent film 1
The image was displayed by exciting and emitting the fluorescent film 134 by colliding the fluorescent film 34 with the fluorescent film 134.

Embodiment 9 FIG. 23 shows image information provided from various image information sources such as a television package on a display panel using the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display device configured to be able to do so. In the figure, 6100 is a display panel, 6101 is a display panel driving circuit, 61
02 is a display panel controller, 6103 is a multiplexer, 6104 is a decoder, 6105 is an input / output interface circuit, 6106 is a CPU, 6107 is an image generation circuit, 6108, 6109 and 6110 are image memory interface circuits, 6111 is an image input interface circuit, 6112 And 6113 are TV
A signal receiving circuit 6114 is an input unit. When the present display device receives a signal containing both video information and audio information, such as a television signal, it naturally reproduces the audio simultaneously with the display of the video. Descriptions of circuits, speakers, and the like related to reception, separation, reproduction, processing, storage, and the like of audio information that are not directly related to the above are omitted.

Hereinafter, the function of each section will be described along the flow of the image signal. First, the TV signal receiving circuit 6113
For example, it is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wireless transmission system such as radio waves or spatial optical communication.
The type of TV signal to be received is not particularly limited,
For example, various systems such as the NTSC system, the PAL system, and the SECAM system may be used. A TV signal (for example, a so-called high-definition TV such as the MUSE system) composed of a larger number of scanning lines is suitable for taking advantage of the display panel suitable for a large area and a large number of pixels. Signal source. The TV signal received by the TV signal receiving circuit 6113 is output to the decoder 6104.

The TV signal receiving circuit 6112 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wired transmission system such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber. Similarly to the TV signal receiving circuit 6113, the system of the TV signal to be received is not particularly limited, and the TV signal received by this circuit is also output to the decoder 6104.

The image input interface circuit 61
Reference numeral 11 denotes a circuit for receiving an image signal supplied from an image input device such as a TV camera or an image reading scanner.
4 is output.

Image memory interface circuit 611
0 is a video tape recorder (hereinafter abbreviated as VTR)
The image signal fetched by the circuit for fetching the image signal stored in the decoder 6104 is output to the decoder 6104.

Image memory interface circuit 610
Reference numeral 9 denotes a circuit for taking in an image signal stored in the video disk.
4 is output.

An image memory interface circuit 6108 is a circuit for taking in an image signal from a device storing still image data, such as a so-called still image disk.
04 is input.

The input / output interface circuit 610
Reference numeral 5 denotes a circuit for connecting the display device to an external computer, a computer network, or an output device such as a printer. It is possible not only to input and output image data and character / graphic information, but also to input and output control signals and numerical data between the CPU 6106 included in the display device and the outside in some cases.

The image generation circuit 6107 is provided with image data, character / graphic information, or CPU input from the outside via the input / output interface circuit 6105.
A circuit for generating display image data based on the image data and character / graphic information output from 6106. Within this circuit, for example, a rewritable memory for storing image data and character / graphic information, a read-only memory for storing image patterns corresponding to character codes, and a processor for image processing And other circuits necessary for generating an image.

The display image data generated by this circuit is output to the decoder 6104, but may be output to an external computer network or printer via the input / output interface circuit 6105 in some cases.

The CPU 6106 mainly performs operations related to operation control of the display device and generation, selection and editing of a display image. For example, a control signal is output to the multiplexer 6103, and image signals to be displayed on the display panel are appropriately selected or combined. At that time, a control signal is generated for the display panel controller 6102 in accordance with the image signal to be displayed, and the display frequency, the scanning method (for example, interface or non-interface), the number of scanning lines on one screen, and the like are displayed. The operation of the device is appropriately controlled.

Further, image data and character / graphic information are directly output to the image generation circuit 6107, or an external computer or memory is accessed through the input / output interface circuit 6105 to access the image data or character / graphic information. Enter graphic information. The CPU 6106
May, of course, be involved in work for other purposes. For example, it may directly relate to a function of generating and processing information, such as a personal computer or a word processor. Alternatively, it may be connected to an external computer network via the input / output interface circuit 6105 as described above, and work such as numerical calculation may be performed in cooperation with an external device.

The input unit 6114 is connected to the CPU 61
06 is for the user to input commands, programs, data, and the like. For example, various input devices such as a joystick, a barcode reader, and a voice recognition device can be used in addition to a keyboard and a mouse.

Also, the decoder 6104 has the
6113 is a circuit for inversely converting various image signals input from 6113 into three primary color signals or a luminance signal and an I signal and a Q signal. It is preferable that the decoder 6104 has an internal image memory as shown by a dotted line in FIG. This is because, for example, the MUSE method or the like, the provision of an image memory when performing inverse conversion facilitates the display of a still image, or the image generation circuit 6
107 and the CPU 6106 to thin out the image,
This is because there is an advantage that image processing and editing including interpolation, enlargement, reduction, and composition can be easily performed.

The multiplexer 6103 is connected to the C
A display image is appropriately selected based on a control signal input from the PU 6106. That is, the multiplexer 6103 selects a desired image signal from the inversely converted image signals input from the decoder 6104, and outputs the selected image signal to the drive circuit 6101. In that case, by switching and selecting an image signal within one screen display time, it is possible to divide one screen into a plurality of areas and display different images depending on the areas, as in a so-called multi-screen TV. . The display panel controller 6102
Is a circuit for controlling the operation of the drive circuit 6101 based on the control signal input from the CPU 6106.

First, as a signal related to the basic operation of the display panel, for example, a signal for controlling an operation sequence of a drive power source (not shown) for the display panel is output to the drive circuit 6101. In addition, a signal for controlling a screen display frequency and a scanning method (for example, interface or non-interface) is output to the driving circuit 6101 as a signal related to the display panel driving method. In some cases, a control signal relating to image quality adjustment such as luminance, contrast, color tone, and sharpness of a display image is supplied to the driving circuit 610.
1 may be output. Further, the driving circuit 610
Reference numeral 1 denotes a circuit for generating a drive signal to be applied to the display panel 6100.
3 and operates based on a control signal input from the display panel controller 6102.

The function of each part has been described above. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 23, in this display device, image information input from various image information sources is displayed on the display panel 61.
00 can be displayed. That is, various image signals including television packaging are transmitted to the decoder 61.
After the inverse conversion at 04, the multiplexer 6103
And is input to the drive circuit 6101 as appropriate. On the other hand, the display panel controller 6102
Generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the driving circuit 6101 in accordance with an image signal to be displayed. Drive circuit 6101
Applies a drive signal to the display panel 6100 based on the image signal and the control signal. Accordingly, an image is displayed on display panel 6100. These series of operations are totally controlled by the CPU 6106.

In the present display device, the image memory incorporated in the decoder 6104 and the image generation circuit 61
07 and information selected from the information, as well as image information to be displayed, such as enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, edge enhancement, thinning, interpolation, color conversion,
It is also possible to perform image processing such as image aspect ratio conversion and the like, and image editing such as synthesis, deletion, connection, replacement, and fitting. Although not specifically described in the description of the present embodiment, a dedicated circuit for processing and editing audio information may be provided as in the above-described image processing and image editing.

Therefore, the present display device is a television broadcast display device, a video conference terminal device, an image editing device that handles still and moving images, a computer terminal device, an office terminal device including a word processor, a game terminal device, and the like. It is possible to combine the functions of a container and the like with one unit, and it has a very wide range of applications for industrial or consumer use.

FIG. 23 shows only an example of the configuration of a display device using a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this. No. For example, FIG.
Circuits related to functions unnecessary for the purpose of use among the three components may be omitted. Conversely, additional components may be added depending on the purpose of use. For example, when the present display device is applied to a videophone, it is preferable to add a television camera, an audio microphone, a lighting device, a transmission / reception circuit including a modem, and the like to the components.

In the present display device, in particular, it is easy to reduce the thickness of a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source, so that the depth of the display device can be reduced. In addition, the display panel using surface conduction electron-emitting devices as the electron beam source can easily enlarge the screen, and has high brightness and excellent viewing angle characteristics. It is possible to display well.

[0184]

According to the present invention, as in the present invention, an ink-jet type droplet applying means is used to form projections and depressions, to apply droplets having different concentrations, and to apply droplets to the substrate. By applying ultrasonic vibration, the thickness of the conductive thin film is made uniform, the manufacturing process of the thin film is simplified, and the element can be easily formed at low cost and on a large-area substrate. A method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device having uniform electron emission characteristics, and a method for manufacturing an electron source, a display panel, and an image forming apparatus using the device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a projection formed on a substrate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device for forming a projection on a substrate according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view showing another example of a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a projection formed on a substrate according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view showing one example of a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a concave portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a concave portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view and a cross-sectional view showing another example of the surface conduction electron-emitting device having the concave portion according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device that applies droplets having different concentrations according to the present invention (steps a to c).

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a method for manufacturing a surface conduction electron-emitting device for applying droplets having different concentrations according to the present invention (steps d to e).

FIG. 9 is a graph showing an example of a voltage waveform of energization forming suitable for the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a measurement evaluation device for measuring electron emission characteristics.

FIG. 11 shows emission current Ie, device current If, and device voltage V
It is a graph which shows the typical example of the relationship of f.

FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electron source having a simple matrix arrangement suitable for the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a display panel suitable for the present invention using an electron source having a simple matrix arrangement.

FIG. 14 is a pattern diagram showing an example of a fluorescent film.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a driving circuit for performing display according to an NTSC television signal on an image forming apparatus suitable for the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electron source having a ladder arrangement suitable for the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic configuration diagram of a display panel suitable for the present invention using an electron source in a ladder arrangement.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a film thickness distribution of a conductive thin film measured in Example 5.

FIG. 19 is a partial plan view of the electron source according to the present invention.

20 is a sectional view taken along line A-A 'of the electron source of FIG.

FIGS. 21A to 21D are manufacturing steps (a) to (d) of the electron source of FIG. 19;
FIG.

22A to 22G are manufacturing steps (e) to (g) of the electron source in FIG. 19;
FIG.

FIG. 23 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a display device.

FIG. 24 is a plan view showing an example of a conventional electron-emitting device.

[Description of Signs] 1: substrate, 2: 3, device electrode, 4: conductive thin film, 5: electron emitting portion, 6: convex portion, 7: droplet applying means, 8: droplet,
9: concave portion, 10: high-concentration droplet, 11: low-concentration droplet, 100: ammeter for measuring device current If flowing through conductive thin film 4 between device electrodes 2 and 3, 101: electron emission A power supply for applying an element voltage Vf to the element, 102:
An ammeter for measuring an emission current Ie emitted from the electron-emitting portion 5 of the device; 103: a high-voltage power supply for applying a voltage to the anode 54; 104: an electron-emitting portion 5 of the device
Anode electrode for capturing emission current Ie emitted from the electrode, 105: vacuum device, 106: exhaust pump, 12
1: substrate for electron source, 122: wiring in X direction, 123: wiring in Y direction, 124: electron emitting element, 125: connection, 13
1: rear plate, 132: support frame, 133: glass substrate, 134: fluorescent film, 135: metal back, 136:
Face plate, Hv: high voltage terminal, 138: envelope,
141: black conductive material, 142: phosphor, 151: display panel, 152: scanning circuit, 153: control circuit, 154:
Shift register, 155: line memory, 156: synchronization signal separation circuit, 157: modulation signal generator, Vx and V
a: DC voltage source, 160: electron source substrate, 161: electron-emitting device, 162: Dx1 to Dx10: electron-emitting device 1
Common wiring for wiring 61, 170: grid electrode, 171: hole for passing electrons, 172: Do
x1, Dox2,... Doxm outer terminal made of container,
173: G1, G2, connected to the grid electrode 170
... Outside terminal made of Gn, 174: electron source, 18
1: interlayer insulating layer, 182: contact hole, 610
0: display panel, 6101: drive circuit, 610
2: display panel controller, 6103: multiplexer, 6104: decoder, 6105: input / output interface circuit, 6106: CPU, 6107: image generation circuit, 6108, 6109, 6110: image memory interface circuit, 6111: image input interface circuit, 6112 , 6113: TV signal receiving circuit, 6114: input unit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Rie Ueno 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An electron emission device comprising: applying a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film between opposed electrodes on a substrate to form a conductive thin film; and forming an electron emission portion in the conductive thin film. A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising: forming a projection between opposing electrodes on a substrate; and applying the droplet by an inkjet method. 2. An electron emission device, wherein a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film is applied between opposing electrodes on a substrate to form a conductive thin film, and an electron emission portion is formed in the conductive thin film. A method of manufacturing an element, wherein a concave portion is formed in a substrate and / or an electrode so as to be located at a peripheral portion of a droplet applied, and the droplet is applied by an inkjet method. A method for manufacturing an emission element. 3. Electron emission in which a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film is applied between opposing electrodes on a substrate to form a conductive thin film, and an electron emission portion is formed in the conductive thin film. A method for manufacturing an element, using an inkjet method,
A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, wherein the droplets having different concentrations are applied. 4. An electron emission device, wherein a droplet of a solution containing a material for forming a conductive thin film is applied between opposing electrodes on a substrate to form a conductive thin film, and an electron emission portion is formed in the conductive thin film. A method of manufacturing an element, wherein the application of the droplet is performed by an ink jet method while applying ultrasonic vibration to the substrate. 5. A method of manufacturing an electron source comprising an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device, wherein the device is manufactured by the method according to claim 1. Method of manufacturing an electron source. 6. A method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising: an electron source including an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device; and a fluorescent film that receives and emits light from the device. A method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising manufacturing the element by the method according to claim 1. 7. An electron source including an electron-emitting device and a means for applying a voltage to the device, a fluorescent film that receives and emits electrons emitted from the device, and is applied to the device using an external signal. 5. A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, comprising: a driving circuit for controlling a voltage, wherein the element is used for
A method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus, wherein the method is performed by any one of the methods described above.