JPH10188862A - Image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent displacement of an electron beam or spot size change due to stay of a positive charge on a substrate surface by disposing a lattice electrode having a sheet resistance below a specified value and having an electron through hole between a substrate in which an electron source is arranged and a face plate with a given distance. SOLUTION: A lattice electrode 1 having an electron through hole in which irradiation of an electron beam from an electron source of an element substrate 10001 to a fluorescent face 10008 of a face plate 10007 is not prevented and having a sheet resistance of 10<7> Ω/square or less is disposed with a distance (d) together with the element substrate 10001. At this time, if the distance between the face plate 10007 and the element substrate 10001 is called D, d is chosen to be d<=D/10, and if the electron beam acceleration potential is called Va, a constant potential of Vg<=Va/10 is applied to the lattice electrode 1. In an area in which an electron emission element is disposed, a sheet resistance of an exposure face on the substrate is 10<7> Ω/square or less. Thereby, a positive ion generated during electron beam scattering is prevented from staying on the element substrate.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display device most suitable for displaying moving images and the like, and more particularly to a flat type image display device having a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of electron emitting devices, a hot cathode device and a cold cathode device, are known. Among these, among the cold cathode devices, for example, a surface conduction type emission device, a field emission type device (hereinafter referred to as FE type), a metal / insulating layer / metal type emission device (hereinafter referred to as MIM type), and the like are known. ing.

[0003] As a surface conduction type emission element, for example,
MIElinson, Radio E-ng.ElectronPhys., 10, 1290, (196
5) and other examples described later are known.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which an electron is emitted when a current flows in a small-area thin film formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface. As this surface conduction type emission element, Sn described by Elinson et al.
In addition to those using O2 thin films, those using Au thin films [GD
ittmer: “Thin Solid Films”, 9,317 (1972)] and In2
O3 / SnO2 thin film [M. Hartwell and CGFons
tad: “IEEE Trans. ED Conf.”, 519 (1975)] and those using carbon thin films [Hisashi Araki et al .: Vacuum, Vol. 26, No. 1
No. 22 (1983)].

[0005] As a typical example of the element structure of these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, FIG. Hartwell
1 shows a plan view of an element according to the present invention. In the figure, 3001
, A substrate; and 3004, a conductive thin film made of metal oxide formed by sputtering. The conductive thin film 3004 is formed in an H-shaped planar shape as shown. An electron emission portion 3005 is formed by performing an energization process called energization forming described later on the conductive thin film 3004. The interval L in the figure is 0.5 to 1 [mm], and W is 0 to 1 [mm].
It is set at 1 [mm].

[0006] For convenience of illustration, the electron emitting portion 3005 is shown.
Is shown in a rectangular shape at the center of the conductive thin film 3004, but this is a schematic shape and does not accurately represent the actual position or shape of the electron-emitting portion.

M. In the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device including the device by Hartwell et al., The electron-emitting portion 3005 is formed by subjecting the conductive thin film 3004 to an energization process called energization forming before electron emission.
It was common to form That is, the energization forming means that a constant DC voltage is applied to both ends of the conductive thin film 3004, or a DC voltage which is increased at a very slow rate of, for example, about 1 V / min, and the conductive thin film 3004 is energized. The purpose is to locally destroy, deform, or alter 3004 to form an electron-emitting portion 3005 in an electrically high-resistance state.

[0008] Note that a crack is generated in a part of the conductive thin film 3004 that is locally broken, deformed, or altered. When an appropriate voltage is applied to the conductive thin film 3004 after the energization forming, electron emission is performed in the vicinity of the crack.

An example of the FE type is, for example, WPDyke
& W.W.Dolan, “Field emission”, Advance in Electron
Physics, 8, 89 (1956) or CASpindt, “Phys
icalproperties of thin-film field emission cathode
s with molybdenium cones ”, J. Appl. Phys., 47, 5248
(1976).

As a typical example of the FE type device configuration, FIG. A. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a device by Spindt et al. In the figure, 3010 is a substrate, 3011 is an emitter wiring made of a conductive material, 3012 is an emitter cone, 3013 is an insulating layer, and 3014 is a gate electrode. This device comprises an emitter cone 3012 and a gate electrode 3
By applying an appropriate voltage during 014, field emission is caused from the tip of the emitter cone 3012.

As another element structure of the FE type, FIG.
There is also an example in which an emitter and a gate electrode are arranged on a substrate almost in parallel with the substrate plane instead of the laminated structure as described above.

As an example of the MIM type, for example,
CAMead, “Operationof tunnel-emission Devices”,
J. Appl. Phys., 32, 646 (1961) and the like are known. M
FIG. 3 shows a typical example of an IM type device configuration. The figure is a sectional view, in which 3020 is a substrate and 3021
Is a lower electrode made of metal, 3022 is a thin insulating layer having a thickness of about 100 Å, and 3023 is a thickness of 80 to 30.
The upper electrode is made of a metal of about 0 Å.
In the MIM type, the upper electrode 3023 and the lower electrode 3021
By applying an appropriate voltage between the upper electrode 302
3 to emit electrons from the surface.

The above-described cold cathode device can obtain electrons at a lower temperature than the hot cathode device, and therefore does not require a heater for heating. Therefore, the structure is simpler than that of the hot cathode element, and a fine element can be produced. Further, even when a large number of elements are arranged on a substrate at a high density, problems such as thermal melting of the substrate hardly occur. Also, unlike the hot cathode element, which operates by heating the heater, the response speed is slow, and the cold cathode element has the advantage that the response speed is fast.

For this reason, research for applying the cold cathode device has been actively conducted.

For example, the surface conduction electron-emitting device has the advantage of being able to form a large number of devices over a large area, since it has a particularly simple structure and is easy to manufacture among the cold cathode devices. Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
As disclosed in 332, methods for arranging and driving a large number of elements are being studied.

As for the application of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, image forming devices such as image display devices and image recording devices, and charged beam sources have been studied.

Particularly, as an application to an image display device, for example, as disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,066,883, JP-A-2-257551 and JP-A-4-28137 by the present applicant, a surface conduction type emission device is disclosed. An image display device using a combination of a phosphor and a phosphor that emits light by irradiation with an electron beam has been studied. An image display device using a combination of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a phosphor is expected to have better characteristics than other conventional image display devices. For example, compared to a liquid crystal display device that has become widespread in recent years, it can be said that it is superior in that it does not require a backlight because it is a self-luminous type and that it has a wide viewing angle.

A method of driving a large number of FE types is disclosed in, for example, US Pat.
95. Further, as an example in which the FE type is applied to an image display device, for example, R.F. The flat panel display reported by Meyer et al. Is known. [R.Meyer:
“Recent Development on Microtips Display at LET
I ”, Tech.Digest of 4th Int. Vacuum Microele-ctron
ics Conf., Nagahama, pp. 6-9 (1991)] Also, an example in which a number of MIM types are arranged and applied to an image display device is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-55738 by the present applicant.
Is disclosed.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventors have developed various materials, including those described in the above-mentioned prior art.
We have tried cold cathode devices with manufacturing method and structure. Furthermore, research has been conducted on a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of cold cathode devices are arranged, and on an image display device using the multi-electron beam source.

The inventors have tried a multi-electron beam source by the electric wiring method shown in FIG. 4, for example. That is, it is a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of cold cathode devices are two-dimensionally arranged and these devices are wired in a matrix as shown.

In the figure, 4001 schematically shows a cold cathode element, 4002 shows a wiring in the row direction, and 4003 shows a wiring in the column direction. Row direction wiring 4002 and column direction wiring 400
3 actually has a finite electrical resistance,
In the figure, they are shown as wiring resistances 4004 and 4005. The above-described wiring method is called simple matrix wiring.

Although a 6 × 6 matrix is shown for convenience of illustration, the size of the matrix is not limited to this. For example, in the case of a multi-electron beam source for an image display device, a desired size is used. Elements that are sufficient for displaying images are arranged and wired.

In a multi-electron beam source in which cold cathode elements are arranged in a simple matrix, a row-direction wiring 4002 and a column-direction wiring 400 are used to output a desired electron beam.
3 is applied with an appropriate electric signal. For example, to drive one row of the cold cathode devices in the matrix, a selection voltage Vs is applied to the row direction wiring 4002 of the selected row,
At the same time, the non-selection voltage Vns is applied to the row direction wiring 4002 of the non-selected row. In synchronization with this, the column direction wiring 4003
Is applied with a drive voltage Ve for outputting an electron beam. According to this method, wiring resistances 4004 and 4004
If the voltage drop due to 5 is ignored, a voltage of (Ve-Vs) is applied to the cold cathode elements of the selected row, and a voltage of (Ve-Vns) is applied to the cold cathode elements of the non-selected row. Is done. If Ve, Vs, and Vns are set to appropriate voltages, electron beams of a desired intensity should be output only from the cold cathode elements in the selected row, and different driving voltages are applied to each of the column wirings. If Ve is applied, each of the elements in the selected row should output a different intensity electron beam. Further, if the length of time during which the drive voltage Ve is applied is changed, the length of time during which the electron beam is output should be changed.

Therefore, a multi-electron beam source in which cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix has various applications. For example, if an electric signal corresponding to image information is appropriately applied, it is suitable as an electron source for an image display device. Can be used.

However, a multi-electron beam source in which cold-cathode elements are arranged in a simple matrix has actually caused the following problems.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a multi-electron beam source in which cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix.

Electron emission portions 400 are connected between device electrodes 4008 electrically connected to row wiring 4002 and column wiring 4003 by connection electrodes 4006 and 4007, respectively.
9 to form one cold cathode element 4001.

As described above, in the simple matrix configuration, ON / OFF of an arbitrary element can be controlled only by the wiring electrode and the cold cathode element connected to the wiring electrode. Thus, a suitable electron source can be obtained.

When such an electron source is used in an image display device, an image forming member (usually a phosphor) for forming an image by irradiation of the electron source is arranged to face the electron source, and the image forming member is connected to the image forming member. Usually, an accelerating electrode is integrally formed, and an accelerating voltage is applied to apply a target potential of the electron beam to collide the electron beam with an image forming member to emit light. However, an image display device is composed of only a substrate on which a cold cathode device connected to such a matrix wiring is formed, and a face plate coated with a phosphor on an inner surface disposed opposite to the substrate. Then, the orbit of the electron beam and the size when the electron beam hits the phosphor surface (hereinafter referred to as the beam spot size or simply the spot size)
However, there has been a problem that it changes or fluctuates with time.

In particular, the size of the electron beam often increases, and the change in the position of the electron beam or the change in the spot size causes the change in the phosphor, R, G, B3.
In a color image display device that forms a color image by irradiating an electron beam emitted from an electron source onto a phosphor of a desired color, which is divided into primary colors, a color shift is caused by a shift of the beam to a multicolor phosphor, so that a color is emitted. It causes unevenness and color purity,
It was a problem.

Further, even in the case of a monochrome image display device in which the phosphor is applied over the entire surface, the displacement of the electron beam and the change in the spot size cause a problem that the resolution is lowered and the image is shaken. .

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems.

[0033]

In order to achieve the above object, an image display apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.

That is, a plurality of electron-emitting devices having an electron-emitting portion between electrodes formed on a substrate are arranged in a matrix,
Each of the electrodes is arranged to face the substrate and an electron source connected to a row wiring and a column wiring, and receives light emitted from the electron emitting element to emit light to form an image. A face plate having a phosphor applied to an inner surface thereof, a grid electrode having an electron passage hole that does not hinder irradiation of an electron beam from the electron emitting portion to the phosphor is provided between the substrate and the face plate, The electron passage hole is provided almost directly above a region where the surface resistance of the substrate is 10 7 Ω / □ or less.

[0035]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First, after summarizing the points of an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be given.

In the image display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of cold cathode type electron-emitting devices each having an electron-emitting portion between electrodes formed on a substrate are arranged in a matrix, and each of the electrodes is arranged in a matrix. An electron source formed by connecting the row-direction wiring and the column-direction wiring; and an electron source that is arranged to face the substrate on which the electron source is formed and receives irradiation of electrons emitted from the plurality of cold cathode electron-emitting devices. At least a face plate coated on the inner surface with a phosphor that emits light to form an image, and has an electron passage hole that does not hinder irradiation of the phosphor with an electron beam from the electron source, and has a surface resistance. Is 10 7 Ω / □
When the substrate is viewed from vertically above the substrate, since a grid electrode to which a constant potential is applied is arranged between the substrate on which the electron source is formed and the face plate, At least in the area where the plurality of electron sources are formed, the surface resistance of the exposed surface on the substrate is 10-7.
It is characterized by being less than the power Ω / □.

Further, when the distance between the grid electrode and the element substrate is d, and the distance between the face plate and the element substrate is D, d ≦ (1/10) D, , The constant potential applied to the grid electrode is V
g, where Vg ≦ (1/10) Va, where Va is the electron beam acceleration potential applied to the inner surface of the face plate.

Further, it is desirable that the electron-emitting device is a polar-type electron-emitting device, in particular, a surface conduction electron-emitting device.

According to the inventors, the above-mentioned displacement of the electron beam and a change in the spot size are caused by unexpected charges, particularly positive charges, on the insulating surface on the substrate surface on which the element is manufactured. I think from the results of the experiment.

In the simple matrix configuration, a selection / non-selection voltage or a driving voltage is applied to each of the matrix wirings as described above, and electrons are emitted from an arbitrary element. An intersection layer A between the row wiring and the column wiring is provided with an insulating layer so as to be electrically insulated.

In other cases (other than the case where the insulating layer is insulated by the layer structure), the wiring in the row direction / column direction, and
It is necessary to arrange the device electrodes in a plane on the substrate as shown in B in the figure so as not to short-circuit with the electrodes other than the electrodes making a predetermined electrical connection.

In any case, when viewed from the phosphor surface (the inner surface of the face plate) serving as the target of the electron beam, the conventional method cannot be avoided on the substrate on which the electron source is manufactured. In particular, in an image display device having a simple matrix structure, an insulating layer exists.

Also, in the case of an image display device using an electron beam, it is naturally necessary that the inside of the device be evacuated, and the inside of the device is usually evacuated to 10 × e −6 torr (torr) or more. However, even at such a degree of vacuum, the remaining gas molecules are considerably present in the vacuum, and among those remaining gas molecules, those that ionize and ionize by colliding with the electron beam Exists with a certain probability.

Of these ions, negative ions are accelerated in the same manner as electrons, reach the phosphor screen and flow to the accelerating electrode, while positive ions are directed in the opposite direction to the electron beam accelerating electric field, ie,
It is accelerated toward the substrate on which the device has been fabricated.

In addition, since the mass of the ions is much heavier than that of the electrons, the ions hardly bend under the influence of the electric field near the electron-emitting portion of the electron-emitting device (the electric field generated by the selection voltage and the driving voltage). Reaches the element substrate.

Therefore, when an insulating layer or an insulating surface is present on the element substrate when viewed from the face plate side, positive ions which are accelerated and collide therewith exist with a certain probability. The number of ions colliding with the insulating surface per unit time can be reduced as the degree of vacuum is improved, but the mobility of the ions once colliding with the insulating surface is very close. As a result, positive ions accumulate on the insulating surface, causing a charging phenomenon.

In fact, to support the above, according to experiments by the inventors, the amount of electrons generated per unit time corresponds to the time required for the beam spot size to change, and the amount of electrons increases. Then, the change in the beam spot size proceeds rapidly. Also, once the beam spot size has changed, the emission of electrons is stopped, then the acceleration voltage is turned off, and after one hour, the acceleration voltage is applied, and then the electrons are emitted. (Or size). However, while the electron beam is being emitted (while the electron-emitting device is being driven), the acceleration voltage is slowly lowered to 0 V, and then, under the condition that the electron emission is stopped, the acceleration voltage is applied again, and the electron emission is started in the order.
When observing the state of the electron beam spot, the beam spot was the spot position and size where no charging occurred (before change), and thereafter the spot size gradually changed.

In the part described in the latter half of the above experiment, when the accelerating voltage was lowered while the electrons were being emitted, the electrons collided with the charged positive ions in a shower-like manner to neutralize the charges. And the inventors think.

As described above, the inventors have found that positive ions accumulate on the insulating surface on the element substrate and become charged, in an image display device using a simple matrix element structure, the position and size of the electron beam spot size. Was considered as a cause of the change, and led to the present invention.

That is, according to the present invention, in an image display device using a simple matrix element structure, a substrate having a simple structure to solve the above-mentioned problem can be provided with a simple structure while ensuring insulation of the matrix wiring. And a face plate, having an electron passage hole that does not hinder the irradiation of the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device to the phosphor, has a surface resistance of 10 7 Ω / □ or less, and A grid electrode to which a constant potential is applied is disposed, and when the substrate is viewed from the face plate side above the extension of the element substrate, the surface of the exposed surface on the substrate is at least within an area where the electron-emitting devices are manufactured. The resistance is set to 10 7 / □ or less, positive ions generated during the flight of the electron beam are prevented from staying on the element substrate, and the trajectory of the electron beam is stabilized.

Further, the grid electrode is provided for the above purpose.
When the distance between the lattice electrode and the element substrate is d and the distance between the face plate and the element substrate is D,
It is necessary that d ≦ (1/10) D so that ions do not stay on the element substrate, a constant potential applied to the grid electrode is Vg, and an electron beam acceleration applied to the inner surface of the face plate When the potential is Va, Vg ≦ (1
/ 10) It was necessary to be Va.

Hereinafter, an image display method and an image display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[Embodiment 1] An image display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention has a perspective view as shown in FIG.
Between the substrate 1001 and the face plate 1007 manufactured by a method described later, the surface resistance on the element substrate is 10-7.
The grid electrode 1 is arranged such that an insulating surface having a power of Ω / □ or more does not exist when viewed from the face plate side.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the grid electrode 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a part of the substrate when the grid electrode 1 is arranged at the position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of surface-conduction electron-emitting devices (FIG. 9) having a simple matrix configuration manufactured by a method described later have a resistance forming an electron-emitting portion of 10 3 to 7 Ω / □. Conductive film 110
The element substrate is not visible from the face plate except that only the electron emission portion 4 and the electron emission portion 1105 are visible from the electron passage holes 2, and the other portions are covered with the grid electrode 1. Lattice electrode 1
Uses a 426 alloy having a coefficient of thermal expansion close to that of soda-lime glass used for the face plate and the substrate for forming the element, and has a heat of 100 μm. However, since this is a metal plate, its surface resistance is sufficiently low. If it is connected to some kind of power supply, charged particles such as positive ions do not stay.

In this embodiment, the outer terminal Hg
Through FIG. 6, a desired voltage is applied from an external power supply.

The grid electrode 1 was set at a height of 100 μm from the element substrate 1001 to the lower surface of the grid electrode from the substrate via a fiber glass.

In the present embodiment, the element substrate 100
The distance between 1 and the inner surface of the face plate 1007 is 5 mm
5 kV was applied as an electron beam acceleration voltage (Va). At this time, 150 V was applied to the grid electrode 1 from an external power supply through the external terminal Hg for the purpose of minimizing the electric field between the element substrate and the face plate as compared with the case where the grid electrode 1 was not provided. . this is,
The center of the grid electrode when there is no grid electrode (15
0 μm above).

The position of the grid electrode may not be anywhere between the element substrate and the face plate. This is because if the grid electrode is too high with respect to the device substrate, the electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting device will take considerable time before reaching the height where the grid substrate is being accelerated toward the face plate. Since it has the kinetic energy of the residual gas, it has already ionized the residual gas before it reaches the position of the grid electrode, and the positive ions are accelerated in the direction of the substrate and adhere to the insulating surface of the element substrate. This is because the effect of the present invention is lost.

The inventors have found from experiments that the distance between the element substrate and the face plate is D, and the distance between the element substrate and the center of the lattice electrode is d, as the position of the grid electrode for preventing the positive ions from being charged. It was found that it was necessary to satisfy at least d ≦ (1/10) D (Equation 1).

At this time, the trajectory of the electron beam is disturbed by the placement of the grid electrode, so that the desired phosphor is not irradiated, and the residual gas is ionized with a high probability before the electron beam reaches the height of the grid electrode. Considering that the energy does not reach, the voltage Vg applied to the lattice electrode needs to be Vg ≦ (1/10) Va (Equation 2) with respect to the electron beam acceleration voltage Va applied to the face plate. is there.

In the present embodiment, D =
0.1 mm, d = 5 mm, Va = 5000 V, Vg = 1
Since it is 50 V, the conditions of (Equation 1) and (Equation 2) are sufficiently satisfied.

(Structure and Manufacturing Method of Display Panel) Next, the structure and manufacturing method of the display panel of the image display device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to specific examples.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the display panel used in the embodiment, in which a part of the panel is cut away to show the internal structure.

In the figure, 1005 is a rear plate, 1006
Is a side wall, 1007 is a face plate, 1005
1007 form an airtight container for maintaining the inside of the display panel at a vacuum. In assembling the airtight container, it is necessary to seal the joints of the members to maintain sufficient strength and airtightness.For example, frit glass is applied to the joints, and in the air or nitrogen atmosphere, Sealing was achieved by firing at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or more. A method of evacuating the inside of the airtight container to a vacuum will be described later.

The rear plate 1005 has a substrate 1001
Is fixed, but the cold cathode device 1002 is provided on the substrate.
Are formed N × M. (N and M are positive integers of 2 or more, and are appropriately set according to the target number of display pixels. For example, in a display device for displaying a high-definition television, N = 3000, It is desirable to set a number greater than or equal to 1000. In the present embodiment, N = 3072 and M = 1024). N ×
The M cold cathode elements are arranged in a simple matrix by M row-directional wirings 1003 and N column-directional wirings 1004. The portion constituted by 1001 to 1004 is called a multi-electron beam source.

The manufacturing method and structure of the multi-electron beam source will be described later in detail.

In this embodiment, the substrate 1001 of the multi-electron beam source is provided on the rear plate 1005 of the hermetic container.
Is fixed, but the substrate 1 of the multi-electron beam source is
When 001 has sufficient strength, the substrate 1 of the multi-electron beam source is used as a rear plate of the hermetic container.
001 itself may be used.

Above the substrate 1001, a distance d from the substrate
The grid electrode 1 is positioned and fixed via a spacer such as a glass material so as to keep the constant. A fluorescent film 1008 is formed on the lower surface of the face plate 1007.

Since the present embodiment is a color display device, phosphors of three primary colors of red, green, and blue used in the field of CRT are separately applied to a portion of the fluorescent film 1008. The phosphor of each color is separately applied in a stripe shape as shown in FIG. 10A, for example, and a black conductor 1010 is provided between the stripes of the phosphor. The purpose of providing the black conductor 1010 is to prevent the display color from being shifted even if there is a slight shift in the electron beam irradiation position, and to prevent the reflection of external light to prevent a decrease in display contrast. And preventing charge-up of the fluorescent film by the electron beam. Although graphite is used as a main component for the black conductor 1010, any other material may be used as long as it is suitable for the above purpose. Also, 3
The method of applying the phosphors of the primary colors is not limited to the stripe arrangement shown in FIG. 10A, but may be a delta arrangement as shown in FIG. 10B or another arrangement. You may. When a monochrome display panel is formed, a phosphor material of a single color is coated with the phosphor film 100.
8, and a black conductive material need not always be used.

A metal back 1009 known in the CRT field is provided on the surface of the fluorescent film 1008 on the rear plate side.
Is provided. The purpose of providing the metal back 1009 is
A part of the light emitted from the fluorescent film 1008 is specularly reflected to improve the light utilization rate, and the fluorescent film 10
08, protect the electrode 08, and act as an electrode for applying an electron beam acceleration voltage, and act as a conductive path for the excited electrons of the fluorescent film 1008. The metal back 1009 was formed by forming a fluorescent film 1008 on the face plate substrate 1007, smoothing the surface of the fluorescent film, and vacuum-depositing Al thereon. Note that when a fluorescent material for low voltage is used for the fluorescent film 1008, the metal back 1009 is not used.

Although not used in the present embodiment,
For the purpose of applying acceleration voltage and improving the conductivity of the fluorescent film,
For example, a transparent electrode made of ITO may be provided between the face plate substrate 1007 and the fluorescent film 1008.

Also, Dx1 to DxM and Dy1 to DyN,
And Hv and Hg are electric connection terminals of an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel and the grid electrode to an electric circuit (not shown). Dx1 to DxM are electrically connected to the row wiring 1003 of the multi-electron beam source, Dy1 to DyN are connected to the column wiring 1004 of the multi-electron beam source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 1009 of the face plate.

In order to evacuate the inside of the hermetic container, after assembling the hermetic container, an exhaust pipe (not shown) and a vacuum pump are connected, and the inside of the hermetic container is raised to 10 −7 [to
rr]. Thereafter, the exhaust pipe is sealed, but a getter film (not shown) is formed at a predetermined position in the airtight container immediately before or after the sealing in order to maintain the degree of vacuum in the airtight container. The getter film is, for example, a film formed by heating and depositing a getter material containing Ba as a main component by a heater or high-frequency heating.
10 minus 5th power or 1 × 10 minus 7th power [to
rr].

The basic configuration and manufacturing method of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above.

Next, a method of manufacturing the multi-electron beam source used for the display panel of the above embodiment will be described. The material, shape, and manufacturing method of the cold cathode device are not limited as long as the multi-electron beam source used for the image display device of the present invention is an electron source in which cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix. Therefore, for example, a cold cathode device such as a surface conduction type emission device, an FE type, or an MIM type can be used.

However, in a situation where a display device having a large display screen and an inexpensive display device is required, among these cold cathode devices, a surface conduction type emission device is particularly preferable.

That is, in the FE type, since the relative position and shape of the emitter cone and the gate electrode greatly affect the electron emission characteristics, an extremely high-precision manufacturing technique is required. However, this requires a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. Is a disadvantageous factor to achieve.

In the case of the MIM type, it is necessary to make the thickness of the insulating layer and the upper electrode thin and uniform, which is also a disadvantageous factor in achieving an increase in area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. On the other hand, since the surface conduction electron-emitting device has a relatively simple manufacturing method, it is easy to increase the area and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, the present inventors, among the surface conduction type emission element,
It has been found that an electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion formed from a fine particle film has particularly excellent electron-emitting characteristics and can be easily manufactured. Therefore, it can be said that it is most suitable for use in a multi-electron beam source of a high-luminance, large-screen image display device.

Therefore, in the display panel of the above embodiment, a surface conduction electron-emitting device in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film is used.

First, the basic structure, manufacturing method and characteristics of a preferred surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described, and then the structure of a multi-electron beam source in which many devices are arranged in a simple matrix will be described.

(Suitable Device Configuration and Manufacturing Method of Surface Conduction Emission Device) A typical configuration of a surface conduction electron-emitting device in which an electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film includes a flat type and a vertical type. Kinds are given. (Flat-type surface conduction electron-emitting device) First, an element configuration and a manufacturing method of a flat-type surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 11 (a) and 11 (b) are a plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, for explaining the configuration of a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device. In the figure, 1101 is a substrate, 1102 and 1103 are device electrodes, 1104 is a conductive thin film, 1105
Are electron-emitting portions formed by an energization forming process;
Reference numeral 113 denotes a thin film formed by the activation process. As the substrate 1101, for example, various glass substrates including quartz glass and blue plate glass, various ceramics substrates including alumina, or the above-described various substrates, for example, an insulating layer made of, for example, SiO 2 is laminated on the various substrates described above. A substrate or the like can be used.

The device electrodes 1102 and 1103 provided on the substrate 1101 in parallel with the substrate surface are formed of a conductive material. For example, N
i, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Cu, Pd,
Materials may be appropriately selected from metals such as Ag, alloys of these metals, metal oxides such as In 2 O 3 —SnO 2, and semiconductors such as polysilicon. The electrodes can be easily formed by using a combination of a film forming technique such as vacuum evaporation and a patterning technique such as photolithography and etching. However, the electrodes can be formed by other methods (for example, printing techniques). I don't mind.

The shapes of the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are appropriately designed according to the application purpose of the electron-emitting device.
Generally, the electrode interval L is usually designed by selecting an appropriate value from the range of several hundreds of angstroms to several hundreds of micrometers. It is in the range of ten micrometers. As for the thickness d of the device electrode, an appropriate numerical value is usually selected from a range of several hundred angstroms to several micrometers.

A fine particle film is used for the conductive thin film 1104. The fine particle film mentioned here is a film containing many fine particles as a constituent element (including an island-shaped aggregate).
I mean If you examine the microparticle film microscopically, usually
A structure in which the individual particles are spaced apart, a structure in which the particles are adjacent to each other, or a structure in which the particles overlap each other is observed.

The particle size of the fine particles used in the fine particle film is in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, and preferably in the range of 10 Angstroms to 200 Angstroms. Further, the thickness of the fine particle film is appropriately set in consideration of various conditions described below. That is, the device electrode 11
02, or 1103, conditions necessary for satisfactorily performing energization forming described later, conditions necessary for setting the electric resistance of the fine particle film itself to an appropriate value described later. And so on. Specifically, it is set in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, but the range is preferably between 10 Angstroms and 500 Angstroms.

Materials that can be used to form the fine particle film include, for example, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag,
Au, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, T
a, W, Pb, and other metals, PdO, S
Oxides such as nO2, In2O3, PbO, Sb2O3, etc .; HfB2, ZrB2, LaB6, CeB6, Y
Borides such as B4, GdB4, etc., TiC, Z
carbides such as rC, HfC, TaC, SiC, WC, etc., nitrides such as TiN, ZrN, HfN, and semiconductors such as Si, Ge, etc.
Carbon and the like can be mentioned, and are appropriately selected from these.

As described above, the conductive thin film 1104 is formed of a fine particle film.
It was set so as to be included in the range of 10 3 to 10 7 [Ohm / □].

The conductive thin film 1104 and the device electrode 11
Since it is desirable that the wires 02 and 1103 be electrically connected well, they have a structure in which a part of each overlaps with the other. In the example of FIG.
Although the substrate, the device electrode, and the conductive thin film are stacked in this order from the bottom, in some cases, the substrate, the conductive thin film, and the device electrode may be stacked in this order from the bottom.

The electron-emitting portion 1105 is a crack-like portion formed in a part of the conductive thin film 1104, and has a higher electrical resistance than the surrounding conductive thin film. The crack is formed by performing a later-described energization forming process on the conductive thin film 1104. Fine particles having a particle size of several Angstroms to several hundred Angstroms may be arranged in the crack.

Since it is difficult to accurately and accurately show the actual position and shape of the electron-emitting portion, they are schematically shown in FIG.

The thin film 1113 is a thin film made of carbon or a carbon compound, and covers the electron emitting portion 1105 and its vicinity. The thin film 1113 is formed by performing an energization activation process described later after the energization forming process.

The thin film 1113 is made of any one of single-crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 Å or less, but 300 Å or less. Is more preferred.

Since it is difficult to precisely illustrate the actual position and shape of the thin film 1113, it is schematically shown in FIG. Further, in a plan view (FIG. 11A), an element in which a part of the thin film 1113 is removed is illustrated.

The basic structure of the preferred element has been described above. In the embodiment, the following element is used.

That is, blue glass was used for the substrate 1101, and Ni thin films were used for the device electrodes 1102 and 1103. The thickness d of the device electrode was 1000 [angstrom], and the electrode interval L was 2 [micrometer].

As a main material of the fine particle film, Pd or PdO was used, and the thickness of the fine particle film was about 100 [angstrom], and the width W was 100 [micrometer].

Next, a method of manufacturing a suitable flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (e)
Is a cross-sectional view for explaining the manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, and the notation of each member is the same as that in FIG.

1) First, as shown in FIG. 12A, device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are formed on a substrate 1101. Before formation, the substrate 110
After 1 is sufficiently washed with a detergent, pure water and an organic solvent, the material of the device electrode is deposited. As a deposition method, for example, a vacuum film forming technique such as an evaporation method or a sputtering method may be used. Thereafter, the deposited electrode material is patterned by using a photolithography / etching technique.
A pair of device electrodes (1102 and 1103) shown in FIG.
To form

2) Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, a conductive thin film 1104 is formed.

In the formation, first, FIG.
An organic metal solution is applied to the substrate (a), dried, heated and baked to form a fine particle film, and then patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography and etching.
Here, the organometallic solution is a solution of an organometallic compound whose main element is a material of fine particles used for the conductive thin film.
Specifically, in the present embodiment, Pd is used as a main element. In the embodiment, the dipping method is used as a coating method, but other methods such as a spinner method and a spray method may be used.

As a method of forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, other than the method of applying an organic metal solution used in the present embodiment, for example, a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, or a chemical vapor deposition method may be used. In some cases, a phase deposition method or the like is used.

3) Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the forming electrodes 1110 and 1112 are supplied from the forming power supply 1110.
The electron emitting portion 1105 is formed by applying an appropriate voltage during the period 03 and performing the energization forming process.

The energization forming treatment is to energize the conductive thin film 1104 made of a fine particle film and to appropriately break, deform, or alter a part of the conductive thin film 1104 to change into a structure suitable for emitting electrons. This is the process that causes A portion of the conductive thin film made of the fine particle film that has been changed to a structure suitable for emitting electrons (that is, the electron emitting portion 110
In 5), an appropriate crack is formed in the thin film.

After the formation of the electron-emitting portions 1105, the device electrodes 1102 and 1102 are formed.
The electrical resistance measured between 103 greatly increases.

FIG. 13 shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the forming power supply 1110 in order to explain the energization method in more detail. When forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, a pulse-like voltage is preferable. In the case of the present embodiment, a triangular wave pulse having a pulse width T1 is continuously generated at a pulse interval T2 as shown in FIG. Was applied. At that time, the peak value Vpf of the triangular wave pulse is
The pressure was increased sequentially. Also, monitor pulses Pm for monitoring the state of formation of the electron-emitting portion 1105 are inserted between triangular-wave pulses at appropriate intervals, and the current flowing at that time is measured by the ammeter 1.
It was measured at 111.

In the present embodiment, for example, 10
In a vacuum atmosphere of about -5 power [torr], for example, the pulse width T1 is 1 millisecond, and the pulse interval T2
Was set to 10 [milliseconds], and the peak value Vpf was increased by 0.1 [V] for each pulse. Then, a monitor pulse Pm was inserted at a rate of one every time five triangular waves were applied. The monitor pulse voltage Vpm was set to 0.1 [V] so as not to adversely affect the forming process. Then, when the electric resistance between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 becomes 1 × 10 6 [ohm], that is, the current measured by the ammeter 1111 at the time of application of the monitor pulse is 1 × 10 −7 [A]. When the following conditions were reached, the energization related to the forming process was terminated.

The above method is a preferable method for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment. For example, the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device such as the material and film thickness of the fine particle film or the distance L between the device electrodes is determined. If it is changed, it is desirable to appropriately change the energization conditions accordingly.

4) Next, as shown in FIG. 12D, an appropriate voltage is applied between the element electrodes 1102 and 1103 from the activating power supply 1112 to perform the energizing activation process, and the electron emission characteristics are obtained. Make improvements.

The energization activation process is a process of energizing the electron emitting portion 1105 formed by the energization forming process under appropriate conditions to deposit carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity thereof. (In the figure, a deposit made of carbon or a carbon compound is
13 is schematically shown. In addition, by performing the energization activation process, the emission current at the same applied voltage is typically 10 times smaller than before the activation process.
It can be increased by a factor of 0 or more.

Specifically, 10 minus 4th power to 1
In a vacuum atmosphere in the range of 0 to the fifth power [torr],
By periodically applying a voltage pulse, carbon originating from an organic compound existing in a vacuum atmosphere, or
The carbon compound is deposited. The deposit 1113 is any of single crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500.
[Angstrom] or less, more preferably 300 [angstrom] or less.

FIG. 14A shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the activation power supply 1112 in order to explain the energization method in more detail. In the present embodiment, the energization activation process is performed by applying a rectangular wave of a constant voltage periodically, but specifically, the rectangular wave voltage Vac is 14
[V], pulse width T3 is 1 [millisecond], pulse interval T4
Was set to 10 [milliseconds]. Note that the above-described energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment, and when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, it is desirable to appropriately change the conditions accordingly.

Reference numeral 1114 shown in FIG. 12D denotes an anode electrode for capturing the emission current Ie emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device, to which a DC high voltage power supply 1115 and an ammeter 1116 are connected. The substrate 1101
When the activation process is performed after the display panel is incorporated into the display panel, the phosphor screen of the display panel is connected to the anode electrode 1114.
Used as

While the voltage is applied from the activation power supply 1112, the emission current Ie is measured by the ammeter 1116 to monitor the progress of the energization activation process, and control the operation of the activation power supply 1112. An example of the emission current Ie measured by the ammeter 1116 is shown in FIG.
When the application of the pulse voltage starts from 2, the emission current Ie increases with time, but eventually saturates and hardly increases. As described above, when the emission current Ie is substantially saturated, the application of the voltage from the activation power supply 1112 is stopped, and the energization activation process ends.

The above-mentioned energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment, and when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed, the conditions should be changed accordingly. Is desirable.

As described above, the plane type surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 12E was manufactured.

(Vertical Type Surface Conduction Emission Element) Next, another typical configuration of a surface conduction type emission element in which the electron emission portion or its periphery is formed of a fine particle film, that is, a vertical type surface conduction type emission device. The configuration of the emission element will be described.

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the basic structure of the vertical type. In FIG.
202 and 1203 are device electrodes, 1206 is a step forming member, 1204 is a conductive thin film using a fine particle film, 1205
Are electron-emitting portions formed by an energization forming process;
213 is a thin film formed by the activation process.

The difference between the vertical type and the flat type described above is that one of the device electrodes (1202) is provided on the step forming member 1206, and the conductive thin film 1204 is provided on the side surface of the step forming member 1206. It is in the point of coating. Therefore, the element electrode interval L in the planar type shown in FIG.
In the vertical type, the height is set as the step height Ls of the step forming member 1206. Note that the substrate 1201, the element electrode 120
2 and 1203, conductive thin film 120 using fine particle film
As for No. 4, the materials listed in the description of the flat type can be similarly used. Also, the step forming member 12
For 06, an electrically insulating material such as SiO2 is used, for example.

Next, a method of manufacturing a vertical type surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 16A to 16F are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process, and the notation of each member is the same as FIG.

1) First, as shown in FIG. 16A, an element electrode 1203 is formed on a substrate 1201.

2) Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, an insulating layer for forming a step forming member is laminated. The insulating layer may be formed by laminating, for example, SiO2 by a sputtering method. For example, another film forming method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a printing method may be used.

3) Next, as shown in FIG. 16C, an element electrode 1202 is formed on the insulating layer.

4) Next, as shown in FIG. 16D, a part of the insulating layer is removed by, for example, an etching method to expose the element electrode 1203.

5) Next, as shown in FIG. 16E, a conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film is formed. For the formation, as in the case of the flat type, for example, a film forming technique such as a coating method may be used.

6) Next, as in the case of the flat type, an energization forming process is performed to form an electron emitting portion.
(The same process as the planar type energization forming process described with reference to FIG. 12C may be performed.) 7) Next, as in the case of the planar type, the energization activation process is performed, and the electron emission section is performed. Carbon or a carbon compound is deposited in the vicinity. (A process similar to the planar energization activation process described with reference to FIG. 12D may be performed.) As described above, the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. Manufactured.

(Characteristics of Surface Conduction Emission Element Used in Display Device) The element structure and manufacturing method of the planar and vertical surface conduction emission elements have been described above. The characteristics of will be described.

FIG. 17 shows typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (element current If) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics of the elements used in the display device. . Note that the emission current Ie is significantly smaller than the element current If, and it is difficult to show the same current on the same scale.
Since these characteristics are changed by changing design parameters such as the size and shape of the element, the two graphs are shown in arbitrary units.

The element used in the display device has the following three characteristics regarding the emission current Ie.

First, a certain voltage (this is referred to as a threshold voltage Vth
When a voltage of the above magnitude is applied to the element, the emission current Ie sharply increases. On the other hand, at a voltage lower than the threshold voltage Vth, the emission current Ie is hardly detected. That is, it is a non-linear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth with respect to the emission current Ie.

Secondly, since the emission current Ie changes depending on the voltage Vf applied to the element, the emission current Ie varies with the voltage Vf.
The magnitude of e can be controlled.

Third, since the response speed of the current Ie emitted from the element is fast with respect to the voltage Vf applied to the element, the charge amount of the electrons emitted from the element depends on the length of time for applying the voltage Vf. Can control.

Because of the above characteristics, the surface conduction electron-emitting device could be used suitably for a display device. For example, in a display device in which a large number of elements are provided corresponding to pixels of a display screen, if the first characteristic is used, it is possible to sequentially scan and display the display screen. That is, a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vth is appropriately applied to the element being driven and a voltage lower than the threshold voltage Vth is applied to the element in a non-selected state. By sequentially switching the elements to be driven, the display screen can be sequentially scanned and displayed.

Further, since the emission luminance can be controlled by using the second characteristic or the third characteristic, it is possible to perform gradation display. (Structure of a multi-electron beam source in which a large number of elements are arranged in a simple matrix) Next, the structure of a multi-electron beam source in which the above-mentioned surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged on a substrate and arranged in a simple matrix will be described.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the multi-electron beam source used for the display panel of FIG. On the substrate, surface-conduction emission devices similar to those shown in FIG. 11 are arranged, and these devices are wired in a simple matrix by row-direction wiring electrodes 1003 and column-direction wiring electrodes 1004. Row direction wiring electrode 1003 and column direction wiring electrode 1004
An insulating layer (not shown) is formed between the electrodes at the intersections of the two to maintain electrical insulation.

FIG. 18 shows a cross section along the line AA ′ in FIG.

The multi-electron source having such a structure is as follows.
A row-direction wiring electrode 1003, a column-direction wiring electrode 1004, an inter-electrode insulating layer (not shown),
After forming the device electrode and the conductive thin film of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, power is supplied to each device via the row direction wiring electrode 1003 and the column direction wiring electrode 1004 to perform the current forming process and the current activation process. Manufactured by

On the element substrate manufactured as described above, a grid electrode formed by opening a hole corresponding to the electron beam passing position by etching a metal plate made of 426 alloy and having a thickness of 100 μm as described above is provided. . In this installation method, first, a columnar spacer made of soda-lime glass and having a diameter of 100 μm and fixed with frit glass is fixed to a portion of the grid electrode having no electron beam passage hole by frit glass. After the frit glass is temporarily fixed to the periphery, the support frame, the face plate, and the rear plate are simultaneously fixed when firing. The size of the electron passing hole formed in the lattice electrode may be changed according to the size of the electrode forming the element and the size of the conductive film, but the electron passing hole is as large as possible for sufficient passage of electrons. For this reason, the conductive portion forming the element is made as large as possible as far as there is no problem such as short-circuit with other electrodes.

According to the image display device of the present invention manufactured as described above, it is possible to always display an electron beam with a stable trajectory, to reduce the resolution and to emit phosphors of other colors. Since there was no color unevenness and no reduction in color purity, display with excellent image quality was possible.

Further, by stabilizing the spot size, the fluorescent materials can be arranged at a high density, and a high-definition image can be displayed.

[Embodiment 2] In a second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in a sectional view of FIG. 19, a spacer 4 for holding a substrate 1001 on which an element is manufactured and a grid electrode 1 at a desired distance. In addition, the distance D between the electron-emitting device 3 and the phosphor screen 1008 on the inner surface of the face plate 1007 (the thickness of the electron-emitting device and the phosphor screen is sufficiently smaller than D, and can be ignored. The distance between the electron-emitting device and the phosphor screen on the inner surface of the face plate = D) is maintained at a constant distance against the atmospheric pressure, and an anti-atmospheric pressure spacer 5 is provided in the apparatus.

The anti-atmospheric pressure spacer 5 is in the form of a thin plate or a column. The method of installing the spacer in the apparatus is as follows. First, the fluorescent plate is positioned on the black conductive material 1010 and the face plate is made of frit glass. After the atmospheric pressure resistant spacer 5 is fixed to the glass 1007, the grid electrode 1 is aligned with the rear plate 1005 provided on the substrate 1001 by a method similar to that of the first embodiment, and combined therewith. The apparatus was completed by applying frit glass to the joints of the face plate 1006, the face plate 1007, and the rear plate 1005 and firing them.

In the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained. In particular, in the present embodiment, since an atmospheric pressure resistant spacer is provided in the device,
It was possible to manufacture a large-sized image display device, and in this case, it was possible to display images with excellent image quality, and to display images with high definition.

FIG. 20 shows a display panel using the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source so that image information provided from various image information sources such as television broadcasting can be displayed. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a multi-function display device configured in FIG. In the figure,
2100 is a display panel, 2101 is a display panel driving circuit, 2102 is a display controller, 2103 is a multiplexer, 2104 is a decoder, 2105 is an input / output interface circuit, 2106
Denotes a CPU, 2107 denotes an image generating circuit, 2108 and 2
109 and 2110 are image memory interface circuits, 2111 is an image input interface circuit, 211
2 and 2113 are TV signal receiving circuits, and 2114 is an input unit. When the present display device receives a signal including both video information and audio information, such as a television signal, it naturally reproduces audio simultaneously with the display of video. Descriptions of circuits, speakers, and the like relating to reception, separation, reproduction, processing, storage, and the like of audio information that is not directly related to the features are omitted.

Hereinafter, the function of each section will be described along the flow of the image signal.

First, the TV signal receiving circuit 2113 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wireless transmission system such as radio waves or spatial optical communication. The format of the received TV signal is not particularly limited. For example, NTSC, PAL, SECAM
Various methods such as a method may be used. A TV signal (for example, a so-called high-quality TV including the MUSE system) composed of a larger number of scanning lines than the above is suitable for taking advantage of the display panel suitable for a large area and a large number of pixels. Signal source. TV signal receiving circuit 2113
Are output to the decoder 2104.

The TV signal receiving circuit 2112 is a circuit for receiving a TV image signal transmitted using a wired transmission system such as a coaxial cable or an optical fiber. Like the TV signal receiving circuit 2113,
The type of TV signal to be received is not particularly limited,
In addition, the TV signal received by this circuit is also decoded by the decoder 2104.
Is output to

The image input interface circuit 21
Reference numeral 11 denotes a circuit for taking in an image signal supplied from an image input device such as a TV camera or an image reading scanner.
4 is output.

The image memory interface circuit 2
Reference numeral 110 denotes a circuit for capturing an image signal stored in a video tape recorder (hereinafter, abbreviated as VTR). The captured image signal is output to a decoder 2104.

The image memory interface circuit 2
Reference numeral 109 denotes a circuit for capturing an image signal stored in the video disk, and the captured image signal is output to the decoder 2104.

The image memory interface circuit 2
Reference numeral 108 denotes a circuit for taking in an image signal from a device that stores still image data, such as a so-called still image disk.
04 is output.

The input / output interface circuit 210
Reference numeral 5 denotes a circuit for connecting the present display device to an external computer, a computer network, or an output device such as a printer. In addition to inputting and outputting image data, character data, and graphic information, control signals and numerical data can be input and output between the CPU 2106 included in the display device and the outside in some cases. .

Further, the image generation circuit 2107 is provided with image data, character / graphic information input from the outside via the input / output interface circuit 2105, or a CPU.
A circuit for generating display image data based on the image data and character / graphic information output from 2106.
The circuit includes, for example, a rewritable memory for storing image data and character / graphic information, a read-only memory in which an image pattern corresponding to a character code is stored, and a memory for performing image processing. Circuits necessary for generating an image such as a processor are incorporated. The display image data generated by this circuit is output to the decoder 2104. In some cases, the display image data can be input / output to / from an external computer network or a printer via the input / output interface circuit 2105.

The CPU 2106 mainly performs operations related to operation control of the present display device and generation, selection, and editing of a display image.

For example, a control signal is output to multiplexer 2103, and image signals to be displayed on the display panel are appropriately selected or combined. In this case, a control signal is generated for the display panel controller 2102 in accordance with an image signal to be displayed, and a screen display frequency, a scanning method (for example, interlaced or non-interlaced), the number of scanning lines on one screen, and the like are determined. The operation of the display device is appropriately controlled.

Further, image data or character / graphic information is directly output to the image generation circuit 2107, or an external computer or memory is accessed via the input / output interface circuit 2105 to output image data or character / graphic information.・ Enter graphic information. Note that the CPU 2106
May of course be related to 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, the computer may be connected to an external computer network via the input / output interface circuit 2105 as described above, and for example, operations such as numerical calculations may be performed in cooperation with external devices.

The input unit 2114 is connected to the CPU 21.
06 is for the user to input commands, programs, data, and the like. For example, in addition to a keyboard and a mouse, a joystick, a barcode reader,
Various input devices such as a voice recognition device can be used.

Further, the decoder 2104 has the
And 2113 are circuits for inversely converting various image signals inputted from 2113 into three primary color signals or luminance signals and I and Q signals. It is to be noted that the decoder 2104 desirably includes an image memory therein, as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. This is for handling a television signal that requires an image memory when performing inverse conversion, such as the MUSE method. Further, the provision of the image memory facilitates the display of a still image, or enables image processing and editing including image thinning, interpolation, enlargement, reduction, and synthesis in cooperation with the image generation circuit 2107 and the CPU 2106. This is because there is an advantage that it can be easily performed.

The multiplexer 2103 is connected to the C
A display image is appropriately selected based on a control signal input from the PU 2106. That is, the multiplexer 2103 selects a desired image signal from the inversely converted image signals input from the decoder 2104 and outputs the selected image signal to the drive circuit 2101. 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 2
Reference numeral 102 denotes a circuit for controlling the operation of the drive circuit 2101 based on a control signal input from the CPU 2106.

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 2101. In addition, as to the driving method of the display panel, for example, the screen display frequency and the scanning method (for example,
A signal for controlling interlace or non-interlace is output to the drive circuit 2101.

In some cases, a control signal related to image quality adjustment such as brightness, contrast, color tone, and sharpness of a display image may be output to the drive circuit 2101.

The driving circuit 2101 is a circuit for generating a driving signal to be applied to the display panel 2100. The driving circuit 2101 is a circuit for generating an image signal input from the multiplexer 2103 and the display panel controller 21.
02 operates based on a control signal input from the control unit 02.

The function of each section has been described above. With the configuration illustrated in FIG. 20, in this display device, image information input from various image information sources can be displayed on the display panel 2100. . That is, various image signals including television broadcasts are inversely converted by the decoder 2104,
03 is selected as appropriate and input to the drive circuit 2101.

On the other hand, the display controller 2102
Generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the driving circuit 2101 in accordance with an image signal to be displayed. Drive circuit 210
1 applies a drive signal to the display panel 2100 based on the image signal and the control signal. Accordingly, an image is displayed on display panel 2100.
These series of operations are totally controlled by the CPU 2106.

In the present display device, the image memory incorporated in the decoder 2104, the image generation circuit 21
07 and the CPU 2106 involve not only displaying a selected one of a plurality of image information but also displaying, for example, enlargement, reduction, rotation, movement, edge emphasis, 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 insertion.

Although not particularly 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 can be used as a display device for television broadcasting, a terminal device for video conference, an image editing device for handling still images and moving images, a computer terminal device, a business terminal device including a word processor, It is possible to combine the functions of a game machine and the like with one unit, and it has a very wide range of applications for industrial or consumer use.

FIG. 20 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 that are not necessary for the purpose of use may be omitted from the components.

On the contrary, depending on the purpose of use, additional components may be added. For example, when the present display device is applied as a video phone, it is preferable to add a transmission / reception circuit including a television camera, an audio microphone, an illuminator, and a modem to the components.

In the present display device, in particular, a display panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device as an electron beam source can be easily made thin, so that the depth of the entire 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.

[0172]

As described above, according to the image display apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to perform a display in which the trajectory of the electron beam is always stable, and it is possible to reduce the resolution and cause the phosphors of other colors to emit light. Since there is no color unevenness or reduction in color purity caused by the above, display with excellent image quality can be performed. In addition, by stabilizing the spot size, phosphors can be arranged at high density,
A high-definition image display device can be obtained.

[0173]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional FE-type element.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional MIM type element.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a wiring method of an electron-emitting device in which the inventors have tried but a problem has occurred.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a substrate of a conventional multi-electron beam source.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a display panel of the image display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a grid electrode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a view of an element substrate viewed through a grid electrode according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a phosphor array of a face plate of a display panel.

11A and 11B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view, respectively, of a planar type surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process of the planar type surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an applied voltage waveform during the energization forming process.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an applied voltage waveform (a) during the activation process and a change (b) of the emission current Ie during the activation process.

FIG. 15 is a sectional view of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the present embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 17 is a graph showing typical characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional view of a substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a sectional view of an image display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram of a multi-function image display device using the image display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lattice electrode 2 Electron beam passage hole 3 Electron emission element (cold cathode element) 4 Spacer 5 Atmospheric pressure resistant spacer 1001 Substrate 1002 Cold cathode element 1003 Row direction wiring 1004 Column direction wiring 1005 Rear plate 1006 Support frame 1007 Face plate 1008 Phosphor screen 1009 Metal back 1010 Black conductive material

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An electron source in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices each having an electron-emitting portion between electrodes formed on a substrate are arranged in a matrix, and each of the electrodes is connected to a row wiring and a column wiring. A face plate, which is disposed to face the substrate and has an inner surface coated with a phosphor that emits light by receiving irradiation of electrons emitted from the electron-emitting device to form an image, and the phosphor from the electron-emitting portion; A grid electrode having an electron passing hole that does not hinder irradiation of the electron beam between the substrate and the face plate, wherein the electron passing hole has a surface resistance of the substrate of 10 7 Ω / □ or less. An image display device provided substantially right above the image display device. 2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the surface resistance of the grid electrode is low. 3. The surface resistance of the grid electrode is approximately 1
2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the value is not more than 0 to the seventh power Ω / □. 4. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined voltage Vg is applied to the grid electrode. 5. The distance between the grid electrode and the substrate is d,
2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein when a distance between the face plate and the substrate is D, d ≦ (1/10) D. 3. 6. The image display device according to claim 4, wherein Vg ≦ (1/10) Va when an electron beam acceleration potential applied to the inner surface of the face plate is Va. 7. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting device is a cold cathode type electron-emitting device. 8. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the electron-emitting device is a surface conduction electron-emitting device.