JPH11317152A - Electron beam device, image display device, and manufacture of electron beam device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make electrical connection more stable between a spacer and an electrode. SOLUTION: An electron beam device has a plurality of electron sources disposed on one substrate of confronting substrates, a conductive spacer 1020 is provided between the confronting substrates, and an electrode 1019 disposed on at least one substrate 1017 of the confronting substrates and electrically connected to the spacer 1020. The spacer 1020 and the electrode 1019 are jointed to each other via a joint member 1040 and a conductive thin film 1 is formed on the joint member.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electron beam apparatus and an image display apparatus to which the apparatus is applied.

[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 them, cold cathode devices include, for example, a surface conduction electron-emitting device (hereinafter referred to as a surface conduction electron-emitting device) and a field emission device (hereinafter referred to as F
E-type), metal / insulating layer / metal-type emission element (hereinafter referred to as MIM type), and the like are known.

[0003] As a surface conduction type emission element, for example,
MIElinson, Radio Eng. Electron Phys., 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 O ₂ thin films, those using Au thin films [G.
Dittmer: “Thin Solid Films”, 9,317 (1972)]
₂ O ₃ / SnO ₂ thin film [M. Hartwell and C.
G. Fonstad: “IEEE Trans. ED Conf.”, 519 (1975)], and those using carbon thin films [Hisashi Araki et al .: Vacuum, Vol. 26, No. 1, 22 (1983)], etc., have been reported. .

As a typical example of the device configuration of these surface conduction electron-emitting devices, FIG. 16 shows a plan view of the device by M. Hartwell et al. Described above. In the figure, reference numeral 3001 denotes a substrate, and reference numeral 3004 denotes a conductive thin film made of a metal oxide formed by sputtering. The conductive thin film 3004 is formed in an H-shaped planar shape as shown. The conductive thin film 3
An electron emission portion 3005 is formed by performing an energization process called energization forming described later on 004. The interval L in the figure is 0.5 to 1 [mm], and W is 0.1 [m].
m]. In addition, for convenience of illustration, the electron emitting portion 3005 is shown in a rectangular shape at the center of the conductive thin film 3004, but this is a schematic one, and the position and shape of the actual electron emitting portion are faithfully represented. Not necessarily.

In the above-described surface conduction electron-emitting device including the device by M. Hartwell et al., An electron emission portion 3005 is formed by performing an energization process called energization forming on the conductive thin film 3004 before electron emission. Was common. That is, energization forming means that a constant DC voltage is applied to both ends of the conductive thin film 3004,
Alternatively, a current is applied by applying a direct current voltage that is boosted at a very slow rate of, for example, about 1 V / min, and locally destroys, deforms, or alters the conductive thin film 3004, and the electrons in an electrically high resistance state That is, forming the emission part 3005. Note that a crack is generated in a part of the conductive thin film 3004 that is locally broken, deformed, or altered. After the energization forming, the conductive thin film 3004
When an appropriate voltage is applied to the above, electrons are emitted in the vicinity of the crack.

An example of the FE type is, for example, WPDyke &
WWDolan, “Field emission”, Advance in Electron Ph
ysics, 8, 89 (1956) or CASpindt, “Physica
lproperties of thin-film field emission cathodes w
ith molybdenium cones ", J. Appl. Phys., 47, 5248 (1976)
Etc. are known.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a device according to CASpindt et al. As a typical example of the FE-type device configuration.
In the figure, reference numeral 3010 denotes a substrate; 3011, an emitter wiring made of a conductive material; 3012, an emitter cone;
013 is an insulating layer, and 3014 is a gate electrode. The present device applies an appropriate voltage between the emitter cone 3012 and the gate electrode 3014, thereby forming the emitter cone 3
Field emission is caused from the tip of the 012.

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

[0010] Examples of the MIM type include, for example, C.I.
A. Mead, “Operation of tunnel-emission Devices, J. Ap
pl.Phys., 32, 646 (1961). FIG. 18 shows a typical example of the MIM element configuration. The figure is a sectional view, in which 3020 is a substrate, 3021 is a lower electrode made of a metal, 3022 is a thin insulating layer having a thickness of about 100 Å, and 3023 is an upper layer made of a metal having a thickness of about 80 to 300 Å. Electrodes. MI
In the M-type, by applying an appropriate voltage between the upper electrode 3023 and the lower electrode 3021, electrons are emitted from the surface of the upper electrode 3023.

The above-mentioned 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. Also,
Even if a large number of elements are arranged on a substrate at a high density, problems such as thermal melting of the substrate hardly occur. In addition, unlike the hot cathode device, which operates by heating the heater, the response speed is slow, and the cold cathode device also 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 because it has a particularly simple structure and is easy to manufacture among the cold cathode devices. Therefore, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 64-31332 by the present applicant, a method for arranging and driving a large number of elements has been studied.

As for the application of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, for example, an image forming apparatus such as an image display device and an image recording device, a charged beam source, and the like have been studied. In particular, as an application to an image display device, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,066,883, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2-257551 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 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 plurality of FE types in a row is disclosed in, for example, US Pat. No. 4,904,895 by the present applicant. As an example of applying the FE type to an image display device, for example, a flat panel display device [R. Meyer: “Recent Development on Micr” reported by R. Meyer et al.
o-tips Display at LETI ", Tech.Digest of 4th Int.Vac
uum Microelectronics Conf., Nagahama, pp. 6-9 (199
1)] is known.

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. 3-55-1990 by the present applicant.
No. 738.

Among the image forming apparatuses using the above-described electron-emitting devices, a flat display device having a small depth has been attracting attention as a replacement for a cathode-ray tube display device because of its space saving and light weight. .

FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing an example of a display panel portion forming a flat type image display device, in which a part of the panel is cut away to show the internal structure.

In the figure, 3115 is a rear plate, 3116
Denotes a side wall, 3117 denotes a face plate, and a rear plate 3115, a side wall 3116, and a face plate 3
117 forms an envelope (airtight container) for maintaining the inside of the display panel in a vacuum. Rear plate 3
A substrate 3111 is fixed to the substrate 115, and N × M cold cathode elements 3112 are formed on the substrate 3111 (N and M are positive integers of 2 or more, and a target display It is set appropriately according to the number of pixels.) Further, as shown in FIG. 19, the N × M cold cathode elements 3112 include M row-directional wirings 3113 and N column-directional wirings 31.
14. The part constituted by the substrate 3111, the cold cathode element 3112, the row direction wiring 3113 and the column direction wiring 3114 is called a multi electron beam source. Further, a row direction wiring 3113 and a column direction wiring 311
An insulating layer (not shown) is formed between the two wirings at least at the intersections of 4, so that electrical insulation is maintained.

A phosphor film 3118 made of a phosphor is formed on the lower surface of the face plate 3117, and phosphors of three primary colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) (not shown) are applied. Divided. A black body (not shown) is provided between the phosphors of the respective colors constituting the fluorescent film 3118, and a metal back 3119 made of Al or the like is formed on the surface of the fluorescent film 3118 on the rear plate 3115 side. ing.

Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn and Hv are electric connection terminals of an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel to an electric circuit (not shown). Dx1 to Dxm are electrically connected to the row direction wiring 3113 of the multi-electron beam source, Dy1 to Dyn are electrically connected to the column direction wiring 3114 of the multi-electron beam source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 3119.

The inside of the airtight container is 10 ^-6 Torr.
r, which is kept at a high vacuum to an ultra-high vacuum higher than r, to prevent deformation or destruction of the rear plate 3115 and the face plate 3117 due to a pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the airtight container as the display area of the image display device increases. Means are required. The method of increasing the thickness of the rear plate 3115 and the face plate 3117 not only increases the weight of the image display device, but also causes image distortion and parallax when viewed from an oblique direction. In contrast,
In FIG. 19, a structural support (called a spacer or a rib) 3120 made of a relatively thin glass plate and supporting the atmospheric pressure is provided. In this manner, the distance between the substrate 3111 on which the multi-beam electron source is formed and the face plate 3117 on which the fluorescent film 3118 is formed is usually kept at a sub-millimeter to several millimeters, and the inside of the airtight container is kept at a high vacuum as described above. ing.

In the image display apparatus using the above-described display panel, when a voltage is applied to each cold cathode element 3112 through the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn, electrons are emitted from each cold cathode element 3112. At the same time, a high voltage of several hundred [V] to several [kV] is applied to the metal back 3119 through the external terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electrons and cause them to collide with the inner surface of the face plate 3117. As a result, the phosphors of each color forming the fluorescent film 3118 are excited and emit light, and an image is displayed.

[0024]

The display panel of the image display device described above has the following problems.

First, some of the electrons emitted from the electron-emitting devices near the spacer 3120
There is a possibility that the spacer may be charged by hitting 0 or by ionization of the ionized residual gas or the like in the container due to the action of the emitted electrons. The charge of the spacer causes the cold cathode element 311
The electron emitted from 2 is distorted in its trajectory, reaches a position different from the normal position on the phosphor, and an image near the spacer is distorted and displayed.

Second, in order to accelerate the electrons emitted from the cold cathode device 3112, a high voltage of several hundred V or more (ie, 1 k) is applied between the multi-beam electron source and the face plate 3117.
Since a high electric field (V / mm or more) is applied, there is a concern about creeping discharge on the surface of the spacer 3120. In particular, when the spacer is charged as described above, a discharge may be induced.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it has been proposed to remove a charge by causing a small current to flow through the spacer (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 57-118355 and 61-124031). ). There, a conductive film is formed on the surface of the insulating spacer so that a minute current flows on the surface of the spacer.

On the other hand, in order to fix the face plate 3117 or the rear plate (electron source substrate 3111) 3115 and the spacer 3120, a method is used in which a low melting point frit glass or the like is applied to a connection portion between the two and heated and fired to be connected. Can be By using a conductive frit as the frit, a conductive film on the surface of the spacer 3120 can be electrically connected to the metal back 3119 or the wiring 3113. As the conductive material constituting the conductive frit, for example, a mixture of a metal powder and a glass powder is shown.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device capable of obtaining a long-term stable image by further stabilizing (securing) the electrical connection between the spacer and the face plate or the rear plate. It is the purpose.

[0030]

An electron beam apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
A plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, a spacer having conductivity is provided between the opposing substrates, and the spacer is electrically connected to at least one of the opposing substrates. In an electron beam device having an electrode, the spacer and the electrode are joined via a joining member, and a conductive film is formed on the joining member.

In the image display device of the present invention, a plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, and a phosphor and a metal back which emit light by irradiation of the electron beam emitted from the electron source are arranged on the other substrate. In the image display apparatus provided with a spacer having conductivity between the opposed substrates, the spacer and the metal back or the wiring are joined via a joining member, and a conductive film is formed on the joining member. Is formed.

According to the method of manufacturing an electron beam apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, and a conductive spacer is provided between the opposing substrates. In a method for manufacturing an electron beam device having an electrode electrically connected to the spacer on at least one substrate, the spacer and the electrode are joined via a joining member, and a conductive film is formed on the joining member. It is characterized by having done.

The operation of the present invention will be described.

As described above, in an electron beam device such as an image display device in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged on one of the opposing substrates and a spacer is provided between the opposing substrates, the spacers are charged. Then, for the purpose of preventing adverse effects such as instability of the trajectory of the electron beam, a spacer having conductivity is used as the spacer, and at least one substrate is provided with an electrode electrically connected to the spacer.

When an electrical connection is made between the electrode and the spacer, the connection and the electrical connection can be made by using a conductive frit made of a mixture of a metal powder and a low-melting glass powder or the like for the joining member. However, if the ratio of the metal powder is increased in order to further reduce the electric resistance of the joining member and at the same time more securely establish an electrical connection, the joining strength will decrease.

According to the present invention, the electric resistance can be reduced while maintaining the strength of the joint by forming the joint with the joint member and the conductive film formed thereon. . In the present invention, since electrical connection can be achieved by the conductive film, the bonding member does not necessarily have to have conductivity. Even when the joining member is made conductive, electrical conduction is further achieved by the conductive thin film, so that the electrical connection is lower and the reliability of the electrical connection is further improved.

The electron beam apparatus of the present invention may have the following form. (1) The electron beam device is an acceleration electrode in which the electrode accelerates electrons emitted from the electron source, and irradiates a target with electrons emitted from an electron source such as a cold cathode device according to an input signal. An image forming apparatus for forming an image is configured.
In particular, an image display device in which the target is a phosphor can be configured. (2) The electron source is a cold cathode device having a conductive thin film including an electron emitting portion between a pair of electrodes, and is particularly preferably a surface conduction type emission device. (3) The electron source is a simple matrix-shaped electron source having a plurality of cold cathode elements arranged in a matrix with a plurality of row-direction wirings and a plurality of column-direction wirings. (4) The electron source arranges a plurality of rows of cold cathode elements each having a plurality of cold cathode elements arranged in parallel and connected at both ends (referred to as a row direction), and a direction orthogonal to the wiring (referred to as a column direction). )
A control electrode (also referred to as a grid) arranged above the cold cathode device along the line forms an electron source in a ladder-like arrangement for controlling electrons from the cold cathode device. (5) Further, according to the concept of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to an electron beam device suitable for display, but as an alternative light source such as a light emitting diode of an optical printer including a photosensitive drum and a light emitting diode. Alternatively, the above-described electron beam device can be used. In this case, 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. In this case, the image forming member is not limited to a directly emitting substance such as a phosphor used in the following examples,
A member that forms a latent image by charge of electrons can also be used.

Further, according to the concept of the present invention, the present invention is applicable to a case where a member to be irradiated with electrons emitted from an electron source is other than an image forming member such as a phosphor, as in an electron microscope. Is applicable. Therefore, the present invention can also take a form as a general electron beam apparatus that does not specify a member to be irradiated.

[0039]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on embodiments.

An image display device will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the case where the present invention is applied to the joining between the spacer and the metal back on the face plate will be described. However, the joining between the spacer and the wiring in the row direction and the column direction of the rear plate, or separately provided on the face plate and the rear plate. The present invention can also be applied to the case of joining the provided electrode wiring and the spacer.

In this embodiment, a conductive film is formed at the joint between the spacer and the face plate so as to cover the spacer and a part of the metal back, so that the electrical connection between the metal back and the spacer can be sufficiently achieved. The resistance is reduced with a high adhesive strength.

As a method for forming the conductive film, a method in which droplets containing a conductive material are applied to the bonding portion by an ink-jet method and then fired, can be applied. FIG. 1 shows a structure of a joint between a spacer and a face plate according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a step of applying a droplet containing a conductive material by an ink jet device in order to form a conductive film at the junction. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a conductive thin film formed at a bonding portion, 2 denotes a part of an ink jet device (ink ejection portion), 3 denotes a droplet, and 1017 denotes a face made of a light-transmitting substrate (eg, glass). Plate, 1018
Is a fluorescent film made of a phosphor formed on the lower surface of the face plate 1017; 1019 is a metal back formed on the lower surface of the fluorescent film 1018; 1020 is a spacer having a high resistance film formed on the surface;
17 and a spacer 1020 for joining the spacer 1020.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a droplet 3 containing a conductive material is
0 and the high-resistance film of the spacer 1020 and a part of the face plate 1017 after being bonded to the face plate 1017,
A thin film is formed by firing. The thin film formed here is mainly composed of, for example, a thin film having a conductivity of 1 × 10 ⁷ Ωcm or less, and is made of Pt, Au,
Ag, Pd, Ti, Ni, Cu, W, Sb, Sn, Co
And the like, metals, alloys, metal oxides, carbon black, graphite and the like.

The ink jet apparatus, which is a means for applying the liquid droplets 3, has a piezoelectric vibrator and a heater in the discharge port, and discharges the liquid droplets by a bubbling phenomenon caused by mechanical pressure or heat. As the application liquid, a solution in which a metal compound is dissolved in an appropriate solvent, a dispersion in which fine particles of a metal, a metal oxide, carbon, or the like are dispersed in a liquid can be used. In this case, the particles to be dispersed preferably have a diameter of 10 μm or less.

Water, alkyl alcohols and organic solvents such as hydrocarbons, ketones and halogenated hydrocarbons can be used as the solvent of the application liquid. Considering this point, it can be said that water or water and an alcohol-based solvent are preferable.

When a dispersion of fine particles is used, a small amount of a dispersant can be added, if necessary, to uniformly disperse the fine particles.

The firing temperature for forming the conductive film 1 is as follows:
In consideration of the influence on the peripheral members, the firing temperature when joining the spacer and the face plate is preferably equal to or less than the firing temperature.

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

In the figure, 1015 is a rear plate, 1016
Is a side wall, 1017 is a face plate, and 1015
An airtight container for maintaining the inside of the display panel at a vacuum is formed by 1017 to 1017. When assembling an airtight container, it is necessary to seal the joints of each member to maintain sufficient strength and airtightness.For example, apply frit glass to the joints, and in air or nitrogen atmosphere, Sealing was achieved by baking at 400 to 500 degrees for 10 minutes or more. A method of evacuating the inside of the airtight container to a vacuum will be described later. The inside of the airtight container is 1
Since a vacuum of about 0 ^-6 [Torr] is maintained, a spacer 1020 is provided as an atmospheric pressure resistant structure for the purpose of preventing the hermetic container from being destroyed due to the atmospheric pressure or an unexpected impact.

The rear plate 1015 has a substrate 1011
Is fixed, but the cold cathode element 1012 is provided on the substrate.
(N and M are positive integers of 2 or more, and are appropriately set according to the target number of display pixels. For example, a display for displaying a high-definition television) In the apparatus, it is desirable to set a number of N = 3000 and M = 1000 or more.) The N × M cold cathode elements are arranged in a simple matrix by M row-directional wirings 1013 and N column-directional wirings 1014. The portion constituted by 1011 to 1014 is called a multi-electron beam source.

The material, the shape, and the manufacturing method of the cold cathode device are not limited as long as the multi electron beam source used in the image display device of the present invention is an electron source in which the cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix wiring. 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.

Next, the structure of a multi-electron beam source in which surface conduction electron-emitting devices (described later) as cold cathode devices are arranged on a substrate and wired in a simple matrix will be described.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the multi-electron beam source used for the display panel of FIG. On the substrate 1011, surface conduction type emission elements similar to those shown in FIG. 8 to be described later are arranged.
And the column-directional wiring electrodes 1004 are arranged in a simple matrix. An insulating layer (not shown) is formed between the row-directional wiring electrodes 1003 and the column-directional wiring electrodes 1004 where they intersect, so that electrical insulation is maintained.

FIG. 5 shows a cross section along the line BB 'in FIG.

Incidentally, the multi-electron source having such a structure is as follows.
After previously forming a row direction wiring electrode 1003, a column direction wiring electrode 1004, an interelectrode insulating layer (not shown), and a device electrode and a conductive thin film of a surface conduction electron-emitting device on a substrate,
Row direction wiring electrode 1003 and column direction wiring electrode 1004
The device was manufactured by supplying power to each element through the device and performing an energization forming process (described below) and an energization activation process (described below).

In this embodiment, the substrate 1011 of the multi-electron beam source is fixed to the rear plate 1015 of the airtight container.
When the substrate 1 has a sufficient strength, the substrate 101 of the multi-electron beam source is used as a rear plate of the hermetic container.
1 itself may be used.

A fluorescent film 1018 is formed on the lower surface of the face plate 1017. Since the present embodiment is a color display device, a CR film
Phosphors of three primary colors of red, green, and blue used in the field of T are separately applied. The phosphor of each color is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2A, a black conductor 1010 is provided between stripes of the phosphor, which are separately applied in stripes. 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.

The method of applying the phosphors of the three primary colors is not limited to the stripe arrangement shown in FIG. 6A, but may be, for example, a delta arrangement as shown in FIG. Other arrangements may be used.

When a monochrome display panel is manufactured, a monochromatic phosphor material may be used for the phosphor film 1018, and a black conductive material may not be necessarily used.

A metal back 1019 known in the field of CRT is provided on the surface of the fluorescent film 1018 on the rear plate side.
Is provided. The purpose of providing the metal back 1019 is
A part of the light emitted from the fluorescent film 1018 is specularly reflected to improve the light utilization rate, or the fluorescent film
The protective film 18 serves as an electrode for applying an electron beam acceleration voltage, and serves as a conductive path for excited electrons of the fluorescent film 1018. The metal back 1019 was formed by forming the fluorescent film 1018 on the face plate substrate 1017, 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 1018, the metal back 1019 may not be used.

Although not used in the present embodiment, for the purpose of applying an acceleration voltage and improving the conductivity of the fluorescent film, a gap between the face plate substrate 1017 and the fluorescent film 1018 is formed.
For example, a transparent electrode made of ITO may be provided.

FIG. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG. 3, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged view of the spacer portion. The numbers of the respective portions correspond to those of FIG. The spacer 1020 is formed by depositing a high-resistance film 1020b on the surface of the insulating member 1020a for the purpose of preventing electrification.
7 (metal back 1019 etc.) and substrate 1011
Surface (row direction wiring 1013 or column direction wiring 101)
The low resistance film 1020c is provided on the contact surface of the spacer facing 4).
Are formed by a number necessary to achieve the above-mentioned object and at necessary intervals, and are fixed to the inside of the face plate and the surface of the substrate 1011 by the joining member 1040. High resistance film 1020b
Is formed on at least the surface of the insulating member 1020a that is exposed to vacuum in the airtight container.
Further, as described above, the conductive film 1 (not shown) is formed on the joint between the metal back and the face plate, and the inside of the face plate 1017 (the metal back 1019) is formed via the conductive thin film and the joining member 1040. Etc.) and the surface of the substrate 1011 (row direction wiring 1013 or column direction wiring 1014). In the embodiment described here, the spacer 1020 has a thin plate shape, is arranged in parallel with the row wiring 1013, and is electrically connected to the row wiring 1013.

As the spacer 1020, the substrate 101
1 and the metal wiring 1019 on the inner surface of the face plate 1017.
It is necessary to have an insulating property enough to withstand a high voltage applied between them and a conductivity enough to prevent the surface of the spacer 1020 from being charged. In this regard,
As described above.

The insulating member 1020 of the spacer 1020
Examples of a include quartz glass, glass having a reduced impurity content such as Na, soda lime glass, and ceramic members such as alumina. The insulating member 1
020a has a coefficient of thermal expansion of the airtight container and the substrate 1011.
A member close to the member forming the above is preferable.

The high resistance film 1020b has a surface resistance of 10 ⁵ [Ω / □] to 10 ¹² in consideration of maintaining the antistatic effect and suppressing power consumption due to leakage current.
It is preferably in the range of [Ω / □], and a metal oxide, amorphous carbon, or the like is used as the material.

Further, the low-resistance film 1020c is the same as the high-resistance film 1
It suffices to select a resistance value sufficiently lower than that of 020b.
i, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu,
Metals or alloys such as Pd, and Pd, Ag, Au,
A printed conductor made of a metal such as RuO ₂ or Pd-Ag or a metal oxide and glass, or In ₂ O ₃ —SnO
It is appropriately selected from transparent conductors such as ₂ and semiconductor materials such as polysilicon.

It is desirable that the bonding member 1040 has conductivity so that the spacer 1020 is electrically connected to the row wiring 1013 and the metal back 1019. That is, frit glass to which a conductive adhesive, metal particles, or a conductive filler is added is preferable.

Further, Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dy
n and Hv are electric connection terminals having an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel and an electric circuit (not shown). Dx1 to Dxm are electrically connected to the row wiring 1013 of the multi-electron beam source, Dy1 to Dyn are electrically connected to the column wiring 1014 of the multi-electron beam source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 1019 of the face plate.

In order to evacuate the inside of the hermetic container, after the hermetic container is assembled, an exhaust pipe (not shown) and a vacuum pump are connected, and the inside of the hermetic container is evacuated to a degree of vacuum of about 10 ^-7 [Torr]. Exhaust until After that, the exhaust pipe is sealed,
In order to maintain the degree of vacuum in the airtight container, a getter film (not shown) is formed at a predetermined position in the airtight container immediately before or after sealing. 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, and the inside of the hermetic container is 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ or 1 × by the adsorption action of the getter film.
The degree of vacuum is maintained at 10 ^-7 [Torr].

In the image display device using the display panel described above, when a voltage is applied to each cold cathode element 1012 through the external terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn, electrons are emitted from each cold cathode element 1012. At the same time, a high voltage of several hundred [V] to several [kV] is applied to the metal back 1019 through the external terminal Hv to accelerate the emitted electrons and collide with the inner surface of the face plate 1017. As a result, the phosphor of each color forming the fluorescent film 1018 is excited and emits light, and an image is displayed.

Normally, when a surface conduction electron-emitting device is used as the cold cathode device 1012, the voltage applied to the surface conduction electron-emitting device is about 12 to 16 [V],
The distance d between the metal back 1019 and the cold cathode element 1 is about 0.1 [mm] to 8 [mm].
The voltage between 012 is about 0.1 [kV] to about 10 [kV].

The basic configuration and manufacturing method of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention and the outline of the image display device 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 surface conduction type emission element, an FE type, or M
A cold cathode device such as an IM type can be used.

However, in a situation where a display device having a large surface 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, extremely high-precision manufacturing technology is required, but this achieves a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. Is a disadvantageous factor. In the case of the MIM type, it is necessary to make the thicknesses of the insulating layer and the upper electrode thin and uniform, which is also a disadvantageous factor in achieving a large 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 inventors have found that among the surface conduction electron-emitting devices, those in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film have 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 having the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion formed of a fine particle film was used. Therefore, the basic configuration, manufacturing method and characteristics of a suitable surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described first, 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 type emission device) The typical configuration of the surface conduction type emission device in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film is a flat type or 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.

FIG. 8A is a plan view for explaining the structure of a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device, and FIG. 8B is a sectional view thereof. In the figure, 1101 is a substrate, 1102 and 1103
Denotes an element electrode, 1104 denotes a conductive thin film, 1105 denotes an electron emitting portion formed by an energization forming process, and 1113 denotes a thin film formed by an energization activation process.

As the substrate 1101, for example, various glass substrates such as quartz glass and blue plate glass, various ceramics substrates such as alumina, or an insulating layer made of, for example, SiO ₂ is formed on the various substrates described above. A laminated substrate or the like can be used.

The device electrodes 1102 and 1103 provided on the substrate 1101 so as to be 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 such as Ag or the like, alloys of these metals, or metal oxides such as In ₂ O ₃ —SnO ₂ , semiconductors such as polysilicon, and the like are appropriately selected and used. Good. To form the electrodes, for example, film forming technology such as vacuum evaporation and photolithography,
Although it can be easily formed by using a combination of patterning techniques such as etching, it may be formed by other methods (for example, printing technique).

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 numerical value from the range of several hundreds of angstroms to several hundreds of μm. Range. Also, the thickness d of the device electrode is usually from several hundred angstroms to several μm.
An appropriate numerical value is selected from the range.

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 fine particles are spaced apart, a structure in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other, or a structure in which the fine 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. In particular,
The setting is made in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, and a preferable value is 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 nO ₂ , In ₂ O ₃ , PbO, Sb ₂ O ₃ , etc .; HfB ₂ , ZrB ₂ , LaB ₆ , C
Borides such as eB ₆ , YB ₄ , GdB ₄ , etc., TiC, ZrC, HfC, TaC, SiC, WC,
And other carbides, TiN, ZrN, Hf
Nitrides such as N, etc., semiconductors such as Si, Ge, etc., carbon, and the like are listed, and are appropriately selected from these.

As described above, the conductive thin film 1104 is formed of a fine particle film.
It was set to be included from 10 ³ to a range of 10 ⁷ [Ω / sq].

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. 8, the overlapping is performed in the order of the substrate, the element electrode, and the conductive thin film from the bottom, but in some cases, the substrate, the conductive thin film, and the element electrode are stacked in the order of the bottom. I can't wait.

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 property 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 preferably has a thickness of 500 [Å] or less, and 300 [Å] or less. More preferably, Since it is difficult to precisely show the actual position and shape of the thin film 1113, it is schematically shown in FIG.

The basic structure of the preferred elements has been described above. In the examples, the following elements were 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 [μm].

As a main material of the fine particle film, Pd or P
Using dO, the thickness of the fine particle film was about 100 [angstrom], and the width W was 100 [μm].

Next, a description will be given of a method of manufacturing a suitable flat surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIGS. 9A to 9D are cross-sectional views for explaining the manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device. The notation of each member is the same as that in FIG. 1) First, as shown in FIG. 9A, device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are formed on a substrate 1101.

Before forming, the substrate 1
After sufficiently washing 101 with a detergent, pure water and an organic solvent,
The material of the device electrode is deposited. As a method of depositing,
For example, a vacuum film forming technique such as an evaporation method or a sputtering method may be used. After that, the deposited electrode material is patterned using photolithography and etching technology,
A pair of device electrodes 1102 and 1103 shown in FIG.
To form 2) Next, as shown in FIG.
04 is formed.

In the formation, first, an organic metal solution is applied to the substrate on which the pair of device electrodes 1102 and 1103 shown in FIG. 9A are formed, dried, and heated and baked to form a fine particle film. Is 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 this example, Pd was 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 for forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, a method other than the method of applying an organometallic solution used in this embodiment, such as a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method, may be used.
Alternatively, a chemical vapor deposition method or the like may be used. 3) Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, an appropriate voltage is applied between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 from the forming power supply 1110, and the energization forming process is performed to form the electron emission portions 1105.

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 a 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.
Note that the electrical resistance measured between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 is significantly increased after the formation of the electron emission portions 1105 as compared to before the formation.

FIG. 10 shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the forming power supply 1110 to explain the energization method in more detail. When forming a conductive thin film made of a fine particle film, a pulsed voltage is preferable. In the case of this 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 was sequentially increased. Also, monitor pulses Pm for monitoring the state of formation of the electron-emitting portion 1105 are inserted at appropriate intervals between the triangular-wave pulses, and the current flowing at that time is measured by the ammeter 1.
It was measured at 111.

In this embodiment, for example, 10 ⁻⁵ [t
orr], for example, the pulse width T1 is 1 [millisecond], the pulse interval T2 is 10 [millisecond], and the peak value Vpf is 0.1 [V] for each pulse.
The pressure was increased. Then, the 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. The electric resistance between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 is 1
When the current reaches × 10 ⁶ [Ω], ie, when the monitor pulse is applied, the current measured by the ammeter 1111 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 element electrode interval L is changed. In such a case, it is desirable to appropriately change the energization conditions accordingly. 4) Next, as shown in FIG.
Appropriate voltage is applied from 112 to the device electrodes 1102 and 1103, and the activation process is performed to improve the electron emission characteristics.

The energization activation process is a process of energizing the electron-emitting portion 1105 formed by the energization forming process under appropriate conditions and depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity thereof (in the figure). Shows a deposit made of carbon or a carbon compound as a member 1113.) Note that by performing the energization activation process, the emission current at the same applied voltage can be typically increased by 100 times or more as compared with before the energization activation process.

Specifically, 10 ^-4 to 10 ^-5 [tor
r], a voltage pulse is periodically applied in a vacuum atmosphere to deposit carbon or a carbon compound originating from an organic compound existing in the vacuum atmosphere.
The deposit 1113 is any one of single-crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 Å or less, more preferably 300 Å or less.

FIG. 11A 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 periodically applying a rectangular wave of a constant voltage. Specifically, the voltage Vac of the rectangular wave is 14 [V], and the pulse width T3 is 1 [mm]. Second] and the pulse interval T4 is 10 [milliseconds]. The above-mentioned energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of this 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. 9D denotes an anode electrode for capturing the emission current Ie emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device. The anode electrode 1114 is connected to a DC high-voltage power supply 1115 and an ammeter 1116. Note that the substrate 1101 is
When the activation process is performed after being incorporated in the display panel, the phosphor screen of the display panel is used as the anode electrode 1114. 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 the activation power supply 1112 is used.
Control the operation of. 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 12, the emission current Ie increases with the passage of 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-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, the conditions should be changed accordingly. desirable.

As described above, the planar surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 9E was manufactured. (Vertical type surface conduction electron-emitting device) Next, another typical structure of a surface conduction electron-emitting device in which an electron-emitting portion or its periphery is formed of a fine particle film, that is, the structure of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device Will be described.

FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view for explaining the basic structure of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device. In the figure, reference numeral 1201 denotes a substrate; 1202 and 1203 denote device electrodes;
206 is a step forming member, 1204 is a conductive thin film using a fine particle film, 1205 is an electron emitting portion formed by energization forming process, and 1213 is a thin film formed by energization activation process.

The vertical type differs from the planar type described above in that one of the element electrodes 1202 is provided on the step forming member 1206 and the conductive thin film 120
4 covers the side surface of the step forming member 1206. Therefore, the element electrode interval L in the planar type shown in FIG. 8 is set as the step height Ls of the step forming member 1206 in the vertical type. Note that for the substrate 1201, the element electrodes 1202 and 1203, and the conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film, the materials listed in the description of the planar type can be used in the same manner. For the step forming member 1206, an electrically insulating material such as SiO ₂ is used.

Next, a method of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 13A to 13F are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process.
Is the same as 1) First, as shown in FIG.
An element electrode 1203 is formed thereover. 2) Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, an insulating layer for forming a step forming member is laminated. The insulating layer may be formed by stacking, for example, SiO ₂ by a sputtering method, but another film forming method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a printing method may be used. 3) Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, an element electrode 1202 is formed on the insulating layer. 4) Next, as shown in FIG. 13D, a part of the insulating layer is removed using, for example, an etching method, and the device electrode 1 is removed.
Expose 203. 5) Next, as shown in FIG. 13E, a conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film is formed. For the formation, as in the case of the flat type, a film forming technique such as a coating method may be used. 6) Next, similarly to the case of the planar type, the energization forming process is performed to form an electron emission portion (the same process as the planar type energization forming process described with reference to FIG. 9C may be performed). .). 7) Next, as in the case of the planar type, the energization activation process is performed to deposit carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the electron emission portion (the planar type energization activation process described with reference to FIG. 9D). The same processing as described above may be performed.)

As described above, the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. (Characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the display device)
The device configuration and manufacturing method of the planar and vertical surface conduction electron-emitting devices have been described. Next, the characteristics of the devices used in the display device will be described.

FIG. 14 shows typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (device current If) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics of the device 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 for 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, the non-linear element has 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 depends on the voltage Vf.
The magnitude of e can be controlled.

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

Because of the characteristics described above, the surface conduction electron-emitting device could be suitably used 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, display can be performed by sequentially scanning the display screen. That is,
The driving element has a threshold voltage Vt according to a desired light emission luminance.
h or higher, and a voltage lower than the threshold voltage Vth is applied to the non-selected elements. 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, gradation display can be performed.

[0118]

The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.

In each of the embodiments described below, as the multi-electron beam source, N × M (N = 307) of the above-described type having an electron emission portion in the conductive fine particle film between the electrodes is used.
A multi-electron beam source was used in which the surface conduction electron-emitting devices (2, M = 1024) were matrix-wired (see FIGS. 3 and 4) by M row-directional wirings and N column-directional wirings. (Example 1) Example 1 shows an example in which a Pt fine particle film is used as a conductive thin film formed at a joint between a face plate and a spacer. Tetra-am as a liquid applied to the joint
mine-Platinum (II) Hydroxoxide hydrate ((NH ₃ ) ₄
-Pt- (OH) ₂ xH ₂ O in water at a Pt weight concentration of 1
% Aqueous solution was used, and an ink jet device having a piezo vibrator in the discharge port was used as the application device.

In this example, a display panel in which the above-described spacer 1020 shown in FIG. 3 was arranged was manufactured. Less than,
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, among the surfaces of the insulating member 1020a made of soda-lime glass, a high-resistance film 1020b is formed on four surfaces exposed in the hermetic container, and a spacer 1020 (high-resistance film) having a conductive film formed on the contact surface. 5 [mm], thickness 200
[Μm], length 20 mm). Next, a face plate 1017 having a fluorescent film 1018 and a metal back 1019 attached to its inner surface was prepared, and the spacer and the metal back of the face plate were bonded using conductive frit glass. As the conductive frit glass, a mixture of frit glass and silver powder is used.
Bonding was achieved by firing at 10 ° C. for 10 minutes or more. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, the fluorescent film 1018 adopts a stripe shape in which the phosphors 21a (R, G, B) of the respective colors extend in the column direction (Y direction). 2
1b is not only between each color phosphor (R, G, B) 21a,
A fluorescent film arranged so as to separate each pixel in the Y direction was used.

Next, the above-mentioned aqueous solution of Pt complex was applied to the joint between the face plate and the spacer using an ink jet device, dried, and baked at 300 ° C., whereby the joint composed of fine particles having a particle size of 100 Å or less was formed.
A thin film was formed.

On the other hand, a row direction wiring electrode 1013, a column direction wiring electrode 1014, an interelectrode insulating layer (not shown), a device electrode of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a conductive thin film are formed on a substrate 1011. It was fixed to 1015. After that, rear plate 1015, face plate 1017,
Each joint of the side wall 1016 and the spacer 1020 was fixed. The spacers were fixed to the substrate 1011 at regular intervals on the row wirings 1013 and parallel to the row wirings 1013. The joint between the substrate 1011 and the rear plate 1015, the joint between the rear plate 1015 and the side wall 1016, and the joint between the face plate 1017 and the side wall 1016 are coated with insulating frit glass (not shown), and are heated at 400 ° C. in air. Sealing was performed by baking for 10 minutes or longer at 500 to 500 ° C. When the above-described sealing is performed, the phosphors 21a of the respective colors must correspond to the elements arranged on the substrate 1011. Therefore, the rear plate 1015, the face plate 1017, and the spacer 1020 are located at a sufficient position. Matching was performed.

The inside of the hermetically sealed container completed as described above is evacuated by a vacuum pump through an exhaust pipe (not shown), and after reaching a sufficient degree of vacuum, the outer terminals Dx1 to Dxm and Dy1 to Dx1.
A multi-electron beam source was manufactured by supplying power to each element through the Dyn through the row direction wiring electrode 1013 and the column direction wiring electrode 1014 to perform the above-described energization forming process and energization activation process.

Next, at a degree of vacuum of about 10 ^-6 [Torr], an exhaust pipe (not shown) was welded by heating with a gas burner to seal the envelope (airtight container).

Finally, gettering was performed to maintain the degree of vacuum after sealing.

In the image display device using the display panel as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 completed as described above, each of the cold cathode devices (surface conduction type emission devices) 1012 has external terminals Dx1 to Dx1. A scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied from Dxm and Dy1 to Dyn by a signal generation unit (not shown) to emit electrons, and an emitted electron beam is applied to the metal back 1019 by applying a high voltage through a high voltage terminal Hv. Accelerates the fluorescent film 1018
To each color phosphor 21a (R, R in FIG. 15).
G and B) were excited and emitted to display an image. The applied voltage Va to the high voltage terminal Hv was 3 kV to 10 kV, and the applied voltage Vf between the wirings 1013 and 1014 was 14 V.

At this time, a two-dimensional array of light-emitting spots including light-emitting spots generated by electrons emitted from the cold cathode elements 1012 located close to the spacers 1020 is formed at two-dimensional intervals, and a clear and color-reproducible color image is obtained. Display was completed. (Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, an example in which an Au fine particle film is used as a conductive film formed at a joint between a face plate and a spacer will be described. Note that the method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device on a substrate and the configuration of the entire apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted.

As a liquid to be applied to the joint portion, an aqueous dispersion of gold fine particles having a particle size of not more than 10 angstroms produced by adding trisodium citrate dihydrate to an aqueous solution of chloroauric acid tetrahydrate and reducing the resulting solution was used. An ink jet device having a piezo vibrator in the discharge port was used as the application device. The gold fine particle dispersion was applied to the joint between the face plate and the spacer, and then baked at 200 ° C. to form a gold fine particle film at the joint. In the image display device of the present example manufactured as described above, the light emitting spot arrays were formed two-dimensionally at equal intervals, and a clear and color reproducible color image could be displayed. (Embodiment 3) In this embodiment, an example is shown in which an Ag fine particle film is used as a conductive film formed at a joint between a face plate and a spacer. The method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device on a substrate and the configuration of the entire apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As a liquid to be applied to the joint, an aqueous dispersion of silver fine particles having a particle size of several tens angstroms or less prepared by adding sodium citrate and sodium borohydride to a silver nitrate aqueous solution and reducing the resulting liquid was used. An ink jet device having a piezo oscillator in the discharge port was used. After applying the silver fine particle dispersion to the joint between the face plate and the spacer, by firing at 200 ° C.,
A silver fine particle film was formed at the joint. In the image display device of the present example manufactured as described above, the light-emitting spot rows were formed two-dimensionally at equal intervals, and a clear color image with good color reproducibility was obtained. (Embodiment 4) In this embodiment, an example in which a graphite fine particle film is used as a conductive film formed at a joint between a face plate and a spacer will be described. The method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device on a substrate and the configuration of the entire apparatus according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

As a liquid to be applied to the joint, an aqueous dispersion of graphite fine particles having a particle size of 10 Å was used.
An ink jet device having a piezo vibrator in the discharge port was used as the application device. After applying the graphite dispersion to the joint between the face plate and the spacer,
By baking at 00 ° C., a graphite fine particle film was formed at the joint. In the image display device of the present example manufactured as described above, the light emitting spot arrays were formed two-dimensionally at equal intervals, and a clear and color reproducible color image could be displayed.

[0132]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By joining the spacer and the electrode on the substrate via a joining member and forming a conductive film on the joining member, it is possible to further stabilize the electrical connection between the electrode and the spacer. Therefore, the orbit of the electron beam becomes stable,
It is possible to obtain a highly reliable image display device in which a stable image can be obtained for a long period of time and image disturbance and device deterioration due to discharge are suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a joint between a spacer and a face plate according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a process for forming a conductive thin film at a joint according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the image display device according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which a part of a display panel is cut away.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a substrate of the multi-electron beam source used in the example.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a phosphor array of a face plate of the display panel.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line AA ′, and a sectional view of a spacer.

FIG. 8A is a plan view of a planar type surface conduction electron-emitting device used in an example, and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view thereof.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing process of the planar type surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 10 is a waveform diagram of an applied voltage in the energization forming process.

11A is a diagram showing an applied voltage waveform at the time of the activation process, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a change in emission current Ie.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device used in an example.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process of the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing typical characteristics of the surface conduction electron-emitting device used in the example.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining another configuration example of the phosphor.

FIG. 16 is a view showing an example of a conventionally known surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a conventionally known FE element.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a conventionally known MIM type device.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view in which a part of a display panel of the image display device is cut away.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conductive thin film 2 Ink ejection part of inkjet device 3 Droplet 1003 Row wiring 1004 Column wiring 1010 Black conductive material 1011 Substrate 1012 Cold cathode device 1013 Row wiring 1014 Column wiring 1015 Rear plate 1016 Side wall 1017 Face plate 1018 Fluorescence Body 1019 Metal back 1020 Spacer 1020a Insulating member 1020b High-resistance film 1040 Joining member 1101 Substrate 1102, 1103 Device electrode 1104 Conductive thin film 1105 Electron emission section 1110 Power supply for forming 1111, 1116 Ammeter 1112 Power supply for activation 1113 Thin film 1114 Anode Electrode 1115 DC high voltage power supply 1201 Substrate 1202, 1203 Device electrode 1204 Conductive thin film 1205 Electron emission section 1206 Step formation Member 1213 Thin film 3001 Substrate 3004 Conductive thin film 3005 Electron emitting portion 3010 Substrate 3011 Emitter wiring 3012 Emitter cone 3013 Insulating layer 3014 Gate electrode 3020 Substrate 3021 Lower electrode 3022 Insulating layer 3023 Upper electrode 3111 Substrate 3112 Cold cathode element 3113 Row direction wiring 3114 Column Direction wiring 3115 Rear plate 3116 Side wall 3117 Face plate 3118 Fluorescent film 3119 Metal back 3120 Spacer Dx1 to Dxm, Dy1 to Dyn, Hv Terminal for electrical connection

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, a spacer having conductivity is provided between the opposing substrates, and at least one of the opposing substrates is electrically connected to the spacer. An electron beam device having electrodes that are electrically connected, wherein the spacer and the electrode are joined via a joining member, and a conductive thin film is formed on the joining member. 2. The electron beam apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said electron source is a surface conduction electron-emitting device. 3. A plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, and a phosphor and a metal back are provided on the other substrate which emit light by irradiation of an electron beam emitted from the electron source. An image display device comprising a spacer having conductivity provided between substrates, wherein the spacer and the metal back are joined via a joining member, and a conductive thin film is formed on the joining member. Image display device. 4. The image display device according to claim 3, wherein said electron source is a surface conduction electron-emitting device. 5. A plurality of electron sources are arranged on one of the opposing substrates, a spacer having conductivity is provided between the opposing substrates, and at least one of the opposing substrates is electrically connected to the spacer. A method of manufacturing an electron beam device having electrodes that are electrically connected, wherein the spacer and the electrode are joined via a joining member, and a conductive thin film is formed on the joining member. Manufacturing method. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the conductive thin film is formed through a step of applying a droplet containing a conductive material to the bonding member and firing the conductive member. Method. 7. The method for manufacturing an electron beam device according to claim 6, wherein an ink jet device is used as the means for applying the droplet. 8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the droplet is a solution in which a conductive material is dissolved. 9. The method according to claim 6, wherein the droplet is a dispersion in which fine particles of a conductive material are dispersed in a liquid. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the conductive material dispersed in the dispersion is metal or metal compound fine particles. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the conductive material dispersed in the dispersion is carbon fine particles. 12. The method according to claim 5, wherein the electron source is a surface conduction electron-emitting device.