TW201316825A - Activation method for emission sources of field emission display - Google Patents

Abstract

An activation method for emission sources of a field emission display is described. A field emission display device having a hydrogen absorption material is provided, and the hydrogen absorption material has absorbed saturated hydrogen gas. A vacuuming treatment is performed to the field emission display device, and an initial activation process is performed to the hydrogen absorption material. Next, an activation process is performed such that the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen absorption material is released.

Description

Activation method of emission source of field emission display

The present invention is directed to an activation method for an emission source of a field emission display.

The field emission type display illumination principle is to use an electric field to attract electrons from the electron emission tip in a vacuum environment, and the field emission electrons leaving the cathode plate are attracted by the acceleration of the positive voltage on the anode, and the phosphor powder impinging on the anode emits light ( Luminescence). The cathode plate serves as a field electron emission source, and the anode plate serves as a light source, and electrons emitted from the cathode plate strike the phosphor layer on the anode plate to emit light.

Generally, the electron emission tip can be made of a carbon nanotube or a metal. However, in an environment containing oxygen, the above-mentioned carbon nanotube or metal electron emission tip easily reacts with oxygen to form an oxide. The above oxides cause the emission current of the electron emission tip to be lowered, resulting in a decrease in the luminance of the field emission type display.

At present, it has been pointed out that the electron emission tip contributes to the enhancement of field emission characteristics in an environment containing hydrogen. However, too much hydrogen will have a negative effect on the field emission. This is mainly because excessive hydrogen ions can cause an ion bombardment effect on the electron emission tip, which causes the electron emission tip to be destroyed.

The invention provides a method for activating an emission source of a field emission display, which can reduce the oxidation reaction of the electron emission tip with oxygen, and at the same time prevent the electron emission tip from being damaged by ion bombardment.

The present invention provides a method of activating an emissive source of a field emission display, comprising providing a field emission display, wherein the field emission display is provided with a hydrogen absorbing material, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material has absorbed saturated hydrogen. A vacuum is applied to the field emission display, followed by an initial activation procedure for the hydrogen absorbing material. The activation procedure is then carried out to release hydrogen from the hydrogen absorbing material.

Based on the above, the present invention places a hydrogen absorbing material that absorbs saturated hydrogen in a field emission type display. Hydrogen in the hydrogen absorbing material can then be released when the activation procedure is performed. By the above method, the electron emission tip can activate the emission source under an environment containing hydrogen to enhance field emission characteristics. At the same time, it is possible to control the presence of hydrogen in the field emission type display without excessive amounts.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a field emission display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a top plan view of a field emission display prior to introduction of hydrogen gas material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2B is a top plan view of a field emission display after passing hydrogen gas material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In order to clearly illustrate the present embodiment, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B show only some of the components of the field emission type display, and the detailed components are still mainly shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the method for activating the emission source of the field emission display of the present embodiment first provides a field emission display 100, and the field emission display 100 is provided with a hydrogen absorbing material 200.

According to the embodiment, the field emission display 100 includes a first substrate 110, a plurality of electron emitters 140, a second substrate 120, a luminescent material layer 150, and a sealing structure 130.

The material of the first substrate 110 may be glass, quartz, or an opaque/reflective material (for example, a conductive material, a metal, a wafer, a ceramic, or other applicable materials), or other applicable materials. The first substrate 110 is mainly used to carry components of the display and lines. The first substrate 110 has an outer surface 110a and an inner surface 110b. According to the embodiment, the first substrate 110 may further include a first electrode layer 112, a resistance layer 113, a dielectric layer 114, and a second electrode layer 116. The first electrode layer 112 is located on the inner surface 110b of the first substrate 110. The first electrode layer 112 is generally made of a metal material. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other conductive materials may be used for the first electrode layer 112 according to other embodiments. For example: alloys, nitrides of metallic materials, oxides of metallic materials, oxynitrides of metallic materials, or other suitable materials), or stacked layers of metallic materials and other conductive materials. The resistance layer 112 covers the first electrode layer 112. Dielectric layer 114 is on resistive layer 112. The dielectric layer 114 is, for example, an inorganic dielectric material such as hafnium oxide or tantalum nitride. The dielectric layer 114 has a plurality of openings (not labeled) therein. The second electrode layer 116 is on the surface of the dielectric layer 114 and is not filled in the opening of the dielectric layer 114. In general, the first substrate 110 having the first electrode layer 112 and the second electrode layer 116 is also referred to as a cathode plate.

The electron emitter 140 is located on the first substrate 110. In the present embodiment, electron emitter 140 is located within the opening of dielectric layer 114 above electrode layer 112. The electron emitter 140 can be a carbon nanotube electron emission end or a metal electron emission end. Moreover, the present invention does not limit the number of electron emitters 140. It should be noted that the configuration of the present invention does not limit the arrangement between the electron emitter 140, the first electrode layer 112, the dielectric layer 114, and the second electrode layer 116 as shown in FIG. According to other embodiments, other configurations may be employed between the electron emitter 140, the first electrode layer 112, the dielectric layer 114, and the second electrode layer 116.

The second substrate 120 is located opposite to the first substrate 110 and may be made of glass, quartz, or other suitable materials. The second substrate 120 is mainly used to carry components of the display and lines. The luminescent material layer 150 is located on the second substrate 120. The luminescent material layer 150 here comprises a phosphor layer or a layer of phosphor material. In an embodiment, the luminescent material layer 150 includes a red phosphorescent/fluorescent material layer, a green phosphorescent/fluorescent material layer, and a blue phosphorescent/fluorescent material layer. According to the embodiment, the second substrate 120 further includes a third electrode layer 122. In general, the second substrate 120 having the third electrode layer 122 may also be referred to as an anode plate. In addition, an electric field generated between the third electrode layer 122 and the first electrode layer 112 / the second electrode layer 116 may cause the electron beam generated by the electron emitter 140 to be accelerated toward the third electrode layer 122 to excite the luminescent material layer 150 And produce a specific shade of light.

The sealing structure 130 is located between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 such that a cavity CH is formed between the first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, and the sealing structure 130 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The sealing structure 130 is composed, for example, of a glass frame (for example, a glass frit) and/or a sealant, or a support structure and a sealant.

It is worth mentioning that the sealing structure 130 has an opening 132 for the subsequent process of evacuating the field emission display to have a certain degree of vacuum in the cavity CH.

Further, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 installed in the field emission display 100 includes an alloy formed of zirconium (Zr), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), titanium (Ti), or a combination thereof. In the present embodiment, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is mounted outside the field emission display. In more detail, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the field emission display of the present embodiment further includes an external accommodating structure 250 mounted on the outer surface 100a of the first substrate 110. The hydrogen absorbing material 200 is disposed in the external accommodating structure 250 and communicates with the cavity CH through the opening 252 of the accommodating structure 250. In order to make the external accommodating structure 250 communicate with the cavity CH, the first substrate 110 is also provided with an opening 111 at the opening 252 corresponding to the external accommodating structure 250, and the external opening is adopted by the opening 111 and the opening 252. Structure 250 is in communication with cavity CH. In this way, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 disposed in the external accommodating structure 250 can absorb the hydrogen in the cavity CH.

According to this embodiment, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 absorbs saturated hydrogen. The manner in which the hydrogen absorbing material 200 absorbs saturated hydrogen is, for example, after the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is installed in the field emission display 100, and hydrogen gas is introduced into the field emission display 100 to cause the hydrogen absorbing material 200 to absorb hydrogen. Hydrogen is introduced into the field emission display 100 by, for example, injecting hydrogen into the cavity CH of the field emission display 100 through the opening 132 of the sealing structure 130 (shown in FIG. 2). According to the present embodiment, the conditions for introducing hydrogen into the field emission display 100 include a pressure of 0.01 to 0.1 atm, a time of more than 2 hours, and a temperature of room temperature. However, the invention is not limited thereto. After the above-described step of introducing hydrogen gas, the cavity CH of the field emission display 100 is filled with hydrogen gas, and hydrogen gas is absorbed by the hydrogen absorbing material 200 through the opening 111 and the opening 252. In order to ensure that the hydrogen absorbing material 200 can saturately absorb hydrogen, supersaturated hydrogen gas may be introduced into the chamber CH. Generally, the amount of hydrogen absorbed by the hydrogen absorbing material 200 can be controlled by adjusting the amount (area, volume, weight, etc.) of the hydrogen absorbing material 200. For larger sized panels, the amount (area, volume, weight, etc.) of the hydrogen absorbing material 200 required is greater. Here, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is provided to be capable of absorbing sufficient hydrogen to enable subsequent release of hydrogen to activate the electron emitter 140 in the display 100. It is worth mentioning that the hydrogen gas introduced above can react with the oxide on the surface of the electron emitter 140 to generate a gas, thereby preventing the emission current of the electron emitter 140 from being lowered due to the presence of the oxide.

According to other embodiments, the manner in which the hydrogen absorbing material 200 absorbs saturated hydrogen may be such that the hydrogen absorbing material 200 first absorbs saturated hydrogen gas before the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is mounted on the field emission display 100.

The field emission display 100 is then subjected to a vacuuming process. According to the embodiment, the method of vacuuming the field emission display 100 is, for example, the gas in the cavity CH is extracted through the opening 132 of the sealing structure 130 (as shown in FIG. 2), so that the cavity CH is presented in a certain manner. The degree of vacuum. After the vacuuming process described above, the opening 132 is then sealed with a sealing material 134 to maintain a certain degree of vacuum, such as a vacuum of 10 ^-6 torr.

Thereafter, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is subjected to an initial activation process. According to this embodiment, the initial activation procedure described above includes heat treating the hydrogen absorbing material 200 at a temperature of from 150 to 450 degrees Celsius, preferably from 350 to 450 degrees Celsius. Here, the method of performing the initial activation process on the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is, for example, using the high-frequency heating device 400 (as shown in FIG. 3), but the present invention is not limited thereto. The advantage of using the high-frequency heating device 400 to activate the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is that the heating device can be heated only for a specific portion of the display (where the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is installed) without performing the overall display. heating. This avoids the effects of high temperature heating on other components in the display.

Next, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is subjected to an activation process to cause the hydrogen absorbing material 200 to undergo a reverse reaction to release hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas released at this time can react with the oxide on the surface of the electron emitter 140 to generate a gas, thereby preventing the emission current of the electron emitter 140 from being lowered due to the presence of the oxide. According to the present embodiment, the activation procedure described above includes heat treatment of the hydrogen absorbing material 200, which is mainly related to the material of the hydrogen absorbing material 200 itself, and the temperature thereof is, for example, between 100 degrees Celsius and 1000 degrees Celsius. Here, the method of performing the activation process on the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is, for example, using the high-frequency heating device 400 (as shown in FIG. 3), but the present invention is not limited thereto. The advantage of using the high-frequency heating device 400 to activate the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is that the heating device can be heated only for a specific portion of the display (where the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is installed) without performing the overall display. heating. This avoids the effects of high temperature heating on other components in the display.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the activation process may further include a step of illuminating the field emission display in addition to the heat treatment of the hydrogen absorbing material 200. The lighting step is, for example, applying a voltage of 0 to 35 V to the gate (ie, the second electrode layer 116) and applying a voltage of 0 to 1 KV to the cathode (third electrode layer 122). In other words, when the above voltage is applied to the above electrode layer, the electron emitter 140 is induced to generate an electron beam.

As described above, after the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is activated to release hydrogen in the hydrogen absorbing material 200, the released hydrogen gas may diffuse into the entire chamber CH, so that the electron emitter 140 in the display 100 is at In an environment containing hydrogen, it further enhances its field emission characteristics.

It is worth mentioning that after performing the above activation procedure to release hydrogen from the hydrogen absorbing material 200, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 can again absorb excess hydrogen in the field emission display 100. In this way, in addition to allowing the field emission display 100 to contain hydrogen, it is ensured that the amount of hydrogen in the display 100 is not excessive, so as to avoid excessive ion ions to cause ion bombardment effects on the electron emission tip. It is worth mentioning that, in addition to absorbing excess hydrogen, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 can further absorb the gas generated by the reaction of hydrogen and oxide.

According to another embodiment, after the hydrogen absorbing material 200 absorbs hydrogen in the field emission display again, the activation process may be selectively performed again to release the hydrogen absorbing material 200. . In other words, the present embodiment can repeatedly cause the hydrogen absorbing material 200 to perform a process of adsorbing hydrogen gas and releasing hydrogen gas according to actual needs.

Figure 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the time after the hydrogen gas is introduced into the field emission display and the emission current. Referring to Fig. 5, the horizontal axis represents time (seconds), the right vertical axis represents vacuum (Torr), and the left vertical axis represents emission current (A). Curve A indicates that the field emission display has a change in vacuum between 300 seconds and 600 seconds when hydrogen is introduced in a pulsed manner. Curve C represents the first measurement of the emission current after the field emission display is introduced with hydrogen, and curve B represents the measurement of the second emission current after the measurement of curve C. It can be seen from the curve B that when the amount of hydrogen in the field emission display is too large, the emission current of the field emission display is decreased. Therefore, it can be proved that too much hydrogen in the field emission display adversely affects the field emission type display.

Therefore, in this embodiment, hydrogen is first introduced into the field emission display to allow the hydrogen absorbing material to absorb hydrogen, and then the field emission type display is evacuated and passed through an activation process to release hydrogen in the hydrogen absorbing material. By the above method, the amount of hydrogen in the field emission type display can be controlled to prevent the excessive ion ions from generating an ion bombardment effect on the electron emission tip and causing the electron emission tip to be destroyed.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a field emission display in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 4 is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated. Referring to FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is disposed on the surface of the sealing structure 130. In other words, the hydrogen absorbing material 200 is disposed inside the field emission type display. The hydrogen absorbing material 200 is disposed inside the field emission display 100. The hydrogen absorbing material 200 can also absorb hydrogen and release hydrogen through an activation process, so that the electron emitter 140 in the display 100 is in an environment containing hydrogen. Its field emission characteristics.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100. . . Field emission display

110. . . First substrate

110a. . . The outer surface

110b. . . The inner surface

111. . . Opening

112. . . First electrode layer

113. . . Resistance layer

114. . . Dielectric layer

116. . . Second electrode layer

120. . . Second substrate

122. . . Third electrode layer

130. . . Sealing structure

150. . . Luminescent material layer

140. . . Electronic transmitter

200. . . Hydrogen absorbing material

250. . . Additional accommodating structure

252. . . Opening

CH. . . Cavity

400. . . High frequency heating device

1 is a cross-sectional view of a field emission display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a top plan view of a field emission display prior to introduction of hydrogen gas material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2B is a top plan view of a field emission display after passing hydrogen gas material, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a schematic diagram of an activation procedure for a field emission display in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a field emission display in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a graph showing the relationship between time and emission current of a field emission type display according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100. . . Field emission display

110. . . First substrate

110a. . . The outer surface

110b. . . The inner surface

111. . . Opening

112. . . First electrode layer

113. . . Resistance layer

114. . . Dielectric layer

116. . . Second electrode layer

120. . . Second substrate

122. . . Third electrode layer

130. . . Sealing structure

150. . . Luminescent material layer

140. . . Electronic transmitter

200. . . Hydrogen absorbing material

250. . . Additional accommodating structure

252. . . Opening

CH. . . Cavity

Claims (14)

A method for activating an emission source of a field emission display, comprising: providing a field emission display, wherein the field emission display is provided with a hydrogen absorbing material, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material has absorbed saturated hydrogen; and the field emission display Vacuuming; performing an initial activation procedure on the hydrogen absorbing material; and performing an activation procedure to release hydrogen from the hydrogen absorbing material. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 1, wherein the activation process is performed to release hydrogen in the hydrogen absorbing material, and the hydrogen absorbing material can again absorb the field emission display. Hydrogen inside. The activation method of the emission source of the field emission display according to claim 2, wherein the activation process is performed again after the hydrogen absorbing material absorbs hydrogen in the field emission display. The method of activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 1, wherein the activation process comprises a heat treatment of the hydrogen absorbing material. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to claim 4, wherein the temperature of the heat treatment is from 100 degrees Celsius to 1000 degrees Celsius. The method of activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to claim 4, wherein the heat treatment comprises using a high frequency heating device. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 1, wherein the condition for introducing hydrogen into the field emission display comprises a pressure of 0.01 to 0.1 atm, a time of more than 2 hours, and a temperature of Room temperature. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to claim 1, wherein the field emission type display comprises: a first substrate; a first electrode layer on the first substrate; a dielectric a layer on the first electrode layer, wherein the first electrode layer has a plurality of openings; a plurality of electron emitters are located in the openings of the dielectric layer; and a second electrode layer is located in the dielectric layer a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate; a luminescent material layer on the second substrate; a third electrode layer covering the luminescent material layer; and a sealing structure located at the first Between the substrate and the second substrate, a cavity is formed between the first substrate, the second substrate, and the sealing structure. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 8, wherein the activation process further comprises applying a voltage of 0 to 35 V to the second electrode layer, and applying a zero to the third electrode layer. ~1KV voltage. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to the invention of claim 8, wherein the field emission type display further comprises an external receiving structure disposed on an outer surface of the first substrate, the external volume The structure has an opening communicating with the cavity, and the hydrogen absorbing material is disposed in the external accommodating structure. The method of activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to claim 8, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material is disposed on a surface of the sealing structure. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission type display according to claim 1, wherein a gas generated by reacting an oxide on the surface of the electron emitter with hydrogen is adsorbed by the hydrogen absorbing material. The method for activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 1, wherein the hydrogen absorbing material comprises zirconium (Zr), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), titanium (Ti) or a combination thereof. The alloy formed. The method of activating an emission source of a field emission display according to claim 1, wherein the initial activation procedure has a temperature of 150 to 450 degrees Celsius.