JP2002358875A - Equipment for manufacturing electron sources - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide an electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics by preventing damage to a substrate and occurrence of characteristic distribution due to thermal stress without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device. Provided is a manufacturing apparatus for an electron source that can be manufactured efficiently. SOLUTION: A substrate holder 207 supporting the electron source substrate 10 on which a conductor is formed, a container 12 covering a partial area of the electron source substrate 10, means for setting the inside of the container 12 to a predetermined atmosphere, In an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source having means for applying a voltage to a conductor, the substrate holder 207 may form a region of the electron source substrate 10 that is wider than a heat generation region from the conductor by applying a voltage to the conductor. It is characterized by having an electrostatic chuck 208 for electrostatic attraction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, two types of electron-emitting devices using a thermionic electron-emitting device and a cold-cathode electron-emitting device are known. The cold cathode electron-emitting devices include a field emission type, a metal / insulating layer / metal type, and a surface conduction type electron-emitting device.

The surface conduction type electron-emitting device utilizes a phenomenon in which an electron is emitted by passing a current through a small-area thin film formed on a substrate in parallel with the film surface.

The present applicant has made a number of proposals regarding a surface conduction electron-emitting device having a novel structure and its application. The basic configuration and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed in, for example, JP-A-7-235255 and JP-A-8-171849.

The basic structure of a surface conduction electron-emitting device is a device in which a substrate has a pair of opposing element electrodes and a conductive film connected to the pair of element electrodes and partially having an electron-emitting portion. The electron emitting portion contains a crack (gap) formed in a part of the conductive film. In addition, a deposited film containing carbon or a carbon compound as a main component is formed in the crack and in the vicinity thereof.

By arranging a plurality of such electron-emitting devices on a substrate and connecting the electron-emitting devices by wiring, an electron source having a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices can be manufactured.

Further, a display panel of an image forming apparatus can be formed by combining the electron source substrate and the phosphor substrate.

Conventionally, the manufacture of such an electron source or a display panel has been performed as follows.

That is, as a first manufacturing method, first, on a substrate, a plurality of elements each including a conductive film and a pair of element electrodes connected to the conductive film, and a wiring connecting the plurality of elements are formed. To form an electron source substrate on which is formed. Next, the entire prepared electron source substrate is placed in a vacuum chamber. Next, after the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated, a voltage is applied to each of the above elements through an external terminal to form a crack in the conductive film of each element (hereinafter, forming a crack in the conductive film of each element is called forming). Process)). Further, a gas containing an organic substance is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a voltage is again applied to each of the elements through an external terminal under an atmosphere in which the organic substance is present, thereby depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the crack (hereinafter, referred to as a carbon compound). Depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity of the crack is referred to as activation treatment).

In a second manufacturing method, first, a plurality of devices each including a conductive film and a pair of device electrodes connected to the conductive film are formed on a substrate, and a wiring connecting the plurality of devices is formed. To form an electron source substrate on which is formed. Next, the panel of the image display device is created by joining the created electron source substrate and the substrate on which the phosphor is arranged with the support frame interposed therebetween. Thereafter, the inside of the panel is evacuated through an exhaust pipe of the panel, and a voltage is applied to each of the above elements through external terminals of the panel to form cracks in the conductive film of each element (forming process). Further, a gas containing an organic substance is introduced into the panel through the exhaust pipe, and a voltage is again applied to each of the elements through an external terminal under an atmosphere in which the organic substance is present to deposit carbon or a carbon compound near the crack. (Activation process).

[0011]

The above-mentioned manufacturing method has been adopted. The first manufacturing method, in particular, increases the number of the electron-emitting devices as the size of the electron source substrate increases, and increases the wiring current. Also increase. Accordingly, an increase in the amount of heat generated by the wiring deteriorates the temperature distribution of the substrate, causing damage to the substrate and characteristic distribution due to thermal stress. Further, as the electron source substrate becomes larger, a larger vacuum chamber and a high vacuum compatible exhaust device are required.

Further, according to the second manufacturing method, the space inside the panel of the image forming apparatus is very narrow (usually several mm in the case of a panel using a surface conduction electron-emitting device). It takes a long time to introduce a gas containing an organic substance into the space inside the panel.

Accordingly, the present invention prevents the substrate from being damaged and the occurrence of characteristic distribution due to thermal stress without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and a high-vacuum-compatible exhaust device, thereby providing an electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics. An object of the present invention is to provide an electron source manufacturing apparatus that can be manufactured well.

[0014]

The configuration of the present invention that achieves the above object is as follows.

That is, an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention comprises a support for supporting an electron source substrate on which a conductor is formed, a container covering a partial area of the electron source substrate, and a predetermined space inside the container. In an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source, comprising: means for setting an atmosphere, and means for applying a voltage to the conductor, wherein the support is higher than a heat generation region from the conductor by applying a voltage to the conductor. The present invention is characterized by having a support means for adsorbing and fixing a large area of the electron source substrate.

In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention, "the supporting means is means for electrostatically adsorbing the electron source substrate"; That the heat conductive member is provided in a wider area, "the support is provided with means for radiating heat generated from the conductor", and "the support is wider than the heat generating area. That the device has means for heating the region of the electron source substrate "," the support has means for cooling the region of the electron source substrate that is larger than the heating region ", Means for controlling the soaking temperature of an area of the electron source substrate which is wider than the heat generating area ", and" the container has means for diffusing gas introduced into the container ". "The conductive film is used as the electron source substrate. A plurality of elements including a pair of element electrodes connected to the fine conductive films, be used as a conductive body made of a wiring connecting the elements of the plurality of formed "is intended to include.

[0017]

Next, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described.

An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention is characterized in that a conductor formed on an electron source substrate is subjected to an energizing treatment to impart an electron emission function to a part of the conductor to form an electron emission element. It is.

As the electron source substrate, a conductor formed of a plurality of elements composed of a conductive film and a pair of element electrodes connected to the conductive film, and a wiring connecting the plurality of elements was formed. Can be suitably used. In this case, the conductor is subjected to an energization process (the above-described forming process and activation process) to form an electron emission portion in each of the conductive films of the plurality of devices, thereby obtaining the above-described surface conduction type electron emission device. be able to.

First, the structure and manufacturing method of the surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an example of the structure of a surface conduction electron-emitting device. FIG.
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 3, 10 is a substrate (base), 2 and 3 are electrodes (element electrodes), 4 is a conductive film, 29 is a carbon film, 5 is a gap between the carbon films 29, and G is a gap between the conductive films 4. .

Examples of the substrate 10 include quartz glass, glass in which the content of impurities such as Na is reduced, blue plate glass, a laminate obtained by laminating SiO ₂ on a blue plate glass by sputtering or the like.
Ceramics such as alumina and a Si substrate can be used.

The materials of the opposing device electrodes 2 and 3 are as follows.
General conductor materials can be used, for example, Ni, C
metals or alloys such as r, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd and Pd, Ag, Au, RuO ₂ , Pd
Metal or metal oxide and printed conductor composed of glass or the like, such as -ag, is appropriately selected from a semiconductor conductive materials such as transparent conductor and polysilicon or the like In ₂ O ₃ -SnO _2.

Element electrode interval, element electrode length, conductive film 4
The width ₂ and thickness are designed in consideration of the applied form and the like. The element electrode interval can be preferably in the range of several hundred nm to several hundred μm, and more preferably several μm to several tens μm in consideration of the voltage applied between the element electrodes.
m.

The length of the device electrode can be in the range of several μm to several hundred μm in consideration of the resistance value of the electrode and the electron emission characteristics. The film thickness of the device electrodes 2 and 3 is several tens nm to several μm.
m.

In addition to the structure shown in FIG.
A configuration in which the conductive film 4 and the opposing element electrodes 2 and 3 are laminated in this order on 0 may be adopted.

The main materials constituting the conductive film 4 include:
For example, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, Au, Ti, In, C
u, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, Ta, W, and Pb, _{etc., PdO, SnO 2, In 2} O 3, PbO, oxides such as _{Sb 2 O 3, HfB 2,} ZrB 2, LaB 6, CeB ₆ , YB
_4, GdB boride such as _{4, TiC, ZrC, HfC,} Ta
Carbides such as C, SiC, WC, TiN, ZrN, Hf
Examples include nitrides such as N, semiconductors such as Si and Ge, and carbon.

As the conductive film 4, it is preferable to use a fine particle film composed of fine particles in order to obtain good electron emission characteristics. The film thickness is appropriately set in consideration of step coverage for the device electrodes 2 and 3, a resistance value between the device electrodes 2 and 3, a forming condition described later, and the like. The thickness of the conductive film 4 is preferably several to several hundreds of nm, and a film formed with a resistance value Rs of 10 ² to 10 ⁷ Ω / □ is preferably used. . Rs is a resistance R measured in the length direction of a thin film having a width of w and a length of l.
Is set as R = Rs (l / w). The film thickness showing the above-mentioned resistance value is in the range of about 5 nm to 50 nm, and in this film thickness range, the thin film of each material has the form of a fine particle film. The fine particle film described here is a film in which a plurality of fine particles are aggregated, and has a fine structure not only in a state in which the fine particles are individually dispersed and arranged, but also in a state in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other or overlap each other (some fine particles may To form an island-like structure as a whole). The particle size of the fine particles is in the range of several to several hundreds of nm, preferably in the range of 1 to 20 nm.

An example of a method of manufacturing the surface conduction electron-emitting device having the structure shown in FIG. 3 will be described.

1) After sufficiently cleaning the substrate 10 using a detergent, pure water, an organic solvent, or the like, depositing an element electrode material by a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like, and then depositing the substrate electrode 10 on the substrate 10 by using, for example, a photolithography technique. Then, device electrodes 2 and 3 are formed.

2) An organometallic solution is applied on the substrate 10 provided with the device electrodes 2 and 3 to form an organometallic film.
As the organic metal solution, a solution of an organic compound containing the metal of the material of the conductive film 4 as a main element can be used. The organic metal film is heated and baked, and is patterned by lift-off, etching, or the like.
To form Here, the method of applying the organometallic solution has been described, but the method of forming the conductive film 4 is not limited to this, and a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, a dispersion coating method, A dipping method, a spinner method, or the like can also be used.

3) Subsequently, a forming step is performed. When a current is supplied from a power source (not shown) between the device electrodes 2 and 3, the conductive film 4 locally undergoes a structural change such as destruction, deformation or alteration, and a gap G is formed.

A pulse voltage is used as a voltage applied to the element for the forming process. As the shape of the pulse, for example, a triangular pulse having a constant peak value or a triangular pulse having a gradually increasing peak value can be used.

The end of the energization forming process can be detected by applying a voltage pulse between the pulses that does not cause the destruction, deformation or alteration of the conductive film 4 and measuring the current flowing through the element. it can. For example, 0.
Measure the current flowing through the element by applying a voltage of about 1 V,
It is preferable to calculate the resistance value and terminate the energization forming when the resistance value exceeds 1 MΩ.

The above-mentioned energization forming treatment is preferably performed in an atmosphere containing a reducing substance.

When the conductive film 4 is made of a metal oxide,
In addition to H ₂ , CO, etc., methane,
Ethane, ethylene, propylene, benzene, toluene,
Gases of organic substances such as methanol, ethanol and acetone are also effective. This is presumably because when the material constituting the conductive film changes from metal oxide to metal by reduction, aggregation occurs with the metal. On the other hand, when the conductive film 4 is made of a metal, CO or acetone or the like does not show the effect of promoting the aggregation because the aggregation due to reduction does not occur, but H ₂ promotes the aggregation even in this case. Show the effect.

4) It is preferable to perform a process called an activation step on the device after the forming. The activation process is a process in which the device current _If and the emission current _Ie are significantly changed by this process.

The activation step can be performed, for example, by repeatedly applying a pulse to the element under an atmosphere containing an organic substance gas. This atmosphere can be formed by using an organic gas remaining in the atmosphere when the inside of the vacuum vessel is evacuated using, for example, an oil diffusion pump or a rotary pump, or is sufficiently evacuated once by an ion pump or the like. It can also be obtained by introducing a gas of an appropriate organic substance into a vacuum. The preferable gas pressure of the organic substance at this time varies depending on the above-described application form, the shape of the vacuum vessel, the type of the organic substance, and the like, and is accordingly set as appropriate. Suitable organic substances include alkanes, alkenes, aliphatic hydrocarbons of alkynes, aromatic hydrocarbons,
Organic acids such as alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, amines, phenols, carboxylic acids and sulfonic acids can be mentioned. More specifically, methane, ethane,
Saturated hydrocarbons represented by C _n H _{2n + 2} such as propane, unsaturated hydrocarbons represented by C _n H _2n such as ethylene and propylene, benzene, toluene, methanol, ethanol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acetone , Methyl ethyl ketone, methylamine, ethylamine, phenol, benzonitrile, acetonitrile and the like can be used.

By this treatment, a carbon film 29 made of carbon or a carbon compound is formed on the substrate 10 in the gap G and on the conductive film 4 in the vicinity thereof from the organic substance existing in the atmosphere. _If , the emission current _Ie
It will change significantly.

The end of the activation step can be determined appropriately while measuring the device current _If and the emission current _Ie .
The pulse width, pulse interval, pulse crest value, and the like are set as appropriate.

The carbon and the carbon compound include, for example, graphite (so-called HOPG, PG, GC), and HOPG has a substantially complete graphite crystal structure, PG
Are those with crystal grains of about 20 nm and a slightly disordered crystal structure,
GC refers to a crystal having a crystal grain of about 2 nm and further disorder in the crystal structure. ), Amorphous carbon (refers to amorphous carbon and a mixture of amorphous carbon and the above-mentioned graphite microcrystals), hydrocarbon (C
_m H _n compound represented by, or containing N, O, a compound having other elements such as Cl In addition to this. ), And the film thickness is preferably in the range of 50 nm or less,
More preferably, the range is not more than m.

By performing the above-described energization treatment, a device having the conductive film 4 between the pair of device electrodes 2 and 3 can be a surface conduction type electron-emitting device.

The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention includes a plurality of elements each including the above-described conductive film 4 and a pair of element electrodes 2 and 3 connected to the conductive film 4, and the plurality of elements. This is an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are provided by subjecting an electron source substrate or the like on which an electric conductor composed of connected wires is formed to the above-described energization processing. The embodiment will be specifically described below.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 and 2 show an electron source manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of the apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a peripheral portion of the electron source substrate in FIG.

In these figures, reference numeral 10 denotes an electron source substrate on which an X-directional wiring 7, a Y-directional wiring 8, an element 6 composed of a pair of element electrodes connected to a conductive film, and the like are formed. 12 is a container, 15 is a gas introduction port, 16 is an exhaust port,
18 is a sealing member, 19 is a diffusion plate, 21 is hydrogen or organic substance gas, 22 is a carrier gas, 23 is a moisture removal filter, 24 is a gas flow control device, 25a to 25h are valves, 26a and 26b are vacuum pumps, 27a , 27b is a vacuum gauge, 28 is a pipe, 30 is a take-out wire, 32 is a drive driver comprising a power supply and a current control system, 31 is a wire connecting the take-out wire 30 of the electron source substrate and the drive driver 32, 33 is a diffusion plate Reference numeral 19 denotes an opening, 62 denotes a vacuum frame member, and 207 denotes a support (substrate holder) that supports the electron source substrate.

The container 12 is a container made of glass or stainless steel, and is preferably made of a material that releases little gas from the container. The container 12 is provided with at least the element 6 serving as an electron-emitting element except for a wiring portion of the electron source substrate 10.
And at least 1.33
It has a structure that can withstand a pressure range from × 10 ⁻⁵ Pa (1 × 10 ⁻⁷ Torr) to atmospheric pressure.

The seal member 18 is for maintaining the airtightness between the electron source substrate 10 and the container 12, and is made of an O-ring or a rubber sheet.

The substrate holder 207 has an electrostatic chuck 20
8 are provided. The fixing of the electron source substrate 10 by the electrostatic chuck 208 is performed by applying a voltage between the electrode 209 placed in the electrostatic chuck 208 and the electron source substrate 10 and electrostatically holding the electron source substrate 10 to the substrate. The suction is performed by the holder 207. In order to keep the potential of the electron source substrate 10 at a predetermined value, a conductive member (not shown) such as an ITO film is formed on the back surface of the substrate.

In order to hold the electron source substrate 10 by the electrostatic chuck method, the distance between the electrode 209 and the electron source substrate 10 needs to be short. It is desirable to press it against 208. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the groove 211 formed on the surface of the electrostatic
Is pressed against the electrostatic chuck by the atmospheric pressure.
By applying a high voltage to the electrode 209 according to 0, the electron source substrate 10 is sufficiently absorbed. Thereafter, even if the inside of the vacuum container 12 is evacuated, the pressure difference applied to the electron source substrate 10 is canceled by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 208, and
The electron source substrate 10 can be prevented from being deformed or damaged.

The substrate holder 207 and the electron source substrate 1
In order to increase the heat conduction during zero, it is desirable to introduce a gas for heat exchange into the groove 211 once evacuated as described above. As such a gas, He is preferable, but other gases are also effective. Introducing the gas for heat exchange not only enables heat conduction between the electron source substrate 10 and the electrostatic chuck 208 at the portion having the groove 211 but also provides only mechanical contact at the portion without the groove 211. As a result, heat conduction is increased as compared with the case where the electron source substrate 10 and the electrostatic chuck 208 are in thermal contact with each other, so that the overall heat conduction is greatly improved. Accordingly, during the energization process such as the above-described forming and activation, the heat generated in the electron source substrate 10 easily moves to the substrate holder 207 via the electrostatic chuck 208 to increase the temperature of the electron source substrate 10 Generation of a temperature distribution due to local generation of heat is suppressed.

Further, the heater 21 is attached to the substrate holder 207.
The temperature of the electron source substrate 10 can be more accurately and uniformly controlled by providing temperature control means such as the cooling unit 2 and the cooling unit 213. Further, the heater 212 is divided into an element portion and an extraction electrode portion of the electron source substrate, and is controlled in accordance with each heat generation amount, so that the temperature variation of the electron source substrate 10 is reduced, and the thermal stress due to the temperature distribution is reduced. Is minimized, the electron source substrate 10 can be more reliably prevented from being damaged.

As the organic substance gas 21, an organic substance used in the above-described activation processing of the electron-emitting device or a mixed gas obtained by diluting the organic substance with nitrogen, helium, argon or the like is used. Further, when performing the above-described forming energizing treatment, a gas for promoting the formation of cracks in the conductive film of the element 6, for example, a reducing hydrogen gas or the like may be introduced into the vacuum vessel 12. is there. As described above, when a different gas is introduced in another step, the valve member 25e
A desired system is introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 by using
If you connect to it, you can use it.

The organic gas 21 can be used as it is when the organic substance is a gas at room temperature. When the organic substance is liquid or solid at room temperature, it is used by evaporating or sublimating it in a container, or furthermore. Can be used by a method such as mixing with a diluent gas. The carrier gas 22 includes
An inert gas such as nitrogen or argon or helium is used.

Organic substance gas 21 and carrier gas 22
Are mixed at a fixed ratio and introduced into the vacuum vessel 12. The flow rate and the mixing ratio of both gas flow control devices 2
4. The gas flow controller 24 includes a mass flow controller, a solenoid valve, and the like. These mixed gases are heated to an appropriate temperature by a heater (not shown) provided around the pipe 28 if necessary, and then introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 through the inlet 15. It is preferable that the heating temperature of the mixed gas be equal to the temperature of the electron source substrate 10.

It is more preferable to provide a moisture removal filter 23 in the middle of the pipe 28 to remove moisture in the introduced gas. Silica gel,
Hygroscopic materials such as molecular sieves and magnesium hydroxide can be used.

The mixed gas introduced into the vacuum vessel 12 is exhausted at a constant evacuation speed by the vacuum pump 26a through the exhaust port 16, and the pressure of the mixed gas in the vacuum vessel 12 is kept constant. The vacuum pump 26a is a dry pump,
It is a low vacuum pump such as a diaphragm pump or a scroll pump. In the present invention, an oil-free pump is preferably used.

The positions of the gas inlet 15 and the gas outlet 16 are as follows.
The present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modes can be adopted. In order to uniformly supply the organic substance into the container 12, the positions of the gas introduction port 15 and the gas exhaust port 16 are set in the container 6. As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable to be at different positions on the left and right, though not shown, and more preferably at substantially symmetric positions.

The extraction electrode 30 of the electron source substrate 10 is located outside the vacuum vessel 12, is connected to the wiring 31 using a TAB wiring, a probe, or the like, and is connected to the driving driver 32.

As described above, with the mixed gas containing the organic substance flowing into the vacuum vessel 12, the driving driver 3
By applying a pulse voltage to each element 6 on the electron source substrate 10 through the wiring 31 using the wiring 2, an element activation step can be performed.

When a pulse voltage is applied to each element 6 on the electron source substrate 10 using the apparatus having the above-described configuration to perform the forming process and the activation process, heat generated from the element 6 and the wirings 7 and 8 is generated. There is. Since the heat generation amounts of the two are not the same and the heat generation regions are different, there is a risk that the temperature of the electron source substrate varies and the electron source substrate is damaged by thermal stress. For this reason, in the apparatus of the present invention, the electron source substrate 10 is particularly adsorbed and fixed by the substrate holder 207 in a region wider than the above-mentioned heat generation region due to the energization process.

The relationship between the heat generation area of the electron source substrate 10 due to the energization process and the area where the electron source substrate 10 is attracted and fixed by the substrate holder 207 will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 4, Hs is a heat generation area from a plurality of elements 6 and is an area surrounded by DHs and LHs. Hp is a heat generation region from the element 6 and the wirings 7 and 8, and is a region surrounded by DHp and LHp. Hv is a region where the electron source substrate 10 is fixed by suction by the substrate holder 207, and is a region surrounded by DHv and LHv.

In the apparatus of the present invention, the electron source substrate 10 is suction-fixed by the substrate holder 207 in the Hv region wider than the Hp region. Specifically, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the electrostatic chuck 208 included in the substrate holder 207 is provided over a wider range than the above-described Hp region. As described above, by adsorbing and fixing the electron source substrate in an area larger than the heat generation area due to the energizing process, the thermal stress generated in the electron source substrate during the energizing process is canceled by the electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck 208, and 10 can be prevented from being deformed or damaged.

(Second Embodiment) An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to a second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the entire configuration, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same members.

In the first embodiment, the electrostatic chuck 208
A gas for heat exchange is introduced into a groove 211 provided in the electrostatic chuck 208 in order to increase heat conduction between the substrate and the electron source substrate 10. The heat conductive member 214 is arranged between the holder 207 and the electron source substrate 10. Other configurations are the first
This is the same as the embodiment.

The heat conducting member 214 is connected to the substrate holder 207.
It is installed so as to be sandwiched between the substrate holder 207 and the electron source substrate 10 or installed so as to be embedded in the substrate holder 207 so as not to hinder the mechanism for holding and fixing the electron source substrate 10. It may be.

The heat conducting member 214 has a function of absorbing the warp and undulation of the electron source substrate 10, reliably transmitting the heat generated in the process of applying power to the electron source substrate 10 to the substrate holder 207, and dissipating the heat. By controlling the temperature in accordance with the amount of heat generated from the plurality of elements and the wiring connecting the plurality of elements in the energization processing step, and reducing stress due to temperature distribution in the electron source substrate 10, cracks in the electron source substrate Breakage can be prevented, and the yield can be improved.

Also, by providing such a heat conducting member 214, heat generated in the energization process is quickly and reliably radiated, so that the concentration distribution of the introduced gas is reduced by the temperature distribution, and the effect of the element affected by the substrate heat distribution is reduced. It is possible to contribute to the reduction of the uniformity and to manufacture an electron source with excellent uniformity.

The heat conducting member 214 may be an elastic member. The material of the elastic member is Teflon (registered trademark)
Synthetic resin materials such as resin, rubber materials such as silicone rubber,
A ceramic material such as alumina or a metal material such as copper or aluminum can be used. These may be used in the form of a sheet or a divided sheet.

Further, the elastic member constituting the heat conducting member 214 may have an uneven shape on the surface facing the electron source substrate 10. The concavo-convex shape is a columnar shape such as a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, a projection shape such as a linear shape or a conical shape, a spherical shape, a spherical shape such as a rugby ball shape (elliptical spherical shape), or a spherical surface. The shape in which the projection is formed is preferable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a linear uneven shape substantially aligned with the position of the X-direction wiring or the Y-direction wiring of the electron source substrate, or as shown in FIG. It is preferable that a pillar-shaped uneven shape substantially aligned with the position, or a hemispherical uneven shape (not shown) is formed on the surface of the heat conductive member.

Further, the heat conducting member 214 has a columnar shape such as a columnar shape or a prismatic shape, a projection shape such as a linear shape or a cone shape extending in the X direction or the Y direction according to the wiring of the electron source substrate, a sphere or the like. , Spherical bodies such as rugby ball-shaped (elliptical spherical bodies),
Alternatively, the elastic member itself, such as a spherical body having a projection formed on the surface of the spherical body, may be provided on the substrate holder 207. This example is shown in FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a spherical heat conducting member using a plurality of elastic members. Here, a microsphere that is easily deformed, such as a member made of a rubber material, and a spherical body having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the microsphere (a spherical substance that is harder to deform than a member made of a rubber material) are combined with the electron source substrate 10. By spraying and sandwiching between the substrate holder 207 and the heat transfer member 2
14.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the structure of a heat conducting member made of a composite material. A heat conductive member 214 is formed by using a spherical member made of a heat conductive hard member such as a ceramic member or a metal member to form a central member, and using a spherical member whose surface is covered with a rubber member.

In the above-described apparatus for manufacturing an electron source substrate according to the present invention, since the container 12 only needs to cover at least the region where the element 6 is formed on the electron source substrate 10, the apparatus can be miniaturized. It is. In addition, the electron source substrate 10
Since the extraction electrode 30 is located outside the container, electrical connection between the electron source substrate and a power supply device (drive driver) for performing electrical processing can be easily performed.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
2 between the gas inlet 15 and the electron source substrate 10.
The provision of 9 is preferable because the flow of the mixed gas is controlled and the organic substance is uniformly supplied to the entire surface of the substrate, so that the uniformity of the electron-emitting device is improved.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a metal plate having an opening 33 is used as the diffusion plate 19. The opening 33 of the diffusion plate 19 changes the area of the opening in the vicinity of the introduction port and in a region far from the introduction port, or
It is preferable that the number of the openings be changed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 (cross-sectional view) and FIG. 11 (plan view), the farther from the inlet 15, the larger the area of the opening, or although not shown, the size of the opening If the number of openings is large or the area of the openings is large and the number of openings is large, the flow rate of the mixed gas flowing in the container 12 becomes substantially constant, which is more preferable in terms of improving uniformity.

The shape of the openings of the diffusion plate 19 is not limited to the above. For example, the openings 33 are formed concentrically at equal intervals and at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction. The opening area of the portion may be set so as to satisfy the following expression. Here, the opening area is set to increase in proportion to the distance from the gas inlet 15. As a result, the introduced substance can be supplied to the surface of the electron source substrate with high uniformity, and the electron emission elements can be activated with high uniformity. S _d = S ₀ × [1+ (d / L) ² ] ^1/2 where d is the distance from the intersection of the diffuser with the extension from the center of the gas inlet L: the center of the gas inlet From the center to the intersection of the diffuser and the extension from the center of the gas inlet S _d : the opening area at the distance d from the intersection of the extension from the center of the gas inlet and the diffuser S ₀ : Opening area at the intersection of the extension line from the center of the gas inlet and the diffusion plate

By combining the electron source manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus of the present invention with an image forming member, an image forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 12, for example, can be constructed. still,
FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing an image forming apparatus (display panel) 68, which is partially cut away.

In the figure, 7 is an X-direction wiring, 8 is a Y-direction wiring, 10 is an electron source, 69 is an electron-emitting device as shown in FIG. 3, 62 is a support frame, and 66 is a face plate (glass substrate 63). , Metal back 64 and phosphor 65), 67 are high voltage terminals, Dx1 to Dxm and Dy
1 to Dyn are external terminals.

In the image forming apparatus shown in FIG. 12, external terminals Dx1 to Dxm, Dy1
Through Dyn, a scanning signal and a modulation signal are applied by signal generation means (not shown) to emit electrons, and through a high voltage terminal 67, a metal back 65,
Alternatively, an image is displayed by applying a high voltage of about 5 kV to a transparent electrode (not shown), accelerating the electron beam, colliding with the phosphor film 64, exciting and emitting light.

[0081]

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to specific examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples, and each element within a range in which the object of the present invention is achieved. This also includes those in which substitutions or design changes have been made.

[Embodiment] In this embodiment, an electron source shown in FIG. 13 having a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices as shown in FIG. 3 is manufactured using the manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. .

First, an electron source substrate having a large number of conductive films arranged in a simple matrix as shown in FIG. 14 was manufactured as follows. 13 and FIG.
Is a glass substrate, 2 and 3 are device electrodes, 4 is a conductive film, 29
Is a carbon film, 5 is a gap between the carbon films 29, G is a gap between the conductive films 4, 7 is an X-direction wiring, 8 is a Y-direction wiring, and 9 is an insulating layer. It should be noted that the number of elements and the number of wirings are omitted, and only a part is shown.

Size 350 mm × 300 mm, thickness 3 m
An ITO film was formed to a thickness of 100 nm on the back surface of the m glass substrate 10 by a sputtering method. The ITO film is used as an electrode of an electrostatic chuck when an electron source is manufactured. If the resistivity is 10 ⁹ Ωcm or less, the material is not limited, and a semiconductor, a metal, or the like can be used.

Next, the surface of the glass substrate 10 is
_Two layers were formed, and a Pt paste was printed by an offset printing method, followed by heating and baking to form device electrodes 2 and 3 having a thickness of 50 nm. Also, by screen printing, A
g paste is printed and heated and baked to form X-direction wirings 7 (240 lines) and Y-direction wirings 8 (720 lines), and screen printing is performed at the intersection of the X-direction wiring 7 and the Y-direction wiring 8. The insulating paste was printed by a method and baked by heating to form the insulating layer 9.

Next, a palladium complex solution was dropped between the device electrodes 2 and 3 using a bubble jet (registered trademark) type spraying device, and heated at 350 ° C. for 30 minutes to form a conductive material composed of fine particles of palladium oxide. Film 4 was formed. The thickness of the conductive film 4 was 20 nm.

As described above, the pair of device electrodes 2 and 3
Electron source substrate 10 in which a plurality of elements made of conductive film 4 are arranged in a matrix by X-direction wiring 7 and Y-direction wiring 8
It was created.

Observation of the warpage and undulation of the electron source substrate 10 showed that the substrate itself had a warp and undulation, and the warp and undulation of the substrate considered to have been caused by the heating process described above. for,
The periphery was warped by about 0.5 mm.

Next, the following steps were performed using the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS.

The electron source substrate 10 is placed on a substrate holder 207.
Put on. The electrostatic chuck 208 provided in the substrate holder 207 includes an element portion (a region where a plurality of elements including the element electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductive film 4 are arranged) and a wiring portion (a wiring 7 other than the element portion). , 8 are arranged)
It is provided over a wider range.

Next, the valve 25g was opened, and the inside of the groove 211 was evacuated to 100 Pa or less, and was vacuum-adsorbed to the electrostatic chuck 208. At this time, the ITO film formed on the back surface of the electron source substrate 10 was grounded to the same potential as the negative electrode side of the high voltage power supply 210 by a contact pin (not shown). Further, the electrode 209
2kV DC voltage to high voltage power supply 210 (negative electrode grounded)
The electron source substrate 10 was electrostatically attracted to the electrostatic chuck 208.

Next, the valve 25g is closed, and the valve 25h is closed.
Is opened, and He gas is introduced into the groove 211 to 500 Pa.
Maintained. He gas is supplied to the electron source substrate 10 and the electrostatic chuck.
There is an effect of improving the heat conduction during the step 208. In addition, He
Gas is most preferred, but N _TwoAlso use gas such as
If the desired heat conduction is obtained, the gas type is restricted.
Not limited.

Next, the container 12 is placed on the electron source substrate 10 via the O-ring 18 so that the above-mentioned wiring ends protrude out of the container 12 to create an airtight space in the container 12. The space 25f was opened, and the space was evacuated by a vacuum pump 26a until the pressure became 1 × 10 ⁻⁵ Pa or less.

Next, cooling water having a water temperature of 15 ° C. is supplied to the cooling unit 213, and further, electric power is supplied from a power supply (not shown) having a temperature control function to the electric heater 212, and the electron source substrate 10 is cooled to 50 ° C. The temperature was kept constant.

Next, the probe unit (not shown) 5 connected to the wiring 31 is brought into electrical contact with the wiring end on the electron source substrate 10 exposed outside the container 6, and the driving unit connected to the wiring 31 is connected. From driver 32, base 1msec, period 10
A forming process was performed by applying a triangular pulse having a peak value of 10 V for msec for 120 seconds. As a result, the heat generated by the current flowing during the forming process is efficiently absorbed by the electrostatic chuck 208, and the thermal stress generated in the electron source substrate 10 due to the difference between the amount of heat generated from the element portion and the amount of heat generated from the wiring portion. In order to minimize the temperature, the heater 212 is divided and controlled according to the amount of heat generated, so that the electron source substrate 10 can be maintained at a constant temperature of 50 ° C., and a good forming process can be performed. Damage to the electron source substrate 10 due to stress was also prevented.

The gap G shown in FIG. 3 was formed in the conductive film 4 by the above forming process.

Next, the current flowing through the electric heater 212 was adjusted to maintain the electron source substrate 10 at a constant temperature of 60 ° C. Subsequently, while measuring the pressure in the container 12 with an ionization vacuum gauge (not shown), the pressure is set to 2 × 10 ⁻⁴ through the pipe 28 or the like.
Benzonitrile of Pa was introduced. Next, a triangular pulse having a bottom of 1 msec, a period of 10 msec, and a peak value of 15 V was applied from the drive driver 32 through a probe unit (not shown) for 60 minutes to perform an activation process. As a result, similarly to the forming process, the heat generated by the current flowing at the time of the activation process is efficiently absorbed by the electrostatic chuck 208, and the heat generated from the element portion and the wiring portion is generated by the difference between the generated heat amount from the wiring portion and the generated heat amount. In order to minimize the thermal stress generated in the source substrate 10, the heater 212 is divided and controlled in accordance with the amount of heat generated, so that the electron source substrate 1
0 was maintained at a constant temperature of 60 ° C., so that a favorable activation process could be performed, and damage to the electron source substrate 10 due to thermal stress could be prevented.

By the above activation process, a carbon film 29 was formed with the gap 5 therebetween, as shown in FIG.

The electron source substrate 10 after the above steps is completed
Alignment was performed with the face plate on which the glass frame and the phosphor were arranged, and sealing was performed using low-melting glass to produce a vacuum envelope. Further, the envelope was evacuated, baked, sealed, and the like, and the image forming panel shown in FIG. 12 was manufactured.

In the image forming panel completed as described above, the external terminals Dx1 to Dx1
By applying a scanning signal and a modulation signal through xm and Dy1 to Dyn by signal generation means (not shown), electrons are emitted, and a high voltage of 5 kV is applied to the metal back 65 through the high voltage terminal 67 to accelerate the electron beam. Then, the image was displayed by colliding with the phosphor film 64 to excite and emit light.

In this embodiment, by maintaining the electron source substrate at a constant temperature during the forming process and the activation process, it is possible to form a good surface conduction electron-emitting device having uniform characteristics and improve the uniformity of the image. An image forming panel having high performance was produced. Further, damage of the electron source substrate due to thermal stress could be prevented, and the yield could be improved.

[0102]

As described above, according to the apparatus for manufacturing an electron source of the present invention, the occurrence of breakage of the substrate and the occurrence of characteristic distribution due to thermal stress can be achieved without using a large-sized vacuum chamber and an exhaust device compatible with high vacuum. Thus, an electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics can be efficiently manufactured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing an example of an electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a part of the periphery of an electron source substrate in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a surface conduction electron-emitting device suitably used for the electron source according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between a heat generation area of the electron source substrate and an adsorption fixing area of the electron source substrate in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an overall configuration diagram schematically showing another example of the electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a shape of a heat conducting member used in the electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the shape of the heat conducting member used in the electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a heat conductive member using a spherical material of a rubber material used in the apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of a heat conducting member using a rubber spherical material used in the electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the shape of a diffusion plate used in the apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the shape of a diffusion plate used in the electron source manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of the image forming apparatus with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing an electron source according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan view of an electron source substrate according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

2, 3 element electrode 4 conductive film G conductive film gap 5 carbon film gap 6 element 7 X direction wiring 8 Y direction wiring 9 insulating layer 10 electron source substrate 12 container 15 gas inlet 16 gas exhaust 18 Seal member 19 Diffusion plate 21 Organic gas substance 22 Carrier gas 23 Moisture removal filter 24 Gas flow control device 25a to 25f Valve 26a, 26b Vacuum pump 26a, 27b Vacuum gauge 28 Piping 30 Extraction wiring 31 Electron source substrate extraction wiring 30 and drive Driver 3
2 A drive driver comprising a power supply, a current measuring device, and a current-voltage control device 33 An opening of the diffusion plate 19 62 A vacuum frame member 63 A glass substrate 64 A metal back 65 A phosphor 66 A face plate 67 A high voltage terminal 68 Image forming apparatus (display panel) 69 Electron emission element 207 Substrate holder 208 Electrostatic chuck 209 Electrode in electrostatic chuck 210 Power supply 211 Groove 212 Heater 213 Cooling unit 214 Heat conduction member

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A support for supporting an electron source substrate on which a conductor is formed, a container covering a partial area of the electron source substrate, means for setting the inside of the container to a predetermined atmosphere, and the conductor A device for applying a voltage to the electron source, wherein the support adsorbs and fixes an area of the electron source substrate that is wider than a heat generation area from the conductor by applying a voltage to the conductor. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source, comprising: 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said supporting means is means for electrostatically adsorbing said electron source substrate. 3. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein the support has a heat conducting member in an area wider than the heat generating area. 4. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein said support comprises means for radiating heat generated from said conductor. 5. The method of manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein said support has means for heating an area of said electron source substrate which is larger than said heat generating area. apparatus. 6. The method of manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein said support includes means for cooling an area of said electron source substrate which is larger than said heat generating area. apparatus. 7. The electron according to claim 1, wherein the support is provided with a means for controlling a soaking temperature of an area of the electron source substrate which is larger than the heat generating area. Source manufacturing equipment. 8. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein said container has means for diffusing gas introduced into said container. 9. A conductor comprising a plurality of elements each including a conductive film and a pair of element electrodes connected to the conductive film, and a wiring connecting the plurality of elements is formed as the electron source substrate. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the electron source is used.