JP2005268167A - Electron emitting device, electron source, and method of manufacturing image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable controlling the position of an electron-emitting part. <P>SOLUTION: Between a first electrode and a second electrode arranged on the surface of an insulating substrate, a conductor is arranged; and furthermore after the first electrode and the second electrode are connected and a polymer film is arranged so that it covers the conductor, the polymer film is made to be low-resistant, and furthermore, between the first electrode and the second electrode, a voltage is applied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, a method for manufacturing an electron source in which a large number of electron-emitting devices are arranged, and a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus such as a display device configured using the electron source.

  Conventionally, surface conduction electron-emitting devices are known as electron-emitting devices.

  The configuration, manufacturing method, and the like of the surface conduction electron-emitting device are disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

  FIG. 13 schematically shows a configuration of a general surface conduction electron-emitting device disclosed in the above publication. FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view of the electron-emitting device, respectively.

  In FIG. 13, 461 is a base, 462 and 463 are a pair of opposing electrodes, 464 is a conductive film, 465 is a second gap, 466 is a carbon film, and 467 is a first gap.

  FIG. 14 schematically shows an example of a manufacturing process of the electron-emitting device having the structure shown in FIG.

  First, a pair of electrodes 462 and 463 is formed over the substrate 461 (FIG. 14A).

  Subsequently, a conductive film 464 that connects the electrodes 462 and 463 is formed (FIG. 14B).

  Then, a “forming process” is performed in which a current is passed between the electrodes 462 and 463 to form a second gap 465 in a part of the conductive film 464 (FIG. 14C).

  Further, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 462 and 463 in a carbon compound atmosphere to form a carbon film 466 on the substrate 461 in the second gap 465 and on the conductive film 464 in the vicinity thereof. An “activation step” is performed to form an electron-emitting device (FIG. 14D).

  On the other hand, Patent Documents 2 to 4 disclose other methods for manufacturing surface conduction electron-emitting devices. In the manufacturing method disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to perform an “activation process” in addition to the “forming process”. However, in Patent Document 2, a pair of electrodes are connected by a polymer film. A process for forming a gap by reducing the resistance of the polymer film and then energizing the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film has been proposed. According to this method, the conventional activation process can be omitted.

An image forming apparatus such as a flat display panel can be configured by combining an electron source composed of a plurality of electron-emitting devices produced by the above manufacturing method and an image forming member composed of a phosphor or the like.
JP-A-8-32254 JP 2003-257303 A JP 2003-323844 A JP 2003-123633 A

  However, when an image forming apparatus such as an electron-emitting device, an electron source having a large number of electron-emitting devices arranged using the conventional method, and a display device configured using the electron source is formed, May vary from device to device. This is because the position of the gap created in the forming process may vary from element to element.

  Hereinafter, this problem will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11.

  First, electron sources having different gap positions for each element will be described.

  FIG. 10 shows the electron source after the forming step. Here, an electron source connected to a 3 × 3 matrix wiring is shown as an example. 1 is a substrate, 63 is a row wiring, 62 is a column wiring, 64 is an insulating layer that separates the row wiring and the column wiring, 2 is a contact electrode that connects the row wiring and the electron-emitting device 6, and 3 is a column wiring and the electron-emitting device 6 The contact electrode which connects is shown. As shown in the figure, the gap position is different for each element. For example, the element (1, 1) in the first row and the first column has a gap formed in the vicinity of the column wiring side contact electrode. In the element (2, 1) in the second row and the first column, a gap is formed in the vicinity of the row wiring side contact electrode.

  Thus, the gap position differs for each element, and the position is formed in the vicinity of one of the electrodes.

  Next, the relationship between the gap position and the emitted electron characteristics will be described.

  FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram when the electron-emitting device in the first row and the first column in FIG. 10 is driven. An electron-emitting device is formed on the substrate 1. Contact electrodes 2 and 3 are connected to a gate power supply 51. In order to measure the anode current Ie, an anode power source 53 and an ammeter 52 are connected to the anode electrode 54. When the voltage value Vg of the power supply 51 is increased, Ie increases.

  However, when the gap position is close to the vicinity of the contact electrode 3 as shown in FIG. 11A, the Ie current is larger when the voltage of the power source 51 is positive than when it is negative. That is, more electrons can be emitted by applying a positive voltage to the contact electrode far from the gap than the contact electrode near the gap than by performing the reverse drive.

  FIG. 11B shows the Ie-Vg characteristic.

  In other words, the electron-emitting device using the polymer film has a simpler manufacturing process and superior characteristics than the conventionally proposed surface conduction electron-emitting device that requires the “activation step”.

  However, in the case of an electron source using a large number of electron-emitting devices, the electron emission characteristics may be non-uniform because the gap position differs from device to device.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems,
In particular, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, a method for manufacturing an electron source, and a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus that can simplify and shorten the manufacturing process of the electron-emitting device and have good electron-emitting characteristics.

  The present invention has been made in earnest to solve the above-described problems, and has the configuration described below.

A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
In the step of forming a gap in the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode,
The temperatures generated at the first electrode side end of the conductor are the second electrode side end of the conductor, the conductor side end of the first electrode, and the conductor side end of the second electrode. Greater than the temperature generated at the part,
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device.

Also,
A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, wherein a distance between the conductor and the first electrode is longer than a distance between the conductor and the second electrode.

Also,
A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
The (sheet) resistance value of the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film positioned between the conductor and the first electrode is positioned between the conductor and the second electrode. The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, wherein the resistance of the polymer film is higher than the (sheet) resistance value of the film obtained.

  The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices, wherein the electron-emitting devices are manufactured by the method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device of the present invention. To do.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an image forming apparatus having an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices and an image forming member that forms an image by irradiation of electrons emitted from the electron source. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming apparatus manufacturing method manufactured by the electron source manufacturing method of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, a step of forming a conductive film, a step of forming a gap in the conductive film, a step of forming an atmosphere containing an organic compound (or a step of forming a polymer film on the conductive film) Compared with a conventional manufacturing method that requires a step of forming a carbon film by energizing the conductive film and simultaneously forming a gap in the carbon film, the step can be greatly simplified. In addition, according to the manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to stabilize an electron-emitting device creation process and to manufacture an image forming apparatus excellent in display quality for a long time at low cost.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  The electron-emitting devices to which the present invention can be applied are classified into the cold cathode type electron-emitting devices as described above, and among them, the surface-conduction type electron-emitting device is particularly preferable from the viewpoint of electron emission characteristics. is there. For this reason, a surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described below as an example.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present invention will be described.

  4A and 4B are schematic views showing the configuration of a planar surface conduction electron-emitting device to which the present invention can be applied. FIG. 4A is a plan view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view. In FIG. 4, 1 is a substrate, 2 and 3 are electrodes (element electrodes), 6 is a conductive film, 5 is a gap, and 40 is a conductor for controlling the forming process.

  As the substrate 1, quartz glass, glass with reduced impurity content such as Na, blue plate glass, a laminate in which an insulating layer such as Si2 or SiN is laminated on a blue plate glass by sputtering, ceramics such as alumina, and an Si substrate Etc. can be used.

As the material of the device electrodes 2 and 3 facing each other, a general conductor material is used. For example, a metal or alloy such as Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd, and Pd, Ag, Appropriately selected from printed conductors composed of metals such as Au, RuO ₂ , Pd—Ag or metal oxides and glass, transparent conductors such as In ₂ O ₃ —SnO ₂ , and semiconductor conductor materials such as polysilicon. Can do.

  The element electrode interval L and the element electrode length W are designed in consideration of the applied form and the like. The element electrode interval L is preferably several hundred nm to several hundred μm, and more preferably several μm to several tens μm. The element electrode length W 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 d of the device electrodes 2 and 3 can be in the range of several tens of nm to several μm.

For the conductor 40, a general conductor material is used. For example, a metal or alloy such as Ni, Cr, Au, Mo, W, Pt, Ti, Al, Cu, Pd, Pd, Ag, Au, RuO ₂ , polysilicon, or the like. It can be appropriately selected from semiconductor materials such as

  The conductive film 6 has at least a bond between carbon atoms, and a carbon film obtained by thermally decomposing a polymer film is preferable. “Carbon film” means “conductive film mainly composed of carbon” or “conductive film mainly composed of carbon having a gap in part and electrically connecting a pair of electrodes” or “ It can also be referred to as a conductive film containing a pair of carbons as main components. Moreover, it may be simply referred to as “conductive film”. It may also be referred to as “a film whose polymer film has a reduced resistance”, “a polymer film whose resistance has been reduced”, or “a pyrolytic polymer film”.

  The carbon film in the present invention refers to the above-described thermally decomposed polymer which is heated and has conductivity. However, factors other than heat, for example, recombination recombination by an electron beam, decomposition recombination by a photon are caused by heat. When formed by taking into account recombination and recombination, it is also referred to as a pyrolytic polymer.

  In addition, aromatic polymers are known as polymers that easily develop conductivity by dissociation and recombination of bonds between carbon atoms, that is, polymers that easily generate double bonds between carbon atoms. In particular, aromatic polyimide is a polymer from which a pyrolytic polymer having high conductivity at a relatively low temperature can be obtained. In general, aromatic polyimide is an insulator itself, but there are also polymers having conductivity before thermal decomposition, such as polyphenylene oxadiazole and polyphenylene vinylene. These conductive polymers can also be preferably used in the present invention because they exhibit further conductivity by thermal decomposition.

  It can be said that the gap 5 is a crack formed in a part of the conductive film 6.

  The electron-emitting device of this example is as shown in FIG. 4 in which the gap 5 is arranged in the vicinity of one electrode. In some cases, the surface of the electrode 40 is exposed (exists) in at least a part of the gap 5.

  When the gap 5 is formed in the vicinity of one of the electrodes, the electric conduction characteristic (electron emission characteristic) of the electron-emitting device can be remarkably asymmetric with respect to the polarity of the applied voltage applied between the electrodes 2 and 3. . When a voltage is applied with a certain polarity (forward polarity: the potential of the electrode 2 is made higher than the potential of the electrode 3) and when a voltage is applied with the opposite polarity (reverse polarity), for example, each voltage is 20V. When compared by voltage, a difference of 10 times or more occurs in the current value. At this time, the voltage-current characteristic of the electron-emitting device of the present invention indicates that it is a tunnel conduction type under a high electric field.

  In addition, in the electron-emitting device of the present invention, very high electron emission efficiency can be obtained. In measuring the electron emission efficiency, an anode electrode is disposed on the element, and the electrode 2 on the side close to the gap 5 is driven so as to have a high potential with respect to the electrode 3. In this way, very high electron emission efficiency can be obtained. If the ratio (Ie / If) of the device current If flowing between the electrodes 2 and 3 and the emission current Ie trapped by the anode electrode is defined as the electron emission efficiency, this value is the same as that of the conventional surface conduction electron-emitting device. The value is several times.

  As will be described in detail later, the gap 5 is obtained by arranging a polymer film 6 ′ so as to connect the pair of electrodes 2 and 3, reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and applying the resistance reducing process. It is formed by performing a “voltage application process” in which a voltage is applied (current is passed) to the conductive film 6 formed.

  An example of a method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  (1) The substrate 1 is sufficiently cleaned using a detergent, pure water, an organic solvent, and the like, and a device electrode material is deposited by a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, etc., and then a device electrode is formed on the substrate 1 using, for example, a photolithography technique 2 and 3 are formed (FIG. 2A). Here, a noble metal such as platinum is preferably used as the element electrode material. However, as will be described later, an oxide conductor that is a transparent conductor, that is, tin oxide, is used when performing a laser irradiation process, as will be described later. A film such as indium oxide (ITO) can be used.

  (2) A polymer film 6 'is formed between the device electrodes 2 and 3 on the substrate 1 provided with the device electrodes 2 and 3 (FIG. 2B).

  As a method for forming the polymer film 6 ′, various known methods, that is, a spin coating method, a printing method, a dipping method, or the like can be used. In particular, the printing method is a preferable method because the desired polymer film 6 ′ can be formed without using a patterning means. In particular, if an ink jet printing method is used, it is possible to directly form a fine structure of several hundred μm or less, so that it can be applied to a flat display panel for manufacturing an electron source having electron emission elements arranged at a high density. Also effective.

  When the polymer film 6 ′ is formed by the inkjet method, the polymer material solution may be applied with droplets and dried. If necessary, a desired polymer precursor solution may be applied with droplets, It can also be polymerized by heating or the like. Further, as described above, in order to form the gap 5 at either one of the element electrode ends, it is preferable to dispose the conductor 40 between the electrodes as in the embodiment shown in FIG. .

  In the present invention, aromatic polymers are preferably used. However, since many of these are hardly soluble in a solvent, a technique of applying a precursor solution is effective.

  For example, a polyimide film can be formed by applying a polyamic acid solution which is a precursor of an aromatic polyimide by ink jet method (applying droplets) and heating or the like.

  As the solvent for dissolving the polymer precursor, for example, N-methylpyrrolidone, N, N-dimethylacetamide, N, N-dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide and the like can be used, and n-butyl cellosolve, triethanolamine However, there is no particular limitation as long as the present invention can be applied, and the present invention is not limited to these solvents.

(3) Next, a resistance reduction process is performed on the polymer film 6 ′. FIG. 2 (C)
The resistance reduction treatment is a treatment for developing conductivity by dissociating and recombining bonds between carbon atoms in the polymer by heat. The most widely known method for forming a conductive pyrolytic polymer is to heat a specific polymer at a temperature equal to or higher than the decomposition temperature in an environment that does not oxidize, such as in an inert gas atmosphere or in a vacuum. .

  As described above, aromatic polymers, particularly aromatic polyimides, have a high thermal decomposition temperature as a polymer, but are heated at a temperature exceeding the thermal decomposition temperature, typically 700 ° C. to 800 ° C. or higher. Thus, it is known that a pyrolytic polymer having high conductivity can be obtained. As a means for reducing resistance, the polymer film 6 'is locally heated by energy irradiation such as electron beam irradiation, laser beam irradiation, ion beam irradiation, etc., without using an expensive substrate having high heat resistance, There is a method of using a pyrolytic polymer.

  The process of reducing resistance by electron beam irradiation, laser beam irradiation, and ion beam irradiation will be described below.

(Electron beam irradiation method)
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for irradiating an electron beam to the polymer film 6 ′ of the electron-emitting device. In FIG. 6, 61 is an electron emission means. The electron-emitting device and the electron-emitting means 61 are preferably installed in the same vacuum container 65, but if necessary, the vacuum container 65 on which the substrate 1 is installed and another vacuum container (not shown). ) And differential exhaust may be used.

  When differential evacuation is applied, a pinhole for electron beam transmission (62 in FIG. 6) is provided, and the conductance of the pinhole is low, so that the pressure inside the vacuum vessel in which the substrate 11 is installed and the electron emission means It becomes possible to isolate | separate the pressure in the vacuum vessel in which 61 was installed. The electron emission means 61 may be a structure that uses a hot cathode as an electron beam source and accelerates by applying an acceleration voltage. In the case of accurately scanning an electron beam, an electron beam convergence / deflection function 64 using an electric field / magnetic field can be attached. Further, in order to finely control the electron beam irradiation region, an electron beam blocking means 63 may be provided.

  The electron beam irradiation is preferably pulse irradiation to the polymer film 6 ', but may be irradiated in a DC manner.

  Further, the wiring of the substrate 1 is connected to a drive driver (not shown) so as to drive each element.

The irradiation condition of the electron beam can be appropriately selected within the range of, for example, the acceleration voltage Vac = 0.5 to 10 kV and the current density ρ = 0.01 to 1 mA / mm ² .

(Laser irradiation method)
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for irradiating the polymer film 6 ′ of the electron-emitting device with a laser beam. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 71 denotes a laser light source. The substrate 1 on which the electron-emitting device is arranged may be irradiated in the atmosphere or in an inert gas, or may be placed in a vacuum container (not shown) and irradiated under vacuum.

  When controlling the amount of light, the power of the laser light source may be directly controlled, or may be controlled by installing the ND filter 72 shown in FIG.

  Laser irradiation is preferably pulse irradiation on the polymer film 6 ', but may be performed in a DC manner.

  The wiring of the substrate 1 is connected to a driving driver (not shown) so as to drive each element, and an irradiation element can be selected by a substrate table 73 movable in the XY directions.

  An apparatus as shown in FIG. 7B can also be used. As shown in FIG. 7B, the polygon mirror 74 and the lens 75 can be installed to scan the laser beam (in the Y direction in the figure) (in this case, the X direction scan is performed by the substrate table 73).

  The laser light source is not particularly limited, but is preferably a carbon dioxide laser or a Nd: YAG second harmonic that can provide a high output. The output can be appropriately selected within the range of 0.1 to 5 kW.

(Ion beam irradiation method)
FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an apparatus for irradiating an ion beam to the polymer film 6 ′ of the electron-emitting device. In FIG. 9, 91 is an ion beam emitting means.

The ion beam emitting means 91 has an ion source such as an electron impact type, and an inert gas (preferably Ar) flows in at 1 × 10 ⁻² Pa or less.

  When the ion beam is scanned accurately, an ion beam convergence / deflection function 94 using an electric field / magnetic field can be attached. Further, in order to finely control the ion beam irradiation region, an ion beam blocking means 93 may be provided.

  The ion beam is preferably applied to the polymer film 6 'by pulse irradiation, but may be irradiated in a DC manner.

  Further, the wiring of the substrate 1 is connected to a drive driver (not shown) so as to drive each element.

The ion beam irradiation conditions can be appropriately selected within the range of, for example, the acceleration voltage Vac = 0.5 to 10 kV and the current density ρ = 0.5 to 10 μA / mm ² .

In the above-described resistance reduction treatment, the volume resistivity of the conductive film 6 (film in which the polymer film 6 ′ is reduced) is reduced to 10 Ωcm or less (activation energy (Ea) related to electrical conduction is 0.3 eV or less). It is preferable to perform the resistance reduction process. In this example, it is more preferable to perform the resistance reduction treatment until the volume resistivity is reduced to 10 ⁻¹ Ωcm or less (Ea is 0.1 eV or less).

  In addition, the polymer film obtained in (2) is subjected to the above-mentioned “low resistance treatment” and the conductive film described in (3) is “the polymer film at the end of the element electrode (in this case) Conductive film) thinning process ”may be performed.

  (4) Next, the gap 5 is formed in the conductive film 6 obtained by the above process (FIG. 2D).

The gap 5 is formed by applying a voltage (flowing current) between the electrodes 2 and 3. A pulse voltage can be used as the voltage to be applied. By this voltage application step, the gap 5 is formed in a part of the conductive film 6. This voltage application step can also be performed by applying a voltage pulse between the electrodes 2 and 3 simultaneously with the above-described thermal decomposition treatment. In any case, the voltage application step is desirably performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, preferably in an atmosphere having a pressure of 1.3 × 10 ⁻³ Pa or less. Further, it may be in an inert gas atmosphere.

A process in which the gap 5 is formed in a part of the conductive film 6 by the voltage application process will be described below.
(1) When a current flows through the conductive film 6 by voltage application, the temperature of the conductive film rises due to Joule heat corresponding to the voltage and current. The temperature distribution at this time is shown in FIG.
(2) The thermal decomposition further proceeds, and the film thickness of the conductive film on the conductor and on the electrode end becomes relatively thin. (The electrode has the highest temperature at the end) FIG. 5 (b)
(3) When the temperature of the end portion of the element electrode reaches the recrystallization temperature of the electrode material, the end portion of the element electrode shrinks and retreats away from the electrodes. FIG. 5 (C)
(4) The thinned conductive film is broken and the gap 5 is formed by the tensile force generated by the receding edge of the element electrode. FIG. 5 (d)
(5) Since no current flows when the gap 5 is formed, the temperature drops, and the retreat of the end portion of the element electrode ends there.

  In the electron-emitting device in which the gap 5 is formed in a part of the conductive film 6 by the voltage application step, electrons tunnel through the gap 5 when a sufficient electric field is applied to the gap 5, and the gap between the electrodes 2 and 3. Current flows through A part of the tunnel electrons are scattered, and are extracted by the high voltage applied upward in FIG.

  Conventionally, since only the polymer film is disposed between the device electrodes, the Joule heat generated in the forming process is uniformly distributed in the surface. FIG. 3 shows the temperature distribution of the forming process when the conventional element structure is used. As shown in the figure, since there is no temperature deviation in the vicinity of the device electrode, there is a possibility that the portion where the gap is formed occurs on the device electrode 2 side or the device electrode 3 side.

  In order to solve this problem, the present invention arranges a conductor between element electrodes.

  That is, a gap is formed at a desired position by disposing a conductor between element electrodes and positively generating element film heat distribution due to Joule heat generated in the forming process. Further, a gap is formed at a desired position by utilizing the resistance distribution of the element film.

  The above configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

Further, when the distance L1 between the conductor 40 and the element electrode 2, the distance L3 between the conductor 40 and the element electrode 3, and the width L2 of the conductor are the element electrode distance L,
(1) When the resistance of the conductive film 6 has no in-plane distribution [1] When L1> L3,
Temperature of conductive film L1 area temperature> L3 area temperature Temperature of electrode 2 side end of conductor 40> Temperature of electrode 40 side end of conductor 40> End of electrodes 2, 3 The relationship of the part temperature is obtained. (Fig. 5 (a))
Therefore, “a gap is obtained on the element electrode 2 side of the conductive film 40” (FIG. 4).
[2] When L3 <L1,
The temperature of the conductive film L3 area temperature> L1 area temperature> The temperature of the electrode 3 side end of the conductor 40> The temperature of the electrode 2 side end of the conductor 40> The ends of the electrodes 2, 3 The relationship of the part temperature is obtained. (Not shown)
Therefore, "a gap is obtained on the element electrode 3 side of the conductive film 40" (not shown)
[3] When L3 = L1,
The temperature of the conductive film The temperature of the area L3 ≒ the temperature of the area L1 "The position of the gap is indefinite"
That is, by setting L1> L3 or L1 <L3, the gap position can be obtained at a specified location.

(2) When the resistance of the conductive film 6 has an in-plane distribution [1] When “resistance between the conductive film 40 and the device electrode 2”> “resistance between the conductive film 40 and the device electrode 3”
When L1 = L3 Temperature of the conductive film Temperature of the area of L1> Temperature of the area of L3 by the temperature of the electrode 2 side end of the conductor 40> Temperature of the electrode 3 side end of the conductor 40> The relationship of the end temperature of the electrodes 2 and 3 is obtained. (Fig. 5 (a))
Therefore, “a gap is obtained on the element electrode 2 side of the conductive film 40” (FIG. 4).
[2] When “resistance between the conductive film 40 and the device electrode 3”> “resistance between the conductive film 40 and the device electrode 2”,
If L3 = L1, a gap can be obtained on the “element electrode 3 side of the conductive film 40”.

  As described above, the gap position can be controlled by the position of the conductor 40 and the resistance distribution of the conductive film 6.

  Note that the conductive film 6 obtained through the above-described “resistance reduction treatment” may further lower the resistance in the above-described voltage application step. Therefore, in the conductive film 6 obtained by performing the “resistance reduction process” and the conductive film 6 after the gap 5 is formed through the voltage application process, the electrical characteristics, film quality, etc. There may be a slight difference between the two. However, since the difference is slight, in the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the carbon film (conductive film) 6 obtained as a result of performing the “resistance reduction treatment” on the polymer film, It is not distinguished from the carbon film (conductive film) 6 after the gap 5 is formed through the voltage application process.

  When the voltage-current characteristic of the electron-emitting device obtained through the above steps is measured by the measuring apparatus shown in FIG. 8, the characteristic is as shown in FIG.

  8, members using the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 4 and the like indicate the same members. 54 is an anode, 53 is a high-voltage power source, 52 is an ammeter for measuring the emission current Ie emitted from the electron-emitting device, 51 is a power source for applying a driving voltage Vf to the electron-emitting device, and 50 is an electrode It is an ammeter for measuring an element current flowing between two and three.

  The electron-emitting device has a threshold voltage Vth as shown in FIG. 12. Even if a voltage lower than this voltage is applied between the electrodes 2 and 3, electrons are not substantially emitted, but from this voltage By applying a high voltage, an emission current (Ie) from the element and an element current (If) flowing between the electrodes 2 and 3 begin to be generated. Because of this characteristic, simple matrix driving is possible in which an electron source in which a plurality of electron-emitting devices are arranged in a matrix on the same substrate is configured, and a desired device is selected and driven.

  FIG. 15 is a schematic view showing an example of an image forming apparatus using the electron-emitting device 102 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a diagram in which a part of a support frame 72 and a face plate 71, which will be described later, are removed in order to explain the inside of the image forming apparatus (airtight container 100).

  In FIG. 15, reference numeral 1 denotes a rear plate on which a large number of electron-emitting devices 102 are arranged. Reference numeral 71 denotes a face plate on which an image forming member 75 is arranged. Reference numeral 72 denotes a support frame for maintaining a reduced pressure between the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1. Reference numeral 101 denotes a spacer arranged in order to maintain a gap between the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1.

  When the image forming apparatus 100 is a display, the image forming member 75 includes a phosphor film 74 and a conductive film 73 such as a metal back. Reference numerals 62 and 63 denote wirings connected to apply a voltage to the electron-emitting device 102, respectively. Doy1 to Doyn and Dox1 to Doxm are led out from a drive circuit and the like disposed outside the image forming apparatus 100 and a decompression space of the image forming apparatus (a space surrounded by the face plate, the rear plate, and the support frame). This is a lead-out wiring for connecting the ends of the wirings 62 and 63.

  Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the electron source (rear plate on which a large number of electron-emitting devices 102 are arranged) of the present invention using the electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 15 and the image forming apparatus is shown in FIGS. Etc. are shown below.

  (A1) First, the rear plate 1 for forming the electron source is prepared. As the rear plate 1, one made of an insulating material is used, and in particular, glass is preferably used.

  (B1) Next, a plurality of pairs of the electrodes 2 and 3 described in FIG. 1 are formed on the rear plate 1 (FIG. 16).

  In addition, a conductor 40 is formed between the electrodes in order to generate temperature unevenness during the forming process.

  The electrode material and the conductor material may be any conductive material, but materials that are not damaged by electron beam irradiation described later are preferable. The electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductor 40 can be formed by using various methods such as sputtering, CVD, and printing. In FIG. 10, in order to simplify the description, an example is used in which three pairs in the X direction and three pairs in the Y direction are formed, for a total of nine pairs. It is set as appropriate according to the resolution of the forming apparatus.

  (C1) Next, the lower wiring 62 is formed so as to cover a part of the electrode 3 (FIG. 17).

  Although various methods can be used for forming the lower wiring 62, a printing method is preferably used. Among the printing methods, the screen printing method is preferable because it can be formed on a large-area substrate at low cost.

  (D1) An insulating layer 64 is formed at the intersection of the lower wiring 62 and the upper wiring 63 to be formed in the next step (FIG. 18).

  Although various methods can be used for forming the insulating layer 64, a printing method is preferably used. Among the printing methods, the screen printing method is preferable because it can be formed on a large-area substrate at low cost.

  (E1) An upper wiring 63 substantially orthogonal to the lower wiring 62 is formed (FIG. 19).

  Various methods can be used for forming the upper wiring 63, but preferably the printing method is used similarly to the lower wiring 62. Among the printing methods, the screen printing method is preferable because it can be formed on a large-area substrate at low cost.

  (F1) Next, a polymer film 6 'is formed so as to connect the electrode pairs 2 and 3 (FIG. 20).

  The polymer film 6 ′ can be prepared by various methods as described above, but in order to easily form a large area, a solution containing a precursor of the polymer film can be applied by an ink jet method. preferable. When polyimide is used as the polymer film, the precursor solution is applied as described above, followed by baking at 350 ° C. and imidization (referred to as “cure”) to obtain polyimide. Although it is normal, curing is not performed, and it can also be cured by a “low resistance treatment” in a later step.

  (G1) Subsequently, as described above, a “resistance reduction process” for reducing the resistance of each polymer film 6 ′ is performed.

The “resistance reduction process” is performed one after another by irradiating the electron beam. This “resistance reduction treatment” is preferably performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere. By this step, conductivity is imparted to the polymer film 6 ′, and the polymer film 6 ′ is changed to the conductive film 6 (FIG. 21). Specifically, it is preferable to perform the resistance reduction treatment until the volume resistivity of the conductive film 6 decreases to 10 Ωcm or less (Ea is 0.3 eV or less). In this example, it is more preferable to perform the resistance reduction treatment until the volume resistivity is reduced to 10 ⁻¹ Ωcm or less (Ea is 0.1 eV or less).

  (H1) Next, the gap 5 is formed in the conductive film 6 (the polymer film 6 ′ having a reduced resistance) obtained by the step (G1).

  The gap 5 can be formed at a time by applying a voltage to each wiring 62 and wiring 63. That is, a voltage is swept between each electrode pair 2 and 3, and a gap 5 is formed in each conductive film 6. The applied voltage is preferably a pulse voltage (FIG. 22).

  This voltage application step can also be performed simultaneously with the above-described resistance reduction processing, that is, by continuously applying a voltage pulse between the electrodes 2 and 3 during the electron beam irradiation. it can. In either case, it is desirable that the voltage application process be performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere.

  Through the above steps, an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices on a substrate can be produced.

  A method of manufacturing an image forming apparatus using the electron source substrate manufactured through the above steps will be described with reference to FIG.

  (I) A metal plate 73 having a metal back 73 made of an aluminum film and a face plate 71 having an image forming member such as a phosphor film 74 and a rear plate 1 that has undergone the above steps (A1) to (H1) are prepared. Positioning is performed so that the back and the electron-emitting device face each other (FIG. 23A). A joining member is disposed on a contact surface (contact region) between the support frame 72 and the face plate 71. Similarly, a joining member is also disposed on the contact surface (contact region) between the rear plate 1 and the support frame 72. As the bonding member, a member having a function of maintaining a vacuum and an adhesion function is used, and specifically, frit glass, indium, an indium alloy, or the like is used.

  FIG. 23 illustrates an example in which the support frame 72 is fixed (adhered) to the rear plate 1 that has undergone the above-described steps (A1) to (H1) in advance by a bonding member, but this step (I) is not necessarily performed. Sometimes it does not need to be joined. Similarly, FIG. 23 shows an example in which the spacer 101 is fixed on the rear plate 1, but the spacer 101 does not necessarily have to be fixed to the rear plate 1 in the present step (I).

  In FIG. 23, for the sake of convenience, an example is shown in which the rear plate 1 is disposed below and the face plate 71 is disposed above the rear plate 1.

  23 shows an example in which the support frame 72 and the spacer 101 are fixed (adhered) on the rear plate 1 in advance. However, the support frame 72 and the spacer 101 are fixed (adhered) at the next “sealing step”. It may be simply placed on the rear plate or the face plate.

  (J) Next, a sealing step is performed. At least the joining member is heated while pressing the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1 that are arranged to face each other in the step (I) in the facing direction. In order to reduce thermal distortion, it is preferable to heat the entire surface of the face plate and the rear plate.

In the present invention, the “sealing step” is preferably performed in a reduced pressure (vacuum) atmosphere or a non-oxidizing atmosphere. As a specific reduced pressure (vacuum) atmosphere, a pressure of 10 ⁻⁵ Pa or less, preferably 10 ⁻⁶ Pa or less is preferable.

  By this sealing step, the contact portions of the face plate 71, the support frame 72, and the rear plate 1 are joined in an airtight manner, and at the same time, the airtight container (image forming apparatus) shown in FIG. ) 100 is obtained.

Here, an example in which the “sealing step” is performed in a reduced pressure (vacuum) atmosphere or a non-oxidizing atmosphere is shown. However, you may perform the said "sealing process" in air | atmosphere. In this case, an exhaust pipe for exhausting the space between the face plate and the rear plate is separately provided in the airtight container 100, and after the “sealing step”, the inside of the airtight container is exhausted to 10 ⁻⁵ Pa or less. To do. Thereafter, by sealing the exhaust pipe, an airtight container (image forming apparatus) 100 whose inside is maintained at a high vacuum can be obtained.

  In the case where the “sealing step” is performed in a vacuum, in order to maintain the inside of the image forming apparatus (airtight container) 100 at a high vacuum, between the step (I) and the step (J), It is preferable to provide a step of covering the metal back 73 (on the surface facing the rear plate 1 of the metal back) with a getter material that exhausts residual gas. The getter material used at this time is preferably an evaporation type getter for the purpose of simplifying the coating. Therefore, it is preferable to coat barium on the metal back 73 as a getter film. The getter coating step is performed in a reduced pressure (vacuum) atmosphere as in the step (J).

  Further, in the example of the image forming apparatus described here, the spacer 101 is disposed between the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1. However, the spacer 101 is not necessarily required when the size of the image forming apparatus is small. Further, if the distance between the rear plate 1 and the face plate 71 is about several hundred μm, the rear plate 1 and the face plate 71 can be directly joined by the joining member without using the support frame 72. In such a case, the joining member also serves as an alternative member for the support frame 72.

  In the present invention, the alignment step (step (I)) and the sealing step (step (J)) are performed after the step (step (H1)) for forming the gap 5 of the electron-emitting device 102. However, the step (H1) can also be performed after the sealing step (step J).

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples.

[Example 1]
In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the image forming apparatus 100 schematically illustrated in FIG. 15 is manufactured using an electron source in which a large number of electron-emitting devices as illustrated in FIG. 4 are arranged.

  FIG. 22 schematically shows an enlarged part of the electron source manufactured in this example. The rear plate, a plurality of electron-emitting devices formed on the rear plate, and signals to the plurality of electron-emitting devices are shown. And wiring for applying voltage. 1 is a rear plate (substrate), 2 and 3 are electrodes, 5 is a gap, 6 is a conductive film composed mainly of carbon, 62 is an X-direction wiring, 63 is a Y-direction wiring, and 64 is an interlayer insulating layer. is there.

  23, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 15 indicate the same members. Reference numeral 71 denotes a face plate in which a phosphor film 74 and a metal back 73 made of Al are laminated on a glass substrate. Reference numeral 72 denotes a support frame. The vacuum plate 100 (image forming apparatus) is formed by the rear plate 1, the face plate 71, and the support frame 72.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the image forming apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Process 1)
A Pt film having a thickness of 50 nm was deposited on the glass substrate 1 by a sputtering method, and the electrodes 2 and 3 and the conductor 40 made of the Pt film were formed using a photolithography technique (FIG. 16). The width of the conductor 40 was 1 μm, the distance between the electrodes 2 and 3 was 10 μm, the distance between the electrodes 2 and 40 was 7 μm, and the distance between the electrodes 3 and 40 was 2 μm. The conductor 40 is slightly larger than the polymer film 6 described later, and its length is 120 μm.

  The gap formed in the forming process is formed at the conductor edge. If the conductor exists only inside the polymer film, a gap is not formed in the portion without the conductor, resulting in an unnecessary current path. In order not to make this unnecessary current path, it is necessary to make the length of the conductor longer than that of the polymer film.

(Process 2)
Next, an Ag paste was printed by screen printing and heated and fired to form X-direction wirings 62 (FIG. 17).

(Process 3)
Subsequently, an insulating paste was printed by a screen printing method at a position where the X-direction wiring 62 and the Y-direction wiring 63 formed in a subsequent process intersect, and the insulating layer 64 was formed by baking (FIG. 18). .

(Process 4)
Further, an Ag paste was printed by a screen printing method and heated and fired to form Y-direction wirings 63, and matrix wirings were formed on the substrate 1 (FIG. 19).

(Process 5)
The raw material solution to be the polymer film 6 ′ was applied to the center between the electrodes by the ink jet method at a position straddling between the electrodes 2 and 3 of the substrate 1 on which the matrix wiring was formed as described above. In this example, polyamic acid, which is a precursor of polyimide, was dissolved in a 3% N-methylpyrrolidone / 2-butoxyethanol solution, and droplets were applied by an inkjet method. This was baked at 130 ° C. to remove the solvent, and a circular polymer film 6 ′ having a diameter of about 100 μm and a film thickness of 30 nm was obtained (FIG. 20).

(Step 6)
Next, the rear plate 1 produced in the steps up to (Step 5) was placed on a stage placed in a vacuum vessel, and the polymer films 6 ′ of all elements were subjected to a resistance reduction treatment by electron beam irradiation. (FIG. 21) An electron beam was irradiated for 45 minutes under the conditions of an acceleration voltage of 10 kV and a current density of 0.2 mA / mm 2. It was 30 meV when Ea of the carbon film after resistance reduction was measured.

(Step 7)
The support frame 72 and the spacer 101 were bonded to the rear plate 1 manufactured as described above by a bonding member (frit glass). Then, the rear plate 1 to which the spacer and the support frame are bonded and the face plate 71 are opposed to each other (the surface on which the phosphor film 74 and the metal back 73 are formed, and the surface on which the wirings 62 and 63 are formed). And arranged (FIG. 23 (a)). Note that frit glass was previously applied to the contact portion of the face plate 71 with the support frame 72.

(Process 8)
Next, the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1 opposed to each other were sealed by heating and pressing at 400 ° C. in a vacuum atmosphere of 10 ⁻⁶ Pa (FIG. 23B). By this process, an airtight container whose interior was maintained at a high vacuum was obtained. The phosphor film 74 is formed by arranging the three primary color (RGB) phosphors in a stripe shape.

  Finally, a bipolar rectangular pulse with a pulse width of 1 msec is applied at 100 Hz between the electrodes 2 and 3 with a sweep plate of 5 V to 1 V / sec through the X direction wiring and the Y direction wiring, and the main component is carbon. The gap 5 was formed in the conductive film 6 (see FIG. 22), and the image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 15) of this example was manufactured.

  In the image forming apparatus completed as described above, a desired electron-emitting device is selected through the X-direction wiring and the Y-direction wiring, a +22 V pulse voltage is applied to the electrode 2 side, and the metal back 73 is applied through the high-voltage terminal Hv. When a voltage of 8 kV was applied, the electron emission characteristics of each element were uniform, so that a bright and good image could be formed.

  On the other hand, when the conductive film 40 is not provided as in the prior art, the gap formed by the forming process varies depending on the arrangement location of the element. For this reason, the electron emission characteristics of each element varied and a defective image was obtained.

  FIG. 10 shows an electron source created by the prior art.

  The distance between the element electrodes and the size of the conductor 40 are not limited to this, and are changed depending on the polymer film, the electrode material, and the substrate.

[Example 2]
The difference from Example 1 is that the temperature distribution in the element film is utilized by providing the polymer film 6 'with a resistance distribution.

  Therefore, here, a description will be given of the process after the polymer film formation process, which is different from the first embodiment, and its characteristics will be shown.

  As described above, device electrodes, conductors, and wiring formation are the same as those in the first embodiment.

However, the arrangement of the conductor 40 is such that the distance L1 between the electrode 2 and the conductor 40 and the distance L3 between the electrode 3 and the conductor 40 are (L2 = 1 μm).
L1 = L3 = 4.5 μm
It was.

  Hereinafter, each process will be described with reference to FIGS.

(Process 5)
A raw material solution to be a polymer film 41 ′ was applied to a position straddling the electrode 2 and the conductor 40 of the substrate 1 on which the matrix wiring was formed, and shifted by 40 μm from the center between the electrode 2 and the conductor 40 to the electrode side.

In addition, a raw material solution to be a polymer film 42 ′ was applied to a position straddling the electrode 3 and the conductor 40 while being shifted from the center between the electrode and the conductor by 40 μm. (Fig. 24)
In this example, polyamic acid, which is a polyimide precursor, was dissolved in an N-methylpyrrolidone / triethanolamine solution, and droplets were applied by an inkjet method. This was baked at 130 ° C. to remove the solvent to obtain polymer films 41 ′ and 42 ′. The shape of the element film is a dharma shape without 2 circles having a diameter of about 100 μm.

  FIG. 27 shows a detailed arrangement example. This figure is a schematic view when only the polymer film 41 ′ is formed. The polymer film 41 'is formed with a diameter d1 at a position shifted by L5 from the center between the device electrodes.

  In this embodiment, L5 = 40 μm, L4 = 4.5 μm, L = 10 μm, d1 = 100 μm, and the contact portion length d2 between the polymer film 41 ′ and the conductor 40 is set to ˜60 μm.

  The polymer film 42 'was formed in the same manner.

  Further, the polymer film 41 ′ is formed to have a film thickness of 30 nm and the polymer film 42 ′ is formed to have a film thickness of 60 nm. This film thickness distribution corresponds to the sheet resistance between the electrode 2 and the conductor 40 being twice the sheet resistance between the electrode 3 and the conductor 40.

  The length d3 of the conductive film 40 was set to 100 μm, which is longer than the length d2 of the polymer film, so as not to generate an unnecessary current path, as in Example 1.

(Step 6)
Next, the rear plate 1 produced in the steps up to (Step 5) is placed on a stage placed in a vacuum vessel, and the polymer film 6 ′ of all elements is subjected to a resistance reduction treatment by electron beam irradiation (FIG. 25). The electron beam was irradiated for 45 minutes under the conditions of acceleration voltage: 10 kV and current density: 0.2 mA / mm 2. It was 30 meV when Ea of the carbon film after resistance reduction was measured.

(Step 7)
The support frame 72 and the spacer 101 were bonded to the rear plate 1 manufactured as described above by a bonding member (frit glass). Then, the rear plate 1 to which the spacer and the support frame are bonded and the face plate 71 are opposed to each other (the surface on which the phosphor film 74 and the metal back 73 are formed, and the surface on which the wirings 62 and 63 are formed). And arranged (FIG. 23 (a)). Note that frit glass was previously applied to the contact portion of the face plate 71 with the support frame 72.

(Process 8)
Next, the face plate 71 and the rear plate 1 opposed to each other were sealed by heating and pressing at 400 ° C. in a vacuum atmosphere of 10 ⁻⁶ Pa (FIG. 23B). By this process, an airtight container whose interior was maintained at a high vacuum was obtained. The phosphor film 74 is formed by arranging the three primary color (RGB) phosphors in a stripe shape.

  Finally, a bipolar rectangular pulse with a pulse width of 1 msec is applied at 100 Hz between the electrodes 2 and 3 with a sweep plate of 5 V to 1 V / sec through the X direction wiring and the Y direction wiring, and the main component is carbon. The gap 5 was formed in the conductive film 6 (see FIG. 26), and the image forming apparatus 100 (FIG. 15) of this example was manufactured.

  In the image forming apparatus completed as described above, a desired electron-emitting device is selected through the X-direction wiring and the Y-direction wiring, a + 22V pulse voltage is applied to the electrode 2 side, and the metal back 73 is applied through the high-voltage terminal Hv. When a voltage of 8 kV was applied, the electron emission characteristics of each element were uniform, so that a bright and good image could be formed.

It is the top view and sectional drawing which show typically the example of 1 structure before the energization forming of the electron-emitting element by this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows typically an example of the manufacturing method of the electron emission element of this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the mode of the temperature distribution at the time of energization forming of the conventional electron emission element. It is the top view and sectional drawing which show typically the example of 1 structure of the electron emission element formed by this invention. It is a top view which shows typically the mode of the temperature distribution at the time of energization forming of the electron-emitting device of this invention, and the mode at the time of forming. It is a schematic diagram showing the mode of resistance reduction of a polymer film. It is a schematic diagram showing a mode in the case of performing resistance reduction of a polymer film with a laser. It is a schematic diagram showing the mode of a measurement of an electron emission characteristic. It is a schematic diagram showing the mode of resistance reduction of a polymer film. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the subject of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the subject of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the electron emission characteristic of an electron emission element. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the conventional electron emission element. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the creation process of the conventional electron emission element. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of an image display apparatus. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the creation process of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the preparation process of the electron-emitting element of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Substrate 2, 3 Element electrode 5 Gap 6 Carbon film (conductive film mainly composed of carbon)
6 'polymer film 40 conductor

Claims (6)

A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
In the step of forming a gap in the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, when a voltage is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode,
The temperatures generated at the first electrode side end of the conductor are the second electrode side end of the conductor, the conductor side end of the first electrode, and the conductor side end of the second electrode. Greater than the temperature generated at the part,
A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device. A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
The method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device, wherein a distance between the conductor and the first electrode is longer than a distance between the conductor and the second electrode. A method for manufacturing an electron-emitting device, comprising:
(A) On the substrate surface, a first electrode, a second electrode separated from the first electrode, and between the first electrode and the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode, Disposing a separate conductor; and
(B) connecting the first electrode and the second electrode and disposing a polymer film covering the conductor;
(C) reducing the resistance of the polymer film;
(D) By applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, a current is passed through the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and the first electrode side of the conductor Forming a gap along the edge of the polymer film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film, and
The (sheet) resistance value of the film obtained by reducing the resistance of the polymer film positioned between the conductor and the first electrode is positioned between the conductor and the second electrode. A method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device, wherein the resistance of the polymer film is higher than a (sheet) resistance value of the film obtained by reducing the resistance.   The conductor according to claims 1 and 3 is characterized in that the shortest distance between the first electrode and the conductor is shorter than the shortest distance between the second electrode and the conductor.   5. The method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein a part of the conductor is exposed in the gap. An image forming apparatus having a plurality of electron-emitting devices and a light emitter, wherein the electron-emitting devices are manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 1. Manufacturing method of forming apparatus.

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