JPH11287831A - Resistance measuring method and apparatus, and electron source manufacturing method and apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [PROBLEMS] To accurately measure the resistance value of resistive elements arranged in a matrix without the effect of voltage drop due to wiring resistance. SOLUTION: m (m is a positive integer) row wirings and n (n
Is a positive integer) is a resistance measuring device for measuring the resistance of m × n resistive elements wired in a matrix with column wirings, wherein each end of a row wiring 4021 and a column wiring 4022 is A row direction signal line in which the probe needle 4042 is brought into contact with each of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 at least at one or more positions between both ends thereof, and a signal line from the probe needle is short-circuited for each row wiring and each column wiring. A group 4041 and a column direction signal line group 4042 are formed, and each of the row direction signal line groups 4041 is connected to the shunt resistor 403.
4 and grounded via an application pattern switching circuit 4031.
Each of the column direction signal line groups 4042 is sequentially selected, a predetermined voltage Vs is applied, and a voltage at a probe needle connected to a row and a column wiring is measured in response to the voltage application. Based on this, the resistance value of each of the plurality of resistive elements 4023 is calculated using the contact analysis equation.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resistance measuring method and apparatus suitable for measuring, for example, the resistance values of resistive elements arranged in a matrix, and to a method and an apparatus for measuring the resistance. The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing an applied electron source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various methods have been proposed as a method for measuring the resistance of an element in an electric circuit. Typical methods include a voltage drop method and a bridge method.

In the voltage drop method, when a specified current is applied to an element to be measured, the resistance value of the element is measured by measuring the voltage generated across the element. Also, the bridge method is to form a side of a bridge with a device under test and a resistor having a known resistance value, such as a well-known Wheatstone bridge, and vary the known resistance value. When an equilibrium state is reached, the resistance value of the device under test is determined.

[0004]

However, in the conventional resistance measuring method to which the voltage drop method and the bridge method described above are applied, it is not possible to individually measure the resistance values of the resistive elements wired in a matrix. Was.

A matrix circuit, which is a circuit to be measured, has m (m is an integer) row wirings and n (n is an integer) column wirings and m × n resistors connected to these row and column wirings. Each of these m × n resistive elements is a matrix circuit having one end connected to a row wiring and the other end connected to a column wiring (such a wiring is called a simple matrix). ). This simple matrix circuit is a circuit used in, for example, an image display device including a plurality of pixels.

In this simple matrix circuit, there are complicated and extremely large number of current paths. Therefore, when measuring the resistance value of the resistive element connected to a certain row wiring or column wiring in this circuit, Simply measuring the resistance between the row wiring and the column wiring to which the element is connected could not accurately measure the resistance. Therefore, to measure the individual resistance values of the resistive elements on this matrix circuit, most primitively,
Separate and cut the junction of the row and column wires connected to the element whose resistance value you want to measure from other wiring to completely cut off the complicated current wraparound path. A probe or the like was brought into contact with the probe, and the resistance value had to be measured.

However, when such a cutting process is performed, when the matrix circuit is subsequently used for actual use,
The cut portion had to be connected again, and the operability was very poor.

In particular, the present inventors have studied an apparatus for manufacturing an image display apparatus (manufacturing inspection apparatus) as an example of application of resistance measurement in a matrix circuit including a resistive element. In this case, even if each part in the matrix circuit is repaired after being cut, it cannot be completely repaired, and there is a problem that the matrix circuit is hindered from being used as an image display device. Therefore, the inventors of the present application have developed a resistance measuring apparatus and a resistance measuring apparatus for accurately measuring individual resistance values of resistive elements arranged in a simple matrix circuit without cutting a row wiring or a column wiring in a simple matrix circuit. I've been studying how to do it.

Such a resistance measuring device can be roughly divided into two parts.

One of them is a contact probe for making electrical contact with a row wiring and a column wiring on a substrate to be measured, and a voltage is applied to the substrate to be measured via the probe, and the voltage of each wiring is reduced. It is a measurement unit including a measurement circuit and the like for measurement. The other is an operation unit for calculating individual resistance values of the resistive elements arranged in a matrix circuit on the substrate to be measured from the voltage values measured by the measurement circuit of the measurement unit. Note that this operation unit
It is realized by a computer device having software for calculating the resistance value.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are views showing the positional relationship when the probe needle is brought into contact with the row wiring and the column wiring on the substrate to be measured. FIG. 25A is a diagram of the positional relationship as viewed from directly above (Z direction) in FIG. FIG. 25B is a cross-sectional view taken along a vertical plane (plane parallel to xz) including AA ′ in FIG.

Further, in FIGS. 25A and 25B, 301
8 is a probe needle fixing block, 3015 is a probe needle,
3016 is a substrate to be measured, 3017 is a substrate to be measured 3016
Row wirings arranged above, and 3019, column wirings. For the sake of simplicity, the resistive elements are not shown in the figure, but their arrangement on the substrate to be measured 3016 is as described above.

At the time of performing the measurement, as shown in FIG.
6 is placed, and the probe needles 3015 arranged on the stage-side surface of the probe card 3011 are connected to each row wiring 3017,
The both ends of the column wiring 3019 are brought into contact and electrically connected. Here, the probe needle 3015 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in (1), they are located at positions corresponding to the four sides of the substrate to be measured 3016, and are arranged so as to be in contact at those positions. With the above-described contact probe, a circuit on the substrate to be measured 3016 is electrically contacted, and at the same time, the contact probe is connected to the measurement circuit to perform measurement.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the connection between the measuring circuit of the measuring section, which has been studied by the present inventors, and the substrate to be measured 3016 having a plurality of resistive elements 3023 arranged in a matrix. is there. In FIG. 26, for the sake of convenience, the voltage is applied from only one end of each of the row wiring 3017 and the column wiring 3019. However, in actuality, the probe needle 3015 of the contact probe is shown in FIG.
As shown in (A) and (B), both ends of each row wiring 3017 and column wiring 3019 are connected, and those whose both ends are short-circuited are connected to a measurement circuit to perform measurement.

Each column wiring 3019 is connected to an application pattern switching circuit 3100, and controls the voltage application state. The application pattern switching circuit 3100 is connected to the DC power supply Vs in an on state, and is turned off.
In the state f), it is grounded via a resistor (shunt resistor) 3101 having a known resistance value. Each column wiring is connected to the DC voltmeter 3102, respectively. The row wiring 3017 is grounded via resistors (shunt resistors) 3103 each having a known resistance value. These shunt resistors 3103 are resistors for monitoring a current, and a DC voltmeter 3104 for measuring a voltage generated at both ends thereof is connected. These shunt resistors 3103 are sufficiently connected to prevent a large voltage drop. It has a small resistance value.

A procedure for performing measurement using the measurement circuit of the measurement unit having the above configuration will be described below.

First, the first column wiring is selected, and only the first switch of the application pattern switching circuit 3100 is turned on.
As a state, the voltage Vs is supplied to the column wiring, and the other column wirings are grounded via the resistor 3101 having a known resistance value. This state is referred to as “application pattern 1”, and all terminal voltages of the row wiring 3017 and the column wiring 3019 at this time are measured.

Next, the second column wiring is selected, and only the second switch of the application pattern switching circuit 3100 is turned on.
As a state, the voltage Vs is supplied only to the second column wiring, and the other column wirings are grounded via the shunt resistor 3101 having the above-mentioned known resistance value (“application pattern 2”).

The above operation is applied up to "application pattern n" (n is the number of column wirings), and the voltage is measured for each of the row and column wirings for each application of each application pattern. The data measured by the measurement unit is sent to the calculation unit, and the calculation for calculating the resistance value described later is performed.

In the calculation section, the "applied pattern k" (k =
1, 2,... N), the voltage of each column wiring at the time of “application pattern k” is Vi (i) k
(I = 1, 2,... N, i is a column number) The voltage of each row wiring at the time of “application pattern k” is V0 (j) k
(J = 1, 2,..., M, j is a column number) When the resistance value of the element arranged at the position of the row number i and the column number j is represented by rd (i, j), an n-element system described below is provided. An equation is created to determine the resistance rd (i,
j) (i = 1, 2,... n, i is a column number, j = 1, 2,.
m and j are line numbers),

[0021]

(Equation 3)

Here, Rs is the resistance value of the shunt resistor 3103 connected to the row wiring 3017, j = 1, 2,.
m and j can be obtained from the row numbers.

The simultaneous equations expressed by the above equation (3) are converted into
By making and calculating 1, 2,... M, the reciprocal of the resistance value of each resistive element can be obtained. By taking the reciprocal number, the resistance value rd (i, j of each resistive element can be obtained. ) (I
= 1, 2,... N, i are column numbers, and j = 1, 2,.

Equation 3 can be easily obtained by assuming that there is no voltage gradient (voltage drop) on each row wiring and column wiring. Under the above assumption, it can be obtained by establishing a conditional expression that the sum of the current values flowing into and out of each row wiring becomes “0”.

However, even if the above method is used, depending on the matrix circuit to be measured, each row wiring
7. There has been a problem that the voltage gradient (voltage drop) on the column wiring 3019 cannot be ignored, and the resistance value of each element cannot be measured accurately.

FIG. 27A is a diagram for explaining the problem of the present invention, and portions common to FIG. 26 are indicated by the same reference numerals. FIG. 9 shows a state in the case of the “application pattern 1” described above. In the figure, an application pattern changeover switch, a DC voltmeter and the like are omitted for simplification of the figure. In addition, in order to complicate the drawing, the drawing intentionally describes that the measurement circuit is connected to one end of each column wiring and row wiring. The short circuit at both ends of the column wiring and the row wiring is connected to the measurement circuit.

That is, XAi is the one terminal (i = 1, 2,... N) of the i-th column wiring. XBi is the other terminal (i = 1, 2,... N) of the i-th column wiring. When one terminal (j = 1, 2,... m) of the j-th row wiring is expressed as YBj as the other terminal (j = 1, 2,... m) of the j-th row wiring, XAi and XBi (i = 1, 2,... N) and YAj and YBj (j = 1, 2,... M) were short-circuited.

As described above, the resistance value of the resistive element 3023 and the number of the resistive elements 3023 (ie, the row wiring 3017)
And the number of column wirings 3019) and the resistance values of the row wirings 3017 and the column wirings 3019, the voltage gradient (voltage drop) generated on the wiring resistance may not be negligible. The magnitude of this voltage drop is determined by the current flowing through the wiring resistance and the wiring resistance value. The current flowing through these wirings is determined by the resistance value of the resistive elements 3023, the number thereof, and the resistance value of the wiring. .

In the example of FIG. 27, the number of row wirings 3017 is 720, the number of column wirings 3019 is 240,
A substrate for measurement study was prepared in which the resistance value of each of the 017s was 4Ω, the resistance value of each of the column wirings 3019 was 10Ω, and the resistance values of the resistive elements 3023 were all 3 kΩ.

When the voltage of the “application pattern 1” shown in FIG. 12 is supplied to the substrate 3016 to be measured, the above-described voltage drop on the wiring resistance occurs.
At the center of the first column wiring 3019, the voltage dropped by about 10% from both ends supplying the voltage.

FIG. 27B is a diagram showing the state of this voltage drop. The vertical axis represents voltage, and the horizontal axis represents each position on the first column wiring 3019. This column wiring 3
At positions X = XA1 and XB1, which are both ends of 019, the voltage is Vs, but the voltage gradually decreases from there toward the center of the column wiring. Due to such a voltage drop in the wiring resistance, the resistive element 302 of the matrix circuit to be measured is
Measurement error also occurred in the resistance value of No. 3.

Further, as another application of the resistance measuring apparatus of the matrix circuit, the present inventors have found that the above-described resistance value measuring apparatus can be used in a production inspection apparatus of an image display device using a surface conduction type emission element. There was another problem caused by errors.

In the image display device studied by the inventors of the present invention, a surface conduction electron-emitting device is arranged in place of the above-described resistive element arranged in a matrix circuit, and each surface conduction electron-emitting device is used. An image is formed using electrons emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device in correspondence with one picture element.

In manufacturing these surface conduction type electron-emitting devices, first, a conductive thin film is manufactured using a predetermined material at a portion corresponding to the resistive element of the matrix circuit. Next, by performing a process of energizing the matrix circuit (hereinafter referred to as energizing forming process),
The electron emitting portion is formed by changing the characteristics of the conductive thin film. In this energization forming process, it is better to change the energizing condition according to the resistance value of the conductive thin film to be formed. The inventors have confirmed that can be formed.

However, when the above-described resistance measuring device is used, a measurement error due to a voltage drop due to wiring resistance depends on the number and the resistance value of the conductive thin films, the resistance value in the row direction and the column wiring, and the like. The resistance value of the conductive thin film arranged in a matrix circuit could not be measured accurately. As a result, the conditions for the energization forming process could not be accurately changed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional example, and provides a resistance measuring method and apparatus capable of accurately measuring the resistance values of resistive elements arranged in a matrix without the effect of a voltage drop due to wiring resistance. It is intended to provide.

Further, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional example, and more precisely measures the resistance value of a conductive thin film arranged in a matrix, and based on the measured value, determines the resistance of the conductive thin film arranged in a matrix. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus capable of forming a good electron emitting portion in a conductive thin film by performing an appropriate energization forming process on the conductive thin film and manufacturing an electron source having a surface conduction type emitting element having good characteristics. I have.

[0038]

To achieve the above object, a resistance measuring apparatus according to the present invention has the following arrangement.
That is, a matrix of m × (m is a positive integer) and n (n is a positive integer) column wirings arranged in a matrix
A resistance measuring device for measuring the resistance of n resistive elements, wherein the row wiring and / or the column wiring are provided at both ends of each of the row wiring and the column wiring and at least one or more locations between the both ends. Contact means having a plurality of contact portions electrically connected to each other, and a signal line from the contact portion connected to the row wiring and the column wiring of the contact means is short-circuited for each row wiring and each column wiring. Short-circuit means, one of the column direction signal line group or the row direction signal line group short-circuited by the short-circuit means, grounds one signal line group via a predetermined resistor, and sequentially connects the signal lines of the other signal line group. A voltage applying means for selecting and applying a predetermined voltage; and a voltage measuring means for measuring a voltage at the contact portion connected to the row and column wiring in response to the voltage application to each signal line by the voltage applying means. Measuring means, and having a resistance value calculation means for calculating a resistance value of each of said plurality of resistive elements on the basis of the measured voltage value by the voltage measuring means.

In order to achieve the above object, the resistance measuring method of the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, a resistance measurement for measuring the resistance of m × n resistive elements wired in a matrix by m (m is a positive integer) row wirings and n (n is a positive integer) column wirings. A contact step of electrically connecting a contact portion to each of the row wiring and / or the column wiring at at least one end between each of the row wiring and the column wiring and at least one location between the both ends. And a short-circuit step of short-circuiting the signal lines from the plurality of contact portions connected to the row wiring and the column wiring for each row wiring and each column wiring, and connecting these short-circuited signal lines in the row direction via a predetermined resistor. A voltage application step of sequentially selecting each signal line of the signal line group in the column direction and applying a predetermined voltage, and being connected to the row and column wirings corresponding to the voltage application to each signal line. A voltage measuring voltage at the contact portion. A measuring step, and calculates the resistance value of each of said plurality of resistive elements on the basis of the measured voltage value.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention has the following configuration. More specifically, the present invention is a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electron source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged by applying a current forming process to a plurality of conductive thin films wired in a matrix. Item 1 includes a resistance measurement device according to claim 1, and control means for controlling application of a forming voltage in the energization forming process based on individual resistance values of the conductive thin film measured by the resistance measurement device. Features.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing an electron source according to the present invention comprises the following steps. That is, the present invention is a manufacturing method for manufacturing an electron source in which a plurality of conductive thin-films arranged in a matrix are subjected to an energization forming process and a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are disposed. A resistance measurement step of measuring the resistance value of each of the plurality of conductive thin films by the resistance measurement method according to claim 1, and based on the individual resistance values of the conductive thin film measured in the resistance measurement step, And a control step of controlling the application of the forming voltage in the energization forming process.

[0042]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, an embodiment as a method and an apparatus for accurately measuring the resistance value of a resistive element arranged on the matrix circuit, which is one of the objects of the present invention, in Embodiment 1 will be described.

Subsequently, in the second embodiment, when the resistive element on the matrix circuit is a conductive thin film used for manufacturing a screen display device, the resistance value of the conductive thin film is accurately measured. Further, an application example in which a conductive thin film is subjected to an energization forming process described later based on the measured resistance value to manufacture a surface conduction electron-emitting device having good electron emission characteristics will be described.

[First Embodiment] First, a basic configuration of a resistance measuring apparatus for measuring the resistance of a resistive element arranged on a matrix circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a circuit configuration of a substrate to be measured in the present embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the circuit of the substrate to be measured includes m row wirings 4021 and n column wirings 4022, and resistive elements 4023 connected to these row wirings 4021 and column wirings 4022, respectively. This is a matrix circuit, and each row wiring 4021 and column wiring 4022 are connected via a resistive element 4023 near the intersection. Each of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 has a predetermined resistance value. However, since the purpose is to supply a voltage to the resistive element 4023 here,
It is formed of a member having a small resistance value so that a voltage drop due to the resistance of the wiring is reduced.

The resistance measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment is roughly divided into two parts. One is a contact probe for electrically connecting the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 of the substrate circuit to be measured, and a voltage is applied to the wiring on the substrate via the probe, and the voltage value of each wiring is And a measurement circuit for measuring a current value. The other is an arithmetic device for calculating the resistance of the resistive element 4023 from the voltage and current data measured by the measurement circuit. Note that this arithmetic device can also be realized by a computer device or the like provided with software or the like for calculating and calculating a resistance value.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an overview of a contact probe and a measuring circuit in the resistance measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment.

In the figure, the drive section of the contact probe includes a probe card 4011, a stage 4012 and the like. Reference numeral 4013 denotes a measurement circuit. When a measurement is actually performed, a substrate to be measured 4026 provided with, for example, a circuit as shown in FIG. 1 is placed on the stage 4012, and the stage 4012 is raised or the probe card 4011 is lowered, so that the probe card 4
A number of probe needles attached to the surface of the substrate 4026 on the stage 4012 side are electrically connected to the ends and the center of each row wiring and column wiring of the substrate 4026 to be measured.

Here, the stage 4012 or the probe card 4011 has an optical microscope 4014 for alignment for detecting a displacement between the probe needle and each wiring, and a position adjusting mechanism for adjusting the displacement. (Not shown), and a vacuum suction device (not shown) for fixing the substrate to be measured 4026 on the stage 4012 by vacuum suction or the like are provided.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the manner of contact between the above-described substrate to be measured 4026 and the contact probes, and portions common to the above-described drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a substrate 4026 to be actually measured by the resistance measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment. Here, row wiring 4021 and column wiring 4
022 are connected to each other via a resistive element 4023. Although not specified here, an insulating layer is provided between the row wirings 4021 and the column wirings 4022 so that the intersections and the like do not directly contact each other. In the substrate 4026, the row wiring 402
1. An electrode pad 4081 is provided at a position on the column wiring 4022 where the probe needle contacts, so that the probe needle and these wirings can contact with low resistance.

The electrode pads 4081 are formed of a low-resistance material, and are preferably formed so as to be parallel to the surface of the substrate in order to improve the contact state.
This is not particularly necessary when 21 and the column wiring 4022 have a sufficient width compared to the probe needle.

FIG. 7B shows a state in which the probe needle is actually brought into contact with the substrate to be measured 4026, and is cut by a plane (yz plane) perpendicular to the substrate 4026 including the plane AA '. The cross-sectional shape is shown. Here, reference numeral 4091 denotes a probe needle, which is in contact with the row wiring 4021. It should be noted that in the figure, the dimension in the thickness direction (Z direction) of the wiring 4021 is intentionally drawn long to show the state of contact between the row wiring 4021 and the probe needle 4091 in detail.

The probe needles 4091 of the contact probe of the present embodiment can be independently contacted for each column wiring 4022 and each row wiring 4021 when the substrate to be measured 4026 is set, and furthermore, at both ends of each wiring. Not only the probe needle 40 but also the center
91 are arranged.

As in the present embodiment, a large number of probe needles 4091 are brought into contact with one wiring to
When the voltage is applied to the substrate 4026 to be measured, depending on the resistance value of the resistive element 4023, the magnitude of the wiring resistance, and the number of the row wirings 4021 and the column wirings 4022, the voltage of each wiring is changed. This is because the descent becomes so large that it cannot be ignored. When the voltage drop on these wirings becomes large, an error occurs in the measured value in the resistance calculation method described in Expression 4 described later.

In order to avoid such a problem, the probe needles 4091 are brought into contact not only at both ends of each row wiring 4021 and column wiring 4022 but also at several places including the center of these wirings 4021 and 4022. Probe needle 40
Lead lines drawn from each of the 91 were short-circuited collectively for each row wiring 4021 and each column wiring 4022. In short-circuiting in this manner, the resistance of the member to be short-circuited is set to be sufficiently smaller than the resistance of each row wiring 4021 and column wiring 4022.

Further, each row wiring 4021 and column wiring 40
Each of the short-circuited leads is connected to the measuring circuit 40 every 22.
13 and the measurement described later was performed.

The number of probe needles 4091 to be brought into contact with each of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 is determined in consideration of the resistance of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 of the substrate 4026 to be measured, the resistance of the resistive element 4023, and the like. However, at the design stage, the magnitudes of the resistance values are roughly examined, and computer simulation is performed based on those values, and the above-described voltage drop on the wiring is regarded as a measurement error. Probe needle 4 to avoid any problem
091 were determined.

The above computer simulation
Assuming a pseudo matrix circuit in which the resistance values of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022, the resistance value of the resistive element 4023, and the voltage of each terminal are used as input data and they are arranged as the matrix circuit, Kirchhoff Is software created on a computer as a tool for calculating the voltage and current at each node on the matrix circuit based on the law of

The number, arrangement, and the like of the probe needles 4091 were designed so that the voltage gradient on each of the wirings described above was small enough not to cause a problem in measurement.

Next, the configuration of the measuring circuit 4013 will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. In the following description, the voltage of the lead line of the short-circuited row wiring may be simply referred to as “the voltage of the row wiring”, and the voltage of the short-circuited lead of the column wiring may be referred to as “the voltage of the column wiring”. Further, in the example of FIG. 4, the row wiring side is grounded, and a voltage is applied to the column wiring side to measure each voltage. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the reverse is also possible. Of course.

The measuring circuit 4013 includes a substrate 4026 to be measured.
Voltage is applied to the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022, and the voltage of each wiring is measured.
13 is controlled by the measurement control unit 4032 that controls the control unit 13.
The measuring circuit 4013 is provided with selectors 4035, 40
36, A / D converters 4037 and 4038, an application pattern switching circuit 4031, and the like.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the electrical connection between the substrate to be measured 4026 and the contact probe and measurement circuit 4013. In this figure, for convenience of explanation, the case where the substrate to be measured is a 4 × 3 matrix circuit is described, but the present invention can be applied to a substrate to be measured having an arbitrary number of wires and a size.

In FIG. 4, an arrow in contact with each column wiring 4022 and row wiring 4021 indicates the position of a probe needle 4091 of a contact probe. In this way, the probe needles 4091 contacting each wiring are short-circuited collectively for the same wiring and connected to the measurement circuit 4013. Reference numerals 4041 and 4042 short-circuit the lead lines drawn from the respective probe needles 4091 for the same wiring. Reference numeral 4041 denotes a lead line in the row direction and reference numeral 4042 denotes a lead line in the column direction.

The short-circuited lead wire 4042 on the column wiring side
Are connected to the application pattern switching circuit 4031 for each wiring. The application pattern switching circuit 4031 is switched based on a control signal from the measurement control unit 4032, and can independently control the on / off state of voltage application to the lead lines corresponding to each of the n column wirings. By the application pattern switching circuit 4031, the lead lines 4042 corresponding to the respective column wirings are switched on (on) and the DC power supply Vs
And is grounded via a shunt resistor 4033 having a known resistance value in an off state. Also,
The lead line 4042 corresponding to each column wiring is connected to the data selector 4035. This data selector 40
35 selects one of the column-directional lead lines 4042 based on a control signal from the measurement control unit 4032,
The voltage is output to the voltage amplifying circuit 4039. The data selector 4035 can be easily created by using an analog switch (semiconductor switch) or a relay switch.

The voltage amplifying circuit 4039 includes a selector 403
The voltage of the extraction line 4042 in the column direction selected in step 5 is amplified to a readable value and output to the A / D converter 4037. The A / D converter 4037 converts the input voltage from analog to digital and outputs it to the measurement control unit 4032.

The short-circuited lead wire 40 of each row wiring
Similarly, 41 is a shunt resistor having a known resistance value (a sufficiently small resistor connected to monitor current).
4034, and these shunt resistors 403
4 is connected to the data selector 403
6 inputs. The data selector 4036 selects one of the terminal voltages of the shunt resistor 4034 based on the control signal sent from the measurement control unit 4032, and outputs it to the voltage amplifier circuit 4040. The voltage amplifying circuit 4040 is connected to the lead line 40 in the selected row direction.
The voltage of 41 is amplified to a readable size and output to the A / D converter 4038. A / D converter 4038
Inputs the amplified voltage, performs A / D conversion, and outputs the converted voltage to the measurement control unit 4032.

The measurement control unit 4032 includes a CPU 4032
a, a ROM 4032b for storing a control program and data for controlling the measurement circuit, a RAM 4032c used as a work area by the CPU 4032a, and used for storing measurement data.

The measurement control unit 4032 includes an application pattern switching circuit 4031, data selectors 4035 and 4036, A
A control signal for controlling the A / D converters 4037 and 4038 is output, and measurement data obtained as a result of the measurement is stored in the RAM 4032c, and the resistance of each resistive element 4023 is calculated based on the measurement data. Output.

The procedure for measuring the resistance in the measuring circuit 4013 according to the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described below.

First, as shown in the figure, only the first switch of the application pattern switching circuit 4031 is turned on, and the voltage Vs is applied only to the first column direction lead line 4042.
Other lead lines 4042 in the column direction are connected to the shunt resistor 4.
Ground through 033. Also, a leader line 404 in the row direction
1 is also grounded via a shunt resistor 4034 (application pattern 1). In this state, the data selector 403
5, 4036 selected positions are sequentially switched, and the voltage of each column wiring and the voltage of each row wiring are all measured. Here, the voltage values selected by the selectors 4035 and 4036 are converted into digital signals by the A / D converters 4037 and 4038 and input to the measurement control unit 4032.

Next, the voltage Vs is applied only to the lead line 4042 corresponding to the second column wiring by the application pattern switching circuit 4031, and the other lead lines 4042 in the column direction are grounded via the resistor 4033. In the same manner as described above, the voltage generated in each of the resistive elements 4023 connected to the lead line 4042 in each column direction and the lead line 4041 in each row direction
Measure the voltage generated at

Hereinafter, similarly, voltages generated in the resistive elements 4023 in each column are sequentially detected, and voltages are applied to the application pattern n in the same manner to measure the voltage of each wiring. When the voltage on the line 4042 and the voltage on the line 4041 in the row direction are all measured, the measurement results are stored in the RAM 4032c of the measurement control unit 4032.

The measurement control unit 4 obtained as described above
The calculation for calculating the resistance value of each resistive element 4023 is performed based on the measurement data stored in the RAM 4032c of No. 032. Next, a procedure for calculating the resistance value will be described.

First, the data measured in the above measurement is formulated.

For the applied pattern k (k = 1, 2,... N), the voltage of each column wiring (leading line in the column direction) is set to Vi (i) k
(I = 1, 2,..., N is the column number), and the voltage of each row wiring (leading line in the row direction) is V0 (j) k (j = 1, 2,.
Is the column number), and the resistance value of the resistive element 4023 disposed at the position of the row number i and the column number j is represented as rd (i, j).

An n-ary simultaneous equation described below is created, and the resistance values rd (i, j) (i = 1, 2,..., N = 1) of the individual resistive elements 4023, which are n unknowns, are set. , 2,
.., M and j are row numbers).

[0080]

(Equation 4)

Here, I0 (j) k = V0 (j) k / Rs Rs is the resistance value of the shunt resistor 4034 on the row wiring side.

The simultaneous equations described in the above equation (4) are converted into each row j
= 1, 2, ... m
The reciprocal of the resistance value of each resistive element 4023 can be obtained.
, Rd (i, j) (i = 1, 2,... N, i is a column number, j = 1, 2,... M, j is a row number).

In the resistance measuring apparatus according to the present embodiment, the probe needles 4091 are brought into contact with the respective wirings at a plurality of positions, and the lead lines drawn out from the respective probe needles 4091 are short-circuited to each other for the same column or row wiring. As described above, the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance of these row and column wirings is reduced.

By performing the calculation represented by the above simultaneous equations, it is possible to accurately measure the respective resistance values of the m × n resistive elements 4023 arranged in an m × n matrix.

Measurement control section 40 for executing the above processing procedure
The processing procedure by the CPU 4032a of the T.32 is shown in the flowchart of FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a measurement control unit 403 according to this embodiment.
It is a flowchart which shows the resistance value measurement procedure in 2a.

In the figure, steps S1 to S
The process of No. 7 is executed by the CPU 4032a of the measurement control unit 4032, and a control program for realizing these processes is stored in the ROM 4032b.
Further, the processing in step S8 is based on the C
It may be executed by the PU 4062 (FIG. 6) or by the CPU 4032a of the measurement control unit 4032.

First, in step S1, the value of the counter k is set to "1". Note that the counter k is the RAM 4032
c. Next, in step S2, the application pattern switching circuit 4031 is controlled to set the application pattern k. By setting the application pattern k, the voltage Vs from the DC power supply is applied to the k-th column wiring (lead line 4042), and the other lead lines in the column direction are shunt resistors 4033.
Grounded. In addition, all the leader lines 4 in the row direction
041 is grounded via a shunt resistor 4034.

Subsequently, the flow advances to step S3 to switch the selection position of the data selector 4035, measure the voltages of the lead lines 4042 in all the column directions, and store the measurement results in the RAM 4032c. As a result, n pieces of voltage data are obtained. Then, in step S4, the data selector 4036 is controlled to measure the voltages of all the lead lines 4041 in the row direction.
032c. As a result, m voltage data are obtained.

Then, the process proceeds to a step S5, wherein it is determined whether or not the value of the counter k is equal to the number (n) of the lead lines 4042 in the column direction. If not, the process proceeds to a step S6 where k <n. The value of k is incremented by "1", and the process returns to step S2.

In step S5, k = n, that is, the voltages of the lead lines 4041 in each row direction and the lead lines 4042 in each column direction are obtained for all the applied patterns 1 to n corresponding to the value of the counter k. When all the data are collected, the process proceeds to step S7, and these measurement data are transferred to the CP of the arithmetic unit.
Transfer to U.

Then, the process proceeds to a step S8, wherein the CP of the arithmetic unit is
By U, mx
The resistance value of each of the n resistive elements 4023 is calculated.

In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the arithmetic unit is constituted by hardware separate from the measurement control unit 4032.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the structure of the arithmetic unit 4061.

In the figure, reference numeral 4061 denotes the entire operation unit. Note that a general personal computer or the like can be used as the arithmetic unit 4061.
Reference numeral 4062 denotes a CPU, which is a ROM 4063 or a RAM 406.
4. Various controls are executed by executing a control program stored in the disk device 4065. Also RA
M 4064 provides a work area necessary for the CPU 4062 to execute processing. 4065 is a disk device,
For example, a floppy disk drive or a hard disk drive is provided. The control program stored in a storage medium such as a floppy disk is read from the disk device 4065, loaded into the RAM 4064, and executed by the CPU 4062. That is, a control program for executing the arithmetic processing for the above-described resistance value calculation can also be provided stored in such a storage medium.

Reference numeral 4066 denotes an interface unit for exchanging data with the measurement control unit 4032. Reference numeral 4067 denotes a display, which performs various displays such as a display of a calculation result. Reference numeral 4068 denotes a keyboard operated by an operator to input various data and operation instructions. In this embodiment, it is possible to instruct the start of resistance measurement from the keyboard 4068. Reference numeral 4069 denotes a bus, which is a data transfer line between the components.

In this embodiment, the number of probe needles 4091 to be brought into contact with the row and column wiring is
The design should be made in consideration of the resistance values of the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022 of 26, the resistance value of the resistive element 4023, and the like. At the design stage, the magnitudes of these resistance values are roughly examined, and computer simulations are performed based on those values, or by actually applying a voltage, the above-mentioned voltage drop on the wiring occurs. As described above, the number of the probes is determined so as not to be set.

Actually, in the matrix circuit shown in FIG. 1, the number of column wirings is 720, the number of row wirings is 240, and 30,000 resistive elements 40 having a known resistance value of 3 kΩ are used.
A substrate to be measured 4026 on which 23 was arranged was prepared. When the wiring resistance at this time was measured, the wiring resistance of the column wiring 4022 was 10Ω, the wiring resistance of the row wiring 4021 was 4Ω,
Both the column wiring 4022 and the row wiring 4021 could be formed with substantially uniform resistance.

As described above, the resistance was measured on the substrate to be measured 4026 by using the above-described resistance measuring apparatus.

In this experiment, the measurement circuit 4013
, The shunt resistor 40 connected to the row wiring 4021
The resistance value of No. 34 was set to 10Ω. The above values were input to a computer simulation to simulate the voltage drop on the wiring resistance. When four probe needles 4091 were brought into contact with the row wiring 4021 and the column wiring 4022, respectively, It was found that the voltage distribution at the maximum was about 1.5% at the maximum.

The present inventors consider that the error of the whole system is set to 5% or less, and even if a measurement error such as voltage is added,
Since it was judged that the error due to the voltage distribution was sufficient, a probe was designed such that four probe needles 4091 were in contact with each wiring, and actual measurement was attempted.

The measurement results are shown below. Number of probe needles Maximum value Minimum value Maximum error Average error Row side Column side kΩ kΩ%% 4 4 3.100 3.006 3.3 1.2 However, the position where the probe needle 4091 is brought into contact with each wiring The measurement was carried out at substantially equally divided positions. That is,
Each row wiring 4021 is brought into contact with both ends and a position corresponding to 1/3 and 2/3 of each wiring, for a total of four places.
022, both ends were brought into contact with the wiring at positions corresponding to 1/3 and 2/3 of each wiring, for a total of 4 places.

As described above, the maximum error is 3.3%
Thus, a measurement system having a target value of 5% or less could be produced.

Here, it is clear that the error due to the voltage distribution on the wiring can be reduced by increasing the number of probe needles 4091 to be brought into contact on one wiring.
As a practical matter, increasing the number of probe needles 4091 increases difficulties in terms of manufacturing the probe and also in terms of aligning the probe and positioning it on the substrate 4026 to be measured. It is desirable to reduce the number of needles 4091 as much as possible. For this purpose, the resistance value of the wiring of the simple matrix to be measured and the resistance value of the resistive element 4023 are roughly checked, and the above-described simulation is performed in advance based on the result to determine the number of probe needles 4091 of the contact probe. It is important to optimize.

In performing such a simulation, in this embodiment, the resistive element 402
Although it is necessary to be able to roughly determine the resistance value of No. 3, if the order of the resistance value is not known in advance, a rough resistance value is estimated by performing a measurement as shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a measuring method for roughly examining the resistance value of the resistive element 4023.

In this measuring method, all of the row wirings 4021 of the substrate 4026 to be measured are short-circuited, and a resistance value (hereinafter referred to as Rx1) between the row wiring 4021 and an arbitrary one of the column wirings is measured. Therefore, in an m × n matrix arrangement, there are n Rx1's, but the present inventors usually use the average value thereof. R measured as above
A rough resistance value Rde of the resistive element is obtained from x1 by the following equation.

Rde = m × Rx1 It goes without saying that the resistance value of the resistive element can be estimated based on the quantity Ry1 measured by reversing the relationship between the rows and columns in the measuring method described with reference to FIG.

As described above, the resistance value of the resistive element in the matrix circuit in which the resistive elements are connected in a simple matrix can be accurately measured by performing the measurement using the resistance measuring apparatus of the present embodiment. . In particular, the problem of causing an error due to the influence of the wiring resistance described in the subject of the present invention can be avoided by using the resistance measuring device of the present embodiment, and the measurement can be performed with a very small error.

[Embodiment 2] The inventors of the present invention have proposed a multi-electron source constituted by disposing a large number of surface conduction electron-emitting devices on a substrate as the above-described resistive element, and an image display device as an application thereof. I've been doing research.

At this time, the resistance measuring apparatus of the first embodiment has been used as a part of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing the multi-electron source and the display panel.

However, in the resistance measuring device described in the subject of the present invention, an optimum voltage cannot be applied when performing the energization forming process to be described later due to an error in the measured resistance value. It was difficult to manufacture an electron source.

In the present embodiment, the uniformity of the characteristics of the multi-electron source is improved by providing a resistance measuring device for more accurately measuring the resistance value.

In the following, first, the manufacturing process of the display panel of the above-described image display device will be described, and then this manufacturing device will be described in more detail.

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

FIG. 8 shows a display panel 100 of the present embodiment.
0 is a perspective view of the display panel 1000 with a part cut away to show the internal structure thereof.

In the figure, 1005 is a rear plate, 1006
Is a side wall, 1007 is a face plate, 1005
1007 form an airtight container for maintaining the inside of the display panel 1000 in a vacuum. When assembling this hermetic container, it is necessary to seal the joints of each member to maintain sufficient strength and airtightness.For example, frit glass is applied to the joints, and in the air or in a nitrogen atmosphere, Sealing was achieved by firing at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or more. A method of evacuating the inside of the airtight container to a vacuum will be described later.

The substrate 1001 is fixed to the rear plate 1005, and the cold cathode device 1 is mounted on the substrate 1001.
002 are formed. Here, n and m are positive integers of 2 or more, and are appropriately set according to the target number of display pixels. For example, in a display device for displaying high-definition television, n = 3000, m = 10
It is desirable to set the number to 00 or more. In the present embodiment, n = 3072 and m = 1024. These n × m cold cathode elements are composed of m row wirings 1003 and n
Simple matrix wiring is performed by the column wiring 1004. The part constituted by the substrate 1001, the cold cathode element 1002, the row and column wirings 1003, 1004 is called a multi-electron source. The manufacturing method and structure of the multi-electron source will be described later in detail.

In this embodiment, the substrate 1001 of the multi-electron source is fixed to the rear plate 1005 of the hermetic container. However, if the substrate 1001 of the multi-electron source has a sufficient strength, The substrate 1001 of the multi-electron source may be used as the rear plate of the airtight container.

A fluorescent film 1008 is formed on the lower surface of the face plate 1007. Since the display panel 1000 of this embodiment is a display panel for color display, phosphors of three primary colors of red, green, and blue used in the field of CRT are separately applied to the fluorescent film 1008. . The phosphor of each color is separately applied in a stripe shape as shown in FIG. 9A, for example, and a black conductor 1010 is provided between the phosphor stripes. The purpose of providing these black conductors 1010 is to prevent the display color from being shifted even if the electron beam irradiation position is slightly shifted, and to prevent the reflection of external light to reduce the display contrast. This is to prevent charge-up of the fluorescent film by an electron beam. Although graphite is used as a main component for the black conductor 1010, any other material may be used as long as it is suitable for the above purpose.

The method of applying the phosphors of the three primary colors is not limited to the stripe arrangement shown in FIG. 9A, but may be, for example, a delta arrangement as shown in FIG. Other arrangements may be used. Note that when a monochrome display panel is manufactured, a single-color phosphor material may be used for the phosphor film 1008, and a black conductive material is not necessarily used.

A metal back 1009 known in the field of CRTs is provided on the surface of the fluorescent film 1008 on the rear plate side.
Is provided. The purpose of providing the metal back 1009 is to improve the light utilization rate by mirror-reflecting a part of the light emitted from the fluorescent film 1008, to protect the fluorescent film 1008 from the collision of negative ions, to accelerate the electron beam. In order to function as an electrode for applying a voltage,
This is to make 8 act as a conductive path for the excited electrons. The metal back 1009 was formed by forming a fluorescent film 1008 on the face plate substrate 1007, smoothing the surface of the fluorescent film, and vacuum-depositing aluminum (Al) thereon. Note that when a fluorescent material for low voltage is used for the fluorescent film 1008, the metal back 1009 is not used.

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

Further, terminals Dx1 to Dxm and D shown in FIG.
y1 to Dyn and Hv are electric connection terminals having an airtight structure provided for electrically connecting the display panel 1000 and an electric circuit (not shown). Dx1 to Dxm are electrically connected to the row wiring 1003 of the multi-electron source, Dy1 to Dyn are electrically connected to the column wiring 1004 of the multi-electron source, and Hv is electrically connected to the metal back 1009 of the face plate.

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

The display panel 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above.
000 has been described.

Next, a method of manufacturing the multi-electron source used for the display panel 1000 will be described. The material, shape, and manufacturing method of the cold cathode device are not limited as long as the multi-electron source used in the image display device of the present embodiment is an electron source in which the cold cathode devices are arranged in a simple matrix. Therefore, for example, a cold cathode device such as a surface conduction type emission device, an FE type, or an MIM type can be used.

However, in a situation where a display device having a large display screen and an inexpensive display device is required, among these cold cathode devices, a surface conduction type emission device is particularly preferable. That is, in the FE type, the relative position and shape of the emitter cone and the gate electrode greatly affect the electron emission characteristics, and therefore require extremely high-precision manufacturing technology. However, this is necessary for achieving a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. Is a disadvantageous factor. Also MI
In the M type, it is necessary to make the thicknesses of the insulating layer and the upper electrode thin and uniform, but this is also a disadvantageous factor in achieving a large area and a reduction in manufacturing cost. In this regard, since the surface conduction electron-emitting device has a relatively simple manufacturing method, it is easy to increase the area and reduce the manufacturing cost. In addition, the present inventors,
Among surface conduction electron-emitting devices, it has been found that an electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion formed of a fine particle film has particularly excellent electron-emitting characteristics and can be easily manufactured. Therefore, it can be said that it is most suitable for use in a multi-electron source of a high-luminance, large-screen image display device. Therefore,
In the display panel 1000 of the above embodiment, a surface conduction electron-emitting device in which the electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed of a fine particle film is used. Therefore, the basic structure, manufacturing method and characteristics of a suitable surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described first, and then the structure of a multi-electron source in which a large number of devices are arranged in a simple matrix will be described.

(Preferable Device Configuration and Manufacturing Method of Surface Conduction Emission Device) A typical configuration of a surface conduction electron-emitting device in which an electron-emitting portion or its peripheral portion is formed from a fine particle film is a flat type or a vertical type. Kinds are given.

(Planar surface conduction electron-emitting device) First, the structure and manufacturing method of a flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIG. 10 is a plan view (a) and a cross-sectional view (b) for explaining the configuration of the planar surface conduction electron-emitting device. In the figure, 1101 is a substrate, 1102 and 1103 are device electrodes, 1104 is a conductive thin film, 1105
Are electron-emitting portions formed by an energization forming process;
Reference numeral 113 denotes a thin film formed by the activation process.

As the substrate 1101, for example, various glass substrates such as quartz glass and blue plate glass,
Various ceramics substrates such as alumina, or a substrate in which an insulating layer made of, for example, SiO2 is laminated on the above various substrates can be used. The device electrodes 1102 and 1103 provided on the substrate 1101 so as to be opposed to the substrate surface in parallel are formed of a conductive material. For example, Ni, Cr, Au, Mo,
Metals such as W, Pt, Ti, Cu, Pd, Ag, etc., or alloys of these metals, or In2O3-
Materials may be appropriately selected from metal oxides such as SnO2, semiconductors such as polysilicon, and the like. An electrode can be easily formed by using a combination of a film forming technique such as vacuum evaporation and a patterning technique such as photolithography and etching. However, the electrode can be formed using other methods (for example, printing technique). I can't wait.

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

A fine particle film is used for the conductive thin film 1104. The fine particle film described here refers to a film including a large number of fine particles as constituent elements (including an island-shaped aggregate). When the fine particle film is examined microscopically, usually, a structure in which the individual fine particles are spaced apart from each other, a structure in which the fine particles are adjacent to each other, or a structure in which the fine particles overlap each other is observed.

The particle size of the fine particles used in the fine particle film is in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, and particularly preferably in the range of 10 Angstroms to 200 Angstroms. Further, the thickness of the fine particle film is appropriately set in consideration of various conditions described below. That is, the device electrode 1102
Alternatively, conditions necessary for good electrical connection with 1103, conditions necessary for satisfactorily performing energization forming described later, conditions necessary for setting the electric resistance of the fine particle film itself to an appropriate value described later, And so on. Specifically, it is set in the range of several Angstroms to several thousand Angstroms, but the range is preferably between 10 Angstroms and 500 Angstroms.

Materials that can be used to form the fine particle film include, for example, Pd, Pt, Ru, Ag, A
u, Ti, In, Cu, Cr, Fe, Zn, Sn, T
a, W, Pb, and other metals, PdO, S
Oxides such as nO2, In2O3, PbO, Sb2O3, etc .; HfB2, ZrB2, LaB6, CeB6,
Borides such as YB4 and GdB4, Ti
Carbides such as C, ZrC, HfC, TaC, SiC, WC, etc., nitrides such as TiN, ZrN, HfN, semiconductors such as Si, Ge, etc., and carbon. Are appropriately selected from these.

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

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

The electron-emitting portion 1105 is a crack-like portion formed in a part of the conductive thin film 1104, and has an electrically higher resistance than the surrounding conductive thin film. The cracks are formed by applying a later-described energization forming process to the conductive thin film 1104. Fine particles having a particle size of several Angstroms to several hundred Angstroms may be arranged in the crack. Since it is difficult to accurately and accurately show the actual position and shape of the electron-emitting portion, they are schematically shown in FIG.

The thin film 1113 is a thin film made of carbon or a carbon compound, and covers the electron emitting portion 1105 and its vicinity. The thin film 1113 is formed by performing an energization activation process described later after the energization forming process. This thin film 1113 is any one of single crystal graphite, polycrystalline graphite, and amorphous carbon, or a mixture thereof, and has a thickness of 500 [Å] or less, but preferably 300 [Å] or less. More preferred.

Since it is difficult to accurately show the actual position and shape of the thin film 1113, it is schematically shown in FIG. Also, in the plan view (a), the thin film 11
13 shows a device in which a part of the device 13 is removed.

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

That is, blue glass was used for the substrate 1101, and Ni thin films were used for the device electrodes 1102 and 1103. The thickness d of the device electrode was 1000 [angstrom], and the electrode interval L was 2 [micrometer]. Also, Pd or PdO is used as a main material of the fine particle film,
The thickness of the fine particle film is about 100 [angstrom] and the width W
Was set to 100 [micrometer].

Next, a method of manufacturing a suitable flat surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 11A to 11D
Is a cross-sectional view for explaining the manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device, and the notation of each member is the same as in FIG.

1) First, as shown in FIG. 11A, device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are formed on a substrate 1101. In forming the device electrodes 1102 and 1103, the substrate 1101 is sufficiently washed in advance with a detergent, pure water, and an organic solvent, and then the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 are formed.
3 is deposited. As a deposition method, for example, a vacuum film forming technique such as an evaporation method or a sputtering method may be used. Then, the deposited electrode material is patterned by using a photolithographic etching technique (a).
A pair of device electrodes (1102 and 1103) shown in FIG.

2) Next, a conductive thin film 1104 is formed as shown in FIG. In forming the conductive thin film 1104, first, an organic metal solution is applied to the substrate (a), dried, heated and baked to form a fine particle film, and then formed into a predetermined shape by photolithography and etching. Is patterned. Here, the organometallic solution is a solution of an organometallic compound whose main element is a material of fine particles used for the conductive thin film. (Specifically, in this embodiment, Pd is used as a main element. In this embodiment, a dipping method is used as a coating method, but other methods such as a spinner method and a spray method may be used. In addition, as a method for forming the conductive thin film 1104 formed of a fine particle film, for example, a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, or a chemical vapor phase method other than the method of applying the organometallic solution used in the present embodiment. In some cases, a deposition method or the like is used.

3) Next, as shown in FIG. 14C, a forming power supply 1110 switches the device electrodes 1102 and 110 from each other.
3, an appropriate voltage is applied, and an energization forming process is performed to form the electron-emitting portion 1105. This energization forming process is a process of forming a conductive thin film 11 made of a fine particle film.
This is a process in which a current is applied to the substrate 04, a part of which is appropriately destroyed, deformed, or altered to change the structure to a structure suitable for emitting electrons. In a portion of the conductive thin film made of the fine particle film which has been changed to a structure suitable for emitting electrons (that is, the electron emitting portion 1105), an appropriate crack is formed in the thin film. Note that the electron emission unit 1105
As compared with before the formation, the electrical resistance measured between the device electrodes 1102 and 1103 greatly increases after the formation.

FIG. 12 shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the forming power supply 1110 in order to explain this energization method in more detail. When forming the conductive thin film 1104 formed of a fine particle film, a pulse-like voltage is preferable. In the case of the present embodiment, a triangular wave pulse having a pulse width T1 is applied with a pulse interval T as shown in FIG.
2 was applied continuously. At that time, the peak value Vpf of the triangular wave pulse was sequentially increased. Further, the electron emission unit 110
A monitor pulse Pm for monitoring the state of formation of No. 5 was inserted between triangular wave pulses at appropriate intervals, and the current flowing at that time was measured by an ammeter 1111.

In the present embodiment, for example, in a vacuum atmosphere of about 10 −5 [torr], for example, the pulse width T1 is set to 1 [millisecond] and the pulse interval T2 is set to 10
[Milliseconds], and the peak value Vpf is set to 0.1 for each pulse.
The voltage was increased by [V]. Then, each time five triangular waves were applied, the monitor pulse Pm was inserted at a rate of once.
Here, the voltage Vpm of the monitor pulse was set to 0.1 [V] so as not to adversely affect the forming process. Then, when the electric resistance between the element electrodes 1102 and 1103 becomes 1 × 10 6 [Ω], that is, the current measured by the ammeter 1111 at the time of application of the monitor pulse is 1
At the stage where the power became × 10 −7 [A] or less, the energization related to the forming process was terminated.

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

4) Next, as shown in FIG. 11D, an appropriate voltage is applied between the element electrodes 1102 and 1103 from the activating power supply 1112, and a current activation processing is performed to perform electron emission characteristics. Make improvements. The energization activation process is defined as the electron emission portion 1 formed by the energization forming process.
This is a process of energizing 105 under appropriate conditions and depositing carbon or a carbon compound in the vicinity thereof.
(In the figure, a deposit made of carbon or a carbon compound is schematically shown as a member 1113). Note that by performing the energization activation process, the emission current at the same applied voltage can be typically increased by 100 times or more as compared with before the energization activation process.

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

FIG. 13A shows an example of an appropriate voltage waveform applied from the activation power supply 1112 in order to explain this energization method in more detail. In the present embodiment, the energization activation process is performed by applying a rectangular wave of a constant voltage periodically, but specifically, the rectangular wave voltage Vac is 14
[V], pulse width T3 is 1 [millisecond], pulse interval T4
Was set to 10 [milliseconds]. Note that the above-mentioned energization conditions are preferable conditions for the surface conduction electron-emitting device of the present embodiment, and when the design of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is changed,
It is desirable to change the conditions accordingly.

An anode electrode 1114 shown in FIG. 11D is used to capture an emission current Ie emitted from the surface conduction electron-emitting device, and is connected to a DC high-voltage power supply 1115 and an ammeter 1116. Note that the substrate 1101 is
When the activation process is performed after being incorporated into the display panel 1000, the phosphor screen of the display panel 1000 is used as the anode electrode 1114. While the voltage is applied from the activation power supply 1112, the emission current Ie is measured by the ammeter 1116 to monitor the progress of the energization activation process, and control the operation of the activation power supply 1112. FIG. 13B shows an example of the emission current Ie measured by the ammeter 1116. When the activation power supply 1112 starts to apply a pulse voltage,
The emission current Ie increases with time, but eventually saturates and hardly increases. As described above, when the emission current Ie is substantially saturated, the application of the voltage from the activation power supply 1112 is stopped, and the energization activation process ends.

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

As described above, the plane type surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. 11E was manufactured.

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

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the basic structure of the vertical type. In FIG.
202 and 1203 are device electrodes, 1206 is a step forming member, 1204 is a conductive thin film using a fine particle film, 1205
Are electron-emitting portions formed by an energization forming process;
213 is a thin film formed by the activation process.

This vertical type is different from the above-mentioned flat type in that one of the element electrodes (1202) is provided on the step forming member 1206, and the conductive thin film 1204 is provided on the side surface of the step forming member 1206. Is covered.
Therefore, the element electrode interval L in the planar type shown in FIG. 10A is set as the step height Ls of the step forming member 1206 in the vertical type. Note that for the substrate 1201, the element electrodes 1202 and 1203, and the conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film, the materials listed in the description of the planar type can be similarly used. For the step forming member 1206, an electrically insulating material such as SiO2 is used.

Next, a method of manufacturing a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device will be described. FIGS. 15A to 15F are cross-sectional views for explaining a manufacturing process.
Is the same as

1) First, as shown in FIG. 15A, an element electrode 1203 is formed on a substrate 1201.

2) Next, as shown in FIG. 17B, an insulating layer for forming a step forming member is laminated. The insulating layer may be formed by stacking, for example, SiO2 by sputtering,
For example, another film formation method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a printing method may be used.

3) Next, as shown in FIG. 17C, an element electrode 1202 is formed on the insulating layer.

4) Next, as shown in FIG. 14D, a part of the insulating layer is removed by using, for example, an etching method to expose the element electrode 1203.

5) Next, as shown in FIG. 17E, a conductive thin film 1204 using a fine particle film is formed. For the formation, as in the case of the planar type, a film forming technique such as a coating method may be used.

6) Next, as in the case of the flat type, the energization forming process is performed to form an electron emission portion.
(A process similar to the planar energization forming process described with reference to FIG. 11C may be performed.) 7) Next, an energization activation process is performed as in the planar type energization process, and the electron emission section is performed. Carbon or a carbon compound is deposited in the vicinity. (A process similar to the planar energization activation process described with reference to FIG. 11D may be performed.) As described above, the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device shown in FIG. Manufactured.

(Characteristics of Surface Conduction Emission Device Used in Display Device) The element configuration and manufacturing method of the planar and vertical surface conduction emission devices have been described above. Next, the characteristics of the device used in the display device will be described. Is described.

FIG. 16 shows typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (device current If) versus (device applied voltage Vf) characteristics of the device used in the display device. . Note that the emission current Ie is significantly smaller than the device current If, and it is difficult to show them on the same scale. In addition, these characteristics are changed by changing design parameters such as the size and shape of the device. Therefore, each of the two graphs is shown in arbitrary units. The element used in the display device of the present embodiment has the following three characteristics regarding the emission current Ie.

First, when a voltage higher than a certain voltage (hereinafter referred to as a threshold voltage Vth) is applied to the element, the emission current Ie sharply increases. On the other hand, when the voltage is lower than the threshold voltage Vth, the emission current Ie increases. Ie is hardly detected. That is, it is a non-linear element having a clear threshold voltage Vth with respect to the emission current Ie.

Secondly, since the emission current Ie changes depending on the voltage Vf applied to the element, the emission current Ie depends on the voltage Vf.
Size can be controlled.

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

Because of the above characteristics, the surface conduction electron-emitting device could be suitably used for a display device. For example, in a display device in which a large number of elements are provided corresponding to pixels of a display screen, display can be performed by sequentially scanning the display screen by using the first characteristic. That is, a voltage equal to or higher than the threshold voltage Vth is appropriately applied to the element under driving according to the desired light emission luminance, and the threshold voltage Vth
Apply less than voltage. By sequentially switching the elements to be driven, the display screen can be sequentially scanned and displayed.

Further, by using the second characteristic or the third characteristic, the light emission luminance can be controlled, so that gradation display can be performed.

(Structure of a Multi-Electron Source in Which Many Devices are Wired in a Simple Matrix) Next, the structure of a multi-electron source in which the above-mentioned surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged on a substrate and wired in a simple matrix will be described.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the multi-electron source used for the display panel 1000 of FIG. On the substrate, surface conduction emission devices similar to those shown in FIG. 10 are arranged, and these devices are wired in a simple matrix by row wiring electrodes 1003 and column wiring electrodes 1004. At a portion where the row wiring electrode 1003 and the column wiring electrode 1004 intersect, an insulating layer (not shown) is formed between the electrodes, and electrical insulation is maintained.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.
Shown in

Incidentally, the multi-electron source having such a structure is as follows.
A row wiring electrode 1003, a column wiring electrode 100
4. After forming an inter-electrode insulating layer (not shown), an element electrode of a surface conduction electron-emitting device and a conductive thin film, a row wiring electrode 1 is formed.
003 and the column wiring electrode 1004 to supply power to each element to perform an energization forming process and an energization activation process.

The characteristics of each surface conduction electron-emitting device are strongly affected by the above-described energization forming process and energization activation process. In particular, the energization forming process is a process of energizing the conductive thin film 1104 made of a fine particle film, and appropriately breaking, deforming, or altering a part of the conductive thin film 1104 to change the structure to a structure suitable for electron emission. That is. A portion of the conductive thin film made of the fine particle film that has been changed to a structure suitable for emitting electrons (that is, the electron emitting portion 110
In 5), the crack is formed in the thin film as described above.

Since the electron emission characteristics of each surface conduction electron-emitting device are also related to the state of formation of the cracks, the electron emission characteristics of the display panel 1000 have a strong correlation with the energization forming process, and furthermore, the electron emission characteristics. Is also correlated.

FIG. 19 is a diagram in which the resistance value of the conductive thin film of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is plotted on the abscissa and the emission current is plotted on the ordinate. In the figure, since these characteristics change by changing design parameters such as the size and shape of the element, both axes are shown in arbitrary units in the graph.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to the present embodiment.

In the same figure, reference numeral 5000 denotes a conductive thin film state (before the conductive thin film is applied and energized and formed).
The multi-electron source 5001 is a multi-electron source 5001 having a crack formed on the conductive thin film by being subjected to the energization forming process. Hereinafter, the multi-electron source in a state before the energization forming process is performed is referred to as a “multi-electron source in a conductive thin film state”.

In the manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment, the multi-electron source 5000 uses the row wiring 1003, column wiring 1004, inter-electrode insulating layer, element electrode, and conductive thin film shown in FIG. After being formed on the (rear plate), it is installed on the contact probe of the resistance measuring device 5013 of the present embodiment, and the above-described measurement is performed by the measuring circuit 5012 (corresponding to the above-described measuring circuit 4013).

In this resistance measurement, the row wiring 1003 and the column wiring 10 of the substrate to be measured (multi-electron source 5000) are used.
04 is connected to the measurement circuit 5012 via the contact probe as described in the above embodiment.
In such a connected state, the probe needle 4091 of the contact probe is connected not only at both ends of the row wiring and the column wiring but also at a substantially central part thereof.

The surface conduction electron-emitting device on the substrate to be measured has m
Simple matrix wiring is performed by the row wirings 1003 and the n column wirings 1004. In the present embodiment, n = 30
The choice of 72, m = 1024 was also mentioned earlier. Although the wiring resistance of the row wiring 1003 is different for each row, when actually measured, it is about 8Ω to 10Ω per line, and the wiring resistance of the column wiring 1004 is also different for each column.
Similarly, it was about 28 to 35Ω per one.

According to the measurement method described with reference to FIG. 7, the resistance value of the multi-electron source in the conductive thin film state is Rx1 = 6.
Therefore, the resistance of the element in the conductive thin film state was estimated to be approximately 6 k to 9 kΩ. However, since the voltage drop on the wiring resistance, which is one of the root causes of the problem of the present invention, tends to increase as the resistance value of the element in the conductive thin film state decreases, a contact probe is designed. In the above, a margin for a measurement error was obtained by estimating the resistance value of the element in the conductive thin film state to be measured to be about 5 kΩ.

Probe needle 4091 of contact probe
In consideration of the above-mentioned parameters (the resistance value of the row wiring, the resistance value of the column wiring, the resistance value of the element in the conductive thin film state, etc.), as described in the above-described embodiment,
The voltage drop on the wiring resistance of the row wiring and the column wiring was estimated by computer simulation and studied. According to this, in order to suppress the potential difference between the maximum point and the minimum point of the voltage caused by the voltage drop on each wiring to within 3%, at least six for the same row wiring and at least six for the same column wiring It turned out that it is necessary to arrange even six. The positions where the probe needles 4091 are provided are two positions at both ends of each wiring, and the positions where the remaining probe needles divide the wiring substantially equally.

The present inventors designed and created a contact probe based on the above estimation, and measured the resistance value of the multi-electron source in a conductive thin film state disposed on the substrate to be measured.

When the measurement is completed in this way and a calculation is performed by the calculation unit 5010 to obtain the resistance value before forming of each surface conduction electron-emitting device, the measured resistance value data is sent to the energization forming device 5020. .

After the completion of the measurement, the multi-electron source 5000 is sealed together with the side wall 1006 and the face plate 1007 described with reference to FIG. 8 to form an airtight container, and is loaded into the energization forming apparatus 5020 to energize. A forming process was performed. When the energization forming process was performed, the inside of the airtight container was evacuated to a degree of vacuum of, for example, 1 × 10 −5 [torr].

The energization forming apparatus 5020 according to the present embodiment employs, as one example of energization forming when manufacturing a multi-electron source, N multi-electron sources in a conductive row state arranged in the same row. We took a method of forming within the same period. That is, when the energization forming process of the n elements arranged in the selected row is completed, the process of switching the selected row and performing the energization forming process of another row is repeated. An energization forming process was performed.

This energization forming process can be achieved by gradually increasing the peak value of the energized voltage waveform and applying the same as described with reference to FIG. 12, even when producing a multi-electron source in which a large number of elements are arranged in a simple matrix wiring. However, when the voltage is applied, the voltage cannot be supplied as shown in FIG. 11C. Therefore, the voltage was supplied from m row wirings and n column wirings, and the energization forming process was performed.

The following is an example of controlling the application of the forming voltage. Energizing forming apparatus 5 of the present embodiment
No. 020 adjusted the applied voltage at the time of forming based on the resistance value of each element measured by the resistance measuring device 5013. That is, at the time of energization forming, forming was performed by controlling the forming voltage so that the power supplied to each element was constant.

FIGS. 21 to 23 are diagrams for describing the forming process in the electron source manufacturing apparatus of the present embodiment in more detail.

FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining the appearance of the energization forming apparatus 5020 of the present embodiment and the connection between the apparatus 5020 and the multi-electron source 5000.

One of the terminals Dx1 to Dxm of the m row wirings is connected to the YL driver 2100, and the other end is connected to the YR driver 2101. The terminals Dy1 to Dyn of the column wiring are connected to the X driver 2102. YL driver 2100 and YR driver 2101 are m
This is a circuit for applying a voltage for performing the energization forming process to the row wirings. Similarly, the X driver 210
Reference numeral 2 denotes a circuit that independently applies a voltage for performing the energization forming process to the n column wirings.

YL driver 2100, YR driver 21
01 and the X driver 2102 to the timing signal T
s1 to Ts2 are output to control the timing of applying a voltage to these row and column wirings, and the YL driver 21
00, the peak value of the triangular wave which is the output voltage of each channel of the YR driver 2101 and the X driver 2102 is Vs1 to
Controlled by Vs2.

The resistance value of the multi-electron source 5000 in the conductive thin film state measured by the resistance measuring device 5013 of this embodiment is loaded into the energization forming processing device 5020 and stored in the RAM 2104. Therefore, when the controller 2103 switches the row wiring for performing the energization forming when performing the energization forming process,
The resistance value of the conductive thin film of the row wiring for which energization forming is to be performed next is loaded from the RAM 2104, and the voltage values Vs1 to Vs2 are determined and output based on the loaded value.

FIG. 22A shows a row wiring 1003 of the first row.
FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a voltage application state at a certain moment when the element connected to the device is energized and formed.

FIG. 22B shows the voltage application state when a monitor pulse described later is applied and the monitor current I
It is a figure for explaining x1-Ixn.

As shown in FIG.
Is applied to the row wiring 1003, a forming pulse Vy1 having a negative peak value (described as a triangular wave having a negative peak value in the drawing) is applied to the row wiring 1003. To the column wiring 1004, trimming pulses Vx1 to VxN (described as a triangular wave having a positive peak value in the figure) having the opposite polarity to the row wiring 1003 were applied. That is, a voltage corresponding to the potential difference between the row wiring and the column wiring in which the element is arranged is supplied to the element connected to the selected row wiring. Here, the peak values of the trimming pulses Vx1 to VxN are controlled for each column in accordance with the resistance value of the conductive thin film.

FIG. 23 is a timing chart when the elements connected to the first row wiring 1003 are energized and formed.

In the figure, the voltage Vy1 is the voltage applied to the first row wiring, and Vx1 to VxN are n column wirings 1 respectively.
As the voltage applied to 004, the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents voltage. As the voltage Vy1, for example, the pulse width T1 is 1 [millisecond], the pulse interval T2 is 10 [millisecond], and the peak value Vpf is 0.1 [V] for each pulse.
(= ΔVpf). The initial value Vpf0 of Vpf is set to 0.1 [V] in the present embodiment. Here, the peak value of the trimming pulse applied to each column wiring 1004 is set so that the same power is applied to each element based on the resistance value of the element connected to the currently formed row wiring. The peak value was controlled for each wiring.

Here, the power at the time of forming is represented by (square of applied voltage) / (resistance of element before forming). That is, assuming that the first row is currently energized and formed, as shown in FIG. 23, the peak values of the trimming pulses applied to the respective column wirings 1004 are Vxp1 to Vxp, respectively.
When pn

[0204]

(Equation 5)

Here, rd (i, j) = (i row,
the resistance of the element in the conductive thin film state connected to the j-th row),
Vx1 to VxN were calculated so that i = 1, 2,... N and j = 1, 2,.

However, rdm of the rightmost term in the above equation 5 is
rd (i, j), i = 1, 2,... N, j = 1, 2,.
Is the average value.

The calculation of the peak values Vxp1 to Vxpn was performed by the controller 2103. This controller 2103 is
Based on the calculated peak value, the peak value of each channel of the X driver 2102 was controlled by the voltage Vs2.

This energization forming apparatus 5020
Inserted the monitor pulse Pm at a rate of one every time five triangular waves were applied in order to determine whether or not the forming of the currently formed row was completed.

Here, the voltage Vpm of the monitor pulse is set to -0.1 [V] so as not to adversely affect the forming process. When the monitor pulse is applied, the X driver 2102 measures the currents Ixz1 to Ixn (shown in FIG. 22) flowing through each column wiring 1004.
Then, when all of the currents Ix1 to Ixn measured when the monitor pulse is applied become 1 × 10 −7 [A] or less, the row wiring 1003 to be selected is switched, and the energization forming processing of the next row is performed. Move to By repeating the above operations, the energization related to the forming process was completed.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing of the controller 2103 in the energization forming apparatus 5020 of the present embodiment.

First, in step S11, the pointer j designating the row number of the row on which the energization forming is performed is set to "1".
Set to. Then, the process proceeds to step S12, where the pointer j
Is loaded from the RAM 2104. Next, in step S13, the peak value of the forming pulse applied to the row wiring selected based on the pointer j is initialized, and the value of the counter CNT is set to "1".

Then, the process proceeds to a step S14, wherein each column wiring 10
Crest value Vxp1 to Vxpn of trimming pulse applied to 04
Is calculated. Then, the process proceeds to step S15, and as shown in the timing chart of FIG.
A forming pulse is output to 003 and a trimming pulse is output to the column wiring 1004. And in step S16,
Check whether the value of the counter CNT is "5",
If “5”, the process proceeds to step S19, where the counter CNT is set.
, And further increases the voltage Vpf by ΔVpf, proceeds to step S14, and repeats the above-described processing.

When the value of the counter CNT becomes "5", the process proceeds to step S17, and a monitor pulse Pm for confirming whether the forming is completed is applied to the selected row wiring, and It is determined whether the forming has been completed. If the forming has not been completed yet, the process proceeds to step S20, where the value of the counter CNT is set to "1", the voltage Vpf is further increased, and the process proceeds to step S14 to repeat the above-described processing.

In this way, when the forming of the element connected to the row wiring is completed, the process proceeds to step S18,
It is determined whether the value of j indicating the line number of the current forming matches the last line m. m, that is, if it is not the last line, the process proceeds to step S21, the value of the pointer j is incremented by 1, and the process proceeds to step S12.
The energization forming of the next row is performed. Step S
When j = m at 18, the energization forming is terminated.

As described above, by controlling the forming voltage applied to each element of the multi-electron source in accordance with the variation of the element resistance, almost uniform forming can be performed on each element.

As described above, by using the resistance measuring apparatus of the present embodiment, the resistance value of the multi-electron source in the conductive thin film state can be accurately measured, and the energization forming process can be performed based on the measured value. Thus, a multi-electron source and an image display device having more excellent electron emission characteristics can be manufactured.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, an error caused by the effect of the voltage drop in the wiring resistance has been a problem when measuring the resistance value of the resistive elements arranged in the simple matrix structure. Was reduced, and the resistance value of the resistive element could be measured very accurately.

According to the present embodiment, the resistance of the surface conduction electron-emitting device in the state of a conductive thin film arranged in a simple matrix is measured by executing the above-described resistance measuring method, and the resistance is measured. By controlling the applied voltage at the time of performing the energization forming process, uniform energization forming could be performed on each element of the multi-electron source.

By performing the uniform energization forming as described above, it has become possible to manufacture a multi-electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics and an image display device using the same.

[0220]

As described above, according to the present invention, the resistance values of the resistive elements arranged in a matrix can be accurately measured without the effect of the voltage drop due to the wiring resistance.

Further, according to the present invention, the resistance value of the conductive thin films arranged in a matrix is more accurately measured, and based on the measured value, an appropriate energization forming process is performed on the conductive thin films arranged in a matrix. By applying the composition, a good electron-emitting portion is formed in the conductive thin film, and there is an effect that an electron source having a surface conduction electron-emitting device having good characteristics can be manufactured.

[0222]

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a simple matrix wiring according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view for explaining the resistance measuring device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining connection between a contact probe and a substrate to be measured in the resistance measuring apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a measuring circuit of the resistance measuring device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a resistance value measurement process in the resistance measurement device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an arithmetic computer of the resistance measuring device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of measuring a line resistance value R × L.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a display panel using a multi-electron source according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a phosphor and a black conductive material on a face plate of the display panel of the present embodiment.

10A and 10B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a planar surface-conduction emission type electron-emitting device.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a manufacturing process of the surface conduction electron-emitting device of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a voltage waveform applied from a forming power supply.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an activation process for a surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view of a vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device. .

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a manufacturing process of the vertical surface conduction electron-emitting device.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing typical examples of (emission current Ie) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics and (element current If) versus (element applied voltage Vf) characteristics of an element used for a display device. .

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a multi-electron source applied to the display panel of the present embodiment. .

18 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section taken along the line A-A ′ in FIG.

FIG. 19 is a graph showing the relationship between the resistance value and emission current of a surface conduction electron-emitting device in a conductive thin film state.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a manufacturing process of a multi-electron source and an image display device.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an energization forming apparatus according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining a method of applying an energizing forming voltage in the energizing forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a timing chart of energization forming processing in the energization forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the energization forming process in the energization forming apparatus of the present embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a view for explaining an overview of a contact probe which is an object of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram for explaining a measuring circuit of the resistance measuring device described in the subject of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a diagram for explaining a voltage drop due to wiring resistance, which is an object of the present invention.

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. m (m is a positive integer) row wirings and n (n
Is a positive integer) is a resistance measuring apparatus for measuring the resistance of m × n resistive elements wired in a matrix by column wiring, wherein both ends of the row wiring and the column wiring, A contact unit having a plurality of contact portions electrically connected to each of the row wiring and / or the column wiring at at least one position between the both end portions; and a contact unit connected to the row wiring and the column wiring of the contact unit. Short-circuit means for short-circuiting a signal line from the contact portion for each row wiring and each column wiring; and one of a column-direction signal line group and a row-direction signal line group short-circuited by the short-circuit means to one signal line group Voltage applying means for grounding via a predetermined resistor, sequentially selecting the signal lines of the other signal line group and applying a predetermined voltage; and applying a voltage to each signal line by the voltage applying means. Passing Voltage measuring means for measuring a voltage at the contact portion connected to a column wiring; and resistance value calculating means for calculating a resistance value of each of the plurality of resistive elements based on a voltage value measured by the voltage measuring means. And a resistance measuring device. 2. The resistance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said resistance value calculating means sets each resistance value of said resistive element to an unknown value based on a voltage measured by said voltage measuring means. The resistance value of each of the plurality of resistive elements is calculated using the following nodal analysis equations, which are m n-ary linear equations. (Equation 1) rd (i, j): resistance value of the resistive element connected to the i-th column wiring and the j-th row wiring Vi (i) k: i when the k-th column wiring is selected and a voltage is applied Voltage of the j-th column wiring Vo (j) k: Voltage of the j-th row wiring when the k-th column wiring is selected and voltage is applied Io (j) k: Voltage of the k-th column wiring is selected Is the current of the j-th row wiring when is applied. 3. The resistance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage applying unit has a predetermined resistance value for each of the unselected signal lines in the other signal line group. It is characterized in that it is grounded via a resistor. 4. The resistance measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the voltage applying unit short-circuits the unselected signal lines of the other signal line group to each other and a predetermined resistance value. And grounded via a resistor having 5. The resistance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voltage measuring unit is configured to perform the row wiring in response to voltage application to each signal line by the voltage applying unit. A row direction signal selecting means for sequentially selecting a signal line from a contact part connected to the signal line; and a signal line from a contact part connected to the column wiring in response to voltage application to each signal line by the voltage applying means. And a means for measuring the voltage of each signal line selected by the row and column direction signal selecting means. 6. The resistance measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of resistive elements are conductive thin films forming an electron emission portion of a surface conduction type emission element. It is characterized by. 7. m (m is a positive integer) row wirings and n (n
Is a positive integer) is a resistance measuring method for measuring the resistance of m × n resistive elements wired in a matrix by column wiring, wherein both ends of the row wiring and the column wiring, A contact step of electrically connecting a contact portion to each of the row wirings and / or the column wirings at at least one or more locations between the both end portions; and a plurality of contact portions connected to the row wirings and the column wirings. A short-circuit step of short-circuiting the signal lines for each row wiring and each column wiring; grounding the short-circuited signal lines in the row direction via a predetermined resistor to sequentially select each signal line in the signal lines in the column direction; Applying a predetermined voltage to each of the signal lines, measuring a voltage at the contact portions connected to the row and column wirings in response to the voltage application to each of the signal lines, and based on the measured voltage value. The said plural A resistance value of each of the resistive elements described above. 8. The resistance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the calculation of the resistance value includes the following steps in which the resistance value of each of the resistive elements is set to an unknown value based on the measured voltage. It is characterized in that it is calculated by using a nodal analysis equation which is m n-ary linear equations. (Equation 2) rd (i, j): resistance value of the resistive element connected to the i-th column wiring and the j-th row wiring Vi (i) k: i when the k-th column wiring is selected and a voltage is applied Voltage of the j-th column wiring Vo (j) k: Voltage of the j-th row wiring when the k-th column wiring is selected and voltage is applied Io (j) k: Voltage of the k-th column wiring is selected Is the current of the j-th row wiring when is applied. 9. The resistance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein each of the unselected signal lines among the signal lines in the column direction is grounded via a resistor having a predetermined resistance value. It is characterized by the following. 10. The resistance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein among the signal lines in the column direction, unselected signal lines are short-circuited to each other via a resistor having a predetermined resistance value. It is characterized by grounding. 11. The resistance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the measuring of the voltage is connected to the row wiring in response to voltage application to each of the signal lines. A signal line from a contact portion is sequentially selected, and a signal line from a contact portion connected to the column wiring is sequentially selected in response to voltage application to each of the signal lines; And measuring the voltage of each signal line selected according to the above. 12. The resistance measuring method according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of resistive elements are a conductive thin film forming an electron emission portion of a surface conduction type emission element. It is characterized by. 13. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an electron source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged by applying a current forming process to a plurality of conductive thin films arranged in a matrix. A resistance measuring device according to any one of: and a control unit that controls application of a forming voltage in the energization forming process based on an individual resistance value of the conductive thin film measured by the resistance measuring device. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source, comprising: 14. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 13, wherein the control unit controls a peak value of a forming voltage in the energization forming process based on a resistance value of the conductive thin film to be formed. It is characterized by the following. 15. The apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 14, wherein said control means controls a peak value of said forming voltage, and a peak power generated by applying the peak value to all conductive elements in a matrix. It is characterized in that it is controlled to be substantially constant in the conductive thin film. 16. A method for producing an electron source in which a plurality of surface conduction electron-emitting devices are arranged by applying a current forming process to a plurality of conductive thin films wired in a matrix. A resistance measurement step of measuring the resistance value of each of the plurality of conductive thin films by the resistance measurement method according to any one of the above, based on individual resistance values of the conductive thin film measured in the resistance measurement step Controlling the application of the forming voltage in the energization forming process. 17. The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 16, wherein in the controlling step, a peak value of a forming voltage in the energization forming process is controlled based on a resistance value of the conductive thin film to be formed. It is characterized by the following. 18. The method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 17, wherein, in the controlling step, the peak value of the forming voltage and the peak power generated by applying the peak voltage are all in a matrix. It is characterized in that it is controlled to be substantially constant in the conductive thin film.