Electric lamp and discharge devices – With luminescent solid or liquid material – Vacuum-type tube
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2002-12-10
Patel, Vip (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With luminescent solid or liquid material
Vacuum-type tube
C313S309000, C313S336000, C313S351000, C313S310000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06492769
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron emitting device, an electron source, an image forming apparatus, and methods for producing them. More particularly, the invention concerns the electron emitting device with organic films thereon and, the electron source, image forming apparatus, and producing methods of them.
2. Related Background Art
The electron emitting devices conventionally known are generally classified under two types using thermionic emission elements and cold cathode emission elements. The cold cathode emission elements include the field emission (FE) type, the metal/insulator/metal (MIM) type, the surface conduction type electron emitting devices, and so on.
In some of these electron emitting devices a film of carbon or the like is laid on the device surface for the purpose of improving electron emission characteristics thereof.
For example, EP-A-660357, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-235255, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-007749, etc. describe producing methods of the electron emitting device comprising an energization forming operation of forming an electrically conductive film between device electrodes and applying voltage between the device electrodes so as to form an electron emitting region in the conductive, thin film and an activation operation, carried out thereafter, of again applying voltage between the device electrodes in an atmosphere containing a carbon compound in order to increase electron emission efficiency.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-237571 and EP-A-788130 describe producing methods of the electron emitting device having a step of forming films of an organic substance on the conductive film formed between the device electrodes, by applying a thermosetting resin, an electron-beam negative resist, or an organic material such as polyacrylonitrile or the like thereonto by a spin coat method and a step of carbonizing these organic substance films in order to increase the electron emission efficiency as was the case in the above.
In the producing methods described in above Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-237571 and EP-A-788130, instability of the electron emitting device characteristics during driving is overcome by adopting a step of eliminating the organic substance films remaining on the conductive film under a reactive gas atmosphere after the above carbonization step. This suggests that in the above conventional technology the existence of the organic substance films on the conductive film forming the electron emitting device affects the electron emission characteristics during driving, and only one solution to it was the removal of the organic substance films.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an electron emitting device in which the influence of the organic films laid on the electron emitting device, upon the electron emission characteristics is reduced to the utmost, and a producing method thereof.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an electron emitting device with higher electron emission efficiency, and a producing method thereof.
The present invention involves structures described below, especially.
Namely, the present invention is an electron emitting device comprising, on a substrate, a pair of electrically conductive films spaced with a gap in between, and an organic film laid on said conductive films, wherein said organic film is placed in an area on said conductive films.
The present invention is also an electron emitting device comprising, on a substrate, a pair of electrically conductive films spaced with a gap in between, and an organic film laid on said conductive films, wherein an overhang portion of said organic film from edges of said conductive films on said substrate is not more than 5 &mgr;m.
The present invention is also an electron emitting device comprising, on a substrate, a pair of conductive films spaced with a gap in between, an organic film laid on said conductive films, and carbon films laid on ends of said pair of conductive films facing the gap, wherein said organic film is placed in an area on said conductive films.
The present invention is also an electron emitting device comprising, on a substrate, a pair of conductive films spaced with a gap in between, an organic film laid on said conductive films, and. carbon films laid on ends of said pair of conductive films facing the gap, wherein an overhang portion of said organic film from edges of said conductive films on said substrate is not more than 5 &mgr;m.
The present invention is also the invention of the electron emitting devices further involving the following configurations, in addition to the above configurations. Namely,
said organic film is a film comprised of an organic polymer.
Further, said organic polymer is a heat-resistant organic polymer, or polyimide.
The present invention is also an electron source comprising a plurality of electron emitting devices, wherein said electron emitting devices are those described above.
The present invention is also an image forming apparatus comprising an electron source having a plurality of electron emitting devices, and an image forming member for forming an image under irradiation of electrons emitted from the electron source, wherein said electron emitting devices are those described above.
The present invention is also a method for producing an electron emitting device, the producing method comprising a step of forming an electrically conductive film on a substrate, a step of forming an organic film on said conductive film, and a step of energizing the conductive film with said organic film formed thereon, wherein said step of forming the organic film comprises a step of delivering a liquid comprising a material for forming said organic film, into an area on said conductive film by an ink jet method.
The present invention is also a method for producing an electron emitting device, the producing method comprising a step of forming an electrically conductive film on a substrate, a step of forming an organic film on said conductive film, and a step of energizing the conductive film with said organic film formed thereon, wherein said step of forming the organic film comprises a step of delivering a liquid comprising a material for forming said organic film, onto said conductive film by an ink jet method, and wherein said organic film is formed so that an overhang portion of the organic film from an edge of said conductive film on the substrate is not more than 5 &mgr;m.
The present invention is also a method for producing an electron emitting device, the producing method comprising a step of forming an electrically conductive film on a substrate, a step of forming an organic film on said conductive film, and a step of energizing the conductive film with said organic film formed thereon, wherein said step of forming the organic film comprises a step of delivering a liquid comprising a material for forming said organic film, onto said conductive film by an ink jet method, said producing method further comprising a step of making a difference in wettability against said liquid between a surface of said conductive film and a surface of said substrate, prior to said step of forming the organic film.
The present invention is also a method for producing an electron emitting device, the producing method comprising a step of forming an electrically conductive film on a substrate, a step of forming an organic film on said conductive film, and a step of energizing the conductive film with said organic film formed thereon, wherein said step of forming the organic film comprises a step of delivering a liquid comprising a material for forming said organic film, onto said conductive film by an ink jet method, said producing method further comprising a step of subjecting said substrate to a surface treatment for decreasing wettability of a surface of the substrate against said liquid, prior to said step of forming the organic film.
The present i
Iwaki Takashi
Oda Hitoshi
Berck Kenneth A
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
Fitzpatrick ,Cella, Harper & Scinto
Patel Vip
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