Electric lamp or space discharge component or device manufacturi – Process – With assembly or disassembly
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-05
2004-08-24
Williams, Joseph (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp or space discharge component or device manufacturi
Process
With assembly or disassembly
C438S034000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06780074
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an image display device.
2. Description of the Related Art Conventional electron emitting devices are generally classified into two types of devices, i.e., thermionic cathode type devices and cold cathode type devices. The cold cathode type devices include field emission type devices, metal/insulating-layer/metal type devices, surface conduction type devices and the like.
The surface conduction type electron emitting devices utilize the phenomenon that electron emission occurs by passing a current in a direction parallel to the surface of a small-area thin film formed on a substrate. The assignee of the present application has provided a large number of proposals with respect to surface conduction type electron emitting devices having new configurations and applications thereof. The basic configurations and manufacturing methods of such devices are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Nos. 7-235255 (1995), 8-171849 (1996), 2000-311594 (2000) and 11-195374 (1999), and EP-A No. 0908916.
The surface conduction type electron emitting devices have the feature that a pair of electrodes facing each other, and a conductive film connected to the pair of electrodes and having a gap in a part of the film are provided on a substrate.
A carbon film having at least one of carbon and a carbon compound as a main component is provided in the gap.
By providing a plurality of such electron emitting devices on a substrate and connecting the devices by wires, an electron source including a plurality of surface conduction type electron emitting devices can be manufactured.
By combining the electron source with a phosphor, an image display device can be formed.
Conventionally, such an electron source and an image display device are manufactured in the following manner.
In a first manufacturing method, first, a plurality of units, each including a conductive film and a pair of electrodes connected thereto, and wires connected to the electrodes are each formed on a substrate. Then, the entirety of the formed units on the substrate is placed in a vacuum chamber. After evacuating the vacuum chamber, a gap is formed in the conductive film of each of the units by applying a voltage to the unit through external terminals (a “forming” process). Then, a gag of a carbon compound is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and a voltage is again applied to each of the units in this atmosphere through the external terminals. By this voltage application, a carbon film having at least one of carbon and the carbon compound as a main component is formed in a portion including the gap (an “activating” process). As a result, an electron source is formed having the substrate and the plurality of electron emitting devices. Then, the panel of an image display device is manufactured by connecting the electron source and a substrate on which a phosphor is disposed, with an interval of a few millimeters provided between those components.
In a second manufacturing method, first, a plurality of units, each including a conductive film and a pair of electrodes connected thereto, and wires connected to the electrodes of the plurality of units are each formed on a substrate. Then, the panel of an image display device is manufactured by connecting the formed substrate and a substrate on which a phosphor is disposed, with an interval of a few millimeters being provided between them. Then, the inside of the panel is evacuated through an exhaust tube connected to the panel. Then, a gap is formed in the conductive film of each of the units by applying a voltage to the unit through external terminals of the panel (the “forming” process). Then, a gas of a carbon compound is introduced into the panel through the exhaust tube, and a voltage is again applied to each of the units in this atmosphere through the external terminals. By this voltage application, a carbon film having at least one of carbon and the carbon is compound as a main component is formed in a portion including the gap (the “activating” process). As a result, an electron source is provided having a plurality of electron emitting devices formed on a substrate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the conventional methods for manufacturing en electron source and an image display device, the above-described “forming” and “activating” processes are adopted. However, in the above-described first manufacturing method, as the size of the electron-source substrate is larger, a larger vacuum chamber and an evacuation apparatus having a larger pumping speed are required. In the second manufacturing method, a long time is required for both evacuation of a small space within the panel in the “forming” process, and uniform introduction of the gas used in the “activating” process into the panel and the succeeding evacuation of the gas.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing an electron source and an image display device in which the speed of the “activating” process is increased and the uniformity of electron emission characteristics is improved, and which is suitable for mass production.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an image display device and a method for manufacturing the same in which an electron source having excellent electron emission characteristics can be manufactured, and wherein stable vacuum tightness is maintained by a substrate having an electron source formed thereon and a substrate having a phosphor formed thereon, disposed so as to face the first substrate.
The inventor of the present invention has discovered the following novel aspects of the invention as a result of keen investigations.
According to one aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to a method for manufacturing an image display device. The method includes the steps of disposing a first substrate on a supporting member, the first substrate having conductors and wires connected to the conductors mounted thereon, and covering a part of the first substrate with a container to thereby dispose the conductors within a space formed between the first substrate and the container. Part of the wires is disposed outside of the space. The method also includes the steps of providing the space formed between the container and the first substrate with a desired atmosphere, applying a voltage to the conductors through the part of the wires disposed outside of the space, removing the container from the first substrate, and connecting a second substrate including an image forming member via a connecting member, to a region of the first substrate different from a region where the container and the first substrate were connected together.
According to another aspect, the present invention which achieves these objectives relates to another method for manufacturing an image display device. The method includes a step of disposing a first substrate on a supporting member, the first substrate having mounted thereon a plurality of units and wires connecting the plurality of units. Each unit includes a pair of electrodes and a conductive film disposed between the pair of electrodes. A next step includes covering a part of the first substrate with the container, and thereby disposing the plurality of units within a space formed between the first substrate and the container. Part of the wires is disposed outside of the space. The method also includes the steps of providing the space formed between the container and the first substrate with a desired atmosphere, converting each of the plurality of units to an electron emitting device by applying a voltage to the plurality of units through the part of the wires disposed outside of the space, removing the container from the first substrate, and connecting a second substrate including an image forming member to the first substrate, via connecting member, at a region different from a region where the container and the first substrate were connected together.
A
LandOfFree
Method for manufacturing an image display device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Method for manufacturing an image display device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Method for manufacturing an image display device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3362166