Apparatus for manufacturing electron source, method for manufacturing electron source, and method for manufacturing image-forming apparatus

• US 6,626,718 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2001
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hiroki, Tamayo
• Primary Examiner(s): Luebke, Renee
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Felix O.
• Application Number:
  US09/954,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 445/6, 445/24, 445/38, 445/44, 445/62, 445/73, 427/77, 427/253
• US Class Current: 445/6
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/027 of thin film cathodes

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an electron source includes the steps of covering a substrate provided with a first electrode and a second electrode by a container, introducing a gas composed of a carbon compound into the container, and forming a carbon film by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode. The relationship 1/(4/C_x−1/C_z)≧S_out≧4S_act−C_in is satisfied, where C_in is the conductance from the gas inlet to the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet, C_x is the conductance from the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet to the position of the substrate nearest to the gas outlet, S_out is the effective exhaust rate, S_act is the consumption rate of the gas, and C_z is the conductance from the substrate to the gas outlet. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source and a method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electron source comprising an electron-emitting element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a carbon film disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electron-emitting element being placed on a front surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

covering a partial front surface or a entire front surface of the substrate provided with the first electrode and the second electrode by a container;

introducing a gas comprising a carbon compound into the container via a gas inlet of the container; and

forming the carbon film by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein a relationship

1/(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4S_act−

C_in is satisfied, where C_in is the conductance from the gas inlet to the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet, C_x is a conductance from the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet to a position of the substrate nearest to a gas outlet for evacuating the container, S_out is an effective exhaust rate of an exhaust unit connected to the gas outlet, S_act is the consumption rate of a gas consumed by applying the voltage to the electron-emitting element, and C_z is a conductance from the substrate to the gas outlet.

2. A method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, and the relationship 1(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4·

n·

S_act1−

C_in is satisfied, where S_act1 is a consumption rate of the gas for each element, and n is a number of elements simultaneously subjected to the step of forming the carbon film.

3. A method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 1, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, a plurality of X-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of first electrodes, and a plurality of Y-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of second electrodes, and in the step of forming the carbon film, the voltage is applied between each first electrode and each second electrode through the X-direction line and/or the Y-direction line.

4. A method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 3, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines adjacent to each other.

5. A method for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 3, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines nonadjacent to each other.

6. A method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus,

the image forming apparatus comprising:

an electron source comprising an electron-emitting element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a carbon film disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electron-emitting element being placed on a front surface of a substrate; and

an image-forming member facing the electron source and forming an image by electrons emitted from the electron-emitting element,

the method comprises the steps of;

covering a partial front surface or a entire front surface of the substrate provided with the first electrode and the second electrode by a container;

introducing a gas comprising a carbon compound into the container via a gas inlet of the container; and

forming the carbon film by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode,

wherein a relationship

1/(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4S_act−

C_in is satisfied, where C_in is a conductance from the gas inlet to a position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet, C_x is an conductance from the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet to a position of the substrate nearest to a gas outlet for evacuating the container, S_out is an effective exhaust rate of an exhaust unit connected to the gas outlet, S_act is a consumption rate of the gas consumed by applying the voltage to the electron-emitting element, and C_z is a conductance from the substrate to the gas outlet.

7. A method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, and the relationship 1/(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4·

n·

S_act1−

C_in is satisfied, where S_act1 is a consumption rate of the gas for each element, and n is a number of elements simultaneously subjected to the step of forming the carbon film.

8. A method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, a plurality of X-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of first electrodes, and a plurality of Y-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of second electrodes, and in the step of forming the carbon film, the voltage is applied between each first electrode and each second electrode through the X-direction line and/or the Y-direction line.

9. A method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines adjacent to each other.

10. A method for manufacturing an image-forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines nonadjacent to each other.

11. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source, the electron source comprising:

an electron-emitting element having a first electrode, a second electrode and a carbon film disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, the electron-emitting element being placed on a front surface of a substrate,

the apparatus comprising;

a base for supporting the substrate preliminarily provided with the first electrode and the second electrode;

a container for covering the front surface of the substrate supported by the base; and

a voltage-applying unit,

wherein, in the steps of covering a partial front surface or a entire front surface of the substrate provided with the first electrode and the second electrode by the container;

introducing a gas comprising a carbon compound into the container via a gas inlet of the container; and

forming the carbon film by applying a voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode using the voltage-applying unit, a relationship 1/(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4S_act−

C_in is satisfied, where C_in is a conductance from the gas inlet to a position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet, C_x is a conductance from the position of the substrate nearest to the gas inlet to a position of the substrate nearest to a gas outlet for evacuating the container, S_out is an effective exhaust rate of an exhaust unit connected to the gas outlet, S_act is a consumption rate of the gas consumed by applying the voltage to the electron-emitting element, and C_z is a conductance from the substrate to the gas outlet.

12. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 11, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, and the relationship 1/(4/C_x−

1/C_z)≧

S_out≧

4·

n·

S_act1−

C_in is satisfied, where S_act1 is a consumption rate of the gas for each element, and n is a number of elements simultaneously subjected to the step of forming the carbon film.

13. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 11, wherein the electron source comprises a plurality of electron-emitting elements, a plurality of X-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of first electrodes, and a plurality of Y-direction lines for commonly connecting a plurality of second electrodes, and in the step of forming the carbon film, the voltage is applied between each first electrode and each second electrode through the X-direction line and/or the Y-direction line.

14. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 13, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines adjacent to each other.

15. An apparatus for manufacturing an electron source according to claim 13, wherein, in the step of forming the carbon film, the carbon film is simultaneously formed on the elements connected to some of the X-direction lines nonadjacent to each other.