Abstract: A field emission electron source capable of achieving large current density is provided at low cost with good productivity. An insulating layer is formed on a substrate and has one or more openings; and an extraction electrode is formed on the insulating layer. In one or more of the openings, a plurality of emitters, each of which emits an electron by an electric field from the extraction electrode, are formed on the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided a field emission display that can achieve high brightness without increasing the anode voltage, and can realize high resolution by suppressing the occurrence of inter-pixel crosstalk resulting from light excited from the phosphor layers. A field emission display is constructed by a field emission electron source disposed in a vacuum container and a phosphor screen that is disposed in the vacuum container so as to be opposite to the field emission electron source and that has a plurality of recessed portions on its surface opposing to the field emission electron source, with phosphor layers being formed in the recessed portions An image is displayed by causing the phosphor layers to emit light by collision of electrons emitted from the field emission electron source.

Abstract: An electron source apparatus includes a plurality of electron emission portions arranged in a matrix on a Si substrate, and a plurality of emitter lines and a plurality of gate lines that are orthogonal to each other, and each of the plurality of electron emission portions being controlled by signals from the plurality of emitter lines and the plurality of gate lines to perform an independent electron emission operation.

Abstract: A field-emission electron source element includes a cathode substrate, an insulating layer that is formed on the cathode substrate and has an opening, a lead electrode formed on the insulating layer, and an emitter formed in the opening. A surface layer of an electron emitting region of the emitter is doped with at least one reducing element selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Further, an image display apparatus including the above-mentioned field-emission electron source element is provided. This makes it possible to obtain not only a stable field-emission electron source element that does not cause a current drop even after a high current density operation for a long time but also a high-performance image display apparatus that can maintain a stable display performance over a long period of time.

Abstract: A cathode ray tube according to the present invention include a cold cathode electron gun, the cold cathode electron gun including a cold cathode array for emitting electrons through field emission, a gate electrode for controlling the field emission, a first selective electrode provided around the cold cathode array and the gate electrode, and a second selective electrode opposing the first selective electrode, and the second selective electrode is adapted to have a lower potential than the gate electrode and the first selective electrode. In accordance with this configuration, the divergence of electron beams emitted from any positions in the cold cathode array can be converged uniformly upon removing electron beams emitted at a great emission angle. This allows the electron beams thereafter to be made narrower by an electrostatic lens. As a result, the present invention can provide a cathode ray tube capable of forming a high-resolution image.

Abstract: A field emission electron source capable of achieving large current density is provided at low cost with good productivity. An insulating layer is formed on a substrate and has one or more openings; and an extraction electrode is formed on the insulating layer. In one or more of the openings, a plurality of emitters, each of which emits an electron by an electric field from the extraction electrode, are formed on the substrate.

Abstract: The field emission type electron source device of the present invention includes: a field emission electron source portion including an extraction electrode provided on a p-type silicon substrate via an insulating film and having an opening portion at a position corresponding to a region where a cathode is provided; and a cathode portion provided on the p-type silicon substrate and at a position corresponding to the opening portion of the extraction portion; and an n-channel field effect transistor portion provided on the p-type silicon substrate, corresponding to the field emission electron source portion. The field emission electron source portion is provided in a drain region of the field effect transistor portion. A control voltage is applied to a gate electrode of the field effect transistor portion to control a field emission current from the field emission electron source portion. The drain region includes at least two wells having different impurity concentrations.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a field emission device that emits an electron beam bundle whose spot profile on a display screen has as little distortion as possible, and that maintains a stable electron emission property regardless of the length of a driving time, a CRT apparatus equipped with such field emission device, and a production method of such CRT apparatus. The field emission device (10) has, on a surface of a substrate (11), a plurality of cathode electrodes (12) parallel to each other, an insulation layer (13), and a plurality of extraction electrodes (14) parallel to each other, in the stated order, the cathode electrodes (12) and the extraction electrodes (14) being orthogonal to each other and so yielding a plurality of crossover regions. At the crossover regions, electron emission zones (15) each made up of four emitters (16) are formed.

Abstract: A stable field-emission electron source that does not suffer from a current drop even after a high-current density operation for a long time is provided. The field-emission electron source includes: a substrate; an insulating layer that is formed on the substrate and that has a plurality of openings; cathodes arranged at the respective openings in order to emit electron beams; a lead electrode formed on the insulating layer in order to control emission of electrons from the respective cathodes; and a surface-modifying layer formed on the surface of each of the cathodes emitting electrons, comprising a chemical bond between a cathode material composing the cathodes and a material different from the cathode material.

Abstract: A field emission electron source includes: a field emission array portion composed of an insulation layer with a plurality of apertures, which is formed on a substrate, an extraction electrode formed on the insulation layer, and a plurality of cathodes formed respectively on the substrate in the plurality of apertures; a cathode base for fixing the field emission array portion; and an electron lens portion composed of a plurality of electrode members having a function of accelerating and converging an electron beam emitted from the field emission array portion. An emission axis of the electron beam emitted from the field emission array portion has a predetermined angle with respect to an optical axis of the electron lens portion. Thus, the field emission array portion can be protected from impact caused by ions generated in the electron lens portion, thereby improving the life of a field emission electron source.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a field emission device that emits an electron beam bundle whose spot profile on a display screen has as little distortion as possible, and that maintains a stable electron emission property regardless of the length of a driving time, a CRT apparatus equipped with such field emission device, and a production method of such CRT apparatus.

Abstract: A field-emission electron source element includes a cathode substrate, an insulating layer that is formed on the cathode substrate and has an opening, a lead electrode formed on the insulating layer, and an emitter formed in the opening. A surface layer of an electron emitting region of the emitter is doped with at least one reducing element selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Further, an image display apparatus including the above-mentioned field-emission electron source element is provided. This makes it possible to obtain not only a stable field-emission electron source element that does not cause a current drop even after a high current density operation for a long time but also a high-performance image display apparatus that can maintain a stable display performance over a long period of time.

Abstract: An electron emission element includes a substrate, a cathode electrode formed on the substrate, an anode electrode disposed so as to be opposed to the cathode electrode, an electron emission member disposed on the cathode electrode, a control electrode disposed between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode, and an insulating layer. The electron emission member includes a first member having a hole and a second member filling the hole, wherein the second member is more likely to emit electrons than the first member.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a driving method and a driving apparatus for a field emission device that controls emission current with stability regardless of how long the device is driven. The field emission device driving method and driving apparatus of the present invention set the actual emission current at a reference level by adjusting the amount of current which is supplied to the emitter to a reference level. The amount of current supplied to the emitter is adjusted to the reference level by increasing the driving voltage in response to driving time elapsing in a state in which the electron emission performance is sustained above the reference level.

Abstract: A cathode includes emitter tips provided on a substrate, a gate electrode with an electric field formed between the gate electrode and the emitter tips, and terminals and leads for supplying voltages to the emitter tips and the gate electrode, respectively. A shield electrode further is provided between the cathode and a control electrode, and the shield electrode has a cylindrical projecting portion projecting toward the cathode, through which electron beams pass. The disturbance of an electric field by the leads influences the electron beams; however, this can be prevented by the projecting portion. Because of this, even if the size of the cathode is reduced, the distortion of an electron beam spot on a phosphor screen can be reduced. As a result, a cathode-ray tube with high resolution can be provided at a low cost.

Abstract: A method is applied for operating a cold cathode having at least one electron emission portion and a control electrode for controlling an emission of electrons, in which an electron beam is extracted out of the cold cathode by applying operating voltages to the electron emission portion and the control electrode, respectively. At least one auxiliary electron emission portion is provided other than the electron emission portion positioned at an operating position for emitting electrons. In order to replace the electron emission portion to be operated, the electron emission portions are moved so that the auxiliary electron emission portion is positioned at the operating position.

Abstract: A field emission device having cold cathode devices including an emitter and a lead electrode, and the field emission device is provided with the plural kinds of cold cathode device groups classified based on the emission property of the cold cathode device. This field emission device has a member for allowing the cold cathode device group to perform emission by successively changing the cold cathode device group that mainly performs emission based on the difference in the emission property. Thus, it is possible to maintain the emission current at a predetermined necessary value or more and to realize the long lifetime of the field emission device.

Abstract: A field emission electron source includes: a field emission array portion composed of an insulation layer with a plurality of apertures, which is formed on a substrate, an extraction electrode formed on the insulation layer, and a plurality of cathodes formed respectively on the substrate in the plurality of apertures; a cathode base for fixing the field emission array portion; and an electron lens portion composed of a plurality of electrode members having a function of accelerating and converging an electron beam emitted from the field emission array portion. An emission axis of the electron beam emitted from the field emission array portion has a predetermined angle with respect to an optical axis of the electron lens portion. Thus, the field emission array portion can be protected from impact caused by ions generated in the electron lens portion, thereby improving the life of a field emission electron source.

Abstract: A cathode ray tube according to the present invention include a cold cathode electron gun, the cold cathode electron gun including a cold cathode array for emitting electrons through field emission, a gate electrode for controlling the field emission, a first selective electrode provided around the cold cathode array and the gate electrode, and a second selective electrode opposing the first selective electrode, and the second selective electrode is adapted to have a lower potential than the gate electrode and the first selective electrode. In accordance with this configuration, the divergence of electron beams emitted from any positions in the cold cathode array can be converged uniformly upon removing electron beams emitted at a great emission angle. This allows the electron beams thereafter to be made narrower by an electrostatic lens. As a result, the present invention can provide a cathode ray tube capable of forming a high-resolution image.

Abstract: A cathode includes emitter tips provided on a substrate, a gate electrode with an electric field formed between the gate electrode and the emitter tips, and terminals and leads for supplying voltages to the emitter tips and the gate electrode, respectively. A shield electrode further is provided between the cathode and a control electrode, and the shield electrode has a cylindrical projecting portion projecting toward the cathode, through which electron beams pass. The disturbance of an electric field by the leads influences the electron beams; however, this can be prevented by the projecting portion. Because of this, even if the size of the cathode is reduced, the distortion of an electron beam spot on a phosphor screen can be reduced. As a result, a cathode-ray tube with high resolution can be provided at a low cost.