Patents by Inventor Toshiaki Kusunoki

Toshiaki Kusunoki has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7129641
    Abstract: The invention provides a display device using thin film type electron sources having a structure that can be formed in a simple manufacturing process. A lower electrode, a protective insulating layer and an interlayer film are formed on a cathode substrate. An upper bus electrode made from a laminated film of a metal film lower layer and a metal film upper layer is provided further on the interlayer film. A film of an upper electrode of a thin film type electron source for each pixel constituted by an insulating layer serving as an electron accelerating layer on the lower electrode and the upper electrode is formed on two stripe electrodes of the upper bus electrode in that pixel and another upper bus electrode in an adjacent pixel by sputtering. Then, the upper electrode is separated by self-alignment due to a setback portion of the metal film lower layer and an appentice of the metal film upper layer of the corresponding upper bus electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kusunoki, Masakazu Sagawa, Mutsumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7116291
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display capable of reducing power used up or consumed by a thin-film electron-emitter matrix.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2006
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Makoto Okai, Masakazu Sagawa, Akitoshi Ishizaka
  • Publication number: 20060216873
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display device, by which it is possible to prevent oxidation of a terminal in anodic oxidation processing of a bottom electrode (data line) to make up a thin-film type electron source, to improve production yield and high reliability, and to increase the thickness of an interlayer insulator formed at the same time. A resist pattern 18 to form a terminal 40A of data line is limited to the bus line of the terminal 40A. Width of the resist pattern 18 is set to a value approximately equal to a value of the width of the bus line of the terminal 40A so that the resist pattern may not be present on the glass substrate, which is positioned between bus lines. The resist pattern is discontinuously formed by providing a slit 18A in extending direction of the bus line of the terminal 40A. The size of the resist pattern 18 is set to a value to match the width of the electron source based on the above results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: September 28, 2006
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Tomoki Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20060202605
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display device free of display defects and with high reliability to prevent destruction of electron sources due to injection of electric charge. On the outermost periphery of a display region, there are provided a bottom electrode 11 serving as data line, a scan line bus 21 serving as scan line, and dummy potential fixing electrodes 11D1, 11D2, 21D1 and 21D2 not contributing to image display, and these are connected with electrodes 70 and 80 with low impedance and constant potential.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 5, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Toshimitsu Watanabe, Yoshiro Mikami, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Mutsumi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20060202207
    Abstract: The present invention provides an image display device, by which it is possible to prevent dielectric breakdown between a bottom electrode and a top electrode (top electrode bus line), which make up thin-film type electron sources, and which is free of display defect and has longer service life. On a cathode substrate 10, a bottom electrode 11, a tunneling insulator 12, and a top electrode 13 are prepared. On a lower layer of the top electrode 13, a top electrode bus line 16 is formed, and the top electrode 13 is reliably connected to the top electrode bus line 16 via a contact electrode 15. A field insulator 12A, a lower layer 14a of the interlayer insulator deposited by sputtering and an upper layer 14b of the interlayer insulator are laminated between the top electrode 13 and the contact electrode and the bottom electrode 11, and the bottom electrode 11 is insulated from the top electrode 13 (top electrode bus line 16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Kazutaka Tsuji, Mutsumi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20060066215
    Abstract: An upper bus electrode is formed as a laminated wire of a metal film lower layer, a metal film intermediate layer and a metal film upper layer. Al lower in electrode potential is used as a low resistance material for the metal film intermediate layer of the upper bus electrode, while Cr high in heat resistance and oxidation resistance and higher in electrode potential than Al is used for the metal film lower and upper layers disposed as upper and lower layers. Al and Cr are selectively etched so that the metal film lower layer projects on one side and has an undercut on the other side with respect to the metal film intermediate layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kusunoki, Masakazu Sagawa, Kazutaka Tsuji, Hiroshi Kikuchi, Yasushi Sano, Nobuyuki Ushifusa, Nobuhiko Fukuoka, Etsuko Nishimura, Takuya Takahashi
  • Publication number: 20060065895
    Abstract: An interlayer insulator with a low taper angle is formed as a laminated film in which a silicon nitride film is formed on a silicon oxide film formed on the glass substrate side (field insulator side). Thus, an upper electrode of a cathode formed on the interlayer insulator is prevented from being broken, while a crossing portion between the upper electrode and a base electrode of the cathode is made low in capacitance. At the same time, sodium separated from glass of the substrate is blocked. Disconnection of the upper electrode is prevented due to the low taper angle of the interlayer insulator. Low capacitance is attained by increasing the film thickness of the interlayer insulator. The cathode is prevented from being contaminated with sodium separated from glass of the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Publication date: March 30, 2006
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kusunoki, Masakazu Sagawa, Kazutaka Tsuji
  • Publication number: 20060038479
    Abstract: In the display device having a plurality of electron emitter elements and an internal circuit connected to the electron emitter elements both being formed on a substrate and sealed within a sealing member, the present invention provides a lead line passing through the sealing member to connect the internal circuit with an external circuit and forms the internal circuit smaller in resistivity (specific resistance) than the lead line by e.g. forming the lead line thinner than the internal circuit to suppress voltage drop in the internal circuit as well as to secure the predetermined sealing condition of the electron emitter elements and the internal circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Nobuhiko Fukuoka, Nobuyuki Ushifusa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Kazutaka Tsuji, Hiroshi Kikuchi
  • Publication number: 20060038768
    Abstract: A display having hot electron type electron sources displaying an image by a line sequential scanning scheme is provided to prevent poor brightness uniformity along scan lines. The hot electron type electron source is provided with a top electrode bus line serving as a scan line and a bottom electrode bus line serving as a data line. The top electrode bus line has a sheet resistance lower than that of the bottom electrode. The wire sheet resistance of the scam line can be reduced to several m/square. When forming a 40 inch large screen FED using the hot electron type electron sources, a voltage drop amount produced in the scan line can be suppressed below an allowable range. As a result, high quality image without poor brightness uniformity can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki
  • Publication number: 20060038472
    Abstract: The present invention prevents a phenomenon that some electrons emitted from electron sources are charged to partition walls from influencing trajectories of the electrons thus preventing the shortage of excitation of phosphor layers. An image display device includes electron sources to which an electric current is supplied from scanning signal lines by way of current supply electrodes. The image display device also includes partition walls which are arranged on at least some of the scanning signal lines. Further, the current supply electrodes are connected with the electron sources on a downstream side of the scanning signal lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2005
    Publication date: February 23, 2006
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kaneko, Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Tomoki Nakamura
  • Patent number: 6975075
    Abstract: A display having hot electron type electron sources displaying an image by a line sequential scanning scheme is provided to prevent poor brightness uniformity along scan lines. The hot electron type electron source is provided with a top electrode bus line serving as a scan line and a bottom electrode bus line serving as a data line. The top electrode bus line has a sheet resistance lower than that of the bottom electrode. The wire sheet resistance of the scam line can be reduced to several m/square. When forming a 40 inch large screen FED using the hot electron type electron sources, a voltage drop amount produced in the scan line can be suppressed below an allowable range. As a result, high quality image without poor brightness uniformity can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 6963171
    Abstract: In a cathode substrate of an FED, spacers lines exclusive for connecting spacers to the ground were necessary besides scan lines and data lines, and a cathode substrate having a three-layer line structure was used in the prior art. The present invention realizes a high-reliable cold cathode type flat panel display which is easily produced and keeps performance that can be obtained by the three-layer line structure, using a cathode substrate having a two-layer line structure. The line structure of a cathode substrate (10) of an FED is made into a two-layer structure. Hitherto, lines of the first layer are bottom electrodes (11) which constitute electron sources and have been used as scan lines, and top electrodes (13) of the second layer have been used as data lines. In the present invention, however, the bottom electrodes (11) and the top electrodes (13) are changed to data lines and scan lines, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Mutsumi Suzuki, Nobuaki Kabuto
  • Publication number: 20050156533
    Abstract: A cold cathode type flat panel display which is an image display device including a vacuum panel container composed of a cathode substrate in which plural cold cathode type electron sources are arranged, an anode substrate, plural spacers for supporting the cathode substrate and the anode substrate, and a glass frame. Plural electrical lines extend in a line direction and a row direction across an interlayer insulator on the cathode substrate. Parts of lines positioned in an upper layer of the plural electrical lines are made into scan lines and lines positioned in a lower layer are made into data lines. Further, parts of the electrical lines positioned in the upper layer are made into ground lines for giving ground voltage to the spacers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2005
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Mutsumi Suzuki, Nobuaki Kabuto
  • Publication number: 20050094429
    Abstract: A display having hot electron type electron sources displaying an image by a line sequential scanning scheme is provided to prevent poor brightness uniformity along scan lines. The hot electron type electron source is provided with a top electrode bus line serving as a scan line and a bottom electrode bus line serving as a data line. The top electrode bus line has a sheet resistance lower than that of the bottom electrode. The wire sheet resistance of the scam line can be reduced to several m/square. When forming a 40 inch large screen FED using the hot electron type electron sources, a voltage drop amount produced in the scan line can be suppressed below an allowable range. As a result, high quality image without poor brightness uniformity can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki
  • Publication number: 20050093421
    Abstract: A flat type display device is provided which is capable of accurately and easily assembling a spacer when arranging the spacer while reducing the danger of damaging the metal back. In the display device, a plurality of fine holes each having a fluorescent materials are formed on a light transparency substrate and a metal sheet is arranged by a black oxide film formed on the surface of the light transparency substrate side so as to obtain a light absorbing layer. A plurality of concave portions are provided on a surface of the metal sheet of the rear substrate side. A metal back having an openings corresponding to predetermined areas containing each of the concave portions is superimposed on the metal sheet, thereby constituting an acceleration electrode of two-layer structure. The spacer is inserted into the concave portion on the metal sheet exposed in the opening of the metal back.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Yoshie Kodera, Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Tetsu Ohishi, Yuichi Sawai
  • Patent number: 6873309
    Abstract: A display apparatus includes: a plurality of luminance modulation elements each modulated in luminance by a voltage of a positive polarity applied thereto, each of the luminance modulation elements being not modulated in luminance by a voltage of an opposite polarity applied thereto; a plurality of first lines electrically coupled to first electrodes of the plurality of luminance modulation elements; a plurality of second lines electrically coupled to second electrodes of the plurality of luminance modulation elements, the plurality of second lines intersecting the plurality of first lines; a first drive unit coupled to the plurality of first lines, the first drive unit outputting scanning pulses; and a second driver unit coupled to the plurality of second lines. The first drive unit sets the first lines in a nonselection state to a high impedance state having a higher impedance as compared with the first lines in a selection state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Masakazu Sagawa
  • Patent number: 6873115
    Abstract: A display having hot electron type electron sources displaying an image by a line sequential scanning scheme is provided to prevent poor brightness uniformity along scan lines. The hot electron type electron source is provided with a top electrode bus line serving as a scan line and a bottom electrode bus line serving as a data line. The top electrode bus line has a sheet resistance lower than that of the bottom electrode. The wire sheet resistance of the scam line can be reduced to several m/square. When forming a 40 inch large screen FED using the hot electron type electron sources, a voltage drop amount produced in the scan line can be suppressed below an allowable range. As a result, high quality image without poor brightness uniformity can be obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Sagawa, Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 6841946
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to obtain excellent images which are free from distortion in a flat display apparatus including electron-emitter elements, phosphors, and spacers. A structure of the present invention is such that the display apparatus comprises a display panel including a first substrate having a plurality of electron-emitter elements, a second substrate having phosphors, and spacers; and driving means employing a line-sequential scanning method; wherein scan pulse output is performed by the driving means, and the driving means performs scanning in such a manner that a scan is performed in the direction of approaching a relevant one of the spacers from far. Thus, the present invention realizes the excellent display images which are free from distortion by largely reducing or eliminating influence of charging of the spacers to be exerted on the images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2005
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Suzuki, Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki
  • Patent number: 6818941
    Abstract: As the top electrode material of a thin-film electron emitter, a material having a bandgap wider than that of Si and electrical conductivity is used. In particular, a conductive oxide such as an SnO2 or ITO film and a wide-bandgap semiconductor such as GaN or SiC are employed. The electron energy loss in a top electrode through which hot electrons pass can be reduced so as to enhance the electron emission efficiency. A high emission current can be obtained in the case of the same diode current as a prior art. In addition, in the case of the same emission current density as a prior art, a small driving current is enough. A bus line and driving circuits can be simplified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Suzuki, Toshiaki Kusunoki, Masakazu Sagawa, Makoto Okai, Akitoshi Ishizaka
  • Publication number: 20040164301
    Abstract: An display apparatus arranged in a matrix having plural luminance modulation elements for modulating or do not modulating luminance depending upon application of a voltage of positive or reverse polarity,
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2004
    Publication date: August 26, 2004
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Mutsumi Suzuki, Masakazu Sagawa, Toshiaki Kusunoki