Abstract: The invention realizes a display device that uses thin film cathodes having no contamination of a top electrode and no damage of an electron acceleration layer due to photo process and having no contact failure of the top electrode of the thin film cathode array due to oxidation or breakage of the bus electrode in the frit glass process that is carried out when a panel is manufactured to bring about the high reliability of the wiring connection of the top electrode. To realize the display device, the invention provides a display device having a substrate comprising a base electrode, a top electrode, and an electron acceleration layer disposed between the base electrode and the top electrode, which substrate is formed of arrayed thin film cathodes that emit electrons from the top electrode side by applying a voltage between the base electrode and the top electrode, and a phosphor screen.

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.

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.

Abstract: The device comprises a first substrate with a plurality of electron emitters arranged in a matrix, a second substrate arranged in opposed relation to the first substrate and having a phosphor pattern formed on the surface thereof nearer to the first substrate for emitting light by receiving the electron beam from the electron emitters and a metal thin film for accelerating the electron beam, and a plurality of spacers arranged between the first and second substrates. The spacers each include first sheet-form support members and second sheet-form support members extending in a direction at right angles to the first sheet-form support members. The first sheet-form support members and the second sheet-form support members are coupled or combined with each other to form spaces with a rectangular section parallel to the first or second substrate.

Abstract: A display having hot electron type electron sources displaying an image by a line sequential scanning scheme can prevent poor brightness uniformity along scan lines.

Abstract: In order to provide a thin-film electron emitter device of a structure wherein electric connection between a top electrode and top electrode busline can be secured and also to provide a display apparatus using the thin-film electron emitter device, the top electrode busline thin on its connection side with the top electrode is formed on a field insulator which is thicker than an insulator forming electron emission areas and which is formed around the insulator, and the top electrode covers the top electrode busline to be connected with said thin part of said top electrode busline.

Abstract: Disclosed is a display device with improved brightness achieved by increasing electron emission efficiency of a thin film cathode. Phosphors are irradiated with electrons emitted to a vacuum through a flat thin film which is thinner than 5 nm and is disposed so as to face the phosphors. A top electrode for emitting the electrons is formed by stacking thin films of Ir, Pt, and Au, and performing a heat treatment so as to reconstruct the top electrode to have a structure in which thick island parts and a flat thin film part mixedly exist.

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.

Abstract: A display apparatus capable of reducing power consumption comprising a display element, said display element comprising a first substrate, and a second substrate having phosphors; said first substrate comprising a plurality of transistor elements, a plurality of electron emitter elements, a plurality of first signal lines stretched in a first direction, and a plurality of second signal lines stretched in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction; each of said electron emitter elements being provided for one of said transistor elements, having a structure comprising a base electrode, an insulator and a top electrode stacked as layers placed one on another in this order of enumeration, and emitting electrons when a positive-polarity voltage is applied to said top electrode; wherein each of said transistor elements and each of said electron emitter elements are provided in each intersection region of said plurality of first signal lines and said plurality of second signal lines.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing a thin-film electron source including a lower electrode (11), an upper electrode, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the lower electrode (11) and the upper electrode. The process comprises a first step of forming an anodized film over the surface of the lower electrode (11) by an anodizing method, a second step of etching the surface side of the anodized film, and a third step of forming an anodized film again over the surface of the lower electrode (11) by an anodizing method to form said insulating layer. As a result, the film thickness of such an outer layer (26) of the insulating layer containing much impurity can be reduced to reduce the number of electron trapped.

Abstract: The invention realizes a display device that uses thin film cathodes having no contamination of a top electrode and no damage of an electron acceleration layer due to photo process and having no contact failure of the top electrode of the thin film cathode array due to oxidation or breakage of the bus electrode in the frit glass process that is carried out when a panel is manufactured to bring about the high reliability of the wiring connection of the top electrode. To realize the display device, the invention provides a display device having a substrate comprising a base electrode, a top electrode, and an electron acceleration layer disposed between the base electrode and the top electrode, which substrate is formed of arrayed thin film cathodes that emit electrons from the top electrode side by applying a voltage between the base electrode and the top electrode, and a phosphor screen.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image display capable of enhancing a production yield. The image display comprises a display device including a first plate which has a plurality of electron-emitter elements each having a structure comprised of a base electrode, an insulating layer and a top electrode stacked on one another in this order, the electron-emitter element emitting electrons from the surface of the top electrode when a voltage of positive polarity is applied to the top electrode; a plurality of first electrodes for respectively applying driving voltages to the base electrodes of the electron-emitter elements lying in a row (or column) direction; and a plurality of second electrodes for respectively applying driving voltages to the top electrodes of the electron-emitter elements lying in the column (or row) direction, a frame component, and a second plate having phosphors, wherein a space surrounded by the first plate, the frame component and the second plate is brought into vacuum.

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.

Abstract: This relates to a thin-film type electron source having a structure of a lower electrode 11, an insulating layer 12 and an upper electrode 13 being laminated in such order, for emitting electron from a surface of the upper electrode 13 into a vacuum, upon application of voltage between the lower electrode 11 and the upper electrode 13, in a polarity thereof so that the upper electrode 13 is positive in the voltage. In the above, as the insulating layer 12, being made from anodized film of Al-alloy lower electrode 11, is used one which has a ratio of a reverse direction diode current when applying an electric field of 10 MV/cm thereacross in a reverse direction, with respect to a forward direction diode current when applying an electric field of 10 MV/cm thereacross in a forward direction so as to cause emission of electron therefrom, being equal to or greater than 0.

Abstract: Disclosed is a display device with improved brightness achieved by increasing electron emission efficiency of a thin film cathode. Phosphors are irradiated with electrons emitted to a vacuum through a flat thin film which is thinner than 5 nm and is disposed so as to face the phosphors. A top electrode for emitting the electrons is formed by stacking thin films of Ir, Pt, and Au, and performing a heat treatment so as to reconstruct the top electrode to have a structure in which thick island parts and a flat thin film part mixedly exist.

Abstract: A thin-film electron emitter device is provided with a multilayer structure including upper and lower electrodes with an insulative or dielectric layer being sandwiched therebetween. The upper or "top" electrode is itself formed as a multilayer structure. For example, in one embodiment, the upper electrode is formed as a three layer lamination of an interface layer formed on the insulative layer, an intermediate or "middle" layer stacked on the interface layer and a surface layer stacked on or above the middle layer. The middle layer is made of a chosen material which is greater in sublimation enthalpy than the surface layer and yet less than the interface layer. When appropriate, the surface layer may be omitted providing two-layer structure rather than the three-layer structure.