Image display apparatus having electrodes comprised of a frame and wires

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6630782
  • Patent Number
    6,630,782
  • Date Filed
    Monday, November 23, 1998
    26 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, October 7, 2003
    21 years ago
Abstract
An image display apparatus comprises, in a vacuum container formed by a rear container and a front glass container, a fluorescent layer, an electron emission source, electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source. The electrodes are formed by stringing wires on frames made of a resilient material, and the frames on which the wires are strung have respectively pairs of opposing sides that are flat plates formed on the same surface. The electrodes that are free from waviness or warping have high flatness, control the focusing and deflection of the electron beams appropriately, and prevent deviation of the landing positions of the electron beams and errors including error irradiation. Such an image display apparatus can provide excellent images and high resolution.
Description




FIELD OF THE INVENTION




The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and more particularly relates to a thin image display apparatus used for a video camera and the like.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Conventionally, cathode ray tubes have been used mainly as image display apparatuses for color televisions, personal computers and the like. However, in recent years, image display apparatuses have been required to be improved for space saving, for portability or for some other demands. In order to satisfy these demands, various types of thin image display apparatuses have been developed and commercialized.




Under these circumstances, various types of thin image display apparatuses have been researched and developed recently. In particular, liquid crystal displays and plasma displays have been developed actively. The liquid crystal displays have been applied to various types of products such as portable personal computers, portable televisions, video cameras, car-navigation systems and the like. In addition to that, the plasma displays have been applied to products such as large-scale displays, for example, 20 inch-displays or 40-inch displays.




However, there are some problems for the displays. A liquid crystal display has a narrow visual angle and a slow response. Regarding a plasma display, high brightness can't be obtained and the consumed electricity is large. A thin image display apparatus called a field emission image display apparatus has attracted considerable attention to solve these problems. The field emission image display apparatus uses field emission, i.e. a phenomenon in which electrons are emitted in a vacuum at room temperature. The field emission image display apparatus is a spontaneous luminescent type, and therefore it is possible to obtain a wide visual angle and high brightness. The spontaneous luminescent type apparatus does not require back lighting, and thus, it consumes less electric power.




An image display apparatus disclosed in Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application (Tokkai-Hei) No. 2-33839 is known as a flat spontaneous light emission type image display apparatus with high-quality images. This is different from the above-mentioned field emission image display apparatus in the structure but uses a linear hot cathode.





FIG. 9

is a perspective exploded view showing a conventional image display apparatus. The conventional image display apparatus comprises a back electrode


100


, a linear cathode


101


, an electron beam-attracting electrode


102


, a control electrode


103


, a first focusing electrode


104


, a second focusing electrode


105


, a horizontal deflecting electrode


106


, a vertical deflecting electrode


107


, a front glass container


109




a


having a fluorescent layer


108


on the inner surface, and a rear glass container


109




b


. The back electrode


100


, the linear cathode


101


, the electron beam-attracting electrode


102


, the control electrode


103


, the first focusing electrode


104


, the second focusing electrode


105


, the horizontal deflecting electrode


106


and the vertical deflecting electrode


107


are contained between the rear glass container


109




b


and the front glass container


109




a


(the fluorescent layer


108


side), and the space where those components are contained between the glass containers (


109




a


,


109




b


) is maintained under a vacuum.




In the image display apparatus, electron beams are formed in a matrix by the linear cathode


101


and the electron beam-attracting electrode


102


, and focused by using the first focusing electrode


104


and the second focusing electrode


105


. Then, the electron beams are deflected by the horizontal deflecting electrode


106


and the vertical deflecting electrode


107


before being landed on predetermined positions of the fluorescent layer


108


. The control electrode


103


controls the electron beams over time, and adjusts each electron beam independently according to picture signals for displaying pixels.




Respective components for the image display apparatuses in the conventional technique are thin and flat plates. Therefore, an image display apparatus provided by combining these components has a thin body and a flat screen.




In the conventional image display apparatus, however, forming every electrode with accuracy is difficult, since the first and second focusing electrodes (


104


,


105


) functioning to focus electron beams are made of conductive plates provided with slender holes, while the horizontal and vertical deflecting electrodes (


106


,


107


) to deflect the electron beams are made of two interdigital conductive plates.




More specifically, as the first focusing electrode


104


and the second focusing electrode


105


are conductive plates provided with slender holes, waviness or warping may occur in each electrode. The horizontal deflecting electrode


106


and the vertical deflecting electrode


107


are interdigital conductive plates formed by etching plate components. Therefore, waviness or warping may occur in each interdigital conductive plate as well. Moreover, each deflecting electrode is made of two interdigital conductive plates, and thus, relative deflections may occur in the deflecting electrodes for some reason.




Tokkai Hei No. 2-33839 discloses a method for manufacturing a laminated electrode, in which the laminated electrode comprises electrodes comprising separate plural conductive plates, such as the control electrode


103


and the deflecting electrodes


106


,


107


. When the conductive flat plates are etched to have a slit pattern in such a case, the plates are initially etched in a continuous state. These electrode plates are adhered, laminated and fixed while being insulated in a predetermined order. After that, a predetermined part is cut by using laser beams or some other means, if insulation is required in the same surface. The process of the method, however, has some problems as follows. Pattern-etching does not support the growing demand for precision, since it is difficult to treat holes whose diameter is not more than the plate thickness or residual margins. In order to stabilize the surfaces, adhesion margins should be formed with an appropriate pitch on the entire plate surface, but this is another obstacle to precision. The plates cannot be processed to be so thin for keeping surface accuracy and stiffness, but when a thick plate is etched, the configuration at the etched section is varied, which may cause errors in electron lenses. When plates etched in different shapes are adhered and laminated, the balance in the stress is lost, and warping and waviness arise. As a result, a flat surface is difficult to obtain.




When waviness or warping arises in the focusing electrodes and deflecting electrodes composing a conventional image display apparatus, it will do harm for focusing and deflection of electron beams. As a result, appropriate control of the electron beams becomes difficult, and the landing positions of the electron beams will be deviated. In such an image display apparatus, landing an electron beam on a predetermined position of the fluorescent layer


108


is difficult. As a result, problems such as error irradiation may increase, and thus, image quality of the image display apparatus will deteriorate, and an image display apparatus with high resolution cannot be easily obtained.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, this invention is directed to providing an image display apparatus comprising an electrode having a flat surface free from waviness or warping. Such an image display apparatus appropriately controls focusing and deflection of electron beams and prevents problems such as deviation of the electron beam landing positions and error irradiation. The image display apparatus will have excellent images and high resolution.




In order to achieve the above purposes, an image display apparatus of this invention comprises, in a vacuum container whose inside is kept under vacuum, a fluorescent layer, an electron emission source having an electron source, and electrodes for controlling electron beams emitted from the electron emission source. In the image display apparatus in which the fluorescent layer is illuminated by the electron beams, at least one of the electrodes is formed by stringing wires on a frame of a resilient material. The two opposing sides of the frame on which wires are strung are flat plates formed on the same surface, and the electrodes are arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source.




In the image display apparatus, the frame is flat and arranged on a surface, and the electrode is formed by stringing wires on the frame. Therefore, considerably flat electrodes can be obtained without any additional processes. Such a flat electrode is free from waviness and warping, and it can control electron beams appropriately. As the frame has a certain resilience and the wires are provided with a certain tensile force by the frame, the flatness of the wires can be maintained efficiently due to the tensile force. Such an electrode can be made thin, and therefore plural electrodes can be arranged in a narrow space. Therefore, a pitch between the electrodes can be decided without limitation. As the electrode is formed by stringing wires on a flat frame, both surfaces of the frame can be used. If the frame is formed by providing a difference in level in the opposing two sides, more wire electrodes including a vertical one can be arranged in one frame. If the electrodes are used for deflection, at least the adjacent wires should be insulated so that different voltages can be applied to the adjacent wires. The flat frame can achieve such a purpose easily by printing a wiring pattern and stringing the wires to be fixed thereon. As the electrodes are composed of wires, the pitch between the electrodes (wires) can be made finer in a relatively simple manner, and thus, the resolution can be improved. In this embodiment, an image display apparatus is made by using considerably flat electrodes that can provide a fine pitch easily. As a result, an image display apparatus with excellent images and high resolution can be obtained.




Preferably in the image display apparatus of the invention, the electron source is divided and arranged in a matrix. A preferable image display apparatus of this invention has electron sources that can be driven equivalently in a matrix. There is no specific limitation on the configuration of the electron source. For example, an electron source, which is divided and arranged in stripes, or which is arranged continuously over a surface of a substrate, may be used. Any electron source can be used if it can emit electron beams in a matrix. For example, an electron emission source, which is composed of a surface conductive component composed of a thin film of SnO


2


(Sb) or a thin film of Au and the like or a thin film of some other material, a microchip type electric field electron emission component such as Spindt type (microchip cathode of field emission type invented by Spindt), an electric field electron emission component having the MIM type structure or the similar structure or a cold cathode ray component composed of an electron emission material which is carbon material such as diamond, graphite, DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) and the like, may be used.




Preferably in an image display apparatus in this invention, the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the component where the fluorescent layer is formed and that of the frame is within 8×10


−7


/° C. in a temperature range from 0 to 150° C. In this preferable example, even if the internal temperature rises during the operation of the image display apparatus, the deviation generated-over time between the stripe pitch-of the fluorescent layer and the wires' pitch can be controlled within a range not affecting the practical performance of the device, since the difference between the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the component having the fluorescent layer and that of the frame is determined as mentioned above within the temperature range in the operation of the image display apparatus. As a result, the deviation of the landing positions of the electron beams at the operation can be prevented efficiently.




In a preferable image display apparatus of this invention, the frame is composed of a first frame member, a second frame member and an insulating layer, where the first frame member and the second frame member are laminated via the insulating layer, and the wires are strung on the surfaces of the first and second frame members not contacting with the insulating layer. In this preferable example, the frame is made by laminating the first frame member and the second frame member via the insulating layer. As a result, a pair of insulated electrodes (wires) sandwiching electron beams can be formed easily by stringing the wires on the respective surfaces of the first frame member and of the second frame member not contacting with the insulating layer. According to this embodiment, a pair of insulated electrodes (wires) to control respective electron beams (e.g., focusing and deflection) can be formed without carrying out additional wiring.




Preferably in the image display apparatus, the opposing two sides of the frame to which the wires are fixed are made of metal, and insulating films are formed on the surfaces of the opposing two sides. In addition, a conductive part is patterned on the insulating films, and the wires are strung to contact with the conductive parts. In this preferable example, electrodes such as a signal control electrode or other electrodes (e.g., deflecting-correcting electrode) having various voltages in the same surface can be formed with high accuracy in a relatively simple manner.




Preferably in the image display apparatus of this invention, the insulating films are formed by using a thermally-sprayed alumina layer and glass frit while the conductive parts are made of silver paste.




Preferably in the image display apparatus, the fluorescent layer is formed on the inner surface of the vacuum container. In this preferable example, the vacuum container and the fluorescent layer are integrally formed, so that the manufacturing process is simplified and the process steps can be decreased.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS





FIG. 1

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a first embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view showing one of the electrode parts composing the image display apparatus shown in FIG.


1


.





FIG. 3

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a second embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 4

is a perspective view showing the electrodes composing the image display apparatus shown in FIG.


3


.





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of the image display apparatus shown in FIG.


3


.





FIG. 6

is a waveform chart showing the voltage applied to the electrodes when driving (deflecting) the electron beams shown in FIG.


5


.





FIG. 7

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a third embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 8

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a fourth embodiment of this invention.





FIG. 9

is a perspective exploded view showing a conventional image display apparatus.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT




Hereinafter, embodiments of a display of this invention will be described referring to the accompanying drawings.




A First Embodiment





FIG. 1

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a first embodiment of this invention. As shown in

FIG. 1

, an image display apparatus in the first embodiment comprises a rear container


10


, a first electrode part


11


, a second electrode part


12


, a third electrode part


13


and a front glass container


14


having a fluorescent layer


15


on the inner surface. The electrode parts (


11


,


12


, and


13


) are contained between the rear container


10


and the front glass container


14


and laminated. The space formed by the rear container


10


and the front glass container


14


to contain the components is kept under a vacuum, for example, in a range between about 1×10 and 1×10


−8


torr.




The first electrode part


11


comprises a first frame


11




a


, wires


11




b


functioning as a cathode (an electron source) and wires


11




c


functioning as a vertical deflecting electrode. The first frame


11




a


comprises a pair of oppositely-arranged lower frames


11




a


, and a pair of oppositely-arranged upper frames


11




a




2


. The wires


11




b


and the wires


11




c


are arranged alternately on the first frame


11




a


. Specifically, the cathode wires


11




b


and the vertical deflecting electrode wires


11




c


are strung to span the pair of lower frames


11




a


, and arranged in parallel. When the cathode


11




b


and the vertical deflecting electrode


11




c


are strung as wires, there is no need to form adhesion margins and feeding circuits respectively in the image area for the cathode


11




b


and the vertical deflecting electrode


11




c


. As a result, the vertical deflecting electrode


11




c


can be arranged on the same surface as the cathode


11




b


, and efficient deflection can be conducted from the moment that electron beams are first emitted.




The second electrode part


12


comprises a second frame


12




a


, wires


12




b


functioning as an electron beam-attracting electrode (hereinafter, an attracting electrode), and ribbon electrodes


12




c


, where the wires


12




b


and the ribbon electrodes


12




c


are arranged on the second frame


12




a


. The second frame


12




a


comprises a pair of oppositely-arranged lower frames


12




a




1


and a pair of oppositely-arranged upper frames


12




a




2


. The ribbon electrodes


12




c


function to form proper electron beams by eliminating unnecessary electron beams, and also function as an electron lens. Specifically, the attracting electrodes


12




b


are strung to span the pair of lower frames


12




a




1


so that the respective wires are arranged in parallel. The ribbon electrodes


12




c


are strung to span the pairs of upper frames


12




a




2


and are arranged in parallel. The attracting electrode


12




b


and the ribbon electrodes


12




c


are arranged perpendicularly without contacting with each other.




The third electrode part


13


comprises a third frame


13




a


, wires


13




b


functioning as a horizontal deflecting electrode, and wires


13




c


functioning as a signal electrode (control electrode). The third frame


13




a


comprises an upper frame


13




a




1


, a lower frame


13




a




2


and an insulating layer


13




a




3


. The wires


13




b


are arranged on the upper surface of the third frame


13




a


(the upper frame


13




a




1


side) and the wires


13




c


are arranged on the lower surface of the same third frame


13




a


(the lower frame


13




a




2


side). Specifically, the horizontal deflecting electrode


13




b


and the signal electrode


13




c


are strung on the surface of the upper frame


13




a




1


and the lower frame


13




a




2


respectively not contacting with the insulating layer


13




a




3


, with an appropriate pitch between the respective wires, and the wires are arranged in parallel.




The electrode parts


11


,


12


and


13


are respectively formed with frames


11




a


,


12




a


, and


13




a


. These frames


11




a


,


12




a


and


13




a


respectively have two opposing sides that are flat plates arranged on the same surface. Therefore, the electrode parts


11


,


12


and


13


which are formed by stringing wires on the frames


11




a


,


12




a


and


13




a


have considerably flat surfaces free from waviness or warping. Moreover in this embodiment, respective wires can be insulated easily. Using this advantage, wiring is carried out appropriately on the frames


11




a


,


12




a


and


13




a


according to the functions of the electrode parts. For example, in the attracting electrode


12




b


, wiring is performed on the pair of lower frames


12




a




1


in order to attract electron beams into any desired raster positions. The electrode parts


11


,


12


and


13


are laminated with a certain pitch via insulating members. Such an insulating member can be a member different from the frame, or it can be an insulating film of alumina or the like formed on the surface of the frame. The lamination can be fixed by using a fastener such as a screw or by using an adhesive. As described above, the embodiment of this invention does not require a specific spacer that will function as an adhesive while maintaining insulation. As a result, the distances between the electrode parts are selected to acquire the maximum effect for each electrode part without any limitation by the thickness of the spacers during the insulation and adhesion.




In the image display apparatus of this embodiment, electron beams are formed in a matrix by the cathode


11




b


, the attracting electrode


12




b


and the ribbon electrodes


12




c


. Images are displayed by controlling appropriately these electron beams by using the vertical deflecting electrode


11




c


, the ribbon electrodes


12




c


, the horizontal deflecting electrode


13




b


and the signal electrode


13




c


, and by landing the electron beams on predetermined positions of the fluorescent layer


15


.




These components are thin and flat plates. Therefore, plural electrode parts can be arranged easily in a narrow space, and there is no limitation in deciding the distance between the electrode parts. As a result, an image display apparatus prepared by assembling these components has a thin body and a flat screen.





FIG. 2

is a perspective view showing the third electrode part


13


composing the image display apparatus shown in FIG.


1


. As shown in

FIG. 2

, the third electrode part


13


comprises a third frame


13




a


, wires


13




b


functioning as a horizontal deflecting electrode and wires


13




c


functioning as a signal electrode (control electrode). The third frame


13




a


comprises an upper frame


13




a




1


, a lower frame


13




a




2


and an insulating layer


13




a




3


. As mentioned above, the horizontal deflecting electrodes


13




b


and the signal electrodes


13




c


are strung on the surface of the upper frame


13




a




1


and the lower frame


13




a




2


respectively not contacting with the insulating layer


13




a




3


, with an appropriate pitch between respective wires, and the wires are arranged in parallel.




This third frame


13




a


is explained more specifically as follows.




The insulating layer


13




a




3


is formed by applying an insulating film to a resilient and heat-resistant material that can be used in vacuum. The material is, for example, an invar alloy, a 42-6 alloy (42-Ni, 6-Cr, Fe alloy), or stainless steel. In other words, the insulating layer


13




a




3


is formed by applying an alumina layer on a substrate comprising the above-identified material by a thermal spray, and by applying glass frit thereon. An insulating film having a sufficient withstand voltage can be easily formed by thermally spraying alumina. However, some printable wiring materials such as silver paste will soon sink into the porous alumina film, so stable wiring cannot be conducted. In order to form a precise and stable insulating film, glass frit is applied and baked after thermal spraying of alumina in this embodiment.




The upper frame


13




a


, and the lower frame


13




a




2


composing the conductive part are formed by using silver paste etc. on both surfaces of the insulating layer


13




a




3


. More specifically, the third frame


13




a


is formed by adhering the upper frame


13




a




1


and the lower frame


13




a




2


via the insulating layer


13




a




3


. This third frame


13




a


is shaped to maintain the strung wires


13




b


and


13




c


on a flat surface. An example of the frame has a shape whose center part is vacant and which has only four edges.




For the wires


13




b


and


13




c


, a resilient and heat-resistant wiring material that can be used in vacuum is used. The material is a wiring material of 10 to 100 μm, such as an invar alloy, a 42-6 alloy (42-Ni, 6-Cr, Fe alloy), and stainless steel. Alternatively, wiring materials, such as tungsten and nickel that can be obtained easily as wire materials with a diameter similar to that of the steel wires, can be used. The wires


13




b


are strung and held between two opposing edges of the upper frame


13




a




1


not contacting with the insulating layer


13




a




3


. The wires


13




c


are strung and held between opposing edges of the lower frame


13




a




2


not contacting with the insulating layer


13




a




3


, and the wires


13




c


are arranged to be parallel with the wires


13




b


. As the wires


13




b


and


13




c


are strung and held to be straight, the flatness of the wires


13




b


and


13




c


on the surfaces of the third frame


13




a


(the surfaces of the upper frame


13




a




1


and the lower frame


13




a




2


, which are not contacted with the insulating layer


13




a




3


) is maintained with high accuracy. The third frame


13




a


has a certain resilience, and the wires


13




b


and


13




c


are provided with a certain tensile force by this third frame


13




a


. Therefore, the flatness of the wires


13




b


and


13




c


can be maintained more efficiently due to the tensile force.




As mentioned above, the third frame


13




a


composing the third electrode part


13


of this embodiment is made by adhering the upper and lower frames (


13




a




1


,


13




a




2


) as conductive parts to sandwich the insulating layer


13




a




3


. As a result, an electrode that can control electron beams efficiently can be easily formed by carrying out the wires


13




b


and


13




c


on both surfaces of the third frame


13




a


by conducting wiring or the like on the third frame


13




a


. The wires


13




b


and


13




c


are strung and held with an equal pitch respectively on the upper and lower surfaces of the third frame


13




a


. By applying proper voltage to each of the wires


13




b


and


13




c


, the wires


13




b


function as a horizontal deflecting electrode and the wires


13




c


function as a signal electrode.




In the third electrode part


13


, the respective electrodes are formed by using wires


13




b


and


13




c


. As a result, a third electrode part


13


having improved flatness can be obtained by stringing and holding the wires


13




b


and


13




c


on the third frame


13




a


, if the third frame is free from problems such as waviness and warping and if only the surface accuracy (flatness) of the third frame can be maintained appropriately, since the surface formed by the wires becomes flat. When an image display apparatus is formed by using such a third electrode part


13


with high flatness, the electron beams can be controlled properly and, an image display apparatus displaying excellent images can be obtained. As the respective electrodes are formed by using the wires


13




b


and


13




c


, the space between the electrodes can be narrowed (the pitch between the electrodes made finer) in a relatively simple manner. The finer the pitch is, the higher resolution can be obtained. As a result, an image display apparatus with high resolution can be obtained.




The fluorescent layer


15


in this embodiment is directly formed on the inner surface of the front glass container


14


. The materials of the components comprising the front glass container


14


and the frames (


11




a


,


12




a


and


13




a


) composing the electrode parts (


11


,


12


, and


13


) are selected so that the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the front glass container


14


and that of the frames (


11




a


,


12




a


,


13




a


) is within 8×10


−7


/° C. in a temperature range from 0 to 150° C. According to this, when such an image display apparatus is operated and the internal temperature rises, the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion between the front glass container


14


having the fluorescent layer


15


and the that of the frames (


11




a


,


12




a


,


13




a


) of the electrode parts (


11


,


12


,


13


) is set to be small as mentioned above within the temperature range in the operation of the image display apparatus. Therefore, the deviation of the stripe pitch of the fluorescent layer


15


from the pitch of the wires strung on the frames


11




a


,


12




a


and


13




a


can be controlled over time in a range not affecting the practical performance.




In this embodiment, all electrodes composing the image display apparatus are formed by using wires, excepting the ribbon electrodes. This invention, however, is not limited thereto. For example, an image display apparatus can be formed by using wires only for an electrode that requires special accuracy and precision while making the other electrodes in a conventional technique (etched electrodes), and assembling these electrodes. A certain effect as mentioned above can be also obtained in this structure by providing a wire electrode.




A Second Embodiment





FIG. 3

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a second embodiment of this invention. As shown in

FIG. 3

, an image display apparatus in the second embodiment of this invention comprises an electron emission source


51


, an electrode


56


, a fluorescent layer


58


and a vacuum container


59


. The electron emission source


51


comprises a plurality of electron sources


51




a


arranged in a matrix, and the electrode


56


has a function for deflecting and focusing electron beams emitted from the electron emission source


51


. The fluorescent layer


58


is excited by electron beams to emit light. The vacuum container


59


contains the electron emission source


51


, the electrode


56


and the fluorescent layer


58


, and the inside of the vacuum container


59


is kept under vacuum. The electrode


56


is arranged between the electron emission source


51


and the fluorescent layer


58


. The fluorescent layer


58


is provided at a position that contacts with the inner surface of the vacuum container


59


. The part of the vacuum container


59


that contacts with the fluorescent layer


58


is made of transparent material in order to observe a light emitted by the fluorescent layer


58


from the outside. The inside of the vacuum container


59


may have a degree of vacuum in a range between 1×10


−6


and 1×10


−8


torr.




Any type of an electron emission source


51


can be used as long as it can emit electron beams in a matrix. For example, an electron emission source, which is composed of a surface conductive element composed of a thin film of SnO


2


(Sb) or a thin film of Au and the like or a thin film of some other material, a microchip type electric field electron emission element such as Spindt type (microchip cathode of field emission type invented by Spindt), an electric field electron emission element having the MIM type structure or the similar structure or a cold cathode ray element composed of an electron emission material which is carbon material such as diamond, graphite, DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) and the like, may be used.





FIG. 4

is a perspective view of the electrode


56


composing the image display apparatus shown in FIG.


3


. As shown in

FIG. 4

, the electrode


56


comprises a frame


42


and a plurality of wires


41


. The frame


42


comprises a frame substrate


42




a


, a first frame part


42




b


, a second frame part


42




c


, a first conductive part


42




d


and a second conductive part


42




e.






The frame


42


is explained below more specifically. The frame substrate


42




a


composing the frame


42


is made of a resilient and heat-resistant material that can be used in vacuum, such as, an invar alloy, a 42-6 alloy (42-Ni, 6-Cr, Fe alloy), and stainless steel. The frame parts (


42




b


,


42




c


) composing the conductive parts and the conductive parts (


42




d


,


42




e


) are made of silver paste or the like. An insulating film is applied on the surface of the frame substrate


42




a


(the portion contacting with the first frame part


42




b


, the second frame part


42




c


, the first conductive part


42




d


and the second conductive part


42




e


). The insulating film is made of, for example, thermally-sprayed alumina layer and glass frit in the same manner as in the first embodiment. On this insulating film, the above-mentioned conductive parts are pattern-formed.




The frame substrate


42




a


is shaped to hold the frame parts (


42




b


,


42




c


) and the conductive parts (


42




d


,


42




e


), and also to keep the wires


41


to be flat, when the wires


41


are strung and held between the frame parts (


42




b


,


42




c


) and the conductive parts (


42




d


,


42




e


). The insulating substrate


42




a


has, for example, a shape whose center part is vacant and which has only four edges. The frame parts


42




b


and


42




c


are formed respectively on the opposing edges of the frame substrate


42




a


. The first conductive part


42




d


is formed on a predetermined position of the frame substrate


42




a


so that the wires


41


can be kept flat between this conductive part


42




d


and the first frame conductive part


42




b




1


in the first frame part


42




b


. The second conductive part


42




e


is formed on a predetermined position of the frame substrate


42




a


so that the wires


41


can be kept flat between this conductive part


42




e


and the second frame conductive part


42




c




1


in the second frame part


42




c


. As mentioned above, the frame substrate


42




a


is made of an invar alloy or the like while the respective conductive parts are made of silver paste or the like, so the frame


42


in this embodiment has a predetermined resilience as a whole.




For the wires


41


, a resilient and heat-resistant material that can be used in vacuum is used. The material is a wiring material of 10 to 100 μm that can be an invar alloy, a 42-6 alloy (42-Ni, 6-Cr, Fe alloy), stainless steel or the like. Alternatively, wiring materials, such as tungsten and nickel that can be obtained easily as wiring materials with a diameter similar to that of the steel wires can be used. The wires


41


are strung and held with an equal pitch between the frame conductive parts (


42




b




1


,


42




c




1


) and the conductive parts (


42




d


,


42




e


). As the wires


41


are strung and held to be straight, the flatness of the wires


41


on the frame


42


is maintained efficiently. The frame


42


has a certain resilience, and the wires


41


are provided with a certain tensile force by this frame


42


. Therefore, the flatness of the wires


41


can be maintained more efficiently due to the tensile force.




The electrode


56


in this embodiment has a structure in which the respective wires


41


are arrayed with a certain pitch on the same surface of the frame


42


, as pairs of electrodes with a certain pitch. The frame


42


is shaped to hold the wires


41


and allow the scanning of the electron beams between the pairs of wires


41


arranged on the frame


42


. An example of the frame has a shape whose center part is vacant and which has only four edges. The electron emission source


51


, the electrode


56


and the fluorescent layer


58


are constituted such that electron beams emitted in a matrix from the electron emission source


51


pass between pairs of electrodes consisting of the wires


41


, and are landed on the fluorescent layer


58


.




A fluorescent layer


58


comprises a substrate such as a glass substrate on which is coated a fluorescent substance which is illuminated by irradiating with electron beams emitted from an electron emission source


51


. In coating a fluorescent substance on a glass substrate, in order to provide a fluorescent layer


58


which can display a colored image, the fluorescent substance is coated in numerous stripes on the glass substrate in order of red (R), green (G) and blue (B). The stripe-arranged fluorescent substance can be provided by photolithography as in the process for forming a fluorescent layer composing a cathode ray tube, as well as printing, transferring or the like.




A vacuum container


59


is made of transparent material such as glass. This is so that light emitted from a fluorescent layer


58


can be observed from outside of the vacuum container


59


so that the vacuum container


59


functions as an image display apparatus. However, it is not required that the whole surface of the vacuum container


59


be transparent, but only the part of the vacuum container


59


that contacts with the fluorescent layer


58


is transparent (In

FIG. 3

, the upper area with largest surface).




In this embodiment, a case in which a fluorescent layer


58


and a vacuum container


59


are provided separately and are assembled to compose an image display apparatus was explained. According to the structure, there are merits that the design of the pressure proof image display apparatus (a vacuum container


59


) can be performed regardless of the shape of the fluorescent layer


58


and that the fluorescent layer can be formed easily.




According to the image display apparatus of this embodiment, it is preferable that an area of an electron emission source


51


and an area of a fluorescent layer


58


are almost the same size and face each other completely to control electron beams. However, when a size of the image display apparatus reaches a certain size, the pressure-resistant design of the vacuum container


59


is important to maintain a vacuum for the inside of the image display apparatus. If the fluorescent layer is applied to the inside of the vacuum container, the vacuum container should be designed to have a certain thickness for resisting the vacuum while the container should be bent in accordance with the shape of the electron emission source. A design to satisfy both the requirements becomes more difficult as the image display apparatus becomes large.




Therefore, an image display apparatus is provided by providing the fluorescent layer


58


and the vacuum container


59


separately and then assembling these components, so that the vacuum container


59


can be designed in a relatively simple manner. This invention, however, is not limited to the structure. A relatively small image display apparatus can be provided by applying a fluorescent substance on the inner surface of the vacuum container


59


(the vacuum side) and integrally forming the vacuum container


59


and the fluorescent layer in order to simplify the process or to decrease the process steps. In this way, an image display apparatus with a vacuum container


59


having an inner fluorescent layer can be formed.




The electron emission source


51


, the electrode


56


, the fluorescent layer


58


and the vacuum container


59


are thin and flat components. Therefore, an image display apparatus of this embodiment comprises the electron emission source


51


, the electrode


56


and the fluorescent layer


58


which are laminated and contained in the vacuum container


59


. Accordingly, a thin image display apparatus having a flat screen can be obtained.





FIG. 5

is a cross-sectional view showing the schematic structure of an image display apparatus shown in FIG.


3


. As shown in

FIG. 5

, electron beams are emitted appropriately from each electron source


51




a


which composes an electron emission source


51


. The electrode


56


is provided between the electron emission source


51


and the fluorescent layer


58


such that each electron beam emitted from an electron source


5


la passes between a pair of electrodes which constitute the electrode


56


. Hereinafter, an action and an effect of an image display apparatus of this embodiment will be explained by illustrating an action of an electron beam


50


that is emitted from the electron source


51




a.






An electron beam


50


is emitted from an electron source


51




a


to pass between a pair of wires


41




a


,


41




b


which constitute the electrode


56


, and deflected by a potential of the wire


41




a


and that of the wire


41




b


to any direction of an electron beam


50




a


,


50




b


or


50




c


. Then, the electron beam


50


is landed on any component


58




a


,


58




b


or


58




c


which constitutes a fluorescent layer


58


. The pair of wires


41




a


,


41




b


are provided to sandwich the electron beam


50


in the horizontal direction. The electron beam


50


is deflected to three grades in the horizontal direction by the potential of the wire


41




a


and that of the wire


41




b.







FIG. 6

is a figure showing a wave-form of voltage applied to wires


41




a


and


41




b


when the electron beam


50


is driven (deflected). In

FIG. 6

, the horizontal axis shows time and the vertical axis shows a voltage.

FIG. 6

shows a voltage Va that is applied to the wire


41




a


for a predetermined period and a voltage Vb which is applied to the wire


41




b


for a predetermined period.




When the time is t


1


, a voltage of Va=1 is applied to a wire


41




a


, and a voltage of Vb=−1, is applied to a wire


41




b


. That is, the predetermined value of Va (Va=1) is applied to the wire


41




a


, and the predetermined value of Vb (Vb=−1), whose sign is different from that of Va, is applied to the wire


41




b


. Consequently, when the time is t


1


, a potential of the wire


41




a


is higher than that of the wire


41




b


, and the electron beam


50


is deflected in the direction of the electron beam


50




a


. As a result, the electron beam


50




a


is landed on the component


58




a


of a fluorescent layer.




When the time is t


2


, a voltage of Va=0 is applied to a wire


41




a


, and a voltage of Vb=0 is applied to a wire


41




b


. That is, the predetermined value of voltage is applied to both of wires


41




a


and


41




b


(Va=Vb=0). Consequently, when the time is t


2


, a potential of the wire


41




a


is same as that of


41




b


, and the electron beam


50


passes straight in the direction of electron beam


50




b


. As a result, the electron beam


50




b


is landed on the component


58




b


of a fluorescent layer.




When the time is t


3


, a voltage of Va=−1 is applied to the wire


41




a


, and a voltage of Vb=1 is applied to the wire


41




b


. That is, the predetermined value of Va (Va=−1) is applied to the wire


41




a


, and the predetermined value of Vb (Vb=1), whose sign is different from that of Va, is applied to the wire


41




b


. Consequently, when the time is t


3


, a potential of the wire


41




b


is higher than that of the wire


41




a


, and the electron beam


50


is deflected in the direction of electron beam


50




c


. As a result, the electron beam


50




c


is landed on the component


58




c


of a fluorescent layer.




As above-mentioned, in this embodiment, an electron beam


50


is deflected by applying a voltage shown in

FIG. 6

to the wires


41




a


and


41




b


. In applying a voltage to the wires


41




a


and


41




b


, the sum of the voltage applied to the wires


41




a


and


41




b


for a predetermined time is set to be the same. That is, a voltage applied to the wires


41




a


and


41




b


is set as follows. When the time is t


1


, the sum of voltage, (Va(1)+Vb(−1)), is 0. When the time is t


2


, the sum of voltage, (Va(0)+Vb(0)), is 0. When the time is t


3


, the sum of voltage, (Va(−1)+Vb(1)), is 0. According to this embodiment, each voltage, Va and Vb, is set as above-mentioned, the sum of a potential of electrode


56


can be kept at the same level for all the time, and in deflecting electron beams, there is not any fluctuation of potential. Consequently, an image display apparatus that can provide a stable picture can be obtained.




As above-mentioned, an electron beam


50


is deflected and also focused before it is landed on a fluorescent layer


58


. In this embodiment, in order to focus the electron beam


50


, an electric field strength between an electron emission source


51


and a fluorescent layer


58


is controlled. Specifically, a potential that is applied to the electrode


56


is controlled so that the average electric field strength between a fluorescent layer


58


and electrode


56


becomes stronger than that between electrode


56


and an electron emission source


51


. Accordingly, the electron beam


50


that passes between a pair of electrodes (wires) can be deflected appropriately and focused to be landed on any component


58




a


,


58




b


or


58




c


of a fluorescent layer while being focused.




The electrode


56


composing the image display apparatus of this embodiment comprises a frame and wires just like the electrode parts composing the image display apparatus in the first embodiment. Therefore, the electrode


56


will be very flat by only stringing and holding the wires


41


on the frame


42


if the frame


42


is free from waviness or warping and keeps the surface accuracy (flatness) properly. An image display apparatus comprising such an electrode


56


having high flatness can control electron beams appropriately in the same way as the first embodiment, and can display excellent images. Moreover, the spaces between the electrodes can be narrowed (the pitch between the electrodes is made finer) in a relatively simple manner, since each electrode is made of wires


41


. If the pitch between the electrodes can be made finer, the resolution in the horizontal direction can also be raised, and thus, an image display apparatus having high resolution can be obtained.




As mentioned above, an image display apparatus of this embodiment comprises a considerably flat electrode


56


functioning to control the deflection action and focusing action of the electron beam


50


, and the electrode


56


is arranged between the electron emission source


51


and the fluorescent layer


58


. The image display apparatus provided with the electrode


56


can focus and deflect the electron beam


50


to land the electron beams


50




a


,


50




b


and


50




c


on desired components


58




a


,


58




b


and


58




c


of the fluorescent layer. In this embodiment, therefore, error irradiation is prevented by focusing the electron beam


50


, and the electron beam


50


is landed on the fluorescent layer component having an array pitch finer than that of the electron emission source


51


(there are more components than the number of the electron sources


51




a


) by deflecting the electron beam


50


appropriately. As a result, an image display apparatus having high resolution can be obtained.




In the image display apparatus explained in this embodiment, the electron beam


50


is deflected in three grades in the horizontal direction. However, this invention is not limited thereto. For example, the electron beam


50


may be deflected to more grades by applying more grades of potential (for example, applying four or more grades of voltage) between a pair of electrodes (wires)


41




a


and


41




b


. The resolution of a display can be further increased as the number of grades of deflection is raised.




In the image display apparatus explained in this embodiment, the electron beam


50


is deflected in the horizontal direction. However, this invention is not limited thereto. For example, an image display apparatus in which the electron beam


50


is deflected in the vertical direction may be used. In addition to that, an image display apparatus in which the electron beam


50


is deflected in both directions, that is, both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, may be used. In order to deflect the electron beam


50


in the vertical direction, a pair of wires


41




a


and


41




b


which constitute an electrode


56


has to be arranged between an electron emission source


51


and a fluorescent layer


58


, so that the pair of wires


41




a


and


41




b


sandwich the electron beam


50


in the vertical direction. In order to deflect electron beams both in the horizontal and the vertical directions, in addition to the electrode


56


explained in this embodiment, another electrode having the same structure as that of the electrode


56


may be arranged between the electron emission source


51


and the fluorescent layer


58


, so that a pair of electrodes which constitute another electrode sandwich electron beams in the vertical direction.




An electrode for the image display apparatus in this embodiment is not limited to the electrode


56


shown in

FIG. 4

, but an image display apparatus with high performance can be provided by using the electrode shown in FIG.


2


. The electrode in

FIG. 2

is constituted by sandwiching an insulating layer


13




a




3


with two metal layers and adhering them. Therefore, an electrode to control (e.g., focus and deflect) electron beams can be formed easily without wiring, but by only stringing wires


13




b


and


13




c


on both surfaces of the third frame


13




a


. An image display apparatus comprising such an electrode also can reduce the number of the process steps. The electrode shown in

FIG. 4

also can be used for the image display apparatus in the first embodiment.




In an image display apparatus in this embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, the materials for the components are selected so that the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the component on which the fluorescent layer


58


is formed and that of the frame


42


is within 8×10


−7


/° C. in a temperature range from 0 to 150° C. In such a constitution, even if the internal temperature rises in the operation of the image display apparatus, the deviation generated over time between the stripe pitch of the fluorescent layer


58


and the wires' pitch can be controlled within a range not affecting the practical performance, since the difference between the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the components on which the fluorescent layer


58


is formed and that of the frame


42


holding the respective electrodes (wires) is determined to be small as mentioned above within the temperature range in the operation of the image display apparatus.




A Third Embodiment





FIG. 7

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a third embodiment of this invention. Basically, an image display apparatus of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the second embodiment (refer to

FIG. 3

) excepting the structure of the electron emission source. As shown in

FIG. 7

, control electrode


61


is provided additionally, and the patterned geometry of an electron source


51




b


on an insulating substrate


51


′ is changed from that of the second embodiment.




The control electrode


61


is divided electrically and arranged in stripes, and holes


62


are provided at the positions where predetermined electron beams pass through so that electrons can pass through the holes


62


. In the same way, an electron source


51




b


formed on the insulating substrate


51


′ is patterned in a stripe in the direction which is perpendicular to the dividing direction of the control electrode


61


and the electron sources are separated electrically. Further, when electrons are not emitted, the potential of the control electrode


61


to the potential of the stripe-arranged electron source


51




b


is negative or the potential difference between the control electrode


61


and the strip-arranged electron sources


51




b


is very low.




When the potential of some control electrode


61


is selected to be positive, and the potential of some stripe-arranged electron sources


51




b


is selected to be negative, only the potential difference of the cross section of the selected control electrode and the selected stripe-arranged electron sources becomes large, and electrons are emitted from the cross section of the electron source


51




b


(attraction of electron). Electrons emitted from the selected cross section pass through holes


62


provided on a control electrode


61


(selective transmission) in the direction of a fluorescent layer


58


. After that the electrons pass in the same way as those of the second embodiment, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.




According to the image display apparatus having the above-mentioned structure and function of this embodiment, even if electron sources are not provided in a matrix on essentially the same surface, the electron sources can be used as an electron source which can emit electron beams in a matrix by providing a control electrode


61


additionally. That is, the combination of the control electrode


61


having the above-mentioned structure and the electron source


51




b


can be considered as an electron emission source having electron sources arranged in a matrix.




Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the control electrode


61


is provided on one surface. However, a function of attracting electrons due to the potential difference and a function of selective transmission may be achieved by at least two electrodes, for example, a plurality of electrodes may be provided in the direction in which electrons are emitted from electron sources. According to the above-mentioned structure, the same effect can be obtained.




The above-mentioned control electrode can be made of wires.




A Fourth Embodiment





FIG. 8

is a perspective exploded view showing an image display apparatus in a fourth embodiment of this invention. Basically, an image display apparatus of this embodiment has the same structure as that of the second embodiment (refer to

FIG. 3

) excepting the structure of the electron emission source. As shown in

FIG. 8

, an electron source


51




c


is arranged continuously over the surface and a plurality of control electrodes,


64


and


65


are provided respectively above the electron source


51




c


to emit electrons from the electron source


51




c.






As shown in

FIG. 8

, the control electrodes


64


are divided electrically and arranged in stripes, and holes


66


are provided on the control electrodes


64


at the positions where a predetermined electron beam passes through so that electrons can pass through the holes


66


. In the same way, control electrodes


65


are divided electrically and arranged in stripes, and holes


67


are provided on the control electrodes


65


at the position corresponding to the holes


66


. Consequently, an electron that passes through a hole


66


can pass through a hole


67


. The control electrodes


64


and


65


are arranged to cross at right angles. An electron source


51




c


is arranged continuously over the surface of the insulating substrate


51


′. Further, when electrons are not emitted, the potential of the control electrodes


64


to the potential of the plane-formed electron source


51




c


is negative or the potential difference between the control electrodes


64


and the plane-formed electron source


51




c


is very low.




When the potential of some control electrodes


64


is selected to be positive, only the potential difference of the stripe part of the selected control electrode


64


becomes large, and electrons are emitted from the parts (attraction of electron). Electrons emitted from the selected stripe parts pass through all holes


66


provided on the control electrode


64


. Next, when the potential of some control electrodes


65


is selected to be positive, and the potential of other control electrodes


65


is selected to be a cutoff potential, only the electron passing through a cross section of the selected control electrodes


64


and


65


, of all electrons which pass through a hole


66


, passes through a hole


67


provided on the control electrode


65


(selective transmission) in the direction of the fluorescent layer


58


. After that the electrons pass in the same way as those of the second embodiment, and therefore the explanation will be omitted.




According to the image display apparatus having the above-mentioned structure and function of this embodiment, even if the electron source


51




c


is arranged continuously over the surface of the substrate, the electron source can be used as an electron source that can emit electron beams in a matrix by providing two sets of control electrodes


64


and


65


. That is, the combination of the control electrodes


64


and


65


having the above-mentioned structure and the electron source


51




c


can be considered as an electron emission source having electron sources arranged in a matrix.




In the above-mentioned embodiment, two sets of control electrodes are provided. However, an electrode having a function of attracting electrons due to the potential difference may be provided additionally and a function of selective transmission may be achieved by two sets of control electrodes. That is, at least three sets of electrodes may be provided. According to the above-mentioned structure, the same effect can be obtained.




The control electrodes also can be made of wires.




In the image display apparatuses explained in the first to the fourth embodiments, the positions of the electron emission sources, the respective electrodes and the fluorescent layers are adjusted precisely. In assembling an actual image display apparatus, however, the positions that the electron beams are landed on the fluorescent layer may be deviated because of errors during manufacturing or assembling the components. Although the closest attention is paid in designing and manufacturing, it is very difficult to solve all deviations. Once the landing positions of the electron beams are deviated, more problems such as error irradiation will occur. As a result, image quality of the image display apparatus will deteriorate and thus, it will be difficult to provide an image display apparatus having high resolution.




In an image display apparatus of this embodiment, a deviated position memory and a correction system are provided. The deviated position memory stores data of deviation of landing position of electron beams on a fluorescent layer. The correction system applies an off-set voltage between a pair of electrodes sandwiching electron beams to correct the deviation of landing positions of electron beams based on the stored data. According to the image display apparatus, even if the deviation of landing position of electron beams on a fluorescent layer is generated by an error in assembling an image display apparatus, the deviation can be corrected by applying an offset voltage to each electrode. Consequently, error irradiation caused by the deviation of landing positions of electron beams can be prevented. As a result, a display having high resolution can be provided.




According to the respective electrodes of the image display apparatuses in the embodiments, the pairs of electrodes sandwiching the electron beams can be divided and all electrodes can be arranged independently. Alternately pairs of electrodes can be divided into a plurality of blocks corresponding to the blocks of the respective electron beams. In such a structure, various potential difference (off-set voltage) can be provided independently to every electron beam or to the electron beams divided into the blocks.




In the structure, when the landing positions of the electron beams are deviated variously because of the errors in manufacturing an image display apparatus, an off-set voltage can be applied independently to every electron beam or to electron beams divided into blocks. As a result, the deviation of the landing position of every electron beam or the electron beams divided into blocks can be corrected independently and efficiently.




The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The embodiments disclosed in this application are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.



Claims
  • 1. An image display device comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer, and one of the electrodes, which is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source and functions to deflect the electron beams, comprises a first plurality of wires, a second plurality of wires and a frame of a resilient material, the frame comprising two opposing sides, the two sides being flat plates that are arranged to be substantially parallel to the fluorescent layer; the first plurality of wires is strung with a certain tensile force on the flat plates by using resilience of the flat plates so as to be included in one surface substantially parallel to the fluorescent layer, the second plurality of wires is strung with a certain tensile force on the flat plates by using resilience of the flat plates so as to be included in one surface substantially parallel to the fluorescent layer, the first plurality of wires and the second plurality of wires are parallel to each other, the first plurality of wires is applied with a first potential while the second plurality of wires is applied with a second potential different from the first potential in order to deflect the electron beams passing between the first wires and the second wires in a predetermined direction according to a difference between the first potential and the second potential so that the electron beams land at desired positions on the fluorescent layer.
  • 2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electron source is divided in a matrix.
  • 3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electron source is divided in stripes.
  • 4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electron source is continuously arranged on a plane.
  • 5. An image display apparatus comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer, and at least one of the electrodes is formed by stringing wires on a frame of resilient material, the frame comprising two opposing sides on which the wires are strung, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface, the electrode is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source, and the difference between the coefficient of thermal expansion of the components where the fluorescent layer is formed and that of the frame is less than or equal to 8×10−7/° C. in a temperature range from 0 to 150° C.
  • 6. An image display apparatus comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer, and at least one of the electrodes is formed by stringing wires on a frame of resilient material, the frame comprising two opposing sides on which the wires are strung, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface, the frame is formed by using a first frame member, a second frame member and an insulating layer, the first frame member and the second frame member are adhered to each other via the insulating layer, the wires are strung on the surfaces of the first frame member and of the second frame member not contacting with the insulating layer, and the electrode is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source.
  • 7. An image display apparatus comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer, and at least one of the electrodes is formed by stringing wires on a frame of resilient material, the frame comprising two opposing sides on which the wires are strung, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface the opposing two sides of the frame to which the wires are fixed are made of metal, insulating films are applied to the surfaces of the opposing sides, conductive parts are patterned on the insulating films, the wires are strung to conduct with the conductive parts, and the electrode is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source.
  • 8. The image display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the insulating films are formed by using a thermally-sprayed alumina layer and glass frit, and the conductive parts are formed by using silver paste.
  • 9. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fluorescent layer is applied to the inner surface of the vacuum container.
  • 10. An image display apparatus according to claims 5, wherein the electron source is divided into a matrix.
  • 11. An image display apparatus according to claims 5, wherein the electron source is divided into stripes.
  • 12. An image display apparatus according to claims 5, wherein the electron source is continuously arranged on a plane.
  • 13. An image display apparatus according to claims 5, wherein the fluorescent layer is applied to the inner surface of the vacuum container.
  • 14. An image display apparatus according to claims 6, wherein the electron source is divided into a matrix.
  • 15. An image display apparatus according to claims 6, wherein the electron source is divided into stripes.
  • 16. An image display apparatus according to claims 6, wherein the electron source is continuously arranged on a plane.
  • 17. An image display apparatus according to claims 6, wherein the fluorescent layer is applied to the inner surface of the vacuum container.
  • 18. An image display apparatus according to claims 7, wherein the electron source is divided into a matrix.
  • 19. An image display apparatus according to claims 7, wherein the electron source is divided into stripes.
  • 20. An image display apparatus according to claims 7, wherein the electron source is continuously arranged on a plane.
  • 21. An image display apparatus according to claims 7, wherein the fluorescent layer is applied to the inner surface of the vacuum container.
  • 22. An image display device comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer, and at least one of the electrodes is arranged between the fluorescent layer applied to an inner surface of the vacuum container and the electron emission source and is formed by stringing wires on a frame having only one vacancy at the center part and having only four sides, the frame is made of a resilient material, and the wires are strung on two opposing sides of the frame, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface.
  • 23. An image display device comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer applied to an inner surface of the vacuum container, and at least one of the electrodes is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source and is formed by stringing wires on a frame having only one vacancy at the center part and having only four sides, the frame is made of a resilient material, and the wires are strung on two opposing sides of the frame, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface; wherein the electron source is divided into a matrix.
  • 24. An image display device comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer applied to an inner surface of the vacuum container, and at least one of the electrodes is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source and is formed by stringing wires on a frame having only one vacancy at the center part and having only four sides, the frame is made of a resilient material, and the wires are strung on two opposing sides of the frame, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface; wherein the electron source is divided into stripes.
  • 25. An image display device comprising, in a vacuum container whose interior is kept under vacuum:a fluorescent layer; an electron emission source having an electron source; and electrodes to control electron beams emitted from the electron emission source, wherein the electron beams illuminate the fluorescent layer applied to an inner surface of the vacuum container, and at least one of the electrodes is arranged between the fluorescent layer and the electron emission source and is formed by stringing wires on a frame having only one vacancy at the center part and having only four sides, the frame is made of a resilient material, and the wires are strung on two opposing sides of the frame, the two sides being flat plates that are formed on one surface; wherein the electron source is continuously arranged in a plane.
Priority Claims (1)
Number Date Country Kind
9-330633 Dec 1997 JP
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