JPH02270251A - Electron source - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fix electrodes promptly and easily while keeping the precision of alignment between a cathode and the electrodes in a high condition by providing a positioning means for in-place alignment between the cathode and the electrodes on a support itself mounted with the cathode and electrocutes in front of the cathode. CONSTITUTION:An electron emitting cathode 2, electrodes 3-5 with electronic beam transmission holes 3a-5a in a row along electronic beam transmission paths in front of the cathode 2, a support 1 mounted with the cathode 2 and electrodes 3-5, and a positioning means 6 for in-place assignment between the cathode and the electrodes 3-5 are provided. The electrodes 3-5 are fixed by using the support 1 and the most outside electrode 5. With the most outside electrode 5 fixed, other electrodes 3, 4 can be simultaneously fixed, accordingly. It is thus possible to fix the electrodes 3-5 promptly and easily and prevent the disorder of an accurately positioned state due to fixing work.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electron source, and particularly to an electron source suitable for use in a flat panel image display device used in a color TV or a terminal display of a computer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION FIG. 2 shows the main structure of a conventional flat panel image display device (this device was proposed and described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 46-2619).

A conventional flat panel image display device includes a phosphor 42 formed on a vacuum envelope 41 and a vertical scanning deflection electrode 43 formed on a vacuum envelope 44. The vertical scanning deflection electrode 43 is elongated in the horizontal direction facing the phosphor 42, and is divided in the vertical direction at a predetermined pitch. On the other hand, on an extension of the phosphor 42 and the vertical scanning deflection electrode 43, a horizontally elongated electron source (electron gun) is provided for producing individual electron beams.

The operating principle of this flat panel image display device is as follows. Thermionic electrons ejected from the heated cathode 46 are extracted as an electron beam through a passage hole provided in the grid electrode 4e, and then the electron beam is modulated by the grid electrode 47. Modulation is performed by electrically dividing individual electron beam passage holes and applying individual beam modulation voltages to each. After the individual electron beams modulated by the grid electrode 47 exit the passage hole of the shield electrode 48,
It enters between the phosphor 42 and the vertical scanning deflection electrode 43.

On the other hand, the vertical scanning deflection electrode 43 is composed of divided electrodes of approximately the same number as the horizontal scanning lines, and these divided electrodes have the same potential Vd as the phosphor 42 and a potential ( Vd-Vcc) are applied sequentially. In this case, the electron beam travels straight in areas with the same potential as the phosphor 42, and in areas with a lower potential than the phosphor 42, the electron beams traveling straight are deflected all at once toward the phosphor 42 under the influence of the electric field. , collides with the fluorescent material 42 to cause it to emit light. The above-mentioned divided electrodes are provided with the above-mentioned potential (Vd
, Vd - Vcc) are sequentially applied, and as a result, two-dimensional display (image display) can be performed on the phosphor 42 surface.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Since such a flat panel image display device is more compact than a normal CRT, its use can be expected to expand in the future. There is a problem in that it is difficult to perform alignment with high precision.

Additionally, there is a manufacturing issue in that fixing the electrodes is difficult and time-consuming work.

If alignment accuracy is low, uneven current of the electron beam in the horizontal direction, uneven beam spot diameter on the phosphor in the vertical and horizontal directions, and even deviation in the electron beam landing position may occur, resulting in the screen being distorted. This results in uneven brightness throughout the image, uneven spacing between scanning lines, and a deterioration in image quality.

This invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, and aims to provide an electron source that can quickly and easily fix electrodes while maintaining high alignment accuracy between cathodes and electrodes. do.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the electron sources according to claims 1 to 6 have the following configurations.

In the electron source according to claims 1 to 6, the support base itself on which the cathode and the plurality of electrodes in front of the cathode are mounted is provided with positioning means for positioning the cathode and the electrodes.

For example, in order to solve the problem, in the electron source according to claim 1, the positioning means maintains the alignment between the cathode and the electrode with high precision, and the outermost electrode fixed to the support base is aligned with the other electrodes. is sandwiched between the support stand and the outermost electrode, and the other electrodes are fixed.

In addition, when a reference pin erected forward on a support base is used as a positioning means as in the electron source according to claim 2, a pin insertion hole is formed at the end of the electrode, and this hole is The electrode is positioned by passing it through the reference pin.

On the other hand, the positioning of the cathode is performed, for example, by pressing a linear cathode against a reference pin, as in the electron source according to claim 3.

Further, as in the electron source according to the fourth aspect, an insulating spacer is provided between the electrodes so that the distance between the electrodes is constant.

When the insulating spacer disposed between the electrodes and the electrode are separate bodies as in the electron source according to claim 6, the position thereof is determined by spacer position determining means provided on the support base. There is.

Therefore, in the electron source of the present invention, since the outermost electrode is fixed, the other electrodes are sandwiched and fixed between the support base, so that the other electrodes can be fixed at the same time by fixing the outermost electrode. Therefore, the fixing of the electrode becomes very quick and easy, and the precise positioning does not disturb the fixing operation.

Furthermore, since the support base itself on which the cathode and electrodes are mounted has means for positioning the cathodes and electrodes (for example, reference pins), positioning is accurate and easy. As a result, the cathode/electrode alignment (usually so that the cathode is positioned in the center of the electron passage hole of the electrode) is extremely accurate.

When a reference pin is set up on a support stand, accurate positioning can be achieved simply by passing the pin through the pin insertion hole at the end of the electrode, or by pressing the linear cathode against the reference pin.

If the alignment accuracy between the cathode and the electrode is good, uneven current amount of the electron beam, uneven spot diameter, and landing position deviation can be eliminated.

And if an insulating spacer is placed between the electrodes,
The distance between the electrodes can be kept constant and alignment can be performed accurately.

Further, when the electrode and the insulating spacer are separate bodies, the insulating spacer can be accurately and easily mounted at a predetermined position using the insulating spacer position defining means provided on the support base.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the main structure of an example of an electron source according to the present invention.

The electron source includes a linear cathode 2 and a plurality of electrodes 3, 4.5 mounted on a support base 1 made of an electrical insulator. These electrodes 3, 4.5 are lined up in front of the cathode 2 along the electron beam passage path.

On the other hand, a reference pin 6.6 and a back electrode 21 are formed on the surface of the support base 1, and springs 22.22 and four spacer position defining pieces 23 are fixed to the ends thereof. Electrode 3
, 4.5 have electron beam passing holes 3a, 4a, !, respectively, along the longitudinal direction. A is opened, and pin insertion holes 3b are provided at both ends.

4b and 5b are opened. And each electrode 3゜4
．． 5 and the back electrode 210 are provided with an insulating spacer...
is interposed, and each electrode is separated by a predetermined distance by this spacer 7.

The reference pin 6 erected toward the front is made of, for example, an electrical insulator, and is inserted and fixed into a hole provided in the support base 1 . For example, adhesive is used for this fixing. The back electrode 21 located behind the linear cathode 2 is made of a conductive film such as Al or AgsNi that is directly formed on the surface of the support base 1 by vacuum evaporation or silk screen printing, or is made of a conductive film that is pasted. It consists of a thin metal plate.

The linear cathode (hot cathode) 2 has a diameter of 10 to 30 mm, for example.
An oxide cathode material is coated on the surface of a tungsten wire with a diameter of approximately μm. Both ends are fixed to the spring 22 and stretched, and the reference pin 60 is positioned (in the Y direction) by being pressed against and in contact with the surface of the pin 60. Although the linear cathode 2 and the back electrode 21 are separated by a predetermined pressure,
This predetermined distance may be achieved by adjusting the height of the spring 22 itself, or by separately installing a support stand 1.
An adjustment member (not shown) may be provided for this purpose.

The electrodes 3 and 4 are metal plates with a thickness of about 0.05 to 0.3 mm, and the fixed electrode 6 is a metal plate with a thickness of about 2 to 10 mm, and has a pin insertion hole 3a at the end.

4a and 5a are passed through the reference pin 6 to ensure accurate positioning. On the other hand, the spacers 7 interposed between the electrodes are made of an electrical insulator such as glass or ceramics, and are separate from the electrodes.
It is inserted in between and its position is defined. The outermost electrode 5 is further fixed to the support base 1 by screwing the napht 8 into the threaded part 6a of the reference pin 6, but at the same time, the electrodes 3 and 4
And the insulating spacer 7 is sandwiched and fixed between the support base 1 and the support base 1.

Note that the electrode 3 is for control, the electrode 4 is for electron extraction, and the electrode 6 is for focusing.

These linear cathode 2 and electrodes 3, 4.5, which are mounted in an accurately positioned state, are in a highly accurate alignment state in which the center of the cathode 2 and the electron beam passage holes 3a, 4a, 5a are aligned. ing.

Note that when this electron source is used in a flat panel image display device, the display operation using the electron beam is the same as in the conventional example described above.

This invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, an insulating spacer may be bonded to each electrode to integrate them. In addition, the reference pin was also used to fix the outermost electrode,
The reference pin is used only for positioning the electrodes, and the outermost electrode may be directly fixed to the support using separate screws. Furthermore, the cathode is not limited to a linear body. For example, it may be a strip cathode.

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the electron sources according to claims 1 to 4, since the alignment accuracy between the cathode and the electrode is high, there is no unevenness in the current amount of the electron beam, unevenness in the spot diameter, or deviation in the landing position. Non-uniform brightness on the display screen and disturbances in scanning lines are eliminated, allowing high-quality image display. At the same time, the electrodes can be fixed quickly and easily, which is convenient for manufacturing.

Further, in the electron source according to claim 6, even if the insulating spacer is a separate body, the spacer can be mounted easily and accurately.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an example of an electron source according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional electron source. 1... Support stand, 2... Linear cathode, 3.4.5.
...electrode, 3a, 4a, 6a...electron beam passage hole,
3b. 4b, 5b... Pin insertion hole, e... Reference pin (positioning means), 7... Insulating spacer, 23... Spacer position defining piece. Name of agent: Patent attorney Shigetaka Awano, 1st person, 2nd person
figure

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An electron-emitting cathode, a plurality of electrodes having electron beam passage holes and lined up along the electron beam passage in front of the cathode, a support base on which these cathodes and electrodes are mounted, and a support between the cathode and the electrodes. and positioning means for positioning, and the plurality of electrodes are fixed by using the support base and the outermost electrode. (2) A reference pin that is erected on a support stand while the positioning means faces forward, and the electrode has a pin insertion hole at its end, and the reference pin is passed through the pin insertion hole. Claim 1, wherein the electrode is positioned by:
Electronic sources listed. (3) The electron source according to claim 2, wherein the cathode is made of a linear body, and the cathode is positioned by being pressed against a reference pin. (4) The electron source according to claim 1, wherein an insulating spacer is provided between the electrodes. (5) The electron source according to claim 4, wherein the electrode and the insulating spacer are separate bodies, and the support base is provided with spacer position defining means for defining the position of the insulating spacer.