JP2001313343A - Airtight container and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely seal the exhaust hole of an airtight container for improving reliability. SOLUTION: An airtight container 10 is composed of an anode substrate 1, a cathode substrate 2, and a frame-shaped side member 3 that is provided between the substrates. A cutout 4, that is formed in the side member, becomes an exhaust hole 5 that causes allows the inside of the airtight container to communicate with the outside. A middle member 11 with a passage hole 12 surrounding the exhaust hole is sealed at the side of the airtight container, and a sealing member 6 for sealing the passage hole 12 of the middle member is sealed to the middle member, thus achieving sure sealing, and hence improving the airtight property.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sealed structure for an airtight container in which the inside is evacuated to a vacuum state and sealed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A field emission device (Field Emission Display, FED) that emits a phosphor using a field emission device as an electron source.
Also, in a fluorescent display tube or the like in which a fluorescent material emits light using a hot cathode as an electron source, a container in which various electrodes such as an electron source serving as a cathode and an anode including the fluorescent material are housed has an airtight structure. In general, the hermetic container in such a display element is formed by assembling an insulating plate material into an appropriate box shape with a sealing material, and for example, assembling a glass plate through a sealing glass and heating the sealing glass. Is melted and sealed.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are a front view and a bottom view of an envelope of the FED. This envelope is an airtight container. This envelope has an anode substrate 1 and a cathode substrate 2. Although not shown, an anode having a phosphor is formed on the inner surface of the anode substrate 1, and a field emission element is formed on the inner surface of the cathode substrate 2. Both substrates have the same rectangular shape and face each other at a predetermined interval. A side member 3 is sandwiched between the outer edges of both substrates. Side member 3
Is a frame-like body having a shape matching the rectangle which is the outer shape of both substrates, and a notch 4 is formed at a position corresponding to the center of one long side of the substrate. The side member 3 is sealed with a seal glass between both substrates. Therefore, the space inside the envelope communicates with the outside through the cutout 4 of the side member 3 as the exhaust hole 5. And this exhaust hole 5
Is sealed with a sealing member 6 via a sealing glass 7 after the inside of the container is evacuated to a high vacuum state.

The sealing glass 7 is made of frit glass or the like.
%, About 25% TiO ₂ sealing glass. In this component, titanium oxide as a filler is replaced with ZrO _2.
May be changed to

[0005] Next, in the manufacturing process of the FED, particularly, the sealing / sealing process of the envelope will be described with reference to a sealing exhaust profile of FIG. First, the anode substrate 1, the cathode substrate 2, and the side member 3 are assembled with the sealing glass 7 interposed therebetween, and are temporarily fixed by clips having elastic holding force. This is set in a vacuum chamber. First, the temperature is raised to 500 ° C. in an inert gas atmosphere and held for 30 minutes. Thereby, the sealing glass 7 in all parts except the exhaust hole 5 is melted. Thereafter, the inside of the chamber is evacuated to a vacuum by a pump, and the inside of the envelope is evacuated. During this evacuation step, the inside of the chamber is kept in a heated state at 350 ° C. After a lapse of 90 minutes, the sealing member set in the chamber at a distance from the envelope is heated by another heating means different from the one that heated the envelope. In addition. A sealing glass 7 is applied and baked on the sealing member in advance. As a result, the sealing member is heated to a temperature of 450 ° C. which is about 100 ° C. higher than the inside of the chamber or the envelope. The sealing glass 7 of the sealing member starts to soften from 410 ° C.
It melts by heating at this temperature. Here, the pressurizing jig provided inside the chamber operates to press the envelope and the sealing member, and the sealing member is sealed in the exhaust hole 5 of the envelope. Since the inside of the chamber in which this operation is performed is in a vacuum, if the pressure bonding operation is performed slowly, the sealing glass 7 of the sealing member foams. This allows
Gas remains in the envelope and does not become an airtight container with a high degree of vacuum. In addition, the hermeticity is broken at the portion of the seal glass 7, so that a reliable hermetic container cannot be obtained. Therefore, the crimping operation must be completed within a short period of time and be completed in a state where foaming is not remarkable. After that, it is cooled, taken out of the chamber, and
The envelope of the ED is completed.

[0006]

FIG. 9 shows a state where the exhaust hole 5 is sealed by a sealing member in the vacuum chamber. FIG. 9 is viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. At the time of sealing, the sealing glass 7 softens and protrudes outward from between the two substrates 1 and 2 and the side member 3 or the side member 3 moves between the two substrates 1 and 2 and May be uneven at the center of the side surface of the. For example, in FIG. 9, the side member 3 is in a state of being retracted slightly inward from the outer peripheral edges of the two substrates 1 and 2. Even if the sealing member 6 is pressed against the side surface of such an envelope in a short time to perform sealing, the sealing glass 7 that does not have sufficient fluidity sufficiently penetrates into the uneven side surface of the envelope. Then, reliable sealing cannot be performed. However, excessive heating to impart sufficient fluidity to the seal glass 7 promotes foaming of gas components and moisture contained in the seal glass 7 and lowers the degree of vacuum in the resulting envelope. . In addition, there is a high possibility that airtightness will be broken at the portion of the seal glass 7, and a reliable airtight container will not be used, so that it cannot be adopted.

According to the present invention, in a hermetic container having a structure in which a plurality of members are sealed with a seal glass and an exhaust hole opened on a side surface is sealed with a sealing member, the sealed state of the exhaust hole is ensured. The purpose is to improve reliability.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an airtight container, wherein a plurality of substrates (anode substrate 1, cathode A substrate (2), a side member (3) provided between each outer edge of each of the substrates and constituting a side surface of the hermetic container together with each outer edge of each substrate, and the airtight formed on the side member. An intermediate member (11) having an exhaust hole (5) for communicating the inside and the outside of the container with each other, a through hole (12) airtightly attached to a side surface of the airtight container, and communicating with the exhaust hole, and the intermediate member And a sealing member (6) for sealing the through hole.

The airtight container according to a second aspect of the present invention is a hermetic container which is sealed in a vacuum state, wherein the first substrate (anode substrate 1) and the first substrate are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. A facing second substrate (cathode substrate 2) is provided between each outer edge of the first substrate and each outer edge of the second substrate, and forms a side surface of the hermetic container together with each outer edge of both substrates. A side member (3), and an exhaust hole (5) formed in the side member and communicating between the inside and the outside of the hermetic container.
An intermediate member (11) which is hermetically attached to a side surface of the airtight container and has a through hole communicating with the exhaust hole, and a sealing member (6) for sealing the through hole (12) of the intermediate member. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing an airtight container comprising a plurality of members sealed with a sealing glass (7) and having an exhaust hole (5) formed on a side surface. An intermediate member (11) provided with a through hole (12) communicating with the exhaust hole is sealed to a side surface of the hermetic container via an inert glass atmosphere through a seal glass, and the intermediate member sealed above is sealed. It is characterized in that the airtight container and the sealing member (6) for sealing the through hole of the intermediate member are sealed in a vacuum atmosphere via a sealing glass.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This example uses an electroluminescent device (FieldEmissi), which is an airtight container whose inside is in a high vacuum state.
on Display, FED). In this airtight container, two insulating same-shaped plate members (anode substrate 1 and cathode substrate 2) face each other at a predetermined small interval, sandwich the side member 3 therebetween, and seal them with a sealing material (seal glass 7). And assembled into a thin panel.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are a front view and a bottom view of the envelope 10, respectively. The envelope 10 includes the anode substrate 1
And a cathode substrate 2. Although not shown, an anode having a phosphor is formed on the inner surface of the anode substrate 1, and a field emission element is formed on the inner surface of the cathode substrate 2. Both substrates have the same rectangular shape and face each other at a predetermined interval. A side member 3 is sandwiched between the outer edges of both substrates. The side surface member 3 is a frame-like body having a shape conforming to a rectangle which is the outer shape of both substrates, and a notch 4 is formed at a position corresponding to the center of one long side of the substrate.
The side member 3 is sealed with a seal glass 7 interposed between the two substrates. Therefore, the space inside the envelope 10 is
The notch 4 of the side member 3 communicates with the outside as an exhaust hole 5. Then, the exhaust hole 5 is sealed after exhausting the inside to a high vacuum state.

The sealing structure of the exhaust hole 5 will be described. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, an intermediate member 11 is sealed with a seal glass 7 on the side surface of the envelope 10 where the exhaust hole 5 is opened.
The intermediate member 11 has a through hole 12 having a shape and a size surrounding the exhaust hole 5.
In the shape of a square tube (or a square frame). The sealing member 6 (plate-like lid member) is sealed with the sealing glass 7 to the intermediate member 11 sealed on the side surface of the envelope 10, and the through hole 12 is closed.

The seal glass 7 is made of frit glass or the like.
%, About 25% TiO ₂ (lead oxide) sealing glass. In this component, titanium oxide as a filler may be changed to ZrO ₂ .

Next, in the manufacturing process of the FED, particularly, the sealing / sealing process of the envelope 10 will be described with reference to a sealing exhaust profile of FIG. First, the anode substrate 1
And the cathode substrate 2 with the side member 3 interposed therebetween, and temporarily fixed by holding means having elastic holding force. A seal glass 7 is provided between these members in advance.

The seal glass 7 is applied to one surface of the intermediate member 11 in advance and fired. The intermediate member 11 is attached to the side surface of the airtight container so that the through hole 12 communicates with the exhaust hole 5, and is temporarily fixed by holding means.

The intermediate member 11 to which the sealing member is sealed.
Is desirably as flat as possible. It is preferable that the surface on the side of the sealing member is not made into a matte state by a treatment such as blasting, and is prevented from being damaged as much as possible. This is the same for the sealing member 6.

The material of the intermediate member 11 may be metal or ceramic as long as it has the same coefficient of thermal expansion as the anode substrate 1 and the cathode substrate 2, and the material is not limited. For example, when borosilicate glass is used for the substrate, a suitable material for the intermediate member 11 is 42 alloy for metal and mullite for ceramic. When soda lime glass is used for the substrate, as the material of the intermediate member 11, a 42-6 alloy is suitable for metal, and forsterite is suitable for ceramic.

The two substrates 1 and 2 and the side member 3 are assembled and held via the seal glass 7, and the intermediate member 11 is further attached and held via the seal glass 7 and set in a vacuum chamber. I do. The vacuum chamber has a heating means, and can heat the stored articles. First, the inside of the chamber was
The temperature is raised to 00 ° C. and maintained for 30 minutes. 500 ° C. is a recommended working temperature of the sealing glass 7. (The recommended working temperature and softening temperature differ depending on the type (component) of the seal glass 7). Thereby, the seal glass 7 in all parts except the exhaust hole 5 is melted, and the side surface of the envelope 10 is sealed. The part is completed. The side surfaces of the intermediate member 11 and the envelope 10 are also sealed in this step. In this step, since the heating is performed in an inert gas atmosphere, the sealing glass 7 does not foam.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the intermediate member 11 is sealed on the side surface of the envelope 10. As described in the section of [Prior Art], at the time of sealing, the sealing glass 7 is softened and protrudes outward from between the two substrates and the side member 3, or between the two substrates. In some cases, unevenness may occur at the center of the side surface of the envelope 10 due to the movement.

However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the sealing glass 7 enters the portion (recess) into which the side member 3 is retracted, so that a highly airtight and reliable sealing is realized. Even when this becomes a protruding portion (convex portion), the sealing glass 7 similarly enters the two substrates 1 and 2 which have been relatively retracted, and a highly airtight and reliable sealing is realized.

As described above, the intermediate member 1 is provided on the side surface of the envelope 10.
1 was reliably sealed in an inert gas at 500 ° C.
It is considered that this is because the sealing glass 7 was melted at the recommended operating temperature, and a long time of 30 minutes was applied in a state of good fluidity.

As described in the section of [Prior Art], in the past, there was no intermediate member 11 and the sealing member was directly sealed on the side surface of the envelope 10. Since the work is performed at 450 ° C. lower than the recommended working temperature, the fluidity of the seal glass 7 is poor, the seal glass 7 does not enter the concave portion, and the working time is also required to avoid the adverse effects due to the foaming of the seal glass 7. Because it was only a few minutes, it was not possible to obtain reliable sealing as in this example.

Thereafter, the inside of the chamber is evacuated to a vacuum by a pump, and the inside of the envelope 10 is evacuated. During this evacuation step, the inside of the chamber is kept in a heated state at 350 ° C. 9
After a lapse of 0 minutes, the sealing member set in the chamber at a distance from the envelope 10 is heated by another heating means different from the one that heated the envelope 10. The material of the sealing member is the same as the material of the intermediate member 11. A sealing glass 7 is applied and baked on the sealing member in advance. As a result, the sealing member is partially heated to a temperature of 450 ° C. which is about 100 ° C. higher than the inside of the chamber or the envelope 10. The sealing glass 7 of the sealing member is melted, and the pressurizing jig provided inside the chamber is operated to press the intermediate member 11 on the side of the envelope 10 and the sealing member. 1
1 and the through hole 12 is closed. At this time, since the bonding surface of the intermediate member 11 is flat and has no damage, the sealing is reliable. Then, cool, take out from the chamber, and
Is completed.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this example, an electroluminescent element (Field Emission Discharge), which is an airtight container having a high vacuum inside.
play, FED). In this electroluminescent device, as shown in FIG. 6, one cathode substrate 2 is disposed between two anode substrates 1 and 1 which are insulating plates of the same shape, and these three substrates are finely divided. The side members 3 are sandwiched between them at predetermined intervals, sealed with a sealing glass 7 as a sealing material, and assembled into a thin panel. Field emission devices are formed on both surfaces of the intermediate cathode substrate 2, and anodes are formed on the inner surfaces of the anode substrates 1 and 1, respectively. Therefore, the electroluminescent device can display an image independently on both sides of the panel.

The structure of the side member 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment. The positions of the notches 4 and 4 of the two side members 3 and 3 coincide with each other, and the intermediate member 11 is sealed on the side surface of the envelope 10 corresponding to the position as shown in FIG. The structure and material of the intermediate member 11 are substantially the same as those of the first example. The sealing member 6 is sealed by the intermediate member 11 so that the through hole 1 is formed.
2 is closed. The assembling process is substantially the same as in the first example. According to this example, substantially the same effect as that of the first example can be obtained.

In each of the embodiments described above, the side member constituting the airtight container is a substantially frame-shaped plate member, but the seal glass itself may be used as the side member. In that case, mix spacers such as beads with seal glass,
The distance between the two substrates may be fixed by providing a support for supporting the two substrates inside the envelope.

[0028]

The airtight container of the present invention comprises a plurality of members sealed with a seal glass, and has a structure in which an exhaust hole opened on the side is sealed with a sealing member. Since an intermediate member having a through hole was provided therebetween and sealed with seal glass, sealing was ensured and airtightness was improved.

Further, according to the method for manufacturing an airtight container of the present invention, an intermediate member having a through hole communicating with the exhaust hole is sealed to a side surface of the airtight container via an sealing glass in an inert gas atmosphere. The hermetic container sealed with the intermediate member and the sealing member that seals the through hole of the intermediate member are sealed in a vacuum through a seal glass, so that the hermetic seal is manufactured. The reliability of the sealed portion of the container was improved, and the airtightness of the container was improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a first example of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a first example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a sealing portion by a sealing member in the first example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exhaust profile diagram in the manufacturing process of the first example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a second example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of a second example of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a conventional FED.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of a conventional FED.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a sealing portion by a sealing member in a conventional FED.

FIG. 10 is an exhaust profile diagram in manufacturing a conventional FED.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Anode substrate, 2 ... Cathode substrate, 3 ... Side member,
5 ... exhaust hole, 6 ... sealing member, 7 ... seal glass, 10 ...
An envelope, which is an airtight container, 11: intermediate member, 12: through hole.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01J 29/86 H01J 29/86 Z 31/12 31/12 CF term (Reference) 5C012 AA04 AA05 BC03 5C032 AA07 BB18 5C036 EE15 EE17 EE19 EF01 EF02 EF03 EF05 EF06 EF07 EF08 EG02 EG50 EH04 5C094 AA31 AA43 BA32 BA34 CA19 DA12 EB02 FA01 FA02 FB02 FB15 GB01 5G435 AA14 AA17 BB02 EE09 GG42 H

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An airtight container which is sealed in a vacuum state, wherein a plurality of substrates facing each other at a predetermined interval,
A side member that is provided between the outer edges of the substrates and forms a side surface of the hermetic container together with the outer edges of the substrates; and a side member that is formed on the side member to communicate the inside and the outside of the hermetic container. An airtight container having an exhaust hole, an intermediate member provided with a through hole that is airtightly attached to a side surface of the airtight container and communicates with the exhaust hole, and a sealing member that seals the through hole of the intermediate member. 2. An airtight container which is sealed in a vacuum state inside, wherein a first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate at a predetermined interval, and A side member that is provided between the outer edges of the second substrate and forms a side surface of the hermetic container together with the outer edges of the two substrates; and an inside and an outside of the hermetic container formed on the side member. An airtight container having an exhaust hole to be communicated with the airtight container, an intermediate member provided with a through hole airtightly attached to a side surface of the airtight container and communicating with the exhaust hole, and a sealing member sealing the through hole of the intermediate member. . 3. A method for manufacturing an airtight container comprising a plurality of members sealed with a seal glass and having an exhaust hole on a side surface, wherein the intermediate member having a through hole communicating with the exhaust hole is provided in the airtight container. Sealing in an inert gas atmosphere via a seal glass on the side surface of the airtight container with the intermediate member sealed therein and a sealing member for sealing the through hole of the intermediate member via a seal glass. Manufacturing method of an airtight container which is sealed in a vacuum atmosphere.