1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film forming method suitable for forming a conductive film constituting a component of an electron emitting device etc., a method for forming such conductive film, and a producing method for an electron source substrate utilizing the same.
2. Related Background Art
The present applicant has proposed, as an easy and inexpensive producing method for a surface conduction electron emitting device, a method of applying a metal-containing solution in a liquid droplet state onto a substrate by an ink jet equipment thereby forming a pair of element electrodes and a conductive film positioned therebetween (see following document 1). Also the present applicant has proposed, applying the above-mentioned method, a producing method for an electron source substrate including plural electron emitting devices arranged in a matrix on a same substrate (see following document 2).
FIG. 10 shows an example of a producing process for an electron emitting device by an ink jet equipment, wherein shown are a substrate 1, device electrodes 2, 3, a conductive film 4, an electron emitting portion 8, an ink jet nozzle 12, and a liquid droplet 13. At first device electrodes 2, 3 are formed on a substrate 1 (FIG. 10A). Then a metal-containing solution is applied as a liquid droplet 13, from a nozzle 12 of an ink jet equipment, between the device electrodes 2 and 3 (FIG. 10B). Then the film of the metal-containing solution is calcined to form a conductive film 4 (FIG. 10C), which is subjected to an energizing process to form an electron emitting portion 8. Further, there is a proposal of a technique that, in a manufacturing of a color filter for use in an image display apparatus, corresponding to an interval between adjacent color filters, an ink jet head having a plurality of nozzles is inclined in applying a filter material therefrom (See following document 3).
Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H08-171850
Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-251665 (corresponding to EP 936652A)
Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-273868 (corresponding to EP 1225472A)
In the method described in the Patent Reference 2, an applying position of the liquid droplet is regulated by a relative displacement of the ink jet head with respect to the substrate, thereby avoiding a loss in the production yield. However, when the liquid droplets are simultaneously applied in plural positions utilizing an ink jet head constituted of a linear array of plural nozzles for the purpose of shortening a tact time, such method is unable to avoid a loss in the production yield in case the substrate is distorted in shape from a design value.