Patent ID: 7432883

Claim:
A manufacturing method for an electron source composed of a plurality of electron-emitting devices, each of which emits electrons from an electron-emitting member by applying a driving voltage between a cathode electrode having the electron-emitting member and a counter electrode disposed in opposition to the cathode electrode, the method comprising the steps of: (A) preparing a plurality of cathode electrodes each having an electron-emitting member, and a counter electrode opposed to the plurality of cathode electrodes; (B) increasing an applying voltage that is applied between the counter electrode and a first cathode electrode having the first electron-emitting member in the cathode electrodes, from a voltage level lower than a first voltage level which is a maximum voltage level the first cathode electrode has experienced, to a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level; (C) shifting a point where an inclination in an F-N plot of an electron-emitting characteristic of the first electron-emitting member changes from a point corresponding to the first voltage level to a point corresponding to the second voltage level so as to shift a voltage below which the first electron-emitting member is to be operated from the first voltage level to the second voltage level, as a result of increasing the applying voltage that is applied between the counter electrode and the first cathode electrode having the first electron-emitting member in the cathode electrodes from the voltage level lower than the first voltage level to the second voltage level; and (D) reducing a difference of (i) an electron-emitting characteristic of a second electron emitting member being operative to emit a relatively greater number of electrons when a predetermined voltage is applied between a second cathode electrode having the second electron-emitting member in the cathode electrodes and the counter electrode and (ii) the electron emitting characteristic of the first electron emitting member being operative to emit a relatively lesser number of electrons when the predetermined voltage is applied between the first cathode electrode and the counter electrode, as a result of increasing the applying voltage that is applied between the counter electrode and the first cathode electrode having the first electron-emitting member in the cathode electrodes from the voltage level lower than the first voltage level to the second voltage level.