Method of manufacturing electron-emitting device, electron source and image-forming apparatus

A method of manufacturing an image-forming apparatus comprising the steps of:

• providing an electron source having a plurality of electron-emitting devices arranged on a substrate, each of the plurality of electron-emitting devices having an electroconductive thin film between a pair of electrodes;
• forming an electron-emitting region in the electroconductive thin film of each of the plurality of electron-emitting devices by performing the steps of:
• partially modifying the composition of the electroconductive thin film with a chemical change to make a region of the electroconductive thin film have a higher resistivity than a resistivity of other regions;
• and
• causing an electric current to run through the electroconductive thin film to form the electron-emitting region in the region having the higher resistivity.

A method of manufacturing an electron-emitting device comprising the steps of:

• providing a pair of electrodes and an electroconductive thin film arranged between the electrodes;
• and
• forming an electron-emitting region in the electroconductive thin film by performing the steps of:
• partially modifying the composition of the electroconductive thin film with a chemical change to make a region of the electroconductive thin film have a higher resistivity than a resistivity in other regions;
• and
• causing an electric current to run through said electroconductive thin film to form the electron-emitting region in the region having the higher resistivity.