Highly-efficient electron-emitting device and image display apparatus having a substrate with a distribution of nitrogen containing ratio

An electron-emitting device comprising at least:

• a pair of device electrodes formed on a substrate;
• and
• an electroconductive film formed on the substrate so as to connect the device electrodes, wherein
• the electroconductive film has a first gap between the device electrodes and has a carbon film having a second gap at least in the first gap,
• the substrate is constructed by stacking a base, an activation suppressing layer containing nitrogen, and an activation accelerating layer whose nitrogen containing ratio is smaller than that of the activation suppressing layer, in order,
• the pair of device electrodes and the electroconductive film are disposed on the activation accelerating layer,
• the substrate has distribution of the nitrogen containing ratio in the activation suppressing layer in a film thickness direction, and
• the nitrogen containing ratio of the activation suppressing layer at the activation accelerating layer side is smaller than that at the base side.