AC Plasma Display Panel Cells: Overview and Modeling

Plasma display panels (PDP's) are arrays of individually addressable microdischarges which produce uv radiation which is, in turn, converted to visible radiation by a phosphor. In ac plasma display panels the electrodes are coated with dielectrics, and discharges are initiated and extinguished on each half cycle as the dielectric surfaces become charged. Typical discharge conditions are 50 kHz, 500 torr, 9010a 100 micron gap spacing, and the microdischarges in PDP's are thus transient glow discharges (pd ( 5 torr cm). We have developed models (refs. 1,2) to study the effects of changing discharge conditions on the characteristics of individual discharges and the effects of the geometry on the electrical and optical cross talk between discharges in neighboring cells2. An overview of the principles of ac PDP's will be presented with particular emphasis on the trade-offs which must be made in order to optimize several parameters at once. Results from the 2-D model calculations will be presented to show the characteristics of PDP cells in complex geometries. 1. J. Meunier, P. Belenguer and J.P. Boeuf, J Appl Phys 78 731 (1995). 2. J.P. Boeuf and L.C. Pitchford, IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 24 95 (1996).