Breakdown in a 3-Electrode AC Plasma Display Panel Cell

Breakdown in an AC Plasma Display Panel (PDP) cell depends upon the electrode geometry and voltages, the initial wall charge, secondary emission coefficient, and the gas pressure and composition. Secondary electrons, ejected by ion impact on a dielectric-coated cathode, accelerate in the strong fields of the cathode fall, generating an avalanche of ionization events. The ions generated accelerate toward the cathode, sustaining the secondary current. When the electric field gradient is large over an electron scattering mean free path, electrons are not tied to the field lines, resulting in a spatial distribution of ions returning to the cathode. In this work, we consider a simple 3 electrode structure with argon and neon-xenon gas mixtures. Using a Monte Carlo technique, the electron energy distribution function is mapped for the initial fields. An amplification factor can be defined along the secondary emitting surface. Coupled with the spatial distribution of the ion flux, this technique provides a description of the initation of the breakdown.