Electric lamp and discharge devices – With getter
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-01
2001-02-20
Patel, Ashok (Department: 2879)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With getter
C313S562000, C313S560000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06191529
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas discharge display apparatus, and in particular to an apparatus for removing impure gases from a gas discharge display apparatus which makes it possible to continuously remove impure gases which are continuously generated in the interior of the apparatus during a fabrication of a display apparatus capable of displaying a certain image based on a gas discharge.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrates an example of a PDP(Plasma Display Panel) which is one of a conventional gas discharge display apparatus.
As shown therein, the PDP is formed of a structure in which two substrates, namely, a front substrate
1
and a back substrate
2
which are installed at a certain interval therebetween for displaying a certain image based on a gas discharge. The two substrates
1
and
2
are bonded using a frit sealant after a predetermined number of elements are installed on the front and back substrates
1
and
2
, and then a gas exhalation and vacuum process are sequentially performed for thereby completing a fabrication of the PDP.
With the thusly constituted structure, when a power is applied to the PDP system, the movements of the electrons in discharge cells are accelerated by a driving voltage applied thereinto, and then the electrons collide with an inactive gas filled at a pressure of 300~700 Torr. At this time, as the inactive gas is excited, an ultraviolet ray of 147 nm is generated. The thusly generated ultraviolet ray collides with a fluorescent material in a discharge space for thereby emitting a visible ray, thus implementing a certain color image at an image effective portion “a”.
In the conventional PDP, the inner space formed between the front and back substrates into which a combined gas is supplied must have a vacuum state of 10
−6
~10
−8
for thereby implementing a certain operation of the PDP system.
The above-described vacuum state is implemented by removing an impure gas existing in the interior of the system and then filling a combined gas thereinto. Thereafter, the sealing process is performed. In order to implement the above-described processes, it takes about 10~20 hours. Therefore, the fabrication time is increased for thereby decreasing the productivity.
In addition, after implementing a vacuum state based on the sealing process, a certain impure gas is continuously generated in the interior of the system during the operation of the PDP system, so that the vacuum characteristic is decreased. The above-described problem may cause a discharge error and discharge voltage increase between the electrodes.
In order to overcome the above-described problems, a getter structure is disclosed for a second flexing process after a first vacuum process is performed. Namely, a getter may be installed in a getter space formed at an upper portion of a ventilation tube inserted into a hole formed at a substrate for implementing a ventilation/vacuum operation, and a sheet getter which is more easily attachable may be attached at an outer side of an image effective portion “a” in the vacuum space between the front and back substrates for thereby removing an inner impure materials.
However, in the above-described getter structure, when mounting the getter in the getter space formed at an upper portion of the ventilation tube, a certain heat must be transferred to the getter before the substrates are sealed for thereby scattering of the getter, so that it is impossible to remove the impure gases generated in the interior of the PDP system after the system is sealed.
In addition, in the case that a sheet getter is provided in the vacuum space, it is impossible to transfer a certain heat in order to scatter the getter. Even when the getter is scattered, a getter material may be scattered to the image effective portions on which an image is displayed, so that the effective screen of the front substrate
1
may be damaged.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for continuously removing impure gases which are generated in the interior of a system by effectively scattering a getter material provided in a vacuum after a gas discharge display apparatus is sealed and during an operation of a display apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for removing impure gases from a gas discharge display apparatus which is capable of enhancing an image characteristic by preventing a getter material from being scattered toward an image display surface.
To achieve the above object, there is provided an impure gas removing apparatus for a gas discharge display apparatus which includes a getter engaged at an outer portion of an image effective portion of the vacuum space for absorbing an impure gas, and a blocking wall for preventing the getter from being scattered toward the image effective portion in a gas discharge display apparatus in which a certain space is formed between a pair of substrates, and the substrates are sealed by a sealant, and a combined gas which is used for an electrode discharge is filled into a vacuum space formed between the substrates after an impure gas is exhausted therefrom by a ventilation/vacuum process.
Preferably, the getter contacts with an electrode to implement an activation and scattering operation when an external voltage is applied.
The getter is attached on one side of the substrate in a sheet shape.
The blocking wall is formed at the image effective portion and is formed of the same material as a partition formed to separate discharge pixels.
The blocking wall has the same height as a distance between the front and back substrates and is closely attached to each of the front and back substrates.
The blocking wall has a height smaller than a distance between the front and back substrates and is a fixed to one side of the substrates.
Additional advantages, objects and features of the invention will become more apparent from the description which follows.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3947713 (1976-03-01), Przyblek
patent: 4072975 (1978-02-01), Ishitani
patent: 5977706 (1999-11-01), Cho et al.
Fleshner & Kim LLP
LG Electronics Inc.
Patel Ashok
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