Electric lamp and discharge devices – With gas or vapor – Three or more electrode discharge device
Reexamination Certificate
2001-02-05
2003-09-02
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With gas or vapor
Three or more electrode discharge device
C313S585000, C313S587000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06614183
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a structure of a surface discharge scheme AC type plasma display panel, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years, a plasma display panel of a surface discharge scheme AC type as an oversize and slim display for color screen has been received attention, which is becoming widely available.
FIG. 27
is a schematically front view illustrating a cell structure of a conventional surface discharge scheme AC type plasma display panel.
FIG. 28
is a sectional view taken along the V—V line of FIG.
27
.
FIG. 29
is a sectional view taken along the W—W line of FIG.
27
.
In
FIGS. 27
to
29
, on the backside of a front glass substrate
1
to serve as a display surface of the plasma display panel, there is sequentially provided with a plurality of row electrode pairs (X′, Y′); a dielectric layer
2
overlaying the row electrode pairs (X′, Y′); and a protective layer
3
made of MgO which overlays a backside of the dielectric layer
2
.
The row electrodes X′ and Y′ are respectively comprised of wider transparent electrodes Xa′ and Ya′ each of which is formed of a transparent conductive film made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or the like, and narrower bus electrodes Xb′ and Yb′ each of which is formed of a metal film complementary to conductivity of the transparent electrode.
The row electrodes X′ and Y′ are arranged opposing each other with a discharge gap g′ in between, and alternate in the column direction such that each row electrode pair (X′, Y′) forms a display line (row) L on a matrix display.
A back glass substrate
4
faces the front glass substrate
1
with a discharge space S′, filled with a discharge gas, in between. The back glass substrate
4
is provided with a plurality of column electrodes D′ arranged to extend in a direction perpendicular to the row electrode pairs X′ and Y′; band-shaped partition walls
5
each extending between the adjacent column electrodes D′ in parallel; and a phosphor layer
6
consisting of a red phosphor layer
6
(R), green phosphor layer
6
(G) and blue phosphor layer
6
(B) which respectively overlay side faces of the partition walls
5
and the column electrodes D′.
In each display line L, the partition wall
5
defines discharge cells C′, each forming a unit light emitting area, at respective areas of the discharge space S′ in which the column electrode D′ and the row electrode pair (X′, Y′) intersect.
In the above surface discharge scheme AC type plasma display panel, an image is displayed as follows:
First, through addressing operation, opposite discharge is caused selectively between the row electrode pairs (X′, Y′) and the column electrodes D′ in the respective discharge cells C′, to scatter lighted cells (the discharge cell in which wall charge is formed on the dielectric layer
2
) and nonlighted cells (the discharge cell in which wall charge is not formed on the dielectric layer
2
), over the panel in accordance with the image to be displayed.
After the addressing operation, in all the display lines L, discharge sustain pulses are applied alternately to the row electrode pairs (X′, Y′) in unison, and thus surface discharge is produced in the lighted cells on every application of the discharge sustain pulse.
In this manner, the surface discharge in each lighted cell generates ultraviolet radiation, and thus the red phosphor layer
6
(R) and/or the green phosphor layer
6
(G) and/or the blue phosphor layer
6
(B) each formed in the discharge cell C′ are excited to emit light, resulting in forming the display image.
Such a conventional surface discharge scheme AC type plasma display panel has a disadvantage in which contrast on a screen formed on the plasma display panel is decreased, because of that, in each area between the back-to-back bus electrodes Xb′ and Yb′ serving as a non-display line, incoming ambient light is reflected off by the phosphor layer
6
formed on the back glass substrate
4
.
Hence, the applicant of the present invention has suggested an alternative plasma display panel capable of improving contrast. The improvement of contrast is accomplished by forming a black or dark-brown band-shaped light-shield layer
7
extending along the row direction between bus electrodes Xb′ and Yb′ arranged back to back on a dielectric layer
2
so as to prevent the reflection of ambient light from the non-display lines.
However, the light-shield layer
7
formed by a printing technique has a disadvantage on the pattern precision and has not yet completely prevented the reflection of the ambient light.
Therefore, the further improvement of contrast has been desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional disadvantage in the surface discharge scheme AC type plasma display panel.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel which is capable of further improving contrast on a screen formed on the plasma display panel to display high quality images.
Further, it is a second object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel capable of further improving contrast on a screen formed on the plasma display panel to display high quality images.
To attain the above first object, a plasma display panel according to a first invention includes a plurality of row electrode pairs extending in a row direction and arranged in a column direction to form display lines on a backside of a front substrate, and a plurality of column electrodes extending in the column direction and arranged in the row direction to constitute unit light emitting areas at respective positions corresponding to the intersections of the column electrodes and the row electrode pairs in a discharge space on a surface of a back substrate facing the front substrate with a discharge space in between, in which each row electrode of the row electrode pair is made up of transparent electrodes, each formed opposite to the corresponding transparent electrode via a predetermined discharge gap, and a bus electrode which extends in the row direction and is connected ends of the transparent electrodes situated opposite to the discharge gap. Such plasma display panel features in that a light-shield layer is formed at least on a portion between the two back-to-back bus electrodes of the adjacent row electrode pairs in the row direction and on required portions in proximity to the sides of the bus electrodes each connected to the transparent electrode, on the backside of the front substrate.
The plasma display panel according to the first invention is designed to form the display images by means of the opposing discharge selectively caused between the transparent electrode of each row electrode and the corresponding column electrode and the surface discharge caused between the transparent electrodes through the discharge gap in each row electrode pair. The light-shield layer which is black, dark brown or the like in color absorbing light overlays each portion between the two back-to-back bus electrodes which serves as a non-display line during the formation of images, and each required portion of the proximal ends of the transparent electrodes. At these proximal ends, the discharge light emission is low due to the increased distance from the discharge gap in which the surface discharge is caused.
In consequence, according to the first invention, the light-shield layer absorbs ambient light incident from the display surface of the front substrate directed toward the non-display area for images not to permit the reflection of ambient light. This improves the contrast on the screen. Further, the light-shield layer is also formed on the required portion in proximity to the connection of the bus electrode to the transparent electr
Adachihara Hiroshi
Amemiya Kimio
Komaki Toshihiro
Masuda Kohsuke
Matsuda Shin
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
O'Shea Sandra
Pioneer Corporation
Truong Bao
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