KR20010083316A - Method for injecting the plasma discharge gas into the apparatus of plasma display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A method is provided to manufacture a high quality plasma display panel with an improved luminance by rapidly exhausting impurity gas and maintaining sufficient vacuum level, while lengthening useful life of the product. CONSTITUTION: A method comprises the first step of depositing a frit glass(20) so as to seal and mount an exhaust pipe(26) for exhausting impurity gas from the plasma display panel and injecting discharging gas, and the first substrate(11) and the second substrate(12) with predetermined structures for displaying image by utilizing a gas discharge phenomenon; the second step of forming a panel assembly(100) by allowing the first substrate and the second substrate to be spaced apart from each other by using a spacer(40) arranged between two jigs(31,32), and fixing first and second substrates to jigs through a coupling member; the third step of inserting the panel assembly into a mount chamber(300), and performing exhaust operation for the mount chamber at a predetermined temperature; the fourth step of raising the temperature of the mount chamber, and sealing and mounting first and second substrates; the fifth step of inserting the panel assembly into a chamber under the atmosphere of rare gases, and exhausting gas from the interior of the panel assembly through the exhaust pipe; and the sixth step of injecting discharging gas, at a predetermined pressure, into the panel assembly through the exhaust pipe and sealing the panel assembly.

Description

Method for injecting the plasma discharge gas into the apparatus of plasma display panel

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a method of injecting a plasma discharge gas into the plasma display panel.

In general, a plasma display panel is used to display an image using a gas discharge phenomenon, and is excellent in various display capacities such as display capacity, brightness, contrast, afterimage, viewing angle, and the like, and has been spotlighted as a device that can replace a CRT. In such a plasma display device, a discharge is generated in a gas between the electrodes by a direct current or an alternating voltage applied to the electrode, and the phosphor emits light by exciting the phosphor by radiation of ultraviolet rays.

FIG. 1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a panel of a typical AC plasma display panel.

Referring to the drawings, the plasma display panel 10 includes a transparent front substrate 11 and a back substrate 12 such as glass. On the front substrate 11, a strip-shaped sustain electrode 13a and a bus electrode 13c are formed, and a dielectric layer 14 and a protective layer 15 are sequentially stacked thereon. On the back substrate 12, a strip-shaped address electrode 13b, a dielectric layer 14 ', a partition 17, and a phosphor layer 18 are formed. When the substrates 11 and 12 are assembled, the sustain electrode 13a and the address electrode 13b are perpendicular to each other, and the discharge space 19 is formed by the partition wall 17. In the discharge space 9, an inert gas such as argon is filled as a discharge gas.

The operation of the plasma display device having such a configuration will be briefly described as follows.

When a predetermined voltage called a trigger voltage is applied to the electrodes 13a and 13b, positive ions are stored in the dielectric layer 14 by the trigger voltage. When the trigger voltage exceeds the threshold voltage, the argon gas or the like charged in the cell 19 becomes a plasma state and can maintain a stable discharge state between the electrodes. In the stable discharge state, light in the ultraviolet region collides with the phosphor 18 in the discharge light to emit light, so that each pixel formed for each cell 19 can display an image.

In the plasma display panel having such a structure, the sealing and evacuation processes are as follows.

The front substrate and the rear substrates 11 and 12 apply a frit material to a predetermined thickness on the outer circumferential portion thereof and heat seal the same.

After the panel 10 is sealed, the space inside the panel is filled with air, and thus air must be replaced with an appropriate discharge gas that can completely discharge the air to increase the efficiency of discharge. In the conventional case as such an exhaust process, it simply consists of a process of heating and exhausting. By the way, since the width and height of the discharge space 19 inside the panel form an area of tens to hundreds of micrometers (μm), that is, a narrow area substantially close to the capillary tube, it takes considerable time to achieve sufficient vacuum degree. . At this time, if a considerable time is required for more than a few days, the delay of the exhaust time causes a great obstacle to the progress of the manufacturing process of the panel.

When the discharge gas is injected while the air in the discharge space 19 of the panel 10 is not sufficiently exhausted, a large amount of gas such as moisture, oxygen, or hydrogen is present, and the discharge start request is required when the discharge starts. The voltage rises, the discharge is inhibited, and sufficient ultraviolet rays cannot be generated. This decreases the number of ultraviolet rays that reach the phosphor, so that the brightness is lowered, the efficiency is lowered, and the panel itself may be impossible to turn on.

Furthermore, since the materials of the phosphor layer, the partition wall, and the protective film layer exposed to the discharge space in the panel 10 are made of a material that adsorbs or combines a large amount of gas, the lamp is started by encapsulating the discharge gas in the panel and then starting lighting discharge. This will release a large amount of gas and other foreign matter from the inner wall. As a result, the inside of the panel is contaminated again, and these impurity gases reduce the characteristics of the panel, that is, brightness and efficiency, and shorten the lifetime.

In order to overcome the drawbacks of the exhaust, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-251839, in order to seal between the upper and lower panels of the panel, additional fritted glass material is applied, and the substrates of the upper and lower panels are assembled at a predetermined interval, and then, in a high temperature vacuum state. After exhausting, a method is disclosed in which the frit glass material is melted to seal the panel by increasing the temperature again. However, in this case, the amount of frit glass material is increased so that the periphery of the panel is contaminated with the frit glass material to leave the spread marks. do. In addition, if the area of such an area becomes larger, it affects the image realization part in the panel, and in order to further apply frit glass, a process time that requires two times of frit plasticity processing must be performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a method of injecting plasma discharge gas of a plasma display panel to quickly and easily exhaust the impurity gas inside the plasma display panel to achieve the gas purity in the display panel quickly. will be.

1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a typical plasma display panel.

2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a panel assembly before sealing and evacuating a plasma display panel according to the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the panel assembly according to the present invention is inserted into the sealing path and sealed.

4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which exhaust and discharge gas are injected in a room of a rare gas atmosphere after the panel assembly according to the present invention is sealed.

<Brief Description of Major Codes in Drawings>

11.12 Substrates 13a and 13b Electrodes

14,14 '. Dielectric Layer 15 Protective Layer

17. Bulkhead 20. Frit Glass

25. Exhaust hole 26. Exhaust pipe

31,32. Jig 40. spacer

100, panel assembly 200. sealing chamber

230,330. Vacuum pumps 221,321,322. valve

310. Exhaust head

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a plasma discharge gas injection method of a plasma display panel includes: an exhaust pipe for exhausting impurity gas inside the plasma display panel and injecting discharge gas, and for displaying an image using a gas discharge phenomenon Applying frit glass to seal the first substrate and the second substrate having a predetermined structure; The first substrate and the second substrate are spaced at a predetermined interval by using a spacer having a predetermined shape that can be melted at the sealing temperature of the panel between two jigs, and the first and second substrates are spaced apart from each other. Assembling the panel assembly by fixing with restraining fixtures that can be pressed against each other; Inserting the panel assembly into a sealed sealing chamber and evacuating the sealing chamber at a predetermined temperature: sealing the first substrate and the second substrate by raising the sealing chamber to a predetermined sealing temperature; Inserting the panel assembly into a room of a rare gas atmosphere to exhaust the internal gas of the panel assembly through the exhaust pipe; And injecting and encapsulating a discharge gas into the panel assembly through the exhaust pipe at a predetermined pressure.

Furthermore, the method may further include removing a spacer, an upper jig, and a lower jig from the panel assembly. Further, an additional material that is not melted at a temperature of 430 ° C. to 450 ° C. or more may be disposed on the contact surface of the spacer and the jig. can do. Here, the additional material may be a material that does not melt at the sealing temperature, and may be a material of glass. Further, the sum of the height of the jig in contact with the additional material and the additional material is preferably smaller than the thickness of the substrate in contact with the jig. Moreover, it is preferable that the height of each said jig is smaller than the thickness of the said 1st board | substrate and the said 2nd board | substrate.

In addition, the spacer may be a material meltable at 430 ° C. or higher, and may use the same material as that of the pleated glass.

Furthermore, the spacer and the jig may be softened at 430 ° C. to 450 ° C. or more, and may use materials that do not adhere to each other.

Hereinafter, a method of injecting plasma discharge gas of a plasma display panel according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of sealing and exhaust revolving of the plasma display panel, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which a panel assembly before sealing of the plasma display panel is inserted into the sealing path, and FIG. 4 is sealing of the panel. After the rare gas atmosphere is inserted into the room is shown. Here, the same reference numerals as the drawings shown above indicate the same member having the same function.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first substrate and the second substrate, each of which is made of a transparent material such as glass and are separated from each other at a predetermined distance before sealing exhaust. The first substrate and the second substrate are relative, and for convenience of installation, the first substrate is referred to as the front substrate 11 and the second substrate is referred to as the back substrate 12.

On the front substrate 11, a sustain electrode 13a, a dielectric layer 14, and a protective layer 15 such as an MgO film are formed.

An address electrode (not shown), a dielectric layer 14 ′, a partition wall 17, and the like are formed on the rear substrate 12. The inner edges of the back substrate 12 are melted during the subsequent heat sealing process so that the substrates 11 and 12 are mutually connected. In order to be fused, frit glass 20 such as low melting glass is applied by a printing method or the like. Although the frit glass 20 is applied to the rear substrate 12 in the drawing, the frit glass 20 may be applied to the edge of the front substrate 11. In addition, a predetermined exhaust hole 25 is formed inside the rear substrate 12 to which the frit glass 20 is coated. The exhaust hole 25 is for exhausting the inside of the panel, which is a closed space formed by the substrates 11 and 12 and the frit glass 20 and encapsulating the exhaust pipe 26 such as a glass tube after the discharge gas is injected. It is closed through.

The front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance using a predetermined jig and a spacer.

There may be various aspects of the spaced apart state using the jig and the spacer, but will be described as an example.

The front substrate 11 having the discharge sustaining electrode 13a or the like formed on the center of the lower jig 32 is disposed, the spacer 40 is disposed on the periphery thereof, and the upper jig 31 is disposed thereon. The peripheral portion of the rear substrate 17 on which the partition wall 17 and the like are formed is disposed on the upper jig 31. Here, the periphery of the back substrate 17 refers to an outer portion thereof based on the frit glass 20 applied to the back substrate 17. "Upper" and "lower" are not used in an absolute sense, and therefore should be interpreted in a relative sense in that sense.

The height (a) of the jig (31, 32) is made smaller than the thickness (b) of the substrate (11, 12) so that the panel can be completely adhered. In addition, the height c of the frit glass 20 is made larger than the height d of the partition wall 17.

The spacer 40 uses a material that can be sufficiently melted at the sealing temperature of the panel so that its height h can be adjusted. As the material of the spacer 40, a material meltable at 430 ° C. to 450 ° C. may be used, and the same material as that of the frit glass 20 may be used.

After completion of the sealing process described later, in order to remove the jig 31 and 32 and the spacer 40 smoothly, the contact surface between the spacer 40 and the jig 31 and 32 is melted at a temperature of 400 ° C to 450 ° C. Material that is not used, for example, glass material. Here, the sum of the heights of the jig 31, 32 and the height of the material is made lower than the thickness of the substrate 11, 12.

In addition, the spacer 40 and the jig 31 and 32 may be made of a material that can be softened at a temperature of 430 ° C to 450 ° C or higher, but which is not bonded to each other.

Then, the panel and the jig are assembled using a restraining jig that can press the substrate 11 and 12 against each other, such as a clip (not shown), so that the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 are assembled. The panel assembly 100 is assembled by installing the exhaust pipe 26 at a portion of the substrate 12 on which the exhaust hole 25 is formed so as to be fixed at a predetermined interval.

The fixing state by the clip is continued until the frit glass 20 bonds the substrates 11 and 12 to each other through the sealing process, and the pressure of the clip presses the substrates 11 and 12 against each other during the sealing process. It will play a role.

The panel assembly assembled as described above is moved to the sealing chamber to seal sealing exhaust and discharge gas.

Such a sealing chamber can be used without limitation as long as it is a device that can be commonly used in the art. By installing a vacuum pump device or a gas injection device, it is possible to vacuum or inject gas as necessary, and to vacuum and inject gas. Apart from or in conjunction with this, the inside of the panel can be evacuated and gas injected through the exhaust pipe of the panel.

Referring to FIG. 3, the sealing chamber 200 is a space in which airtightness is maintained, and a predetermined heater 201 is installed to heat the panel assembly 100. The sealing chamber 200 is connected to the vacuum pump 230 through a pipe 211 and a valve 221.

Referring to the process of the exhaust and sealing as an example according to the present invention according to such a configuration as follows.

First, the exhaust of the sealing chamber in which the panel assembly 100 is accommodated is performed.

The inside of the sealing chamber is heated by the heater 201 so as to maintain a predetermined temperature for exhausting, for example, 300 ° C. or more, and drives the vacuum pump 230 in an open state by adjusting the valve 221. Accordingly, the exhaust gas is exhausted from the sealing chamber, and the exhaust gas may be rapidly exhausted even inside the panel assembly 100, that is, between the front substrate 11 and the rear substrate 12 spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the spacer 40. have.

Then, after sufficient exhaust is performed in the sealing chamber 200, a sealing chamber is heated up to sealing temperature using a heater. That is, when the temperature of the sealing chamber rises to the high temperature of 400 degreeC-450 degreeC or more, melting of the frit glass 20 will begin. In addition, since the material of the spacer 40 uses a material that can be sufficiently melted at the sealing temperature of the panel, the spacer 40 is also melted at the sealing temperature.

When the spacer 40 and the fritted glass 20 are melted, the substrates 11 and 12 are fused by the pressure of the clip to seal the panel. At this time, the fritted glass 20 becomes slightly thinner than its initial thickness when melted and fused, so that the partition wall 17 may be in close contact with the inner surface of the opposing substrate.

Then, it cools until the temperature of a sealing chamber reaches a normal temperature area | region.

Next, the panel assembly 100 is moved to a room of a rare gas atmosphere, and then vacuum exhaust and discharge gas are injected.

As shown in FIG. 3, the room 300 of the rare gas atmosphere is filled with a rare gas, that is, a gas such as neon, argon, helium, and the like at normal pressure, and for this purpose, a vacuum pump device (not shown) or a rare gas injection device (not shown). May be installed. An exhaust head 310 is installed in the room 300 of the gas atmosphere, and is connected to the vacuum pump 330 and the gas injection device 340 through a pipe 311 and valves 321 and 322.

When the sealed panel assembly 100 is inserted into the room of the rare gas atmosphere, the exhaust pipe 26 is connected to the exhaust head 310 and the exhaust head 310 is connected to the pipe 311.

After the panel assembly 100 is connected to the exhaust head 26, the valve 321 is opened to drive the vacuum pump 330 to evacuate to a predetermined pressure, for example, 10 XE (-6) torr. .

After exhaust of the panel assembly 100 is performed, the second valve 321 is closed and the third valve 322 is opened, and neon, argon, xenon, and the like are discharged from the gas injection device 340 through the exhaust head 31. Discharge gas is injected at a predetermined pressure of about 10 to 760 Torr.

After the discharge gas is injected, the panel is encapsulated.

The encapsulation operation is performed by melting and compressing an exhaust pipe 26 made of glass or the like using a plasma burner or a heat transfer device.

After the sealing operation is completed, the jig (31, 32) installed between the front substrate and the rear substrate is separated and removed.

According to the method of manufacturing a plasma display panel according to the present invention, the plasma display panel can be quickly discharged with impurity gas and maintains a sufficient degree of vacuum so that a high quality plasma display panel can be manufactured and its brightness is improved and the The service life can be extended, and the productivity can be improved.

Claims (9)

Frit glass is used to seal the first substrate and the second substrate having a predetermined structure for displaying an image by using an exhaust pipe for exhausting impurity gas inside the plasma display panel and injecting discharge gas and a gas discharge phenomenon. Applying; The first substrate and the second substrate are spaced at a predetermined interval by using a spacer having a predetermined shape that can be melted at the sealing temperature of the panel between two jigs, and the first and second substrates are spaced apart from each other. Assembling the panel assembly by fixing with restraining fixtures that can be pressed against each other; Inserting the panel assembly into a sealed sealing chamber to exhaust the sealing chamber at a predetermined temperature: Sealing the first substrate and the second substrate by raising the sealing chamber to a predetermined sealing temperature; Inserting the panel assembly into a room of a rare gas atmosphere to exhaust the internal gas of the panel assembly through the exhaust pipe; And injecting and encapsulating a discharge gas into the panel assembly at a predetermined pressure through the exhaust pipe, wherein the discharge gas is injected into the panel assembly. The method of claim 1, And removing the spacer, the upper jig, and the lower jig from the panel assembly. The plasma discharge gas injection method of the plasma display panel, characterized in that an additional material which is not melted at a temperature of 430 ℃ to 450 ℃ or more disposed on the contact surface of the spacer and the jig. The method of claim 2, And the additional material is a material that does not melt at the sealing temperature. The method of claim 2, And said additional material is a material of glass. The method of claim 4, wherein The sum of the height of the jig in contact with the additional material and the additional material is less than the thickness of the substrate in contact with the jig. The method according to claim 1 or 4, The height of each jig is smaller than the thickness of the first substrate and the second substrate, plasma injection gas injection method of the plasma display panel. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 4, The spacer is a plasma discharge gas injection method of the plasma display panel, characterized in that using a meltable material above 430 ℃. The method of claim 7, And the spacer is made of the same material as the pleated glass. The method according to claim 1, 2 or 4, The spacer and the jig is softening at 430 ℃ to 450 ℃ or more, the plasma discharge gas injection method of the plasma display panel, characterized in that using a material that does not adhere to each other.