GB1399514A - Gas discharge display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

1399514 Gas discharge display panels INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP 17 Nov 1972 [30 Dec 1971] 53121/72 Heading H1D One layer 29 of two dielectric layers 27 and 29 covering the crossed electrode arrays 23 and 25 of a gas discharge display panel is coloured black so as to contrast with the light emitted by the discharges, the other layer 27 being transparent. Electrodes 23, 25 preferably of chromecopper-chrome but alternatively of tin oxide, gold, aluminium, copper or silver, either in the form of wires or formed by photo-etching, vacuum deposition or stencil screening on substrates 31 or 33 of soda-lime-silicate glass are covered with layers 27 and 29 of lead borosilicate glass. A blackening agent is incorporated in layer 29 by adding a small percentage (e.g. 2%) of a mixture of iron and cobalt oxides to the glass frit of the layer prior to firing. The resulting layer also reflects light. The surfaces of the layers 27 and 29 bounding the discharge space 45 are protected by a refractory coating (not shown) of MgO which also exhibits high secondary emission. Alternatively the MgO may be included in the glass composition. The discharge space 45 is filled with a mixture of neon and argon. The spacing between the layers 27 and 29 may be maintained by spacer rods of hard glass which may either be transparent or may conform in appearance with layer 29.