IL35259A - Gas discharge display device - Google Patents

Description

OAS DISCHARGE DISPLAY DEVICE 0Λ0 DIQGΪΙΛRGE—PAMELu.

The present invention relates to gaseous discharge and/ or display/memory devices and is characterized in that a pair of elongated glass support plates are joined in spaced apart relation with the long axes transverse to each other, the latter edges in the long direction of each plate extending beyond the side edges of an opposing plate in the short direction of the plates. Conductor arrays on each of the plates having individual linear conductors parallel to the long axes of each plate, extending toward the ends of the lateral edges in alternate fashion to provide room to make electrical connection to the conductor arrays, respectively, alternate conductors being extended on alternate sides, beyond the seal joining the two plates in spaced apart relation and forming the edge walls of a thin gas discharge chamber. The conductors extending to the lateral edges may be oriented and grouped in any desired fashion so as to accommodate one or more circuit connectors much in the same fashion as edge connectors for printed circuit boards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features of the invention will be-come more apparent from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings wherein: FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a gas discharge panel incorporating the invention shown substantially to scale of a panel having about a four inch display area.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to Fig. 1, there is disclosed a gas discharge display and/or memory panel 10 constituted by a pair of thin dielectric films or coatings 15 and 16 over the conductor arrays 13 and 14, respectively. An endless seal-spacer member 17 spacedly joins the two plate members with long axes, respectively, of the plate members being at 90° to each other so that ends 12 U and 12 B of plate 12 extend beyond edges 11 U and 11 B of plate 11? and the edges 11 L and 11 R extend beyond the side edges 12 L and 12R of plate 12. The seal 17 forms with the opposing surfaces of dielectric coatings 15 and 16, respectively, the bounding walls of a thin gas discharge chamber in which is confined under pres-sure a gaseous discharge medium such as for example a mixture of neon and argon or a mixture of neon and nitrogen or any other gaseous mixture which is capable of being discharged on application of suitable potentials to selected conductors of the conductor array, and at the same time produce a copious supply of charges (ions and electrons) which are alternately collectible on the surfaces of dielectric members 15 and 16 at opposed or facing elemental or discrete areas defined by conductor matrix or non-gas contacting sides of the dielectric members. 'All of the electrically operative structural members such as dielectric coatings 15 and 16 and conductor arrays 13 and 14 as well as the thickness of the gas between the opposing or facing surfaces of dielectric coatings 15 and 16 are all relatively thin and the structure members per se are formed on and supported by the rigid non-conductive support members 11 and 12. Both of said support mem-bers or plates 11 and 12 are constituted by quarter inch thick commercially available polished plate glass, as for example commercially available soda lime glasses have been used. Conductors (usually gold, but not limited thereto) are printed on the plate members by silk screening process, photoetching or any other process for printing conductors or conductor arrays. (While panel 10 , shown, conductor arrays 13 are printed on 30 rail centers and conductor arrays 14 are printed on similar 30 mil centers so that in a four inch panel display area there are a total of some 17,000 discharge points in the panel, e.g. discrete discharge cross points defined by the crossing of one conductor array 14 and one conductor in conductor array 13. Thickness of the conductive material forming conductor arrays 13 and 14 is very small being in the order of a fraction of a mil thick (about .1 to .5 mil) and 2 to 6 mils wide. The thickness of dielectric layers or coatings 15 and 16 is likewise very small being usually below one to two mils thick. The spacing between the facing surfaces of the dielectric is likewise very small being of the order of under 10 mils thick and usually between about 4 and 6 mils and is determined by the spacer elements, shown as spacer rods 19, 20 and 21 and spacer-sealant 25 of Fig. 1. Other forms of spacers may be used, as for example, small bead spacers.

Because of the close spacing between the conductors of the arrays, it is difficult to make electrical connection to the ends of same without interfering with or making inadvertent electrical connection to adjacent conductors. In accordance with the invention, alternate conductors in conductor array 13 are extended toward the laterally extended end 11 R or side of plate 11 and alternate adjacent conductors in array 13 are extended to the laterally extended end 11 L of plate 11. While in Fig. 1 the' conductor ends are shown extending to the edges of the plates, it is to be understood that they may terminate short of the edges but beyond the ends of the alternate conductors . The identical conductor arrangement scheme is applied to conductor array 14 o plate 12 and, in fact except for gas filling tubulation 40 on plate 11, plate 12 is identical to plate 11. are divided into groups, e.g. 13 R-Gl, 13 R-G2, 13 L-Gl and 13 L-G2. In each conductor group, only one conductor is completely without angulation namely conductors 13 R-G1A, 13 R-G2B , 13 L-G1A and 13 L-G2B · the remaining conductors are angled at such amounts and direction so that each group is separated from each other. This permits use of separate edge connectors for the individual groups, much in the same fashion as is applied to edge connectors for printed circuit boards. In this connection it will be noted that the corner edges of each plate are bevelled as at B , which bevelling, in addition to removing sharp edges also facilitates, applying edge connector strips to the panel conductor groups .

Tubulation 40 is applied to plate 11 in a direction normal to the plane thereof by providing a counterbore 41 having a diameter to receive the end of tubulation 40. A smaller bore hole 42 completes communication to the thin gas chamber formed in the panel. A glass sealant 42 is applied about the perimeter of tubulation 40 to provide a hermetic seal. Tubulation 40 is used during vacuum back-out of the panel to remove contaminants and to admit the operating gas mixture after which it is tipped off in the manner shown.

The length of plate 11 is greater than its width and the length l>2 of plate 12 is greater than its width W2 , and the width W2 of plate 12 is less than the length of plate 11. While in a preferred embodiment, plates 11 and 12 have identical dimensions and long axes at 90° , resulting in a square gas discharge chamber and display area, it will be appreciated that this is not necessary. When W-^ and W2 are different, an elongated rectangular display area results and when the long axes are at transverse angles other than 90° (and riot parallel) , the or more gas chambers formed. For example, instead of a single plate 12, length of plate 11 may be extended to be a multiple of width W2 of plate 12 and a plurality of plates similar to plate 12 spacedly sealed to plate 11 to form a plurality of in-dividual discharge gas chambers, the conductor array 13 cooperating with a plurality of conductor arrays 14. Moreover the lateral ends 11 R and 11L, for example may be extended and the conductor ends angled 90° toward edge 11 B so that edge connection for array 13 may be applied to the panel on edge 11 B.

It will be noted that alternate conductor ends 30 not extended to the lateral edges of the panel do however, extend for a short distance beyond spacer sealant 25 and also beyond the edges of the dielectric coatings 15 and 16. Dielectric coatings 15 and 16 are solder glass materials that are screened on to the plates in the form of a glass frit which is cured in place.

Similarly, the spacer sealant 25 is a ceramic material applied after curing of dielectric coatings 15 and 16. After spacer sealant 25 is fired to cure same, the tubulation 35 applied, the entire assembly is annealed. Throughout the process and particu-larly during the curing of dielectric coatings 15 and 16, there is a possibility that one or more of lines of conductor in the array may open or acquire an abnormal resistance. Ends 30 are available for purposes of making electrical continuity tests and resistance measurements on the panel conductors after fabrica-tion is completed or at any stage in the manufacturing process following curing of dielectric coatings 15 and 16.

Claims (4)

* Claims;

1. A gas discharge display device having a first flat glass plate member , having a length and a width ¥^ , where is greater than ¥^ , a second flat glass plate member having a length and a width W^, where is greater than and is less than , a frst conductor array on said first plate member, alternate conductors of which extend toward the ateral ends, respectively, of its plate member whereby electrical connection can be made to alternate conductors at each lateral end of said first plate member a first thin dielectric coating on said conductors and plate of said first plate member, a second conductor array on said second plate member, alternate conductors of which extend toward the lateral ends, respectively, of its plate member whereby electrical connection can be made to alternate conductors at each lateral end of said second plate member a second thin dielectric coating on said conductors and plate of second plate member, spacer-sealant means joining said flat plates i spaced apart relation with the long axis of said plates, respectively, being transverse to each other to form a thin planar gas chamber of uniform dimension and under about 10 mils thick and the lateral ends of each plate member extending beyond the side edges of the other plate member, characterized in that said device is provided with a gas filling tubulation on said first flat plate such that said gas filling tubulation is normal to the plane of said thin planar gas chamber and characterized in that said spacer sealant is an endless-rib of glass sealingly bonded to said first and said second dielectric coatings.

2. The gas discharge display device defined in claim 3 and further characterized in that the said extended ends of said alternate conductors beyond said dielectric coatings are grouped, with the said extended ends of each group being angled, first, away from the said long axis and, then, parallel to said long axis. -

3. The device defined in claim 1, further characterized in that each said dielectric coating extends beyond said spacer sealant means and wherein the ends of alternate conductors not extended to the said lateral edges project at least beyond the said spacer-sealant means and said thin dielectric coating and are exposed to permit electrical continuity checks with respect to all conductors of said array after assembly of said device.

4. The device defined in claim 1 further characterized in that said first flat plate has a counterbore for receiving the end of the gas filling tubulation and a smaller bore extending communication with said thin gas chamber and in axial alignment with the gas passage in said gas filling tubulation, and a glass, sealant about the perimeter of said tubulation to provide a hermetic seal therefor* Aiiorne, °r Applicants