JP2007141856A - Plasma display panel and its driving method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plasma display panel in which a selective discharging for switching a discharging cell can be done in a higher speed and in a reduced voltage and a luminance at a time of displaying preferably a black color is controlled, and an image quality is improved. <P>SOLUTION: A setting of a voltage of a scanning pulse and a voltage of a high level data pulse is made as follows; in case a data pulse in a certain discharging cell is in a low level, namely, the discharging cell is in a state of 'unselected', a weak discharging 501 is generated in the discharging cell between a low resistance wiring 111b and a stepped part 203 on an electrode 210, and in case a data pulse in a certain discharging cell is in a high level, namely, the discharging cell is in a state of 'selected', a weak discharging 501 is generated just after the data pulse is impressed, and the above discharging spreads down to a lower side of a transparent electrode 111a to make a discharging 502. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma display panel used as a high-definition television, a wall-mounted television, and a display device such as a personal computer and a workstation as a flat panel display that can be easily increased in area. It relates to a display panel.

  A three-electrode surface discharge type AC light emitting plasma display panel (PDP) has the following structure. In addition, about the up-down direction in the following description, let the direction in which an electrode is formed be an upward direction on the basis of each glass substrate. 27A and 27B are diagrams showing a conventional plasma display panel, in which FIG. 27A is a diagram showing the arrangement of electrodes, and FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG.

  In the conventional plasma display panel, n scanning electrodes 111 and a common electrode 112 extending in the horizontal direction (first direction) are formed on the first glass substrate 101. The scanning electrode 111 includes a transparent electrode 111a and a low resistance wiring 111b formed so as to overlap with the transparent electrode 111a, and the sustain electrode 112 includes a transparent electrode 112a and a low resistance wiring 112b formed so as to overlap with the transparent electrode 112a. Yes. A surface discharge electrode 110 is constituted by the scanning electrode 111 and the common electrode 112. Furthermore, a dielectric layer 103 that covers the surface discharge electrode 110 is formed on the first glass substrate 101, and a protective film 104 is formed thereon. The low resistance wirings 111b and 112b are provided to reduce the line resistance of the scan electrode 111 and the sustain electrode 112.

  The front substrate 1 is comprised from these.

  On the second glass substrate 201 facing the first glass substrate 101, (3 × m) data electrodes 210 extending in a direction orthogonal to the surface discharge electrode 110 are formed. On the second glass substrate 201, a dielectric layer 205 covering the data electrode 210 is formed, and on the dielectric layer 205, a discharge cell that extends in the vertical direction (second direction) and that is adjacent in the first direction is partitioned. A partition wall 220 is formed. In the discharge cell, the phosphor layer 202 is formed on the side surfaces of the barrier ribs 220 and on the dielectric layer 205.

  From these, the back substrate 2 is constituted.

  In some cases, a grid-like barrier rib provided with not only a portion extending in the second direction but also a portion extending in the first direction is formed, and discharge cells that are adjacent to each other in the upper, lower, left, and right sides are partitioned into barrier ribs. .

In the discharge space 3 formed by bonding the front substrate 1 and the rear substrate 2 so that the top portion of the partition wall 220 is substantially in contact with the front substrate 1 and the surface discharge electrode 110 and the data electrode 210 are orthogonal to each other. Is filled with discharge gas. This discharge gas contains Xe having He or Ne as a main component and a partial pressure of 50 hPa or less, and the total pressure is adjusted to about 500 to 800 hPa. The discharge cells having such a discharge space 3 are arranged in a matrix to form a dot matrix display. In addition, as shown in FIG. 27, the phosphor layer 202 is arranged so that the emission color of the phosphor layer is repeated in red (R), green (G), and blue (B) in the horizontal direction. Then, one RGB picture element 300 is composed of the three discharge cells 30R, 30G, and 30B provided with the phosphor layers of these three colors. Accordingly, the scanning electrode 111 and the common electrode 112 located at the a-th position from the top are denoted as S _a and C _a , respectively, and are provided in the discharge cells 30R, 30G and 30B of the RGB picture element 300 located at the b-th position from the left. the data electrodes 210 which are, constituted respectively _{D Rb,} expressed as _{D Gb} and _{D Bb,} has a configuration as shown in FIG. 28, the scanning electrodes _{S 1} to _{S n} are electrodes 11, the common electrode C ₁ through _{C n} constitute the electrode group 12, data electrodes _{D R1} to _{D Bm} constitute the electrode group 21.

  In the conventional plasma display panel configured as described above, when the ultraviolet light generated by the discharge is irradiated to the phosphor 202 arranged in each discharge cell, the ultraviolet light is converted into visible light emission, and image display is performed. Is done.

  In the driving, selective discharge is generated in the discharge cell that emits light by controlling the voltage applied to the electrode pair included in the discharge cell. For example, when the voltage between the scan electrode 111 and the data electrode 210 is larger than a certain value, selective discharge occurs, but when the voltage is smaller than that value, it does not occur. The presence or absence of this selective discharge determines whether or not the discharge is continuously generated when a pulse voltage or the like is subsequently applied to the scan electrode 111 and the common electrode 112 of the discharge cell. It is controlled whether or not a non-light emitting state occurs.

  FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of one frame. FIG. 30 is a timing chart showing a typical example of a method for driving a conventional plasma display panel.

In the subfield method for performing gradation display, as shown in FIG. 29, one frame is composed of sub-fields SF ₁ to SF _N multiple (N), in each sub-field, for example, a reset period 701 A priming discharge period 702, a selective discharge period 703, and a display discharge period 710 are provided. Then, by setting the light emission intensity of the discharge cell selected during the selective discharge period 703 to 2 ⁿ (n = 0 to N−1), 2 ^N gradation levels can be obtained. A blank period 709 for time adjustment may be provided at the end of one frame. A blank period may be provided between the subfields.

First, in the first reset discharge period 701 of the sub-fields SF _1, applies a rectangular reset pulse Pr to the scanning electrodes _{S 1} to _{S n.} Then, the priming discharge period 702 to generate a priming discharge for supplying the priming particles in the selective discharge time period, a rectangular priming pulse Pp1 is applied to the common electrode C ₁ to C _n, the scan electrodes S ₁ to S _n A rectangular priming erase pulse Pp2 is applied so as to neutralize the wall charges on the surface discharge electrode after the discharge is generated. In the selective discharge time period 703 following to the scanning electrodes S ₁ to S _n, it applies a line-sequential scanning pulse Ps, to synchronize the data pulse Pd corresponding to display data to the data electrodes 210 to the scanning pulse Ps is applied. As a result, a selective discharge occurs in the discharge cell to which the data pulse Pd is applied at the timing when the scan pulse Ps is applied, and the discharge is maintained by the application of the sustain discharge pulse in the display discharge period 710 that follows. Will be selected. On the other hand, no discharge occurs in the discharge cells to which the data pulse Pd is not applied, and even if a sustain discharge pulse is applied after this, a non-selected state is generated in which no discharge occurs. Such selection / non-selection is sequentially performed for all necessary scanning lines, and light emission / non-light emission of the display area is selected.

FIG. 31 is a timing chart showing another method for driving a conventional plasma display panel. In this way, in the reset discharge period 701a of each subfield SF _n, applying a large reset pulse Prp of the rectangular to the scanning electrodes _{S 1} to _{S n.} When the reset pulse Prp falls, a discharge that neutralizes the wall charges on the surface discharge electrode occurs, and as a result, the reset discharge period 701a also serves as a discharge for supplying priming particles.

FIG. 32 is a timing chart showing still another method for driving a conventional plasma display panel. In this way, in the first reset discharge period 701d of each subfield SF _n, it applies a sawtooth reset voltage Ps1 to the scan electrodes _{S 1} to _{S n.} Then, in the second reset discharge period 701c, it applies a sawtooth reset voltage Ps2 to the common electrode _{C 1} to _{C n.} In the reset discharge of this method, since strong discharge does not occur, light emission other than display discharge can be suppressed.

  In some cases, the discharge for supplying the priming particles is not generated in all the subfields.

  In such a driving method by the subfield method, when all the subfields are not selected, the frame is displayed in black, and it is desirable that the luminance during black display is as small as possible. When only the subfield with the minimum emission intensity is selected, the minimum luminance excluding black display is obtained. In order to obtain a smooth image display, it is preferable that the value of the minimum luminance is as small as possible within a range where smooth gradation display is possible.

  In the conventional plasma display panel, the magnitude of the discharge start voltage of the selective discharge is mainly determined by the interval in the discharge space 3 between the first glass substrate 101 and the second glass substrate 201, that is, the counter discharge gap. Is done. As described above, when a voltage exceeding the discharge start voltage of the selective discharge is applied to the opposing discharge gap, the selective discharge occurs, and even if a voltage not exceeding the discharge start voltage is applied, the selective discharge is selectively performed. No discharge occurs and the discharge cell is not selected.

  Further, in the conventional plasma display panel, the discharge start voltage and the generation region of the selective discharge are almost uniform over the entire counter discharge space that defines the selective discharge by overlapping the electrode pairs that generate the counter discharge. . FIG. 33 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of discharge in a conventional plasma display panel. As shown in FIG. 33 (a), no selective discharge occurs during non-selection. On the other hand, in the selected discharge cell, at the time of selection, as shown in FIG. 33 (b), a weak discharge 511 generated between the central portion of the scan electrode 111 and the data electrode 210 at the initial stage is As shown in FIG. 33 (c), the discharge 512 spreads over the entire opposing discharge space between the scan electrode 111 and the data electrode 210. That is, the discharges 511 and 512 generated in the selective discharge period are generated in the same region almost simultaneously with the discharge generated in the subsequent display discharge period.

Patent Document 1 describes a method of controlling a drive voltage so that a weak discharge similar to the discharge 511 is generated by a scan voltage even in a non-selected cell to which no data voltage is applied.
JP 2001-142430 A

  However, in the conventional plasma display as described above, ions or excited atoms or the like (hereinafter referred to as priming particles) capable of supplying initial electrons indirectly due to the effect of emission of initial electrons or secondary electrons that become seeds of discharge. ) Must exist in advance in the entire discharge space before selective discharge. For this reason, a discharge for causing priming particles to exist in the selective discharge generation region (hereinafter referred to as “priming discharge”) is generated, but this priming discharge increases the luminance during black display. There is.

  Further, in order to omit the priming discharge and generate a selective discharge with sufficient intensity at a high speed from a state where a large amount of priming particles are not present, a voltage having an excess voltage that is sufficiently larger than the discharge start voltage. Must be applied. For this reason, it is necessary to increase the voltage of the data pulse in order to increase the difference in applied voltage for distinguishing between selection and non-selection. As a result, the current of the selective discharge increases, and the cost of the drive circuit increases and the power consumption increases.

  Further, in the conventional driving method, the minimum luminance of the selected discharge cell is obtained when only the selective discharge occurs and the display discharge is not performed. As described above, the selective discharge is performed in the conventional plasma display. Is generated, an excess voltage that is sufficiently larger than the discharge start voltage is applied, and the selective discharge is generated over the entire opposing discharge space. It is difficult to control the minimum brightness.

  Even when only the scan voltage is applied without applying the data voltage, in order to generate a discharge with a certain weak intensity in the region where the data electrode and the scan electrode intersect, the variation in the counter discharge voltage over the entire panel is required. Not only needs to be kept very small, but also because the excess voltage is small, it is necessary to increase the width of the scanning voltage pulse for causing weak discharge. As a result, the time required for the selective discharge period becomes long. Further, since the light emission of the weak discharge itself or the visible light emission by the phosphor excited by the weak discharge is observed as black luminance, the light emission characteristics are deteriorated.

Further, in a discharge gas containing any one of the discharge gases Xe, Kr, Ar and N ₂ , when the sum of partial pressures of these components is 50 hPa or less, a selective discharge is generated at a relatively low applied voltage. However, the luminous efficiency is low, and there is a limit to the improvement of the light emission characteristics of the panel. In particular, when the partial pressure of these gas components is relatively high, the discharge delay and the discharge voltage increase, and the data voltage required for writing increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and can selectively and rapidly reduce the selective discharge for switching the discharge cells, and preferably suppresses the luminance during black display and minimizes the luminance modulation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel and a method for driving the same, which can easily improve the image quality.

  A first plasma display panel according to the present invention is provided on a facing surface side of a first substrate and a second substrate arranged to face each other and the second substrate in the first direction. A plurality of first electrodes extending on the surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate and extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; The discharge cell is disposed at each intersection of the first and second electrodes, and the second direction is located on the second substrate at the boundary between the discharge cells adjacent in the first direction. In a plasma display panel that is provided with a partition wall extending to the surface, irradiates a phosphor layer provided on the second substrate in each discharge cell with ultraviolet light generated by discharge, converts the light into visible light, and displays an image. One in which the second electrode of the discharge cell extends A step portion provided on the second substrate at an end of the discharge cell, and a height of the discharge space at a central portion in a direction in which the second electrode of the discharge cell extends is a height of the discharge space at the end. It is characterized by higher than that.

  At this time, the height of the stepped portion is preferably 0.2 to 0.9 times the height of the discharge space in the central portion, and more preferably 0.6 to 0.9 times. . Thus, by adjusting the height of the stepped portion, it becomes easy to isolate a region having a low counter discharge voltage in the vicinity of the stepped portion. The upper surface of the step portion is flattened, and the width of the flattened portion in the direction in which the second electrode extends is 0.2 to 0.7 times the length of the discharge cell in that direction. It is desirable that the ratio is 0.5 to 0.7 times. As described above, by adjusting the width of the flat portion of the stepped portion, it becomes easy to isolate a region having a low counter discharge voltage in the vicinity of the stepped portion while maintaining a practical light emission luminance.

  Furthermore, it is desirable that the width of the discharge space at the center in the direction in which the second electrode of the discharge cell extends is wider than the width of the discharge space on the stepped portion. Furthermore, a light shielding layer provided at least in parallel with the first electrode on the first substrate at a boundary between adjacent discharge cells in a direction in which the second electrode extends may be provided. At this time, the width of the light shielding layer may be narrower than the width of the flattened portion of the upper surface of the stepped portion in the direction in which the second electrode extends. With such a structure, unnecessary visible light emission emitted from the inside of the discharge cell to the display surface can be suppressed and high contrast can be obtained while maintaining practical light emission luminance.

  In the present invention, a discharge gas containing at least one component selected from the group consisting of Xe, Kr, and Ar and having a total partial pressure of Xe, Kr, and Ar of 100 hPa or more is contained in the discharge cell. Is preferably filled.

At this time, the discharge gas may further contain N ₂ , and the total partial pressure of Xe, Kr, Ar, and N ₂ may be 100 hPa or more.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to further include a control circuit for controlling a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes in accordance with a video signal. The control circuit generates a selective discharge between the first and second electrodes in a discharge cell selected based on the video signal while scanning the first electrode, and the discharge cell by the selective discharge Corresponds to the minimum luminance excluding black display.

  In this case, the light emission intensity of the discharge cell due to the selective discharge takes a plurality of values depending on the voltage value applied at the time of selection, and the control circuit modulates the light emission intensity by selecting the voltage value. It is preferable.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, a control circuit for controlling a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes in accordance with a video signal is further included, and the control circuit scans the first electrode while the video signal is scanned. In the discharge cell selected based on the above, a weak discharge is locally generated between the first electrode and a region overlapping the stepped portion on the second electrode, and the discharge generated in the selected discharge cell Only can be configured to control to expand within the discharge cell.

  Hereinafter, a plasma display panel and a driving method thereof according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a layout diagram showing the structure of a plasma display panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 1B shows only the electrodes.

  In the first embodiment, a light shielding layer 105 extending in the horizontal direction (first direction) in FIG. 1 is formed on the first glass substrate 101. The light shielding layer 105 is disposed at the boundary between adjacent discharge cells in the vertical direction (second direction) in FIG. The light shielding layer 105 blocks external light reflection and unnecessary light emission from the discharge space 3 of each discharge cell. Transparent electrodes (main electrode portions) 111a and 112a extending in the first direction are formed between the light shielding layers 105 adjacent to each other. The transparent electrodes 111a and 112a are made of a transparent conductive thin film mainly composed of indium oxide or tin oxide, for example. Furthermore, a low-resistance wiring (sub-electrode portion) 111b extending in the first direction is formed on the light-shielding layer 105 at the end on the transparent electrode 111a side, that is, one end in the second direction of the discharge cell. A low resistance wiring 112b extending in the first direction is formed on the end of the transparent electrode 112a on the light shielding layer 105, that is, the other end in the second direction of the discharge cell. The low resistance wirings 111b and 112b are made of, for example, a metal thin film or a metal material whose main component is metal fine particles. The transparent electrode 111a and the low resistance wiring 111b are connected to each other by a connecting portion at the boundary between the discharge cells adjacent in the first direction, and the transparent electrode 112a and the low resistance wiring 112b are adjacent to each other in the first direction. Are connected to each other by a connecting portion at the boundary. Therefore, in the discharge cell excluding these boundaries, the transparent electrodes 111a and 112a and the low resistance wirings 111b and 112b are separated from each other in a plane. The scanning electrode 111 is composed of the transparent electrode 111a and the low resistance wiring 111b, and the common electrode 112 is composed of the transparent electrode 112a and the low resistance wiring 112b. Further, a surface discharge electrode (first electrode) 110 is constituted by the scanning electrode 111 and the common electrode 112. The scan electrode 111 is connected to a scan electrode driver (not shown), and the common electrode 112 is connected to a common electrode driver (not shown). However, since the low resistance wirings 111b and 112b are provided, each driver The line resistance value to the discharge cell is lower than when these are not provided. Further, a transparent dielectric layer 103 that covers the light shielding layer 105 and the surface discharge electrode 110 is formed on the first glass substrate 101, and a protective film 104 is formed thereon. The transparent dielectric layer 103 is made of, for example, a low melting point glass film, and the protective film 104 is made of, for example, a magnesium oxide thin film.

  The front substrate 1 is comprised from these.

  In addition, on the second glass substrate 201, data electrodes 210 (second electrodes) provided for each group of discharge cells constituting a column in the second direction are formed. The data electrode 210 is made of, for example, a metal material mainly composed of a metal thin film or metal fine particles. The data electrode 210 is connected to a data electrode driver (not shown). A white dielectric layer 205 that covers the data electrode 210 is further formed on the second glass substrate 201 at least in a region corresponding to the entire display region. The white dielectric layer 205 is mainly composed of, for example, low-melting glass that becomes white after firing. On the white dielectric layer 205, the barrier rib 220 extending in the second direction at the boundary between the discharge cells adjacent in the first direction, and the boundary between the discharge cells adjacent in the second direction between the adjacent barrier ribs 220. A stepped portion 203 is formed. Accordingly, the stepped portion 203 overlaps with the light shielding layer 105 and the low resistance wirings 111b and 112b in a plan view, and the partition wall 220 overlaps with a connection portion between the transparent electrodes 111a and 112a and the low resistance wirings 111b and 112b in a plan view. The height of the barrier 220 is substantially equivalent to, for example, the height of the discharge space 3, and the height of the stepped portion 203 is lower than that. The partition wall 220 and the stepped portion 203 are made of, for example, a material mainly composed of low-melting glass and inorganic filler. A phosphor layer 202 is formed in a region partitioned by the partition wall 220 and the stepped portion 203 by applying a phosphor material.

  From these, the back substrate 2 is constituted. It is desirable that the phosphor layer 202 is not formed on the stepped portion 203 in order to make the writing characteristics of the discharge cell in which the phosphor layer 202 is formed uniform, but it is formed on the stepped portion 203. May be.

  Then, the front substrate 1 and the back substrate 2 are bonded together so that the top of the partition wall 220 abuts on the protective film 104 and the surface discharge electrode 110 and the data electrode 210 are orthogonal to each other. Accordingly, the discharge space 3 having a height equivalent to the height of the barrier ribs 220 is formed. A discharge gas composed of a rare gas containing Xe is introduced into the discharge space 3 after evacuation. And the discharge cell provided with such a discharge space 3 is arrange | positioned at matrix form.

  The scan electrode driver, common electrode driver, and data electrode driver are connected to a control circuit (not shown) that controls voltages applied to the scan electrode 111, the common electrode 112, and the data electrode 210.

Next, a method for driving the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment configured as described above will be described. Note that the number of scan electrodes 111 and common electrodes 112 is n, and the number of data electrodes 210 is (3 × m). In this driving method, a subfield method is employed, and one frame is composed of a plurality of subfields including a reset discharge period, a selective discharge period, and a display discharge period. FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a method for driving the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of discharge in the first embodiment. In FIG. 3, “S _k ” indicates the drive waveform of the kth scan electrode 111 from the top, “C 1 _-n ” indicates the drive waveforms of all the common electrodes 112, and “D _{RGB, 1 -m} ”. Indicates a drive waveform of the data electrode 210.

First, in the reset discharge period 701 of the sub-fields, applying a rectangular reset pulse Pr to the scanning electrodes _{S 1} to _{S n.} As a result, strong surface discharge occurs between all the scan electrodes 111 and the common electrode 112. In addition, a discharge occurs when the reset pulse Pr falls. For this reason, the wall charges in all the discharge cells are neutralized.

Next, in the selective discharge time period 703, and it applies the sequential scanning pulse Ps to the scanning electrodes S ₁ to S _n, and applies the data pulse Pd of a low level or high level in response to the display data to the data electrodes 210. However, the voltage of the scan pulse Ps and the voltage of the high level data pulse Pd are as shown in FIG. 4A when the data pulse Pd in a certain discharge cell is at low level, that is, when the discharge cell is not selected. As shown, when no discharge occurs in the discharge cell and the data pulse Pd in a certain discharge cell is at a high level, that is, when the discharge cell is selected, immediately after the application of the data pulse Pd, As shown in FIG. 4 (b), a weak discharge 501 is generated, and thereafter, the discharge spreads below the transparent electrode 111a to become a discharge 502 as shown in FIG. 4 (c). deep.

  Note that the potential difference between the scan electrode and the common electrode can be appropriately set so that the surface discharge is generated between the scan electrode and the common electrode following the generation of the write discharge.

  In the display discharge period 710 following the selective discharge period 703, a predetermined number of sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c are applied to all the scan electrodes 111 and the common electrode 112 based on the weight set in the subfield. To do. However, the phases of the sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c are shifted from each other by 180 °. By applying the sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c, a display discharge 503 is generated in the discharge cells selected during the selective discharge period 703 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the non-selected discharge cells that are not selected during the selective discharge period 703, no discharge occurs in the display discharge period 710, and the non-light-emitting state occurs.

  Note that the width or voltage of the first sustain discharge pulse or a plurality of subsequent sustain discharge pulses is made larger than the sustain discharge pulse in the latter half of the display discharge period 710, and the display cell continues to the display discharge in the discharge discharge. Can be set appropriately to facilitate the process.

  Thereafter, from the next subfield to the last subfield constituting one frame, the same drive as the above-described field is performed while changing the number of sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c according to the weighting.

  According to the first embodiment, since the write discharge in the selective discharge period is generated so as to spread from the end portion of the discharge cell to the center portion, the scanning pulse and the data pulse are simultaneously generated. A weak discharge 501 is generated only when it corresponds to the applied selection, and immediately thereafter, the weak discharge 501 expands to the center of the discharge cell and becomes a discharge 502, which is in a selected state. Even in this discharge mode control, the discharge 501 is generated at a relatively low voltage. Therefore, compared with the conventional control based on the discharge mode of the discharge at the time of selection, higher speed and lower voltage are possible.

  The inventors of the present invention actually manufactured a plasma display panel corresponding to this embodiment and verified the widths of the scan pulse Ps and the data pulse Pd. The following results were obtained. While changing the width of the scan pulse and the data pulse applied synchronously while maintaining the discharge form at the time of the selection, the write discharge is generated at the timing when 1 msec or more has elapsed from the end of the reset discharge period 701. Even in such a case, it was possible to shift to display discharge with a pulse width of 1.2 μsec or less. For comparison, the same driving is performed for the conventional plasma display panel shown in FIG. 33, in which the pitch of the discharge cells and the interval of the discharge spaces in the center of the discharge cells are the same. As shown in FIG. 30, when the control is performed by the conventional selective discharge as shown in FIG. 30, when the elapsed time from the end of the reset discharge period is relatively small, it was possible to drive with the same pulse width as in the first embodiment. When 1 msec or more passed, a pulse width of 2 μsec or more was necessary.

  In the first embodiment, the reset discharge period 701 and the selective discharge period 703 are provided. However, the voltage applied in the reset discharge period or the priming discharge period has a high degree of freedom, and is as shown in the timing chart of FIG. In addition, the reset discharge period 701 may not be provided in a certain subfield.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. 6 and 7 are a cross-sectional view and a layout view showing a discharge state in the second embodiment, respectively. In the second embodiment, applied in the selective discharge time period 703, while sequentially applying a scanning pulse Ps to the scanning electrodes S ₁ to S _n, the data pulse Pd of a low level or high level in response to the display data to the data electrode 210 To do. However, the voltage of the scan pulse Ps and the voltage of the high-level data pulse Pd are not shown in the discharge cell even when the data pulse Pd in a certain discharge cell is at a low level, that is, when the discharge cell is not selected. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 7A, a weak discharge 501 is generated between the low resistance wiring 111b and a region overlapping the step portion 203 on the data electrode 210, and data in a certain discharge cell is obtained. When the pulse Pd is at a high level, that is, when the discharge cell is selected, a weak discharge 501 is generated immediately after the application of the data pulse Pd, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6C and 7B, the discharge is set to such an extent that the discharge spreads below the transparent electrode 111a and becomes a discharge 502.

  Note that the weak discharge 501 in which the region shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B and FIG. 7A is limited is synchronized with the scanning pulse Ps when the light shielding layer 105 is not provided. This can be confirmed by observing the discharge emission. It can also be confirmed by the fact that the phosphor layer 202 emits light weakly on the end side where the weak discharge 501 is generated.

  In the display discharge period 710 following the selective discharge period 703, a predetermined number of sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c are applied to all the scan electrodes 111 and the common electrode 112 based on the weight set in the subfield. To do. However, the phases of the sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c are shifted from each other by 180 °. By applying the sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c, a display discharge 503 is generated in the discharge cells selected during the selective discharge period 703 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the non-selected discharge cells that are not selected during the selective discharge period 703, no discharge occurs in the display discharge period 710, and the non-light-emitting state occurs.

  Thereafter, from the next subfield to the last subfield constituting one frame, the same drive as the above-described field is performed while changing the number of sustain discharge pulses Psus-s and Psus-c according to the weighting.

  According to the second embodiment, since the write discharge in the selective discharge period is generated so as to spread from the end portion of the discharge cell to the central portion, before each selective discharge period, Even if the widths of the scan pulse Ps and the data pulse Pd are reduced without performing the priming discharge, a sufficient write discharge can be generated. For this reason, it is possible to further increase the writing speed as compared with the first embodiment in which weak discharge is not generated during non-discharge. It is also possible to lower the voltage by reducing the amplitude of the voltage of the data pulse Pd.

  The inventors of the present invention actually manufactured a plasma display panel corresponding to this embodiment and verified the widths of the scan pulse Ps and the data pulse Pd. The following results were obtained. While changing the width of the scan pulse and the data pulse applied synchronously while maintaining the discharge form at the time of the selection, the write discharge is generated at the timing when 1 msec or more has elapsed from the end of the reset discharge period 701. Even in such a case, it was possible to reliably shift to display discharge with a pulse width of 1 μsec or less. For comparison, the same driving is performed for the conventional plasma display panel shown in FIG. 33, in which the pitch of the discharge cells and the interval of the discharge spaces in the center of the discharge cells are the same. As shown in FIG. 30, when the control is performed by the conventional selective discharge as shown in FIG. 30, when the elapsed time from the end of the reset discharge period is relatively small, it was possible to drive with the same pulse width as in the first embodiment. When 1 msec or more passed, a pulse width of 2 μsec or more was necessary.

  Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, strong discharge at the time of reset can be made unnecessary. In addition, since the influence on the light emission of the weak discharge 501 at the end of the discharge cell during the selective discharge period 703 is blocked by the light shielding layer 105, the luminance at the time of black display can be extremely reduced, and the contrast is improved. Improves image quality.

  In this embodiment, the wall charges accumulated in the discharge cell including this discharge region by the weak discharge 501 generate reverse electric fields at the scanning electrode 111 and the data electrode 210 at the beginning of the display discharge period 710. Since a voltage is applied in such a manner, a weak discharge is generated so as to form a charge that cancels the accumulated wall charge.

  Compared to the second embodiment, only in the selected discharge cell, by generating a discharge that neutralizes the wall charges accumulated in the discharge cell by the display discharge at the end of the display discharge period 710, the next subfield is generated. The strong discharge in the reset discharge period 701 may be eliminated. Even in this case, the same high speed and low voltage as in the case of generating a strong discharge in the reset discharge period 701 can be realized. On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to generate the write discharges 511 and 512 unless a strong discharge in the reset discharge period 701 is provided in the conventional control by the discharge mode of the discharge at the time of selection.

  In addition, the constituent material of the connection part between the transparent electrodes 111a and 111b and the low resistance wirings 112a and 112b in the first and second embodiments and the structural relationship thereof are not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the connecting portion 113 may be integrally formed from the same material as the low resistance wiring 112 and the transparent electrode 111 and the low resistance wiring 112 may be connected. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, a connecting portion 113 is formed by overlapping a portion integrally formed from the same material as the low resistance wiring 112 and a portion integrally formed from the same material as the transparent electrode 111. May be. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the connecting portion 113 may be integrally formed from the same material as the transparent electrode 111 and the transparent electrode 111 and the low resistance wiring 112 may be connected. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8D, the connecting portion 113 is integrally formed from the same material as the transparent electrode 111, and the portion formed integrally from this material overlaps the entire low resistance wiring 112. Also good.

  Further, the position of the connecting portion may be a position shifted from the barrier rib in a plan view, that is, in the discharge cell region as long as the width is about 20 μm or less.

  Further, as described above, the low-resistance wirings 112a and 112b can be formed from a thin film conductive material, a metal material, or a material mainly containing metal fine particles, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited. In the case where the width per book is about 20 μm or less, if one wiring is composed of three or less thin wires, it is possible to prevent the light emission characteristics from being significantly deteriorated.

  Furthermore, as for the positional relationship between the stepped portion and the partition wall, the stepped portion may be formed so as to extend perpendicular to the partition wall and overlap each other at the intersection.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment is a method of driving the conventional plasma display panel shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing a method for driving a plasma display panel according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of wall charges in the third embodiment. Moreover, FIG. 11 is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 3rd Embodiment.

  In the third embodiment, a gap discharge period 701b is provided between the reset discharge period 701 and the selective discharge period 703, and surface discharge is performed between the scan electrode 111 as the positive electrode and the common electrode 112 in the reset discharge period 701. After the generation, a pulse having an inclined waveform is applied to the common electrode 112 in the gap discharge period 701b, so that the accumulated wall charges near the gap of the surface discharge are neutralized, so that the surface of reverse polarity by the inclined waveform is neutralized. Generate a discharge. After the reset discharge period 701, as shown in FIG. 10A, wall charges are generated by spreading over the entire dielectric layer 103 on the surface discharge electrode 110. Thereafter, in the gap discharge period 701b, by applying a ramp waveform voltage to generate a discharge limited to only the peripheral region of the surface discharge gap, as shown in FIG. The charge distribution becomes non-uniform, and desired wall charges can remain only in the region near the non-discharge gap. As a result, in the selective discharge period 703, a counter discharge between the discharge cell end region of the scan electrode 111 and the data electrode 210 is likely to occur. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11B, a weak discharge 501 limited to the discharge cell edge is generated at the beginning of the selective discharge period, and then, as shown in FIG. A spreading discharge 502 can be achieved. For this reason, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the speed and reduce the voltage. In the non-selected discharge cell, as shown in FIG. 11A, the selective discharge does not occur.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fourth embodiment is also a method for driving the conventional plasma display panel shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing a method for driving a plasma display panel according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of discharge in the fourth embodiment.

  In the fourth embodiment, as in the third embodiment, a gap discharge period 701b is provided before the selective discharge period 703 to control wall charge distribution. More specifically, by increasing the scan pulse voltage and lowering the data pulse voltage than in the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. A weak discharge 501 in a limited area is generated. On the other hand, in the selected discharge cell, as shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the weak discharge 501 shifts to the strong discharge 502. Therefore, it is possible to further increase the speed and voltage as in the second embodiment.

  In contrast to the third and fourth embodiments, as shown in FIG. 14, the light shielding layer 105 is disposed at the boundary between discharge cells adjacent in the vertical direction, thereby improving the contrast and further improving the image quality. It is possible. In FIG. 14, the surface discharge electrode 110 and the light shielding layer 105 overlap, but the width of the light shielding layer is set so that visible light emission due to the minute discharge around the discharge cell generated at the time of selection is sufficiently blocked. As long as they do not have to overlap.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The fifth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the second embodiment except that the light shielding layer 105 and the stepped portion 203 are not provided. That is, the scanning electrode 111 is composed of the transparent electrode 111a and the low resistance wiring 111b, and the common electrode 112 is composed of the transparent electrodes 112a and 112b.

  FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing a state of discharge in the fifth embodiment. Also in the fifth embodiment, in the selective discharge period, as shown in FIG. 15A, a weak discharge 501 is generated at the end portion of the non-selected discharge cell as shown in FIG. As shown in b), a weak discharge 501 is generated in the selected discharge cell. This is because the area of the low-resistance wiring is remarkably smaller than the area of the transparent electrode, so that the discharge start voltage at the end of the discharge cell is lower than that of the other part. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 15C, in the selected discharge cell, the discharge 501 spreads and shifts to the discharge 502, but in the non-selected discharge cell, the discharge disappears.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment as well, the extension of the weak discharge 501 generated in the region of the discharge cell end can be appropriately suppressed, and the discharge 501 at the time of non-selection or the initial stage of the selective discharge can be made more stable. Can be generated. Therefore, as in the second embodiment, the speed and voltage can be reduced.

  Next, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The sixth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the light shielding layer 105 is not provided and that the scanning electrode 111 and the common electrode 112 are made of only transparent electrodes. Accordingly, the stepped portion 203 exists at the boundary between the discharge cells adjacent in the vertical direction.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharge state in the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, in the selective discharge period, as shown in FIG. 16A, no discharge occurs in the non-selected discharge cells, but as shown in FIG. A weak discharge 501 is generated in the discharged cells. Thereafter, in the selected discharge cell, the discharge 501 spreads and shifts to the discharge 502 as shown in FIG.

  As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, the weak discharge 501 generated in the region of the discharge cell end can be appropriately suppressed at a low voltage, and the discharge 501 at the time of non-selection or the initial stage of the selective discharge is more stable. Can be generated. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, the speed and voltage can be reduced.

  Next, seventh to ninth embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 17 to 19 are layout diagrams showing the rear substrate 2 in the seventh to ninth embodiments, respectively.

  In the seventh embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17, a partition wall 221 extending in a direction orthogonal to the partition wall 220 is formed on the stepped portion 203. The height of the partition wall 221 from the surface of the white dielectric layer 205 substantially matches that of the partition wall 220.

  In the seventh embodiment, expansion of the weak discharge 501 formed at the discharge cell end to the discharge cells adjacent in the vertical direction is more reliably suppressed. Therefore, the light emission intensity and discharge current of the weak discharge 501 are further reduced, and high speed and low voltage can be realized while ensuring a wide setting range of the scan pulse voltage and the data pulse voltage. .

  In the eighth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18, the partition 222 is formed on the stepped portion 203 so as to secure a space (narrow portion) between adjacent ones in contact with the partition 220. Yes. The partition wall 222 is formed to extend in the direction in which the partition wall 220 extends by approximately the same width as the light shielding layer 105, and the height from the surface of the white dielectric layer 205 substantially coincides with that of the partition wall 220.

  In the eighth embodiment, the same effect as that of the seventh embodiment can be obtained. Further, the exhaust conductance required to exhaust the discharge space is higher than that in the seventh embodiment in the manufacturing process.

  In the ninth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 19, partition walls 223 are formed between the partition walls 222 facing each other. The partition wall 223 is located between the low resistance wirings 111b and 112b in a plan view, and the height from the surface of the white dielectric layer 205 substantially matches that of the partition wall 220.

  In the ninth embodiment, it is possible to make the generation region of the weak discharge 501 formed at the end of the discharge cell smaller than that in the eighth embodiment. As a result, it is possible to realize high speed and low voltage while suppressing the power when the weak discharge 501 is generated.

  Note that, in the ninth embodiment, the concave portion that becomes the discharge region on the step portion 203 is provided so as to be symmetrical to both discharge cells sandwiching the step portion 203, but the common electrode 112 and the data electrode 210 are provided. Since the selective discharge does not occur between them, such a recess may be formed only on the scanning electrode 111 side.

  Although the step portion 203 is desirably provided as in the seventh to ninth embodiments, the step portion 203 may not be provided.

  As a result of examining the relationship between the discharge gas and the range of the selective discharge as an influence related to the discharge gas by the inventor of the present application, in these embodiments, among the compositions of the discharge gas, the main ultraviolet light that excites the phosphor is generated. Is Xe, Kr, Ar, or nitrogen, and when the partial pressure is 100 hPa or more, it has been found that the expansion of the weak discharge 501 limited to the end of the discharge cell as described above can be more effectively suppressed. . In addition, when such a discharge gas is used, the width of the pulse voltage necessary for writing becomes a larger value when performing the control by the discharge mode of the conventional discharge at the time of selection, but in the above-described embodiment, The increase in the width of the pulse voltage was extremely small. When such a discharge gas is used, the discharge start voltage of the surface discharge may be larger than the opposite discharge start voltage, and it may be difficult to control the selective discharge. In order to avoid such a problem, the dielectric layer in the vicinity including the discharge gap region of the surface discharge may be thinned. By adopting such a structure, the value of the discharge start voltage of the surface discharge can be set to an appropriate value, which is effective for controlling the discharge mode as in the above-described embodiment.

  Next, tenth and eleventh embodiments of the present invention will be described. The tenth and eleventh embodiments are plasma display panels that realize display discharge by counter discharge. 20 and 21 are cross-sectional views showing states of discharge in the tenth and eleventh embodiments, respectively. FIG. 22 is a timing showing a method of driving the plasma display panel according to the tenth and eleventh embodiments. It is a chart.

  In the tenth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 20, only the counter discharge scanning electrode 120 is provided as the electrode of the front substrate 1. The counter discharge scanning electrode 120 includes a display discharge electrode portion 121 disposed in the center of the discharge cell, and a weak discharge electrode portion 122 disposed so as to face one stepped portion 203.

  In the tenth embodiment configured as described above, as in the three-electrode surface discharge type plasma display, as shown in FIG. 20A, a discharge is generated in a non-selected discharge cell during the selective discharge period. First, as shown in FIG. 20B, a weak discharge 501 is generated between the weak discharge electrode portion 122 and the data electrode 210 in the selected discharge cell. Thereafter, in the selected discharge cell, the discharge 501 is expanded to a discharge 502 as shown in FIG. As a result, wall charges are generated on the surfaces of the front substrate and the rear substrate. In the subsequent display discharge period, a counter display discharge 504 is generated between the display discharge electrode portion 121 and the data electrode 210 as shown in FIG.

  In the eleventh embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, the counter discharge scanning electrode 110 is composed of a single transparent electrode.

  Also in the eleventh embodiment configured as described above, in the selective discharge period, as shown in FIG. 21A, no discharge is generated in the non-selected discharge cells, as shown in FIG. In the selected discharge cell, a weak discharge 501 is generated between the end of the counter discharge scanning electrode 110 and the data electrode 210. Thereafter, in the selected discharge cell, the discharge 501 is expanded to a discharge 502 as shown in FIG. As a result, wall charges are generated on the surfaces of the front substrate and the rear substrate. In the subsequent display discharge period, a counter display discharge is generated between the entire counter discharge scanning electrode 110 and the data electrode 210.

  Also according to the tenth and eleventh embodiments, it is possible to increase the speed and voltage. In addition, if the discharge at the time of selection is controlled so that the weak discharge 501 is generated in the discharge space on the stepped portion 203 in the non-selected discharge cell, it is possible to further increase the speed and voltage.

  Next, a plasma display panel driving method according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The twelfth embodiment is a method for performing gradation display in the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of one frame in the twelfth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 24 is a timing chart showing a driving method of the plasma display panel according to the twelfth embodiment, and FIG. 25 is the twelfth embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in.

In the present embodiment, the expanded state of the expanded discharge 502 at the time of selection is controlled by changing the voltage of the scan pulse Ps applied to the scan electrode 111 and the voltage of the data pulse Pd applied to the data electrode 210. For example, as shown in FIG. 24, three types of voltages are applied between the scan electrode 111 and the data electrode 210, and the voltage is accumulated inside the discharge cell mainly in the region on the scan electrode 111 at the end of the discharge at the time of selection. There are three types of wall charge states. That is, in the first subfield SF ₁ of the selective discharge time period 703, by applying a low voltage, the discharge 502 extends, as shown in FIG. 25 (a), relatively small is generated, the second sub in field SF ₂ of the selective discharge time period 703, by extending the intermediate voltage, the discharge 502 extends, as shown in FIG. 25 (b), slightly larger to generate from the first sub-field SF _1, thereafter In the selective discharge period 703 of this subfield, a higher voltage (not shown) is applied to control the discharge to be further expanded. In the first and second subfields SF ₁ and SF ₂ , a selective discharge erase period 703 a is provided after the selective discharge period 703 instead of the display discharge period, and the scan electrodes S _{1 to} S _n are provided in the selective discharge erase period 703 a. and sustain electrodes C ₁ to simultaneously C _n is applied serrated erase pulse. In the other subfields, at least one sustain discharge pulse is applied to the scan electrode 111 and the common electrode 112 in the display discharge period subsequent to each selective discharge period. It is possible to generate display discharge that realizes light emission intensity according to the state. Since the wall charge state is affected by the degree of expansion of the discharge 502, the luminance can be modulated by a pulse voltage for one display. Therefore, good gradation display can be realized even at a low luminance level, and high image quality of the plasma display can be realized. Note that a blank period 709 for time adjustment may be provided at the end of one frame.

  In these embodiments, the planar shape of the discharge cell is rectangular, but the same effect can be obtained even when the present invention is applied to a discharge cell having a polygonal planar shape such as a square or hexagon. Can do.

  Further, the waveform of the applied voltage in each period of reset discharge, priming discharge, selective discharge or display discharge can be appropriately selected with respect to the structure and gas composition of the plasma display panel. Therefore, it is also effective to use a ramp wave, to apply another pulse train, or to apply a bias voltage to an electrode to which no pulse is applied in each period. Note that the bias voltage need not be constant, and may be stepped or inclined.

  Furthermore, the stepped portion and the light shielding portion are not essential, but by providing the stepped portion, it is possible to more easily separate the discharge generated in the peripheral portion outside the display discharge period compared to the case where the stepped portion is not provided. Become. The height of the stepped portion is preferably 0.2 to 0.9 when the substrate interval is 1. If the height of the stepped portion is less than 0.2, that is, if the stepped portion is too low, the voltage required for the counter discharge in the region where the display discharge is generated and the counter discharge generated in the peripheral portion other than the display discharge period. The difference from the required voltage is reduced, and the controllability of the discharge generated in the peripheral part outside the display discharge period is almost the same as when no stepped part is provided. On the other hand, if the height of the stepped portion exceeds 0.9, the voltage required for generating the counter discharge in the stepped portion region is extremely increased, and discharge in the peripheral portion may not occur during the display discharge period.

Further, when the height of the stepped portion is 0.6 or more when the substrate interval is 1, the counter discharge generated in the peripheral portion other than the voltage and the display discharge period required for the counter discharge in the region where the display discharge is generated. The difference from the voltage required for the above can be 10 V or more, and these discharges can be easily separated and controlled. This is particularly effective when the discharge gas contains at least two components of Xe, Kr, Ar and N ₂ and the sum of the partial pressures of these components is 100 hPa or more.

  In addition, when the interval between the stepped portions is 1, the width of the flat portion of the stepped portion is preferably 0.2 to 0.7. When the width of the flat portion is less than 0.2, the discharge generated on the non-discharge gap region side easily expands to the adjacent discharge cells, and it becomes difficult to control discharge only in the discharge cells that should generate discharge. There is. On the other hand, when the width of the flat portion exceeds 0.7, the distance between the substrates around the surface discharge gap region becomes small, the voltage necessary for starting the surface discharge increases, and the drive voltage increases.

Furthermore, when the width of the stepped portion is 0.5 or more when the interval between the stepped portions is 1, it is generated in the peripheral portion other than the voltage and the display discharge period necessary for the counter discharge in the region where the display discharge is generated. The difference from the voltage required for the counter discharge can be set to 10 V or more, and the weak discharge uttered in the peripheral portion can be easily separated and controlled. This is particularly effective when the discharge gas contains at least two components of Xe, Kr, Ar and N ₂ and the sum of the partial pressures of these components is 100 hPa or more.

  The flat portion is a portion where the surface of the stepped portion is substantially parallel to the surface of the back substrate. There is a portion in contact with the front substrate such as a partition wall 223 shown in FIG. 19 in the middle of the flat portion. May be.

  In addition, when a light shielding layer is provided, high contrast can be obtained without increasing the black luminance even if light emission due to weak discharge occurs in the area around the light shielding layer when not selected, and consequently high quality. Display can be realized.

Further, the composition of the discharge gas is not particularly limited, but the discharge gas contains at least one component of Xe, Kr and Ar, or further contains N _2, and the components of these components It is desirable that the discharge cell is filled with a discharge gas having a pressure sum of 100 hPa or more. The discharge cells using these discharge gases not only exhibit high luminous efficiency, but also suppress the spread of discharge and can easily generate isolated discharge. In particular, a discharge gas containing Ar is likely to be limited to a narrow discharge region. In addition, when N ₂ is contained, near ultraviolet rays generated by N ₂ can be used effectively, and high luminous efficiency can be obtained. Note that when the discharge gas does not contain any of Xe, Kr and Ar and contains only N ₂ , the discharge voltage rises remarkably. However, by containing Xe, Kr and Ar, Such an increase in discharge voltage can be suppressed, and these rare gas components can suppress the expansion of discharge.

  The inventor of the present application actually manufactured the plasma display panel of the embodiment as described above. The effect of the manufacturing method and the result obtained will be described.

  First, a method for manufacturing the plasma display panel of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 will be described. The length of the unit discharge cell in the direction perpendicular to the surface discharge electrode was designed to be 1.08 mm. A non-conductive light-shielding layer 105 containing an inorganic black pigment as a main component for blocking external light reflection and unnecessary light emission from the discharge space 3 of the plasma display was formed on the first glass substrate 101. Next, the transparent electrode portions 111a and 112a were formed of a transparent conductive thin film material (indium tin oxide) containing indium oxide as a main component. The width of the transparent electrode portion was 150 to 350 μm. Low resistance wiring portions 111b and 112b are formed of a low resistance wiring material mainly composed of Ag fine particles so as to run in parallel with the transparent electrode portion on the periphery of the discharge cell outside the transparent electrode portion. The low resistance wiring part is connected via a connecting part so as to have the same potential. As shown in FIG. 8, the connecting portion may be formed of a low resistance wiring material, a transparent conductive thin film material, or may be formed so as to be stacked on each other. The connecting portion is preferably formed in a portion corresponding to the barrier 220, but may be formed in the discharge cell unless it significantly inhibits visible light emission extracted from the discharge cell to the display surface, for example, 20 μm or less. Even when the low-resistance wiring material is arranged as a connection portion in the center of the discharge cell, the light emission characteristics such as the light emission efficiency are almost the same as the case where the connection portion is provided in the portion corresponding to the partition wall. Further, if the connecting portion is provided in a portion corresponding to the partition wall, it is not necessary to provide it in a portion corresponding to all the partition walls, and it may be formed for each one or a plurality of partition walls. The width of the low resistance wiring was 30 to 80 μm. The width of the opening portion of the surface discharge electrode between the transparent electrode portion and the low resistance wiring was 100 to 250 μm. The interval between the resistance-reducing wires straddling between the discharge cells, so-called non-discharge gap, was set to 60 to 160 μm. In addition, even if these are unified as a scan electrode or a common electrode by sharing the low resistance wiring between adjacent surface discharge electrodes across the discharge cells, the same effect can be obtained. In this case, since the non-discharge gap is not required, the degree of freedom in designing the surface discharge electrode is improved.

  After the surface discharge electrode 110 is formed, a transparent dielectric layer 103 mainly composed of a low-melting glass material is formed to a thickness of 20 to 60 μm, and sealing is performed on the four sides of the peripheral portion of the region to be the display portion. Frit glass was applied with a dispenser. Finally, a magnesium oxide film as a protective film 104 was formed on the dielectric layer with a thickness of 0.5 to 2 μm by the vacuum deposition method, and the front substrate 1 was obtained. The front substrate 1 is sometimes called a display surface side substrate.

  In addition, the stripe-shaped data electrodes 210 mainly composed of Ag fine particles are formed on the second glass substrate 201 in the direction perpendicular to the scanning electrodes 111 with a width of 80 to 150 μm. They were formed at intervals of 1/3. Next, a white dielectric layer 205, which is a low melting point glass material containing an inorganic white pigment such as titanium oxide at least in a region corresponding to the entire display region and has a high reflectance after firing, has a thickness of 5 to 20 μm. Formed. Note that the shape of the data electrode 210 may be such that the width of the data electrode 210 increases in a region where a discharge having a weak selective discharge period occurs. Next, between the data electrodes 210, a partition 220 having a height substantially corresponding to the interval of the discharge space 3 and a stepped portion 203 having a height lower than that of the partition 220 are mainly composed of a low melting glass and an inorganic filler. Formed from. For the partition wall 220 and the stepped portion 203, first, a cross-like structure having the height of the stepped portion 203 is formed by a sandblasting method, an additive method or a screen printing method, and then the height is substantially a structure having a cross-like shape from the substrate interval. The stripe-shaped structure having a reduced height was stacked on the cross-shaped structure by the same method. In addition, the height of the partition was set to 80 to 250 μm, and the height of the stepped portion was set at an interval of 0.1 between 0 to 1 of the height of the partition, so that a total of 11 types were produced.

  Thereafter, a red phosphor (Eu-activated borate) layer, a green phosphor (Mn-activated Zn silicate) layer, and a blue phosphor (Eu) are provided at least in a region partitioned by the partition 220 and the step portion 203. An active BaMg aluminate layer was formed by pasting each raw material into a paste and applying it by screen printing or dispensing, followed by firing. In order to uniformize the writing characteristics of the discharge cells in which the R (red), G (green), and B (blue) phosphor layers are arranged, it is desirable that the phosphor layer does not exist on the stepped portion. However, it may be formed on the stepped portion.

  In addition, in order to connect the inside and outside of the discharge cell to the surface opposite to the phosphor forming surface corresponding to the hole, at least one hole is formed in advance on the outside of the region serving as the display portion. A glass pipe for exhaust gas and gas introduction was formed as a rear substrate 2.

  Subsequently, the front substrate 1 and the rear substrate 2 are bonded together so that the discharge space 3 having the interval between the heights of the barrier ribs 220 is provided and the surface discharge electrode 110 and the data electrode 210 are orthogonal to each other. Is heated to about 370 ° C., evacuated to a vacuum, cooled to room temperature, a discharge gas comprising a NeXe mixed gas containing 5% by volume of Xe is introduced into the discharge space 3, and the exhaust and gas introduction glass piping is sealed. A plasma display panel in which discharge cells are arranged in a matrix is obtained. The partial pressure of the mixed gas was 700 hPa.

  Then, a driving voltage having a waveform in the timing chart shown in FIG. 3 was applied to the plasma display panel. At this time, a reset discharge pulse Pr that also serves as a priming discharge of 350 V or more was applied during the reset discharge period. At the fall of the reset discharge pulse Pr, a discharge that erases wall charges in all the discharge cells occurred. Thereafter, the scan pulse voltage and the data pulse voltage were controlled so that the counter discharge was not generated only by the scan pulse Ps, but the counter discharge was generated by adding the data pulse Pd. When the height of the stepped portion 203 is 0.5 times the substrate interval (the height of the discharge space), the sum of the scan pulse voltage and the data pulse voltage is approximately 200 V, and the weak discharge around the discharge cell is the entire scan electrode. It was possible to generate a write discharge that spreads out. When the height of the step portion was larger than 0.6, it was possible to generate a write discharge in which a weak discharge around the discharge cell spreads over the entire scan electrode at a lower voltage. When there is no stepped portion 203 or when the height of the stepped portion 203 is less than 0.2 times the substrate interval, a voltage of about 220 V or more is required, and the discharge easily extends to adjacent cells, It has become easier to cause erroneous discharge (erroneous writing) in non-selected adjacent cells. Further, when the stepped portion 203 was increased to a level exceeding 0.9 times the substrate interval, the voltage for generating the write discharge increased as compared with the case where the stepped portion was not provided or was low.

  In addition, when the scanning voltage was set to 150 V and the data voltage was set to 50 V, and the discharge mode in the selective discharge period was observed, no discharge occurred in the non-selected discharge cells to which only the scanning voltage was applied, and the scanning voltage and the data voltage were applied. In the selected discharge cell, after the discharge was weakly generated in the vicinity of the stepped portion, the discharge extended to the intersection region of the scan electrode and the data electrode. That is, this corresponds to the first embodiment. Since the voltage at which the counter discharge between the scan electrode and the data electrode is generated in the stepped region is low, the voltage necessary for writing can be suppressed, and the scan voltage and / or the data voltage can be reduced. By shortening the discharge delay time, the width of the scanning pulse was shortened, and consequently the selective discharge period was shortened.

  On the other hand, when the scanning voltage was set to 170 V and the data voltage was set to 30 V, a weak discharge was generated near the step portion even in the non-selected discharge cells by applying the scanning voltage. That is, this corresponds to the second embodiment. In the selective discharge cell, as in the case where the scanning voltage is set to 150 V and the data voltage is set to 50 V, after the discharge is weakly generated in the vicinity of the stepped portion, the discharge extends to the intersection region of the scanning electrode and the data electrode. It was. The discharge delay time could be further greatly reduced as compared with that corresponding to the first embodiment described above.

  Further, evaluation was performed on the scanning voltage set to 170V and the data voltage set to 30V, in which the priming discharge period was deleted. As a result, even if there is no priming discharge in the priming discharge period or the reset period, the weak discharge generated at the time of non-selection in the selective discharge period of each subfield has the function of priming discharge. We were able to.

  For comparison, a plasma display panel in which the black light-shielding portion 105 was not formed was produced, and the black luminance was measured. When a voltage corresponding to the second embodiment is applied, a panel having a black light-shielding layer is not formed even though a weak discharge is generated for each subfield in the non-selected discharge cells. In comparison, the black luminance was reduced to less than half.

  It should be noted that the discharge cell interval is not limited to 1.08 mm, and a similar effect can be obtained even in a plasma display panel in which the discharge cell interval is reduced to 0.3 mm.

  FIG. 26 is a graph showing the relationship between the Xe, Kr, and Ar compositions on the horizontal axis and the luminous efficiency on the vertical axis. This graph is obtained by introducing a 700 hPa discharge gas mainly containing Ne containing Xe, Kr or Ar into the above-produced plasma display panel and changing the partial pressure of each component. . The luminous efficiency is a relative value when the luminous efficiency is 1 when the partial pressure of Xe is 1.3 (hPa).

  As shown in FIG. 26, in any component, the luminous efficiency was greatly improved at a partial pressure of about 100 hPa or more. In the case where there is a stepped portion, a weak discharge in the peripheral portion can be localized with a partial pressure of approximately 100 hPa or more, and writing by an extended discharge in a selective discharge cell can be realized. When there is no discharge, the counter discharge voltage is high, and it is difficult to control so as to localize the weak discharge around the discharge cell during the write discharge.

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the selective discharge for switching the discharge cells can be speeded up and the voltage can be reduced. Further, when adjusting the emission intensity of the selective discharge, it is possible to suppress the luminance at the time of black display and facilitate the minimum luminance modulation. Therefore, the image quality can be improved while suppressing the cost. In addition, if a discharge gas containing Xe, Kr, Ar, or N ₂ at a partial pressure of 100 hPa or more is used, the luminous efficiency can be remarkably increased. Conventionally, when such a discharge gas is used, the driving voltage increases and the priming particles generated by the priming discharge disappear at an early stage, so that the discharge delay increases and the time required for selective discharge increases. However, in the present invention, the increase in driving voltage can be suppressed, and the time required for selective discharge can be further shortened. Important high luminous efficiency can be achieved.

1 is a layout diagram illustrating a structure of a plasma display panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing along the AA line in FIG. 3 is a timing chart illustrating a method of driving the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 1st Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell, and (d) shows the state of the display discharge period of the selected discharge cell. 5 is a timing chart showing a form in which a reset discharge period 701 is omitted from the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharge state in the second embodiment, where (a) shows a state of a selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, and (b) is just after application of a scan pulse of a selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell, and (d) shows the state of the display discharge period of the selected discharge cell. It is a layout figure which shows the state of the discharge in 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the connection part between a transparent electrode and low resistance wiring. 6 is a timing chart showing a method for driving a plasma display panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the wall charge in 3rd Embodiment, Comprising: (a) shows the state after the reset discharge period 701, (b) shows the state after the gap part discharge period 701b. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharge state in the third embodiment, where (a) shows a state of a selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, and (b) is just after application of a scan pulse of a selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell. 6 is a timing chart showing a method for driving a plasma display panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 4th Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell. It is sectional drawing which shows the example which provided the light shielding layer 105 with respect to 3rd and 4th embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a discharge state in the fifth embodiment, where (a) shows a state of a selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, and (b) is just after application of a scanning pulse of a selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 6th Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell. It is a layout figure which shows the back substrate 2 in 7th Embodiment. It is a layout figure which shows the back substrate 2 in 8th Embodiment. It is a layout figure which shows the back substrate 2 in 9th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 10th Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell, and (d) shows the state of the display discharge period of the selected discharge cell. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 11th Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell. 12 is a timing chart showing a method of driving the plasma display panel according to the tenth and eleventh embodiments. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of 1 frame in the 12th Embodiment of this invention. It is a timing chart which shows the drive method of the plasma display panel which concerns on 12th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in 12th Embodiment, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period 703 of 1st subfield SF1 of the selected discharge cell, (b) shows 2nd The state of selective discharge period 703 in subfield SF2 is shown. It is a graph which shows the relationship between both taking the partial pressure of each composition of Xe, Kr, and Ar on the horizontal axis and taking the luminous efficiency on the vertical axis. It is a figure which shows the conventional plasma display panel, Comprising: (a) is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of an electrode, (b) is sectional drawing along the BB line of (a). It is a figure which shows the relationship between electrodes. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of 1 frame. It is a timing chart which shows the typical example of the method of driving the conventional plasma display panel. It is a timing chart which shows the other method of driving the conventional plasma display panel. It is a timing chart which shows the other method of driving the conventional plasma display panel. It is sectional drawing which shows the state of the discharge in the conventional plasma display panel, (a) shows the state of the selective discharge period of a non-selected discharge cell, (b) is immediately after application of the scanning pulse of the selected discharge cell. (C) shows the state immediately before the end of the application of the scan pulse of the selected discharge cell.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Front substrate 2; Back substrate 101; Glass substrate 105; Light shielding layer 110; Surface discharge electrode 111; Scan electrode 111a; Transparent electrode (main scan electrode part)
111b; low resistance wiring (sub-scanning electrode part)
112; Common electrode 112a; Transparent electrode 112b; Low resistance wiring 201; Glass substrate 203; Stepped portion 210; Data electrodes 220, 221, 222, 223;

Claims (13)

A plurality of first electrodes extending in a first direction provided on opposite surfaces of the first substrate and the second substrate disposed opposite to each other, and the first substrate; A plurality of second electrodes extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and provided on a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate, and the first and second electrodes A discharge cell is disposed at each intersection of the electrodes, and a partition wall extending in the second direction is provided on the boundary of the discharge cell adjacent in the first direction on the second substrate, and ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge are provided. In a plasma display panel that irradiates a phosphor layer provided on the second substrate in each discharge cell to convert it into visible light to display an image, a direction in which the second electrode of the discharge cell extends Step provided on the second substrate at the end of the substrate The a, the plasma display panel height of the second discharge space at the center of the direction in which the electrodes extend may be higher than the height of the discharge space in the end portion of the discharge cell. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the height of the stepped portion is 0.2 to 0.9 times the height of the discharge space in the central portion. The plasma display panel according to claim 2, wherein the height of the stepped portion is 0.6 to 0.9 times the height of the discharge space in the central portion. The upper surface of the step portion is flattened, and the width of the flattened portion in the direction in which the second electrode extends is 0.2 to 0.7 times the length of the discharge cell in that direction. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the plasma display panel is a plasma display panel. The width of the flattened portion of the upper surface of the stepped portion in the direction in which the second electrode extends is 0.5 to 0.7 times the length of the discharge cell in that direction. 5. The plasma display panel according to 4. 6. The discharge space according to claim 1, wherein a width of the discharge space at a central portion in a direction in which the second electrode of the discharge cell extends is wider than a width of the discharge space on the stepped portion. Plasma display panel. 7. The light-shielding layer provided at least in parallel with the first electrode on the first substrate at a boundary between adjacent discharge cells in a direction in which the second electrode extends. The plasma display panel according to any one of the above. 8. The plasma display panel according to claim 7, wherein a width of the light shielding layer is narrower than a width in a direction in which the second electrode extends in a flattened portion of the upper surface of the stepped portion. A discharge gas containing at least one component selected from the group consisting of Xe, Kr, and Ar and having a total partial pressure of Xe, Kr, and Ar of 100 hPa or more is filled in the discharge cell. The plasma display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9. 10. The plasma display panel according to claim 9, wherein the discharge gas further contains N ₂ , and a total sum of partial pressures of Xe, Kr, Ar, and N ₂ is 100 hPa or more. The control circuit further controls a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes according to a video signal, and the control circuit selects a discharge based on the video signal while scanning the first electrode. A selective discharge is generated between the first and second electrodes in the cell, and the light emission intensity of the discharge cell by the selective discharge corresponds to the minimum luminance excluding black display. Item 2. The plasma display panel according to Item 1. The light emission intensity of the discharge cell by the selective discharge takes a plurality of values depending on the voltage value applied at the time of selection, and the control circuit modulates the light emission intensity by selecting the voltage value. The plasma display panel according to claim 11. A discharge circuit that further controls a voltage applied to the first and second electrodes according to a video signal, and the control circuit selects a discharge cell based on the video signal while scanning the first electrode. A weak discharge is locally generated between the first electrode and a region overlapping the stepped portion on the second electrode, and only the discharge generated in the selected discharge cell is generated in the discharge cell. The plasma display panel according to claim 1, wherein the plasma display panel is controlled to expand.

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