JP3016539B2 - Plasma addressed liquid crystal display - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to relates to a discharge display device using gas discharge, such as a liquid crystal panel that electrically addressable using up plasma, on the structure of the discharge electrodes for particular generating gas discharge.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a thin image display device replacing a CRT, a pair of parallel flat plates, a partition wall formed in parallel with each other to form a plurality of long discharge spaces between the pair of parallel flat plates, 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a display device that includes a plurality of discharge electrodes provided for each partition to generate a discharge in the longitudinal discharge space, and displays a desired image or the like using the discharge. . For example, a plasma display that displays an image using plasma generated by gas discharge, a plasma-addressed liquid crystal (hereinafter, referred to as PALC) type discharge display device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-217396, and the like.

The above-mentioned PALC display device is an example of an active matrix driving type liquid crystal display device which is excellent in terms of screen response speed and contrast. As an active matrix driving method, TFT (Thin-Film Transi
Although stor) driving is generally performed, it is necessary to form a large number of transistors according to the number of pixels in a thin film, and it is difficult to manufacture a large-area transistor. It has been proposed as.
In this PALC-type discharge display device, each of the pair of parallel plates is formed of a light-transmitting material, and a dielectric layer, a liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of transparent electrodes parallel to each other are formed on one of the parallel plates. While being sequentially laminated so as to be located on the other parallel plate side, a plurality of discharge spaces are provided on the other parallel plate in a direction orthogonal to the plurality of transparent electrodes and between the dielectric layers. It comprises a plurality of partition walls to be formed, and a plurality of discharge electrodes parallel to the plurality of partition walls for generating a discharge in the plurality of discharge spaces.

[0004] According to the above technique, by causing a discharge between predetermined discharge electrodes, plasma is generated in a discharge space where the discharge electrode is located, and the plasma is generated substantially on the surface of the dielectric layer located in the discharge space. A uniform potential distribution is formed. By applying a predetermined voltage to the predetermined transparent electrode in this state, charges are accumulated on the dielectric layer surface located at the intersection of the discharge space where the plasma is generated and the transparent electrode to which the voltage is applied, and the intersection is formed at the intersection. The liquid crystal located is oriented. The orientation of the liquid crystal is maintained as a memory operation by the action of the accumulated charge even after the plasma in the discharge space is extinguished.

That is, in the PALC-type discharge display device, the discharge space, the discharge electrode, and the dielectric layer act like a TFT, and the partition for forming the discharge space on the other parallel plate and its partition wall are formed. Since it is only necessary to provide a discharge electrode in parallel with the partition wall, it is easier to manufacture and has less defects as compared with a TFT liquid crystal display device having a large number of transistors corresponding to the number of pixels, and the large display surface can be easily formed. Is obtained.

[0006]

The PALC-type discharge display device disclosed in the above publication has a pair of slopes on both sides in the width direction, for example, by etching the surface of one parallel flat plate by photolithography. By forming a thin film of an electrode material in a vacuum on the parallel flat plate on which the partition walls are formed and performing photoetching, one discharge electrode is formed on each of the slopes. However, this technique is not suitable for mass production due to the high cost of the thin film forming process, and the number of drive wirings is twice as large as the number of discharge spaces because a pair of discharge electrodes is provided in each discharge space. The driving efficiency is low.

Therefore, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-102834, a plurality of discharge electrodes are formed in parallel on the surface of one parallel flat plate, and both ends in the width direction of each discharge electrode are exposed thereon. It has been proposed that a plurality of partition walls are formed along the line so that one discharge electrode also serves as an electrode in two discharge spaces. According to this technique, for example, by alternately assigning a cathode electrode and an anode electrode to discharge electrodes formed in parallel, it is possible to cause a discharge to occur in each discharge space,
The number of discharge electrodes, that is, the number of drive wirings is halved, and the drive efficiency is improved. In addition, since the discharge electrodes as described above can be easily formed by thick film printing, mass production is facilitated.

However, a discharge electrode formed by thick-film printing using an electrode paste such as nickel or aluminum, which is a general electrode material, is formed on a plate used for printing by dripping of the screen mesh and the electrode paste. The width of the pattern becomes wider than the width of the pattern, and it is difficult to secure the sharpness of the boundary line at the end in the width direction. As a result, unevenness is likely to occur, and it is difficult to avoid the film thickness becoming thinner toward the end. In the electrode structure disclosed in the above publication, since the discharge electrodes are formed in parallel on the same plane, the discharge is performed between the ends in the width direction. Will be concentrated. Therefore, it is difficult to generate a uniform discharge in the length direction of the discharge electrode, so that a uniform potential distribution is not formed on the surface of the dielectric layer. There is a problem that spatter occurs. Such a problem of discharge concentration can similarly occur in other discharge display devices such as a DC-type plasma display as long as discharge is performed between discharge electrodes formed in parallel.

Further, in a discharge display device of the type described above, generally, the driving voltage is controlled by a power source or a circuit cost (IC).
For driving elements such as, the required withstand voltage greatly affects the cost.)
Therefore, it is desired to be as low as possible. In addition, under the same gas pressure, the higher the discharge voltage, the easier the electrode spatters occur, and the higher the power consumption of the display device, which is not preferable. However, since the width dimension of the discharge space is predetermined in relation to the pixel density, when adopting a structure in which the discharge electrode is provided in the partition, the interval between the partitions determined by the pixel density (that is, the distance between the electrodes) ) And Paschen's law (p is the gas pressure in the discharge space, d is the distance between the electrodes,
When the discharge voltage is V, the relationship shown in FIG. 1 is established between pd and V), so that the drive voltage is determined and cannot be set freely.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to minimize the occurrence of discharge concentration and to apply an appropriate driving voltage at a low voltage regardless of the pixel density. An object of the present invention is to provide a discharge display device having an electrode structure capable of setting a distance between electrodes.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, the gist of the present invention is to provide a pair of parallel flat plates,
In order to form a plurality of longitudinal discharge spaces between the pair of parallel flat plates, partition walls formed in parallel with each other on one of the opposing surfaces of the pair of parallel flat plates, and discharge is performed in the longitudinal discharge space. format plug and a plurality elongated discharge electrode respectively provided to generate for respective partition wall
Zuma address liquid crystal display device, (a) a discharge electrode provided in a layer in a part of the height direction of the partition wall,
(b) a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the opposing wall surfaces of the was allowed to face the discharge space of the partition wall, the height direction of the partition wall of the discharge electrode facing surfaces that are exposed possess respectively
In a plurality of discharge protrusions discharge distance between the electrodes which project respectively so as to be substantially equal to each other in and their facing surfaces lower than the position of the upper surface of the partition walls is to contain.

[0012]

In this way, the discharge electrodes are provided in a layered manner in a part of the partition wall in the height direction, while the discharge electrodes have the exposed surfaces facing each other, and the discharge electrodes on the opposed surfaces are formed. the distance between the electrodes a plurality of discharge protrusions at a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the opposing wall surfaces of the partition wall so that <br/> substantially identical to each other are provided. Thereby, even when the discharge electrode is formed by thick film printing or the like and it is difficult to secure the sharpness of the boundary line at the width direction end, and the unevenness is formed, the distance between the electrodes is further increased regardless of the unevenness. Discharge is performed exclusively in the portion where the reduced discharge protrusions are provided, and the distance between the electrodes on the opposing surfaces of the plurality of discharge protrusions is substantially the same, so that all the discharge protrusions are provided. Thus, the discharge is performed uniformly. In addition, the discharge projection is located at a position
Is also low, so that a pair of parallel plates
Because a gap is formed between the other surface and the
The light extracted from the discharge space to the outside for the display of
It is also taken out directly above the gap. Therefore, the discharge convex
Aperture ratio (that is, light is extracted
The reduction in brightness, and hence the decrease in brightness,
It is suppressed by leaking light from the minute.

Therefore, by appropriately setting the intervals at which the discharge projections are provided, it is possible to cause a uniform discharge in the discharge space. Moreover, the distance between the electrodes is determined by the length of the discharge projection in the width direction of the partition,
Since the length can be set irrespective of the interval between the partition walls, it is possible to set an appropriate inter-electrode distance for driving at a low voltage regardless of the pixel density. In addition, the discharge protrusion is
It is not always necessary to provide it on both opposing wall surfaces of the partition. The discharge electrode is provided in a layer shape in a part of the partition wall in the height direction, and the end face thereof is exposed,
Since the discharge surface is mainly determined by the size of the cathode, for example, a similar effect can be obtained even if the discharge protrusion is provided only on the facing wall surface where the discharge electrode serving as the cathode is exposed in each discharge space. .

By appropriately setting the width (ie, the length of the discharge electrode in the longitudinal direction) and the thickness of the discharge projection, the discharge area can be freely set. For this reason, discharge concentration due to the discharge area of the cathode-side discharge electrode being too large, increase in complete lighting voltage due to too small discharge area, enlargement of variation in each discharge space, aging or difference in display mode Fluctuations and the like are suitably suppressed. Here, the complete lighting voltage is a voltage necessary and sufficient to cause discharge in a discharge space of the entire display device.

Preferably, the opposing surface of the discharge convex portion is parallel to the opposing wall surface of the opposing partition wall or the opposing surface of the discharge convex portion. With this configuration, the distance between the discharge electrodes on the surface facing the discharge convex portion is substantially uniform, and the concentration of the discharge hardly occurs in the surface facing the discharge projection. In the present invention, the term “parallel” means that the distance between the discharge electrodes on the opposing surface of the discharge protrusion is substantially constant within the surface. For example, discharge protrusions are provided on both sides of the partition wall. In this case, one of the opposing surfaces may be a concave curved surface and the other may be a convex curved surface.

Preferably, the partition is formed by laminating a thick film on one of the parallel flat plates, and the discharge electrode is formed by thick-film printing at an intermediate portion in the height direction in the process of laminating the partition. To form a layer. In this way, after the insulating paste for forming the partition is printed and laminated to a predetermined height on the parallel flat plate and dried,
The electrode paste for forming the discharge electrode is printed on the insulating paste, and the electrode paste is not printed directly on the parallel flat plate. Therefore, sagging of the electrode paste is less likely to occur, and irregularities due to the sagging are less likely to occur on the opposing surface of the discharge protrusion, and the parallelism of the discharge surface of the discharge electrode on the opposing surface is increased, so that in the opposing surface. And the distance between the discharge electrodes is set to a designed appropriate value. The number of the discharge electrodes to be stacked at the time of thick film printing is appropriately set according to the required thickness, that is, the electrode area.

Preferably, in the case where the discharge protrusions are provided on both sides of the opposed wall surface of the partition, one of the opposed surfaces of the pair of opposed discharge protrusions that functions as a cathode electrode is an anode. It includes a main discharge surface having a constant distance from the opposing surface of the discharge projection on the side functioning as an electrode, and an aging discharge surface adjacent thereto and gradually increasing the distance. Generally, in a discharge tube, a so-called aging process of applying a higher voltage than an actual use condition is performed to secure a stable discharge. However, when a high voltage is applied, a cathode electrode is easily sputtered. For this reason, it is desired that the discharge area of the cathode electrode be relatively large in order to make spatter less likely to occur. However, in a normal use state, the discharge area of the cathode electrode does not cause discharge concentration as described above. In addition, it is necessary to make the area as small as possible within a range where the complete lighting voltage is sufficiently low. If you do the above,
The aging discharge surface where the distance between the electrodes is gradually increased becomes a discharge surface at a high voltage during the aging process, but does not become a discharge surface in a normal use state,
It is possible to make spatters less likely to occur during the aging process and to make the main discharge surface in normal discharge necessary and sufficient.

[0018]

[0019]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the dimensional ratio of each part in the drawings is not always accurate.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the structure of the color PALC panel 10 as an embodiment of the discharge display device of the present invention, in which the front plate 16 and the back plate 24 are separated. Color PA
The LC panel 10 has a liquid crystal layer 20 between a front plate 16 made of transparent glass having a color filter 12 and a transparent electrode 14 sequentially laminated on one surface and a thin glass 18 provided on one surface of the front plate 16. And the thin glass 18 has a back plate 24 made of transparent glass having a plurality of partition walls 22 formed on one surface, and one surface of the front plate 16 and the back plate 24 facing each other at a peripheral portion (not shown). By being air-tightly joined in a state,
And a long discharge space 26 filled with a discharge rare gas. The front plate 16
Deflection plates 28 and 30 orthogonal to each other are disposed on the other surface of the and the rear plate 24 opposite to the one surface. In this embodiment, the front plate 16 and the rear plate 24 provided with the thin glass 18 and the like correspond to the other and one of the pair of parallel flat plates, respectively, and the upper surface of the rear plate 24 in FIG. The lower surface in 2 corresponds to “one opposite surface of a pair of parallel flat plates” and “the other opposite surface of a pair of parallel flat plates” in claims.

The plurality of partition walls 22 on the back plate 24 are, for example, 10 to 200 μm in width and 100 to 300 μm in height.
The center-to-center distance between adjacent partition walls 22 which is a predetermined pixel size of the color PALC panel 10 is formed in parallel with each other so as to be, for example, about 600 μm corresponding to the cell pitch, and is formed in the longitudinal direction thereof. At intervals, a large number of discharge projections 34 are provided which extend from the wall surface 31 to both sides in the width direction and have end faces 32 parallel to the longitudinal direction. The discharge protrusions 34 are provided at the same position in the longitudinal direction of the wall surface 31 on all of the plurality of partition walls 22, whereby the discharge protrusions 34 face each other in the respective discharge spaces 26 with the end faces 32 facing each other. Is provided. This opposite end face 3
The distance between the two is, for example, about 0.1 to 0.2 mm. In the present embodiment, the wall surface 31 corresponds to the opposing wall surface, the end surface 32 corresponds to the opposing surface of the discharge convex portion, and the discharge convex portions 34 are provided on both sides of the opposing wall surface of the partition wall 22.

Further, at a position separated from the rear plate 24 within a range of several tens of μm or less, for example, by a discharge electrode 36 having a thickness of several tens of μm, the end face 32 of the discharge projection 34 of the partition 22 is disposed. It is provided in a state where it is exposed over the entire length of the wall surface 31 including it. That is, the discharge electrode 36
Are formed in a layer at a middle portion (that is, a part) in a height direction from the back plate 24 to the front plate 16 for each of the plurality of partition walls 22 in a longitudinal direction.
At a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the wall surfaces 31 opposed to each other, the end surfaces 32 where the discharge electrodes 36 are exposed are respectively provided, and the distances between the end surfaces 32 are substantially equal to each other, so that the end surfaces 32 are formed. A plurality of discharge projections 34 projecting so that the distance between the discharge electrodes at 34 is substantially the same as each other are provided at equal intervals.

The partition walls 22 are formed, for example, by laminating a thick-film insulating paste containing low-melting glass and an appropriate filler by thick-film screen printing. On the other hand, the discharge electrode 3
6: In the process of forming the partition wall 22, after printing and laminating the above thick film insulating paste to a position where the height becomes 5 to several tens μm after firing, for example, a conductor paste for electrodes such as nickel, aluminum, metal oxide and the like. Is formed by thick-film screen printing using the same screen (plate) as above so that the thickness becomes the above-mentioned thickness after firing. The partition wall 22 provided with the discharge electrode 36 is formed in the middle part in the height direction by printing and laminating the thick film insulating paste and then baking it at a predetermined temperature of, for example, about 500 to six hundred and several tens of degrees Celsius.

The color filters 12 on the front plate 16 are provided with three primary colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), for example, each having a size of about several tens μm in width, for example, about 200 μm. Dye rows formed by sequentially arranging the dye rows in the width direction so as to be uniformly arranged with a predetermined center interval are well-known such that the interval between the dye rows is about 25 μm and each is orthogonal to the partition wall 22. It is formed on the front plate 16 by a pigment dispersion method, an electrodeposition method, a printing method, or the like. In addition, a stripe-shaped black mask that does not transmit light is disposed between the respective dye rows in the same manner. The color filter 12 includes the R, G,
One pixel is composed of the three dyes B, and the size of one pixel is, for example, about 600 μm.

The transparent electrode 14 is made of an ITO electrode material made of, for example, indium oxide / tin oxide.
For example, vapor deposition, sputtering, or the like is performed on the color filter 12 in a direction orthogonal to 2, that is, in a direction parallel to each of the dye rows, so as to be located immediately above each of the dye rows and to have substantially the same dimensions as the respective dye rows. And then patterned by photolithography. In addition,
The discharge projections 34 formed on the partition walls 22 are formed at regular intervals with the transparent electrodes 14 so as to be located directly below all the transparent electrodes 14, and are directly below all the RGB dyes of each pixel. One of the discharge protrusions 34 is located at the right side of FIG.
That is, in this embodiment, a pair of discharge projections 34 is provided for each dye.

The liquid crystal layer 20 is formed by injecting a liquid crystal material between the front plate 16 and the thin glass 18. The thin glass 18 is, for example, 50
It has a thickness of about μm and is joined to the front plate 16 by an organic adhesive. The thin glass 18 serves to store electric charges as described below,
It forms a closed space for enclosing the following discharge gas. That is, in the present embodiment, the thin glass 18 corresponds to a dielectric layer.

In the PALC panel 10, the front glass 16 and the rear plate 24 configured as described above are bonded to each other via the thin glass 18 by bonding the thin glass 18 and the rear plate 24 with frit glass or the like. It is manufactured by filling a discharge rare gas such as Ne at a pressure of, for example, several hundred torr in a plurality of discharge spaces 26 formed by the thin glass 18, the back plate 24, and the plurality of partition walls 22. In addition, the partition wall 22 located other than the peripheral portion
Is not connected to the thin glass 18.

The PALC panel 10 generates a discharge in the discharge space 26 when a predetermined discharge voltage (for example, about -200 V) is applied between two discharge electrodes 36 facing one discharge space 26. As a result, plasma (that is, discharge gas ions) is generated, and a substantially uniform potential distribution is formed over substantially the whole of the two discharge electrodes 36 except for the vicinity of the cathode electrode. When a predetermined voltage is applied to the predetermined transparent electrode 14 provided on the front plate 16 in a state where the plasma is generated, the substantially uniform potential on the surface of the thin glass 18 on the discharge space 26 side and the transparent electrode 14 Of the surface of the thin glass 18 facing the discharge space 26, that is, the electric charge is accumulated (that is, the capacitance component is charged), and the liquid crystal layer 20 located immediately above the accumulated electric charge is charged.
The liquid crystal inside is aligned. Thereby, the discharge space 26
Only at the intersections between the light source and the transparent electrode 14, light from a backlight (not shown) located on the back surface side of the back plate 24 is emitted from the front plate 16 through the color filter 12. Note that the orientation performs a memory operation by the effect of the accumulated charge, and the orientation is continued even after the plasma in the discharge space 26 is extinguished, and a bright and easy-to-view display is realized.

When displaying an image continuously on the entire PALC panel 10, the following is performed. That is, the scanning is sequentially performed in units of the discharge space 26, and the adjacent discharge electrodes 36,
By applying the above-mentioned predetermined discharge voltage between 36, a discharge is sequentially generated in the plurality of discharge spaces 26 to generate plasma, and at the same time, corresponding to the scan timing,
The above-mentioned predetermined voltage is applied to the transparent electrode 14 passing over the dye that transmits light of the backlight among the dye rows located immediately above each discharge space 26 that is sequentially discharged. In this manner, a predetermined one of the dyes on each discharge space 26 is sequentially addressed, and the light is continuously transmitted by the memory effect of the accumulated charge. Images such as characters and symbols are displayed. Then, by repeating the scanning and the application of the voltage to the transparent electrode 14, an image is continuously displayed. Note that the memory effect continues while the accumulated charge is held, and is reset once in the next scan. The scanning is performed so that the address time is, for example, about 6 to 40 μs for each discharge space 26.

Here, according to the present embodiment, the discharge electrode 36
Are provided in layers in a part of the height direction of the partition wall 22, while the discharge electrodes 36 have the exposed end faces 32, respectively, and the distance between the end faces 32 is substantially equal to each other . A plurality of discharge projections 34 are provided at a plurality of locations in the longitudinal direction of the wall surface 31 at equal intervals. For this reason, when a predetermined discharge voltage is applied between the pair of discharge electrodes 36 facing the predetermined discharge space 26, the discharge is performed exclusively between the end faces 32 of the discharge projections 34, Since the distance between the electrodes of the opposed discharge protrusions 34 is substantially the same, the discharge is uniformly performed between all the discharge protrusions 34. As a result, substantially uniform discharge is performed in the predetermined discharge space 26 in the longitudinal direction.

In addition, the projecting length of the discharge projection 34 from the partition wall 22, ie, the end faces 32, of the pair of discharge projections 34, 34,
Since the distance between the electrodes 32 can be set irrespective of the distance between the partition walls 22, it is possible to set an appropriate inter-electrode distance for driving at a low voltage regardless of the pixel density.

On the other hand, in the conventional electrode structure in which the discharge projections 34 are not provided, the discharge is ideally performed over the entire length of the discharge electrode 36, but the discharge electrode 36 is formed with high precision. In particular, in the case of forming by thick film printing, it is difficult to secure the sharpness of the boundary line at the end in the width direction, and large irregularities are generated irregularly. For this reason, the discharge is concentrated between the convex portions having a small inter-electrode distance, and a uniform discharge cannot be obtained over the entire length of the discharge space 26. According to the present embodiment, even when the discharge electrode 36 is formed by thick-film printing as described above, even if the unevenness is formed at the width direction end, the electrode is independent of the unevenness. Since the discharge is performed exclusively between the discharge protrusions 34 whose distance is further reduced, uniform discharge can be performed in the discharge space 26 by appropriately setting the intervals at which the discharge protrusions 34 are provided. It becomes possible.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the end faces 32 of the discharge projections 34 facing each other in the discharge space 26 are parallel to each other, the distance between the end faces 32 of the discharge projections 34, that is, the end face 32 The distance between the electrodes is substantially uniform.
For this reason, discharge concentration in the end face 32 is less likely to occur.

The barrier ribs 22 are formed by thick-film printing, and the discharge electrodes 36 are provided in a layered manner by thick-film printing in the middle of the height direction in the process of forming the barrier ribs 22. After the thick film insulating paste to be formed is printed and laminated to a predetermined height on the back plate 24 and dried, the conductor paste for forming the discharge electrode 36 is printed on the thick film insulating paste. Thus, the conductor paste is not printed directly on the back plate 24. Therefore, the conductor paste is less likely to sag,
Irregularities due to sagging are less likely to occur on the end face 32 of the discharge projection 34, and the parallelism between the discharge projections 34, 34 is increased, so that discharge concentration in the end face 32 is less likely to occur, and the distance between the discharge electrodes 36. Is set to the designed proper value.

According to the present embodiment, the area of the end face 32 of the discharge projection 34, that is, the discharge area, appropriately changes the width (that is, the length of the discharge electrode 36 in the longitudinal direction) and the thickness of the discharge projection 34. Thereby, it can be freely changed regardless of the pixel density or the discharge voltage. As a result, it is possible to preferably suppress discharge concentration caused by an excessively large discharge area on the cathode side, increase in complete lighting voltage caused by an excessively small discharge area, and the like.

Next, another embodiment will be described. In the following embodiments, portions common to the above-described embodiments will be assigned the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIGS. 3 to 8 are views corresponding to the vicinity of the discharge projection 34 of the partition wall 22 in the above-described embodiment, and FIGS. 3 to 7 show the state viewed from above.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
Discharge projections 42 and 44 having parallel end faces 38 and 40 similar to those of FIG.
The width W _A of the discharge protrusions 44 on the anode side (that is, the length in the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 22) is made larger than the width W _K of the discharge protrusions 42 on the cathode side, and the area of the end face 40 is made larger. I have. In this case, since the end surface 40 of the anode-side discharge convex portion 44, which is the electron receiving side at the time of discharge, is larger than the end surface 38 of the cathode-side discharge convex portion 42, the cathode-side convex portion 42 and its The negative glow discharge generated in the vicinity can be made uniform and stable. Since the discharge area is substantially determined by the area of the end face 38 on the cathode side, the problem of discharge concentration does not occur even if the area of the end face 40 on the anode side is increased as described above.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the discharge projections 46 and 48 are provided obliquely with respect to the partition 22. Generally, the printing direction of the screen printing is preferably the longitudinal direction of the pattern in terms of printing accuracy, and it is not preferable that a pattern perpendicular to the printing direction exists. According to the above, even when the longitudinal direction of the partition wall 22 is set as the printing direction, the discharge projections 46 and 48 do not become perpendicular to the printing direction, so that good printing accuracy can be obtained.

In the embodiment shown in FIG.
One of the discharge protrusions 50 has a facing surface 52 having a cylindrical convex curved surface, and the other discharge protrusion 54 has a facing surface 56 having a cylindrical concave curved surface. Even if the facing surface of the discharge convex portion has such a shape, if the distance between the respective points on the facing surfaces 52 and 56 is substantially the same, the discharge convex portion 34 of the above-described embodiment can be used. Similarly, the discharge area of the discharge electrode 36 can be set to an appropriate value.

Further, as shown in FIG.
The discharge surfaces may be formed in parallel to the electrode direction by making the portions 59, 59 of the side surfaces of 8, 58 opposing surfaces.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the shape of the discharge protrusion 60 on the anode side is the same as that of the discharge protrusion 34, but the discharge protrusion 62 on the cathode side is formed at the widthwise end of the facing surface 64. Part 65 are curved, and includes a main discharge surface D _M distance is constant between the facing surface 61 and an aging discharge surface D _E whose distance gradually increases and adjacent thereto. Note that the width of the anode-side facing surface 61 and the overall width of the cathode-side facing surface 64 (D _M + 2D _E ) are the same. Therefore, when a relatively high voltage is applied between the discharge electrodes 36, 36, the entire width of the opposing surface 64 acts as a discharge surface, but when a relatively low voltage is applied,
Discharge is performed only in the main discharge surface D _M, which is a relatively small constant distance.

That is, when the color PALC panel 10 is used, a so-called aging process of applying a higher voltage than the actual use condition is usually performed in order to secure a stable discharge. The cathode electrode is easily sputtered. For this reason, it is desirable that the discharge area be relatively large in order to make the sputtering of the cathode electrode difficult to occur. However, in a normal use state, the discharge area on the cathode side does not cause a concentration of the discharge. It is necessary to make the area as small as possible in a range where the lighting voltage is sufficiently low. According to the above, when a high voltage is applied, discharge is performed by a large discharge surface, and when a low voltage is applied, discharge is performed by a small discharge surface. In addition, it is possible to make the discharge surface hard to occur and to make the discharge surface in the normal discharge necessary and sufficient.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the size of the discharge protrusion 66 is substantially the same as that of the discharge protrusion 34, but the upper surface 68 of the discharge protrusion 66 is positioned at the upper surface 7 of the partition wall 22.
0, and the discharge electrode 3
6 are exposed. Therefore, in a state where the front plate 16 side and the rear plate 24 side shown in FIG. 1 are joined, there is a gap between the lower surface of the thin glass 18 and the upper surface 68 of the discharge convex portion 66 as shown in FIG. D is provided. In this way, light extracted to the outside from the discharge space 26 for displaying an image or the like is also extracted from immediately above the gap, and the height of the light is the same as that of the partition 22 as in the discharge projection 34. Higher brightness is obtained as compared with the case where That is, the discharge protrusions 34, 66 and the like have an aperture ratio (ie, an area ratio from which light is extracted) in the discharge space 26.
However, according to the above-described method, light leaks from the gap portion, so that a decrease in luminance due to a decrease in aperture ratio can be suppressed.

While the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention can be embodied in still another embodiment.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the color PALC panel 10 has been described. However, the present invention is similarly applied to a monochrome PALC panel in which the color filter 12 is not provided .

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the color PALC panel 10 in which the discharge space 26 is formed in a longitudinal shape by the plurality of longitudinal partitions 22 parallel to each other has been described. Even when the discharge space 26 is formed by the lattice-shaped partition walls, the length in the longitudinal direction of the discharge electrode 36 in the discharge space 26 is equal to that of the discharge electrode 36,
If it is longer than the interval of 36,
The invention can be applied as well. However, in this case, it is necessary to provide the discharge projections 34 in all of the discharge spaces 26.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the discharge electrode 36 is provided at the intermediate portion of the partition wall 22 has been described. However, the discharge electrode 36 may be formed along the partition wall 22 below. good. However, the discharge electrode 36 is formed by thick film printing.
When the discharge electrodes 36 are printed directly on the back plate 24 when forming the barrier ribs 22 or the barrier ribs 22, it is not preferable because unevenness occurs at the boundary line at the widthwise end of the conductive paste as in the related art. Therefore, when the discharge electrode 36 is provided below the partition 22, for example, after the electrode layer and the insulating layer are laminated on the back plate 24 so as to cover the front surface, blasting (so-called dry etching) treatment with glass beads or the like is performed. It is preferred to adopt a method such as

The discharge projections 34 of each partition 22 may be provided in RGB dye units as shown in the embodiment. The pixels may be provided at one ratio. That is, the discharge protrusion 34 in FIG.
May be removed every other in the longitudinal direction. Since the same potential surface when the discharge is performed between the discharge protrusions 34 is relatively wide, the interval in the longitudinal direction is appropriately changed within a range where the same potential can be obtained over the entire length of the discharge space 26. obtain. Also, the intervals in the longitudinal direction are not necessarily required to be equal intervals as long as substantially the same potential can be obtained.

In the embodiment, the discharge projections 34 and the like are provided on all the partition walls 22. However, the discharge projections 34 and the like are provided on the partition wall 2 provided with the discharge electrode 36 on the cathode side.
2 may be provided. When the area on the anode side is sufficiently large, the size of the discharge surface is substantially determined by the size of the discharge protrusions 34 on the cathode side, and thus the discharge protrusions 34 on the anode side are not necessarily provided. It is not necessary. For example, in FIG. 2, the discharge protrusions 34 may be formed every other partition 22.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the aging discharge surface _DE is provided at both ends in the width direction of the discharge projection 62, but the aging discharge surface D _E is the main discharge surface _DM.
The position may be different if provided adjacent to the. For example, the aging discharge surface _DE may be provided only at one end in the width direction, or may be provided at the center of the opposing surface 64 in the width direction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the discharge electrode 36 is exposed on the upper surface 68 of the discharge convex portion 66. However, the position of the upper surface 68 of the discharge convex portion 66 is
If it is lower than the position of the upper surface 70 of the discharge electrode 3
6 may be covered with the same material as the partition wall 22, and the position of the upper surface 68 may be higher than the position of the upper surface of the discharge electrode 36. However, in order to obtain high brightness, it is desired that the gap D is as large as possible. Therefore, the discharge electrode 36 is provided as low as possible, and the discharge electrode 36 is formed on the upper surface 68 of the discharge projection 68. Most preferably, it is exposed.

The end faces 32 of the discharge projections 34, 34, etc.
The interval such as 32 is appropriately set according to the drive voltage.
The width, height, interval, and the like of 2, and the length, width, and the like of the dye of the color filter 12 are appropriately changed according to the required pixel density and the like.

The distance, that is, the height of the discharge electrode 36 from the back plate 24 is appropriately changed. However, it is desirable that the position in the height direction be as low as possible.

Although not specifically exemplified, the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining Paschen's law.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing the structure of a color plasma addressed liquid crystal panel according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining another embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram corresponding to a part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Color plasma addressed liquid crystal panel (discharge display device) 16: Front plate (the other of a pair of parallel flat plates) 24: Back plate (one of a pair of parallel flat plates) 22: Partition wall 26: Discharge space 31: Wall surface (facing) Wall surface) 32: End surface (opposite surface of discharge convex portion) 34: Discharge convex portion 36: Discharge electrode

Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Susumu Sakamoto 2160, Yatsunami, Yasu-cho, Asakura-gun, Fukuoka No. 2160 Kyushu Noritake Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-5-134242 (JP, A) JP-A Heihei JP-A-6-131468 (JP, A) JP-A-5-127610 (JP, A) JP-A-5-225912 (JP, A) JP-A-5-297362 (JP, A) A) Japanese Utility Model Showa 56-140136 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Showa 63-149054 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G09F 9/30 G09F 9/313 G02F 1 / 1333 H01J 17/49

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of parallel flat plates, and a partition wall formed parallel to each other on one opposing surface of the pair of parallel flat plates to form a plurality of elongated discharge spaces between the pair of parallel flat plates. A plurality of longitudinal discharge electrodes provided for each partition to generate a discharge in the longitudinal discharge space, a plasma addressed liquid crystal display device of the type, wherein the height of the partition a discharge electrode provided in layers in some direction, a plurality of positions in the longitudinal direction of the opposing wall surfaces of the was allowed to face the discharge space of the partition walls, the discharge electrodes facing surfaces that are exposed possess respectively In the height direction of the partition
Flops and discharge electrode distance in said facing surface lower than the position of the upper surface of the partition wall is characterized in that a plurality of discharge protrusions which are respectively protruded so as to be substantially equal to each other, including Te
Plasma address liquid crystal display.