JPH08315736A - Plasma address display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a plasma address display device which can restrain irregular discharge between mutual discharge electrodes and joining of a takeout electrode and mercury diffused in a plasma chamber. CONSTITUTION: A takeout electrode 50 using silver and a discharge electrode 52 using nickel are formed on a surface of a glass substrate 31. A joining part 53 with the takeout electrode 50 is covered with insulating cover glass 51, and is positioned under a barrier rib 33a.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma address display device, and more particularly to a plasma address display device characterized by the position of a junction between a discharge electrode and an extraction electrode.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a means for improving the resolution and contrast of a matrix type electro-optical device using a liquid crystal cell as an electro-optical cell, for example, a switching device such as a thin film transistor is provided for each pixel. An active matrix addressing system in which elements are provided and these are driven line-sequentially is generally known.

However, in this case, it is necessary to provide a large number of semiconductor elements such as thin film transistors on the substrate,
In particular, when the area is increased, the manufacturing yield is deteriorated. Therefore, recently, a method has been proposed in which a plasma switch that drives an electro-optical cell by using a switch based on plasma discharge is used instead of a switching element including a thin film transistor.

In this plasma addressed display device, a plurality of stripe-shaped barrier ribs and discharge electrodes are formed in a pattern parallel to each other on a glass substrate, and the discharge electrodes discharge the plasma into a plasma chamber provided between the barrier ribs. Is generated to bring the dielectric sheet to a substantially anode potential,
The liquid crystal layer is driven by the potential difference between the dielectric sheet and the data electrode.

The discharge electrode of such a plasma addressed display device is joined to the extraction electrode at its end.
FIG. 4 is an example of a partial cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the joint between the discharge electrode and the extraction electrode in the plasma addressed display device. As shown in FIG. 4, in the plasma addressed display device, a discharge electrode 32 extending in the stripe direction (left and right direction in the figure) and an extraction electrode 40 are formed on the surface of a glass substrate 31 by joining. Further, an insulating cover glass 41 is deposited on the joint between the discharge electrode 32 and the extraction electrode 40. Stripe-shaped barrier ribs 33a extending in the left-right direction in the drawing are formed on the discharge electrodes 32. A frit seal 35 is formed on the extraction electrode 40 at a predetermined distance from the barrier rib 33a, and a dummy barrier rib 33b is formed at a predetermined distance from the frit seal 35. Further, on the barrier ribs 33a and 33b and the frit seal 35, the dielectric sheet 4 made of thin glass is used.
Is formed. Here, the discharge electrode 32 is formed using, for example, nickel (Ni), and the extraction electrode 40 is formed using, for example, silver (Ag). The discharge electrode 32 is exposed in a plasma chamber (not shown) formed between the plurality of barrier ribs 33a, and a dischargeable gas is enclosed in the plasma chamber. In the case of (Ni), the discharge electrode 32 is usually used.
The mercury for suppressing the sputtering of the nickel forming the element is diffused.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the conventional plasma addressed display device, the discharge electrode 32 and the extraction electrode 40 are joined below the gap 42 between the barrier rib 33a and the frit seal 35, and the cover glass 41 is formed. Thus, the airtightness between the discharge electrode 32 and the extraction electrode 40 and the gap 42 is maintained. By thus maintaining the airtightness between the extraction electrode 40 and the plasma chamber by the cover glass 41, it is possible to prevent the mercury diffused in the plasma chamber from being combined with the extraction electrode 40 through the gap 42 and being lost. Has been done.

Further, the cover glass 41 also plays a role of preventing the influence of the voltage applied to the discharge electrode 32 from being transmitted to the adjacent discharge electrode 32 through the gap 42, thereby causing an erroneous discharge.

[0008]

However, in the plasma addressed display device shown in FIG. 4 described above, the barrier rib 3 is used.
The joint between the discharge electrode 32 and the extraction electrode 40 is located below the gap 42 between the 3a and the frit seal 35, and since there is a step at this joint, the cover glass 41 flows during firing. The cover glass 41 may be damaged due to chipping on the joint. Also, during firing,
Foaming may occur at the interface between the discharge electrode 32 and the cover glass 41, the cover glass 41 may be lifted, and the airtightness between the gap 42 and the extraction electrode 40 may be impaired.
Therefore, in the plasma addressed display device as shown in FIG. 4, the mercury diffused in the plasma chamber may be combined with the extraction electrode 40 and lost, or an illegal discharge may occur between the adjacent discharge electrodes 32. There is a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to prevent the damage of the cover glass, and to prevent the illegal discharge between the discharge electrodes and the coupling between the mercury diffused in the plasma chamber and the extraction electrode. It is an object to provide an address display device.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and to achieve the above-mentioned object, a plasma addressed display device of the present invention is formed in a stripe shape in the column direction and serves as a cathode and an anode. Discharge electrode,
Plasma chambers formed in a stripe shape in the column direction and filled with a dischargeable gas, insulating barrier ribs partitioning the plasma chambers in the stripe direction, and provided on the side facing the substrate with respect to the plasma chambers. And an electro-optical material layer driven by a potential difference between both sides, a dielectric sheet interposed between one side of the electro-optical material layer and the plasma chamber, and a row direction on the other side of the electro-optical material layer. To form a stripe shape on the data electrode to which a data voltage is applied and the insulating barrier rib,
A sealing unit formed between the substrate and the dielectric sheet, and an extraction electrode that is joined to the discharge electrode and supplies a voltage to the discharge electrode, and a joint portion between the discharge electrode and the extraction electrode is provided. , Are located so as to overlap with the formation region of the insulating barrier rib.

Further, the plasma addressed display device of the present invention preferably further comprises an overcoat film laminated on the bonding portion.

Further, in the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, preferably, the joint portion is located outside the effective screen.

Further, in the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, preferably, the extraction electrode is formed by using silver, the discharge electrode is formed by using nickel, and the inside of the plasma chamber is formed. , Mercury has diffused.

[0014]

In the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, since the joint between the discharge electrode and the take-out electrode is positioned so as to overlap with the insulating barrier rib formation region, the overcoat laminated on the joint is fixed by the barrier rib. However, the overcoat does not flow during firing to cause defects. Further, even if foaming occurs at the interface between the discharge electrode and the overcoat during firing, the overcoat is not lifted by the foam and damaged.

Further, in the manufacturing process, the barrier rib may not be normally laminated above the joint due to the step shape, but in the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, the joint between the discharge electrode and the extraction electrode is formed. Since it is provided outside the effective screen, a normal image can be provided even in this case.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A plasma address display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a junction between a discharge electrode and an extraction electrode in a plasma addressed display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plasma addressed display device shown in FIG. Figure 1
As shown in FIG. 2, in the plasma addressed display device, discharge electrodes 32 extending in the stripe direction (left and right directions in FIGS. 1 and 2) and extraction electrodes 40 are bonded and deposited on the surface of a glass substrate 31. is there. In addition, the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 50
An insulating cover glass 51 is formed as an overcoat at the joint portion 53 with. On the discharge electrode 52, stripe-shaped barrier ribs 3 extending in the left-right direction in the figure.
3a is formed. A frit seal 35 is formed on the extraction electrode 50 at a predetermined distance from the barrier rib 33a, and a dummy barrier rib 33b is formed on the extraction electrode 50 at a predetermined distance from the frit seal 35. Further, on the barrier ribs 33 a and 33 b and the frit seal 35, the dielectric sheet 4 using thin glass is formed. Here, the discharge electrode 52 is formed by using, for example, nickel (Ni), and the extraction electrode 50 is formed by, for example, silver (Ag).
It is formed by using. The discharge electrode 5 is provided in the plasma chamber (not shown) formed between the plurality of barrier ribs 33a.
2 is exposed, a dischargeable gas is enclosed in the plasma chamber, and the discharge electrode 52 is made of nickel (Ni).
In this case, mercury is usually diffused to suppress the nickel forming the discharge electrode 52 from being sputtered.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the plasma addressed display device according to this embodiment, the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 5 are
The barrier rib 33a is deposited on the joint portion 53 with 0 through the cover glass 51. That is, the joint portion 53 between the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 50 is located so as to overlap with the formation region of the barrier rib 33a. In this embodiment, the joint 5
3 is provided outside the effective screen.

As described above, in the plasma addressed display device according to this embodiment, the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 50 are provided.
Since the barrier rib 33a is deposited on the joint portion 53 with the cover glass 51 via the cover glass 51, a defect due to the flow of the cover glass 51 due to the step of the joint portion hardly occurs during firing. Further, even if foaming occurs at the interface between the discharge electrode 32 and the cover glass 41 during firing, the cover glass 41 is hardly lifted by the foam and damaged.

Therefore, according to the plasma addressed display device of this embodiment, the cover glass is prevented from being damaged,
It is possible to suppress the illegal discharge between the discharge electrodes and the coupling between the mercury diffused in the plasma chamber and the extraction electrode. Further, by providing the joint portion 53 on the outside of the effective screen, it is possible to provide a normal image even if the barrier rib 33a is not normally stacked above the joint portion 53 in the manufacturing process.

A method of manufacturing the plasma addressed display device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described below. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the plasma addressed display device according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, first,
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a striped extraction electrode 50.
Are formed on the surface of the glass substrate 31. A screen printing method is generally used as a forming method. Next, the striped discharge electrodes 52 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are formed at the same pitch as the extraction electrodes 50 and with the ends partially overlapping the extraction electrodes 50. A screen printing method is generally used as a forming method. Extraction electrode 50
Is formed using, for example, silver (Ag).

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, an insulating cover glass 51 is attached to the junction 5 between the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 50.
It is formed so as to cover 3. The cover glass 51 is usually formed by a screen printing method, and glass is generally used as the material. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the barrier rib 33 is formed on the discharge electrode 52 by a screen printing method or the like. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, at the end portion of the discharge electrode 52 on the side where the extraction electrode 50 is formed, the barrier rib 33a is formed so as to overlap the joint 53 between the extraction electrode 50 and the discharge electrode 52. Are deposited on the cover glass 51 and the discharge electrode 52.

Next, the discharge electrode 52, the extraction electrode 50 and the barrier rib 33 are fired. In this firing, as described above, in the plasma addressed display device according to the present embodiment, since the barrier rib 33a is deposited on the joint 53 between the discharge electrode 52 and the extraction electrode 50 via the cover glass 51, the firing is performed. Occasionally the cover glass 5 due to the step at the joint
There will be no loss due to the flow of 1. Further, even if foaming occurs at the interface between the discharge electrode 32 and the cover glass 41 during firing, the cover glass 41 is not lifted by the foam and damaged.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, a frit seal 35 is formed by applying a low melting point glass or the like using a dispenser or the like. The width of the frit seal 35 is usually about 1.5 μm, and the cover glass 51 controls the formation of the frit seal so that the cover glass 51 is covered with the frit seal by about 0.75 μm. The distance between the frit seal 35 and the barrier rib 33a is preferably 1.8 mm or less in order to prevent the dielectric sheet 4 from cracking.

After that, the dielectric sheet 4 and the glass substrate 3
1 and 1 are pasted together via a frit seal 35. Next, the sealed chamber surrounded by the frit seal 35 is evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown). Further, after injecting a dischargeable gas, mercury vapor is diffused into the sealed chamber.

Next, an orientation treatment (not shown) is carried out, and the result shown in FIG.
As shown in (D), spacers 24 for making the liquid crystal layer have a uniform thickness are scattered, and the color filter 21 is bonded to the dielectric sheet 4 via the liquid crystal sealing material 22 to form a liquid crystal chamber. Then, after that, liquid crystal is injected to obtain a plasma addressed display device. A stripe-shaped data electrode (not shown) to which a data voltage is applied is formed on the liquid crystal chamber side of the color filter 21 in a direction orthogonal to the discharge electrode 52.

In the plasma addressed display device manufactured as described above, when a predetermined voltage is applied to the discharge electrode 52, the gas in the plasma chamber is selectively ionized to generate plasma discharge. The inside is maintained at approximately the anode potential. When a data voltage is applied to the data electrode in this state, the data voltage is written to the liquid crystal layer of the pixels arranged in the column direction corresponding to the plasma chamber 34 via the dielectric sheet 4. When the plasma discharge ends, the plasma chamber 34 becomes a floating potential, and the voltage written in the liquid crystal layer of the corresponding pixel is held until the next writing period (for example, one frame later). At this time, the plasma chamber 34 functions as a sampling switch, and the liquid crystal layer of each pixel functions as a sampling capacitor. Since the liquid crystal is operated by the data voltage written from the data electrode to the liquid crystal layer of each pixel, display is performed in pixel units. Therefore, the plasma chamber 3 for generating the plasma discharge and writing the data voltage to the liquid crystal layers of the plurality of pixels arranged in the column direction is formed.
By sequentially scanning 4 in the row direction, a two-dimensional image can be displayed.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, for example, the extraction electrode 50 may be formed by using gold, copper or the like in addition to silver.

[0028]

As described above, according to the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the overcoat film from flowing due to the step at the junction between the extraction electrode and the discharge electrode during firing. Further, even if foaming occurs at the interface between the discharge electrode and the overcoat during firing, it is possible to prevent the overcoat from being lifted by the foam. Therefore, damage to the overcoat film is suppressed. Further, according to the plasma addressed display device of the present invention, by providing the joint between the discharge electrode and the extraction electrode outside the effective screen, high image quality can be obtained even if the barrier rib is damaged during manufacturing. Can provide images.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view in the vicinity of a joint between a discharge electrode and an extraction electrode in a plasma addressed display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the plasma addressed display device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the plasma addressed display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an example of a partial cross-sectional view in the vicinity of a joint between a discharge electrode and an extraction electrode in a plasma addressed display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 ... Thin glass 7 ... Glass substrate 31 ... Glass substrates 33a, 33b ... Barrier ribs 35 ... Frit seal 50 ... Extraction electrode 51 ... Cover glass 52 ... Discharge electrode

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of discharge electrodes formed in stripes in the column direction to serve as cathodes and anodes, a plasma chamber formed in the stripes in the column direction and containing a dischargeable gas, and the plasma. An insulating barrier rib partitioning the chamber in the stripe direction, an electro-optical material layer provided on the side facing the substrate with respect to the plasma chamber and driven by a potential difference between the two sides, and one side of the electro-optical material layer and the electro-optical material layer. A dielectric sheet interposed between the plasma chamber, a data electrode formed in a stripe shape in the row direction on the other side of the electro-optical material layer, to which a data voltage is applied, and the insulating barrier rib so as to surround the insulating barrier rib. A sealing means formed between the substrate and the dielectric sheet, and an extraction electrode that is joined to the discharge electrode and supplies a voltage to the discharge electrode. The discharge joint between the electrode and the lead electrode, the plasma addressed display device positioned in overlapping the formation area of the insulating barrier ribs. 2. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 1, further comprising an overcoat film laminated on the bonding portion. 3. The plasma addressed display device according to claim 1, wherein the joint portion is located outside the effective screen. 4. The extraction electrode is formed of silver, the discharge electrode is formed of nickel, and mercury is diffused in the plasma chamber.
3. The plasma address display device according to any one of 3 above.