KR100627357B1 - Plasma display panel and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel which applies a mask to the end of a substrate when forming a transparent electrode material film to minimize the formation of an unnecessary transparent electrode material film at the end of the substrate, thereby easily removing the unnecessary transparent electrode material film and shortening the removal time. Having

A plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention includes: a discharge sustaining electrode forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of discharge sustaining electrodes in parallel with an inner surface of a first substrate; An address electrode / bulk barrier forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of address electrodes and barrier ribs in parallel to the inner surface of the second substrate in a direction crossing the discharge sustain electrode; And a bonding step of aligning and bonding the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates, wherein the discharging sustain electrode forming step includes forming a transparent electrode and forming a bus electrode, and forming the transparent electrode. The mask installation step of covering the inner surface end of the first substrate with a mask; Forming a transparent electrode material film on a portion not covered by the mask; And removing the mask and removing the transparent electrode material film partially formed on the portion covered by the mask with a laser.

Plasma Display, ITO Film, Transparent Electrode Material, Mask, Buffer Zone, Dummy Zone

Description

Plasma display panel and manufacturing method thereof {PLASMA DISPLAY PANEL AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

1 is a partially exploded perspective view schematically showing a part of a plasma display panel according to the present invention.

2 is a plan view schematically illustrating a state in which a first substrate to which a plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention is applied is mounted in a holder.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a transparent electrode forming step in the plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a plasma display panel and a method of manufacturing the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma display panel and a method of manufacturing the same. The present invention relates to a plasma display panel and a method of manufacturing the same, forming a buffer zone and removing the transparent electrode material of the buffer zone with a laser.

In general, a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as a 'PDP') is used to display an image using a gas discharge phenomenon, and has excellent display capabilities such as display capacity, brightness, contrast, afterimage, viewing angle, etc. It is in the spotlight as a device that can replace the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube). The PDP generates a gas discharge between the electrodes by a direct current or an alternating voltage applied to the electrode, and excites the phosphor by the radiation of ultraviolet rays, which emits light.

AC type PDPs, which are distinguished from the direct current type according to the driving method, form X electrodes and Y electrodes corresponding to discharge sustaining electrodes on the inner surface of the front substrate, and address electrodes and partition walls on the inner surface of the rear substrate. The X and Y electrodes form a plurality of pairs, and sustain discharge occurs between the X and Y electrodes during PDP operation. The X electrode, the Y electrode, and the address electrode are each formed in a stripe shape on the inner surfaces of the front substrate and the rear substrate, and cross each other at right angles to each other when the front substrate and the rear substrate are assembled to each other.

On the inner surface of the front substrate, a dielectric layer and a protective film are sequentially stacked. On the other hand, a partition wall is formed on the top surface of the dielectric layer on the back substrate, and the discharge cell is formed by the partition wall. In this discharge cell, an inert gas such as neon (Ne) and xenon (Xe) is filled. In addition, phosphors are applied to predetermined portions inside the partition walls forming the respective discharge cells. On the other hand, the X electrode and the Y electrode are composed of a transparent electrode which causes surface discharge and a bus electrode which supplies current to the transparent electrode.

When the operation of the PDP is schematically described, first, an address voltage and a scan voltage are applied to the address electrode and the Y electrode, respectively, and address discharge is generated therebetween to form wall charges in the discharge cell. Next, when a discharge sustain voltage is applied between the Y electrode and the X electrode, a sustain discharge occurs in the discharge cell when the discharge start voltage is exceeded while being added to the wall voltage formed by the wall charge. In this sustain discharge state, light in the ultraviolet region of the discharge light collides with the phosphor to emit visible light, and accordingly, each pixel formed for each discharge cell implements an image.

The image thus implemented is displayed forward through the front substrate provided with the transparent electrode and the bus electrode. The transparent electrode is formed of a transparent electrode material film, that is, an indium tin oxide (ITO) film, on the front substrate to increase the aperture ratio.

This ITO film is usually formed on the front substrate by sputtering or the like, and then patterned into a required shape by exposure / etching or laser etching to form an ITO electrode.

Since these ITO electrodes make it difficult to drive the PDP when they are shorted with other adjacent electrodes, the portion of the ITO film formed on the portion which does not form the ITO electrode must be removed.

The same applies to the end of the front substrate on which the terminal portions of the bus electrodes are formed. That is, it is required to reliably remove the ITO film even at the portion where the terminal portions of the bus electrodes are to be formed.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and its object is to minimize the formation of unnecessary transparent electrode material film at the end of the substrate by applying a mask to the end of the substrate when forming the transparent electrode material film. To provide a plasma display panel and a method of manufacturing the same that can be easily removed and the removal time is reduced.

In addition, the present invention provides a plasma display panel and a method of manufacturing the same, which minimizes the amount of transparent electrode material remaining upon removing an unnecessary transparent electrode material film at a substrate end to prevent a short circuit of a bus electrode formed after forming the transparent electrode material film. .

Plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention in order to achieve the above object,

A discharge sustaining electrode forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of discharge sustaining electrodes in parallel with an inner surface of the first substrate;

An address electrode / bulk barrier forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of address electrodes and barrier ribs in parallel to the inner surface of the second substrate in a direction crossing the discharge sustain electrode;

A bonding step of aligning and bonding the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates,

The discharge sustaining electrode forming step includes forming a transparent electrode and forming a bus electrode,

The transparent electrode forming step,

A mask installation step of covering an inner surface end of the first substrate with a mask;

Forming a transparent electrode material film on a portion not covered by the mask; And

Removing the mask and removing the transparent electrode material film partially formed in the portion covered by the mask with a laser.

In the mask installing step, an end portion of the first substrate on which the terminal portion of the bus electrode is disposed is covered by a mask.

In the mask installing step, the mask is installed at a position where the transparent electrode is retracted by a predetermined distance from the effective screen portion of the first substrate on which the transparent electrode is patterned.

In the transparent electrode material film forming step, a transparent electrode material film having a predetermined uniformity is formed on a portion of the first substrate to be an effective screen portion.

A uniform transparent electrode material film having a slope in a buffer zone outside the uniform transparent electrode material film of the effective screen portion

Form each one,

The dummy zone outside the transparent electrode material film of the buffer zone is maintained in a bare glass state.

The buffer zone and the dummy zone formed in the transparent electrode material film forming step are sequentially formed on both sides of the effective screen portion.

The transparent electrode material film removing step removes the transparent electrode material film formed in the buffer zone except for the effective screen portion.

In the transparent electrode material film removing step, a predetermined distance between the laser head and the substrate is injected by spraying air toward the first substrate from the upper side of the buffer zone formed of the transparent electrode material film having a uniform gradient in the transparent electrode material film forming step. The laser head is moved on the upper side of the first substrate while maintaining the thickness of the transparent electrode material film.

In addition, the plasma display panel according to the present invention is manufactured by the above manufacturing method.

In addition, the plasma display panel according to the present invention,

A first substrate for forming a plurality of pairs of discharge sustaining electrodes in parallel to an inner surface thereof, and a second substrate having a plurality of pairs of address electrodes and partitions in the inner surface in a direction crossing the discharge sustaining electrodes;

The first substrate,

An effective screen portion on which a transparent electrode is patterned by a transparent electrode material film having a predetermined uniformity;

A buffer zone formed by laser removing a transparent electrode material film formed with uniformity at an end of the effective screen portion; And

The dummy zone in a bare glass state is included outside the buffer zone.

A small amount of transparent electrode material film remains in the buffer zone.

The buffer zone and the dummy zone are sequentially formed at both ends of the effective screen portion.

The buffer zone and the dummy zone are formed in the terminal portion of the bus electrode for supplying current to the transparent electrode of the discharge sustaining electrode.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view schematically showing a part of a plasma display panel according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, the PDP forms an X electrode 3 and a Y electrode 5 corresponding to the discharge sustaining electrode on the inner surface of the first substrate 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a “front substrate”), and the second substrate ( 7, the address electrode 9 and the partition 11 are formed on the inner surface of the "back substrate". The X and Y electrodes 3 and 5 are composed of a plurality of pairs, and sustain discharge occurs between the X electrode 3 and the Y electrode 5 during the operation of the PDP. The X electrode 3, the Y electrode 5, and the address electrode 9 are formed in stripe shapes on the inner surfaces of the front substrate 1 and the rear substrate 7, respectively, so that the front substrate 1 and the rear substrate 7 ) Cross each other when assembled together.

On the inner surface of the front substrate 1, a dielectric layer 11 and a protective film 13 are sequentially stacked. On the other hand, a partition wall 17 is formed on the upper surface of the dielectric layer 15 in the rear substrate 7, and the discharge cell 19 is formed by the partition wall 17. In the discharge cell 19, inert gases such as neon (Ne) and xenon (Xe) are filled in a mixed state. In addition, the phosphor 21 is coated on the inner surface of the partition 17 and the upper surface of the dielectric layer 15 forming each discharge cell 19. On the other hand, the X electrode 3 and the Y electrode 5 are composed of transparent electrodes 3a and 5a for causing surface discharge and bus electrodes 3b and 5b for supplying current to the transparent electrodes 3a and 5a.

The PDP exemplifies the transparent electrodes 3a and 5a and the address electrodes 9 of the X and Y electrodes 3 and 5 as stripe shapes, but is not limited thereto and protrudes toward the center of the discharge cell 19. You can also apply. The structure of the partition wall 17 forming the discharge cell 19 is not limited to the stripe shape but also includes a closed structure.

2 is a plan view schematically illustrating a state in which a first substrate to which a plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention is applied is mounted in a holder.

The PDP manufacturing method includes a discharge sustaining electrode (X, Y electrode) forming step, an address electrode / bulk 9, 17 forming step, and a bonding step. In the discharge sustaining electrode forming step, a plurality of pairs of X and Y electrodes 3 and 5 are formed parallel to the inner surface of the front substrate 1, and the address electrode / bulk forming step is performed by the X and Y electrodes 3 and 5, respectively. A plurality of pairs of address electrodes 9 and partitions 17 formed at right angles are formed on the inner surface of the rear substrate 7 in parallel with each other, and the bonding step is performed on the first and second substrates 1 and 7 formed as described above. The inner surfaces are aligned and bonded together.

The discharge sustaining electrode forming step includes forming transparent electrodes 3a and 5a and forming bus electrodes 3b and 5b.

Since the address electrode / bulk barrier forming step, the bonding step, and the bus electrode forming step may be known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted, and the transparent electrode forming step will be described in detail below.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a transparent electrode forming step in the plasma display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, in the PDP manufacturing method, the transparent electrode forming step is performed with the front substrate 1 of the PDP mounted on the holder 23. The holder 23 has a plurality of pins 25 and the front substrate 1 fixed by the pins 25 at positions corresponding to the size of the front substrate 1 so as to fix the front substrate 1. The mask 27 is provided in the both ends of the front board | substrate 1 so that the edge part of this may be covered. Since the holder 23 may be configured in various ways, such as a variable structure to correspond to the front substrate 1 of various sizes, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the PDP manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the transparent electrode forming step proceeds from the mask 27 installation step (a), which covers the inner surface end of the front substrate 1 with the mask 27. In other words, the present embodiment proceeds before the transparent electrode material film is formed on the front substrate 1, and a transparent electrode material film (hereinafter referred to as an “ITO film”) is formed at an unnecessary portion of the front substrate 1. Despite this, the ITO film formed in a small amount on the unnecessary portion of the front substrate 1 is effectively removed. In addition, the PDP manufacturing method of the present embodiment may proceed separately or simultaneously at the end of the front substrate 1, that is, at both ends, but only one side is shown in the drawings.

The mask 27 installation step (a) is to install the mask 27 at the end of the front substrate 1 which has been retracted outward from the effective screen portion 1 a of the front substrate 1 by a predetermined distance D. desirable. In other words, the mask 27 is provided at the portion where the ITO film should not be formed at the end of the front substrate 1. The effective screen portion 1a is a portion which normally displays an image and is a portion where transparent electrodes 3a and 5a are formed. In other words, in the mask installation step (a), the mask 27 covers the end of the front substrate 1 on which the terminal portions of the bus electrodes 3b and 5b are disposed.

After the mask 27 is installed, the transparent electrode material film forming step (b) is performed. This transparent electrode material film forming step forms an ITO film 29 in the effective screen portion 1a between the masks 27 on both sides of the front substrate 1. That is, the ITO film 29 is formed in the part which is not covered by the mask 27.

In the mask installation step, when the mask 27 is retracted and installed by the predetermined distance D from the effective screen portion 1a, a nonuniform ITO film 29a having a slope is formed in the retracted portion, thereby forming the front substrate 1. Is formed on the effective screen portion 1a of ITO film 29 of the required uniformity. The retraction distance D of the mask 27 maintains the uniformity level of the ITO film 29 required in the effective screen portion 1a and the outer buffer of the effective screen portion 1a as shown in (c). It is set at a position that can facilitate the removal of the ITO film 29a formed in the zone 1b, and is preferably set at about 1 mm.

In the transparent electrode material film forming step, since the ITO film 29 is formed with the mask 27 installed at the end of the front substrate 1, three zones are divided at both ends of the front substrate 1, respectively. The ITO films 29 and 29a are formed in a structure. That is, the effective screen portion 1a of the front substrate 1 forms the ITO film 29 with a predetermined uniformity, and the buffer zone 1b forms the ITO film 29b with uniformity having a slope, and the dummy zone. (1c) maintains a glass state in which no ITO film is formed at all.

Although the buffer zone 1b is blocked by the mask 27, an effective screen is formed by some transparent electrode material that is vertically sprayed onto the front substrate 1 and finely penetrates between the mask 27 and the front substrate 1. It is formed on one side of the portion 1a. Therefore, the ITO film 29b formed in the buffer zone 1b forms a slope in which the thickness decreases from the effective screen portion 1a to the outer end portion of the front substrate 1. This buffer zone 1b and the ITO film 29b formed therein are portions to be removed, but in the effective screen portion 1a, the ITO film 29 can achieve a predetermined uniformity. In addition, the dummy zone 1c is a region formed at the outer end of the buffer zone 1b and the transparent electrode material injected by the mask 27 installed in the buffer zone 1b is completely blocked so that the ITO films 29 and 29a are formed. This maintains a complete glass state that is not formed at all. That is, the buffer zone 1b and the dummy zone 1c are sequentially formed at both ends of the effective screen portion 1a at the end of the front substrate 1 after the effective screen portion 1a.

After the transparent electrode material film forming step, the mask removing step (c) for removing the mask 27 is performed.

When the mask 27 is removed in this manner, the buffer zone 1b and the dummy zone 1c appear at both ends of the front substrate 1 that follow the effective screen portion 1a.

Following the mask removing step, the transparent electrode material film removing step d is performed.

This transparent electrode material film removing step removes the ITO film 29a formed in the buffer zone 1b except for the effective screen portion 1a with a laser. That is, the laser head 31 jets the air 33 toward the front substrate 1 and moves from the upper side of the front substrate 1 while maintaining the predetermined distance H from the front substrate 1 to buffer the zone 1b. ), The ITO film 29a having the slope formed thereon is removed.

At this time, since the ITO films 29 and 29a are not formed at all in the dummy zone 1c of the front substrate 1, the process of removing the ITO film 29a by moving the laser head 31 in the dummy zone 1c. Instead of proceeding, the process of removing the ITO film 29a only in the buffer zone 1b is performed.

As described above, since the ITO film 29a removal process is performed only in the buffer zone 1b, it is necessary to remove the ITO film 29a at the end of the front substrate 1, that is, the portion where the terminal portions of the bus electrodes 3b and 5b are located. It is possible to shorten the process time. In addition, since the laser head 31 is moved only in the buffer zone 1b between the dummy zone 1c and the effective screen portion 1a without moving to the uppermost end of the front substrate 1, it is ejected from the laser head 31. The entire amount of air 33 acts to maintain the gap H between the laser head 31 and the front substrate 1, and thus the laser head until the ITO film 29a formed in the buffer zone 1b is removed. The distance H between the 31 and the front substrate 1 is kept constant. This facilitates the movement of the laser head 31 and the removal of the ITO film 29a at the end of the front substrate 1.

As a result of the transparent electrode material film removing step, the front substrate 1 is located at the center of the effective screen portion 1a, which is located at both sides of the effective screen portion 1a, as shown in (e). The buffer zone 1b and the dummy zone 1c which are located outside the buffer zone 1b are formed.

After the ITO film 29a of the buffer zone 1b is removed by the transparent electrode material film removing step, the bus electrode 35 is formed as shown in (f).

The end of the front substrate 1 forms a dummy zone 1c in which the ITO film 29 is not formed at all since the ITO film 29 is formed at the portion where the terminal portion of the bus electrode 35 is located. In addition, since the ITO film 29a having a slope is formed and then removed, the buffer zone 1b is formed, thereby minimizing the remaining amount of the transparent electrode material at this portion, thereby shorting the bus electrode 35 by the remaining amount of the transparent electrode material. It can be prevented more effectively.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it belongs to the scope of the invention.

As described above, the present invention includes a buffer zone in which a transparent electrode material film having a slope and a dummy zone in which a transparent electrode material film is not completely formed is formed at an end portion of the first substrate of the plasma display panel. By removing the electrode material film with a laser, it is easy to remove the transparent electrode material film and shorten the removal time, and minimize the remaining amount of the transparent electrode material at the end of the first substrate on which the terminal portion of the bus electrode is located. As a result, the bus electrode is short-circuited.

Claims (12)

A discharge sustaining electrode forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of discharge sustaining electrodes in parallel with an inner surface of the first substrate, and stacking a dielectric layer and a protective film on the discharge sustaining electrodes; An address electrode / bulk barrier forming step of forming a plurality of pairs of address electrodes and barrier ribs in parallel to the inner surface of the second substrate in a direction crossing the discharge sustain electrode, and forming phosphors on the barrier ribs; And bonding the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates to align the inner surfaces of the first and second substrates, and filling gas after exhausting air remaining in the spaces between the first and second substrates. The discharge sustaining electrode forming step includes forming a transparent electrode and forming a bus electrode, The transparent electrode forming step, A mask installation step of covering an inner surface end of the first substrate with a mask; Forming a transparent electrode material film on a portion not covered by the mask; And Removing the mask and removing the transparent electrode material film partially formed on the portion covered by the mask with a laser. The method of claim 1, In the mask installation step, the end portion of the first substrate on which the terminal of the bus electrode is disposed is covered with a mask. The method of claim 1, In the mask installation step, a mask is installed at a position where the transparent electrode is retracted by a predetermined distance from the effective screen portion of the first substrate on which the transparent electrode is patterned so as to make the transparent electrode material film uniform. The method of claim 1, In the transparent electrode material film forming step, a transparent electrode material film having a predetermined uniformity is formed on a portion of the first substrate to be an effective screen portion. A uniform transparent electrode material film having a slope in a buffer zone outside the uniform transparent electrode material film of the effective screen portion Form each one, And a dummy zone outside the transparent electrode material film of the buffer zone in a bare glass state. The method of claim 4, wherein The buffer zone and the dummy zone formed in the transparent electrode material film forming step are sequentially formed on both sides of the effective screen portion. The method of claim 4, wherein The removing of the transparent electrode material film may include removing the transparent electrode material film formed in the buffer zone except for the effective screen portion. The method of claim 4, wherein In the transparent electrode material film removing step, a predetermined distance between the laser head and the substrate is injected by spraying air toward the first substrate from the upper side of the buffer zone formed of the transparent electrode material film having a uniform gradient in the transparent electrode material film forming step. And removing the transparent electrode material film formed with a tilt in the buffer zone by moving the laser head above the first substrate while maintaining the temperature. A plasma display panel manufactured according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A first substrate for forming a plurality of pairs of discharge sustaining electrodes in parallel to an inner surface thereof, and a second substrate having a plurality of pairs of address electrodes and partitions in the inner surface in a direction crossing the discharge sustaining electrodes; The first substrate, An effective screen portion on which a transparent electrode is patterned by a transparent electrode material film having a predetermined uniformity; A buffer zone formed by laser removing a transparent electrode material film formed with uniformity at an end of the effective screen portion; And And a dummy zone in a bare glass state outside the buffer zone. The method of claim 9, And a small amount of transparent electrode material film remaining in the buffer zone. The method of claim 9, And the buffer zone and the dummy zone are sequentially formed at both ends of the effective screen portion. The method of claim 9, And the buffer zone and the dummy zone are formed in the terminal portion of the bus electrode for supplying current to the transparent electrode of the discharge sustain electrode.

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