KR100659109B1 - Plasma display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A plasma display panel is provided to minimize the number of components disposed on a front substrate and improve brightness and light room contrast by arranging electrodes inside dielectric walls. A rear substrate(140) is disposed in a longitudinal direction to a front substrate(120). A plurality of dielectric walls(130) are formed between the front and rear substrates in order to define a plurality of discharge cells(150). A front discharge electrode and a rear discharge electrode are formed in a longitudinal direction within the dielectric walls. A plurality of electrode groups(133) have brightness lower than brightness of the dielectric walls. A phosphor layer(125) is disposed within each discharge cell. The discharge cells are filled with discharge gas. A distance of one electrode of one electrode group from one side of the dielectric walls is different from distances of other electrodes of one electrode group from one side of the dielectric walls.

Description

Plasma display panel {Plasma display panel}

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a conventional plasma display panel.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the plasma display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement of electrodes of the plasma display panel illustrated in FIG. 2.

4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 2.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of part A of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a plasma display device employing the plasma display panel shown in FIG. 2.

7 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a plasma display panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement state of electrode groups included in the plasma display panel of FIG. 7.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 7.

10 is an exploded perspective view showing a plasma display panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. 10.

12 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a plasma display panel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement state of electrodes provided in the plasma display panel of FIG. 12.

14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV of FIG. 12.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

100, 200, 300: plasma display panel

120: front substrate

125: phosphor layer

130: dielectric wall

133, 233, 333, 433: electrode group

134, 234, 334, 434: forward discharge electrode

135, 235, 335, and 435 address electrodes

136, 236, 336, 436: rear discharge electrode

139: Shield

140: back substrate

150: discharge cell

510: an image processor

524: common electrode driver

525: address driver

526: Scanning electrode driver

530: logic control

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to a plasma display panel that induces three-dimensional discharge to enable low voltage driving while increasing the amount of discharge, and to dramatically improve luminance by increasing the transmittance of visible light.

Plasma display panel is a flat panel display device that adopts plasma display panel, and has large screen, high quality, ultra thin, light weight and wide viewing angle, and it is simpler to manufacture than other flat panel display devices and easy to enlarge. It is attracting attention as the next generation large flat panel display device.

The plasma display panel is classified into a direct current (DC) type, an alternating current (AC) type, and a hybrid type according to an applied discharge voltage, and classified into a counter discharge type and a surface discharge type according to a discharge structure. In the DC plasma display panel, all electrodes are exposed to a discharge space. Thus, the transfer of charge is made directly between the corresponding electrodes. In contrast, in the AC plasma display panel, at least one electrode is surrounded by a dielectric layer, and discharge is performed by an electric field of wall charge instead of direct charge transfer between the corresponding electrodes.

In the DC plasma display panel, since there is a problem in that the electrode is severely damaged due to the direct movement of charges between the corresponding electrodes, in recent years, an AC type plasma display having a three-electrode surface discharge structure has been developed. Panels have been generally employed.

1 is a partially exploded perspective view of a conventional three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1997-172442. Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional plasma display panel 10 includes a front substrate 20 and a rear substrate 30. The back substrate 30 includes an address electrode 33 for generating an address discharge, a back dielectric layer 35 embedding the address electrode, a partition wall 37 partitioning the discharge cells 15, and both sides of the partition wall. And a phosphor layer 39 coated on an upper surface of the rear dielectric layer 35 in which the barrier ribs are not formed. The front substrate 20 disposed so as to be spaced apart from and opposed to the rear substrate 30 has a front surface in which the X and Y electrodes 22 and 23 which generate a sustain discharge and the X and Y electrodes 22 and 23 are embedded. The dielectric layer 25 and the protective film 29 are provided. The X electrode 22 is usually provided with a transparent X electrode 22a and a bus X electrode 22b disposed on one side of the transparent X electrode, and the Y electrode 23 is usually provided with a transparent Y electrode 23a. And a bus Y electrode 23b disposed on one side of the transparent Y electrode.

In the plasma display panel having such a structure, ions collide with the phosphor layer 39 due to a sustain discharge generated between the X electrode 22 and the Y electrode 23, thereby emitting light from the excited phosphor layer 39. Visible light is emitted to the outside through the front substrate 20 to realize the image.

However, in the conventional plasma display panel 10 as described above, the X electrode 22, the Y electrode 23, and the X and Y electrodes 22 and 23 are sequentially disposed below the front substrate 20. The front dielectric layer 25 and the protective film 29 formed thereon are present. These factors have a serious problem that the visible light transmittance of about 60%.

In addition, since the AC electrode and the Y electrode which cause discharge are disposed on the back surface of the front substrate, the AC type three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel has a high resistance and high price in order to pass visible light. It must be formed of ITO electrodes that are difficult to handle. Therefore, a voltage drop occurs at the ITO electrode, which may make the image of the large-screen plasma display panel nonuniform, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost.

In addition, in such an AC-type three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel, the discharge is concentrated only on the back surface of the front substrate on which the electrode pairs are arranged. As a result, the inefficiency of the discharge is increased because the space of the discharge cell cannot be effectively utilized.

In addition, due to the price limit of the integrated circuit chip, which accounts for a large part of the manufacturing cost of the plasma display panel, there was a limit to increase the amount of discharge by limiting the spaced distance between the electrode pairs to a certain distance, thereby resulting in the limitation of luminance improvement. .

In addition, when such an alternating-type three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel is used for a long time, charged particles of the discharge gas are diffused backward from the rear surface of the front substrate by the electric field and accelerated, thereby causing ion sputtering in the phosphor. Is high, thereby causing a permanent afterimage on the screen.

The present invention aims to solve the following problems, including the above problems.

First, it aims to improve luminance by minimizing components disposed on an optical path through which visible light travels, and to have high brightness and high contrast ratio.

Second, an object other than ITO can be used as a material for forming an electrode to reduce the manufacturing cost of the electrode and to facilitate the large area of the plasma display panel.

Third, an object of the present invention is to provide a structure in which the discharge is formed in three dimensions in the entire discharge cell and prevents the driving voltage from increasing while sufficiently increasing the spaced distance between the electrode pairs, thereby generating many discharges even at a low voltage.

Fourth, an object of the present invention is to prevent ion sputtering of a phosphor and to increase the lifetime of the phosphor.

In order to solve the above problems, a plasma display panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes: a front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate to face the front substrate; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate, the plurality of dielectric walls defining discharge cells together with the front substrate and the rear substrate; A plurality of electrode groups having a front discharge electrode and a rear discharge electrode disposed in the dielectric wall and spaced apart in the front and rear, and having lower brightness than the dielectric wall; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; With the discharge gas existing in the discharge cell, at least one of the electrodes constituting the one electrode group, the separation distance to one side of the dielectric wall in which the electrode is embedded is different from the other electrodes.

In this case, it is preferable that the electrodes forming the electrode groups have a dark color.

Preferably, the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode are formed so that some of the surfaces vertically projected on the front surface of the front substrate overlap each other.

Meanwhile, the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode are formed to extend in the same direction, and the electrode group may further include address electrodes formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. In this case, the address electrode is preferably disposed between the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode in the dielectric wall. In this case, the front discharge electrode, the rear discharge electrode and the address electrode may be formed so that some of the surfaces vertically projected on the front surface of the front substrate overlap each other.

Preferably, the dielectric wall defines the discharge cells such that the top, bottom, left, and right sides of the discharge cell are closed. In this case, the electrodes constituting the electrode group may be disposed to surround the discharge cell. .

On the other hand, it may further include a protective film disposed to cover at least a part side of the dielectric wall.

In addition, the phosphor layer may be disposed in a groove formed in the front substrate.

Preferably, the dielectric wall vertically connects one surface of the front substrate and one surface of the rear substrate.

A plasma display panel according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises: a front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate in a longitudinal direction; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the back substrate, the plurality of dielectric walls defining discharge cells together with the front substrate and the back substrate; Forward discharge electrodes disposed within the dielectric wall; Address electrodes and rear discharge electrodes spaced apart from each other behind the front discharge electrode in the dielectric wall; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; And a discharge gas existing in the discharge cell, wherein at least one of the address electrode and the rear discharge electrode has a greater width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode, and has a lower brightness than the dielectric wall.

In this case, it is preferable that the front discharge electrode, the address electrode and the rear discharge electrode have a dark color.

The address electrode may be disposed between the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode.

Here, the address electrode may have a larger width in the transverse direction than the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode, in this case, the address electrode, the longitudinal thickness is preferably smaller than the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode Do.

In addition, the rear discharge electrode may have a greater width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and the address electrode.

On the other hand, the plasma display panel according to the third embodiment of the present invention comprises: a front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate in a longitudinal direction; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the back substrate, the plurality of dielectric walls defining discharge cells together with the front substrate and the back substrate; Forward discharge electrodes disposed within the dielectric wall; Rear discharge electrodes disposed in the dielectric wall to be spaced apart from the rear of the front discharge electrode and having a larger width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and having a lower brightness than the dielectric wall; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; And a discharge gas existing in the discharge cell.

In this case, it is preferable that the front discharge electrodes and the rear discharge electrodes have a dark color.

On the other hand, the front discharge electrode is formed to extend in a predetermined direction along the discharge cells of a row, the rear discharge electrode is preferably formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the front discharge electrode.

Hereinafter, a plasma display panel according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

2 is an exploded perspective view showing a partially cut away plasma display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the electrode groups of the plasma display panel shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the plasma display panel 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a front substrate 120, a front discharge electrode 134, a rear discharge electrode 136, and a rear substrate 134. And a dielectric wall 130, a phosphor layer 125, and a discharge gas (not shown).

The front substrate 120 is preferably made of a transparent material, and is spaced apart from each other in parallel with the rear substrate 140. A predetermined groove may be formed in the front substrate 120, and a phosphor layer 125 may be formed in the groove. In the present invention, the position of the phosphor layer 125 is not limited to the front substrate 120.

The back substrate 140 is made of substantially the same material as the front substrate 120.

The dielectric wall 130 is disposed between the front substrate 120 and the rear substrate 140 to define the discharge cell 150 with them. The discharge cell 150 refers to a space where a discharge occurs. The dielectric wall 130 may be disposed in the x-axis and y-axis directions as illustrated in FIG. 2 to define a grid-shaped discharge cell 150. In addition, the dielectric wall 130 may have various types of embodiments, such as a meander type, a delta type, a hexagon, or a honeycomb. In addition, the discharge cells 150 defined by the dielectric walls 130 may be any structure as long as they can define the discharge cells 150 such as other polygons or circles as well as quadrangles.

The dielectric wall 135 has a function of preventing mis-discharge between discharge cells 150 and preventing a cation or electron from colliding with the address electrode 133 and damaging the address electrode during discharge. And as a dielectric capable of inducing charge.

Electrode groups 133 are embedded in the dielectric wall 130. The electrode group 133 includes a front discharge electrode 134 and a rear discharge electrode 136 which are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. In this case, the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 may be disposed to cross each other. That is, the front discharge electrode 134 extends along the discharge cells 150 in one row, and the rear discharge electrode 136 stores the discharge cells in the other row crossing the row of discharge cells followed by the front discharge electrode 134. Therefore, in this case, one of the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 functions as a scan electrode, and the other function as a common electrode. At the same time, one of the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 functions as an address electrode causing an address discharge Da (see FIG. 4).

In contrast, the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 extend in one direction in parallel with each other, and the address electrodes 135 extend to intersect the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136. Can be. In this case, the address electrodes 135 are intended to cause an address discharge to facilitate a sustain discharge (Ds; see FIG. 4) between the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136, and more specifically, the sustain discharge. This serves to lower the starting voltage.

In this case, the address discharge is a discharge occurring between the scan electrode and the address electrode, and when the address discharge is completed, cations are accumulated on the scan electrode side and electrons are accumulated on the common electrode side, which makes the sustain discharge between the scan electrode and the common electrode easier. Done.

The closer the distance between the scan electrode and the address electrode is, the lower the address voltage is. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front discharge electrodes 134 and the address electrode 135 in the vertical direction from the front substrate 120. ), And the electrodes disposed closer to the address electrodes 135 among the front discharge electrodes 134 or the rear discharge electrodes 136 are scanned. It is desirable to perform the function of the electrode. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the rear discharge electrodes 136 perform the function of the scan electrode, the front discharge electrodes 134 perform the function of the common electrode, and the address discharge is the rear discharge electrode 136. ) And the address electrodes 135.

The front discharge electrodes 134, the rear discharge electrodes 136, and the address electrodes 135 do not reduce the visible light transmittance toward the front (z direction), and thus may be formed of a conductive metal such as aluminum or copper. . Therefore, since the voltage drop in the longitudinal direction is small, stable signal transmission is possible, and the brightness need not be high.

3, the front discharge electrode 134, the rear discharge electrode 136, and the address electrode 135 embedded in one dielectric wall 130 each correspond to a discharge cell in which neighboring discharge cells are separately wrapped. Although it is arranged to include the connecting portions 134a, 135a, 136a and connecting portions 134b, 135b, 136b connecting the discharge cell counterparts 134a, 135a, 136a. Not limited to this, the electrodes may be one electrode embedded in one dielectric wall in a ladder shape, or alternatively, three or more electrodes may be provided.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, one side surface 130a of the dielectric wall having the electrode embedded therein from at least one of the electrodes 134, 135, and 136 constituting the one electrode group 133. The separation distance to is formed to be different from the separation distance from other electrodes to one side of the dielectric wall embedding the electrodes. At the same time, the electrodes 134, 135 and 136 constituting the one electrode group 133 have a lower brightness than the dielectric wall 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the distance k1 between the front discharge electrode 134 and one side of the dielectric wall 130a is shortest, and the address electrode 135 and one side of the dielectric wall ( The separation distance k2 between 130a is an intermediate length, and the separation distance k3 between the rear discharge electrode 136 and the dielectric wall one side surface 130a may be formed to be the longest.

The present invention is not limited thereto, and the distance k2 from the address electrode to one side of the dielectric wall may be the smallest, and the distance k3 from the rear discharge electrode to the side of the dielectric wall may be the smallest.

As a result, the areas of the surfaces of the electrodes 133 that are projected in the vertical direction of the front surface of the front substrate 120u are larger than those in which the electrodes are all formed at the same distance from the one surface 137a of the dielectric wall. Will increase. Therefore, the probability that visible light flowing from the outside encounters one of the electrodes constituting the electrode group 133 is increased. That is, the visible light introduced from the outside is absorbed by the electrodes 134, 135 and 136 whose brightness is smaller than that of the dielectric wall 130 so that the visible light is not reflected back to the outside. Will increase.

According to the present invention, external visible light can be absorbed without increasing the size of the front discharge electrode 134. Therefore, the opening degree of the plasma display panel is not reduced by the front substrate so that the luminance does not decrease, and the clear room contrast ratio increases.

In this case, in order to absorb external visible light, the electrodes 134, 135, and 136 are preferably dark. Here, the dark color means a color having a brightness of 4 or less in the Munsell color system.

In order to further increase the clear contrast ratio, it is preferable that some of the surfaces vertically projected on the front surface 120u of the front substrate of the electrodes constituting the electrode groups 133 overlap each other. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, a part of the surface w1 projected perpendicularly to the front surface 120u of the front substrate of the front discharge electrode 134 and the front surface of the front substrate of the address electrode 135 ( A portion of the surface w2 projected perpendicular to 120u and a portion of the surface w3 projected perpendicular to the front surface 120u of the front substrate of the rear discharge electrode 136 are preferably formed to overlap each other. As a result, the separation between the electrodes constituting the electrode group does not occur, thereby increasing the likelihood that the visible light flowing from the outside is absorbed by the electrodes.

2, on the surface of the dielectric wall 130, ions generated inside the front substrate 120 along four sides of the discharge cell 150 emit secondary electrons by interaction with the surface. The protective film 139 is formed of a material such as magnesium oxide (MgO). The passivation layer 139 may be applied to each discharge cell, and may be covered to the rear of the dielectric wall 130 although not shown in the drawing.

In the discharge cell 150 defined by the front substrate 120 and the rear substrate 140 and the dielectric wall 130, neon (Ne) -xenon (Xe) or helium (He) -xenon (Xe) Discharge gas such as this is injected.

Hereinafter, each component of the plasma display panel according to the present invention having the above configuration and its operation will be described in more detail.

The front substrate 120 is transparent and may be formed of a material having a predetermined strength, for example, soda glass or transparent plastic.

Since the electrode groups 133 are disposed in the dielectric wall 130, the electrode groups 133 are not disposed on an optical path that is a path through which visible light travels. Therefore, there is no need to consider transmission of visible light. Therefore, the electrodes constituting the electrode group 133 need not be formed of a transparent ITO electrode, but may be formed of Ag, Cu, Cr, or the like having good electrical conductivity. Therefore, screen unevenness and an increase in manufacturing cost due to the ITO electrode can be prevented.

In addition, since the electrodes constituting the electrode group 133 are disposed in the dielectric wall 130 unlike the conventional AC plasma display panel, the electrodes 133 do not exist on the optical path, which is the path of visible light, and thus are visible. This is not interrupted, thereby increasing the luminance.

The dielectric wall 130 may be formed of a glass component including an element such as Pb, B, Si, Al, and O, and the like, if necessary, ZrO ₂ , TiO ₂ , and Al ₂ O _3. It may be formed of a dielectric including a filler (filler) and pigments such as Cr, Cu, Co, Fe, TiO ₂ and the like.

When the dielectric wall 130 is applied with a pulse voltage to the electrodes disposed therein, the dielectric wall 130 induces charged particles to induce wall charges participating in the discharge, thereby enabling driving through a memory effect, and when the electrodes are discharged. It protects against damage caused by collision of accelerated charged particles.

On the other hand, the shape of the discharge cell 150 defined by the dielectric wall 130 is shown as a rectangular cross-section of the smooth curved surface, the shape of the discharge cell 150 is not limited, polygon, circle Various shapes such as honeycomb shape can be modified.

In addition, the cross section of the discharge cell 150 may not be in a closed shape but may be limited to a stripe shape. However, when the cross section of the discharge cell 150 is in a closed shape, the electrodes may be disposed on the dielectric wall 130 to surround the discharge cell 150, thereby causing a three-dimensional discharge to increase the amount of discharge. It is more desirable because it has advantages.

The passivation layer 139 may be disposed by a deposition method using MgO, and the like, and are not disposed on the optical path through which visible light travels, and thus have excellent secondary electron emission characteristics and strong carbon nanotubes (CNT). The protective film 139 may be formed of a material such as the like.

The back substrate 140 may be formed of soda glass or the like as the front substrate 120. However, since the rear substrate 140 is not a component located on the optical path through which visible light generated in the discharge cell 150 travels, the rear substrate 140 does not necessarily need to be formed of transparent glass, and thus may reduce reactive power. It can also be formed of other materials such as plastic or metal for weight reduction.

The phosphor layers 125 may be divided into red, green, and blue light emitting phosphor layers so that the plasma display panel may realize a color image. The red, green, and blue light emitting phosphor layers may be divided into By disposing and combining the discharge cells 150, a unit pixel for implementing a color image may be formed.

The phosphor layers 125 dispose a phosphor paste in which any one of a phosphor, a solvent, and a binder are mixed in a red light emitting phosphor, a green light emitting phosphor, and a blue light emitting phosphor in a groove formed in the front substrate 120, and then the paste is dried. And by firing.

Examples of the red light emitting phosphor may include (Y, Gd) BO ₃ : Eu ³⁺ , and examples of the green light emitting phosphor may include Zn ₂ Si0 ₄ : Mn ²⁺ . BaMgAl ₁₀ O ₁₇ : Eu ²⁺ may be used.

Meanwhile, the discharge cells 136 in which the red, green, and blue light emitting phosphor layers 125 are disposed may be adjacent to each other in one direction to form a unit pixel which is a basic unit for implementing an image. However, the arrangement of the discharge cells 150 of the present invention is not limited to being arranged in one direction as described above in order to implement a color image, and in some cases, the width of the discharge cells 150 may vary depending on the efficiency of the phosphor. The length may be different, and the arrangement may vary, such as lattice, delta, or the like.

The discharge gas present in the discharge cell 150 may be formed of any one of neon, helium, or argon (Ar) including xenon (Xe) gas, or a mixed gas of two or more thereof. In this case, since the discharge gas is generally charged at a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, the front substrate 120 and the rear substrate 140 are pressed by vacuum pressure, but the dielectric wall 130 is connected to the front substrate. 120 and back substrate 140 are supported.

6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a plasma display device employing the plasma display panel shown in FIG. Herein, it is assumed that the front discharge electrode functions as a common electrode, and the rear discharge electrode functions as a scan electrode.

As shown in FIG. 6, the plasma display apparatus including the plasma display panel according to the present invention includes a plasma display panel 100, an image processor 510, a logic controller 530, an address driver 525, and a common electrode. The driver 524 and the scan electrode driver 526 are included. In the plasma display device having such a configuration, an electric signal may be applied to each of the electrodes of the plasma display panel to display.

Hereinafter, each part of the plasma display apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 along with FIG. 6.

The image processor 510 processes an external image signal to generate an internal image signal including red (R), green (G), and blue (B) digital image data, a clock signal, and vertical and horizontal synchronization signals. .

The logic controller 530 generates drive-control signals S _A , S _Y , and S _X according to an internal image signal from the image processor 510. The address electrode driver 525 processes the address signals S _A from the logic controller 530 to generate electrical signals in the form of a potential, and applies the electrical signals to the address electrodes 135.

The common electrode driver 524 drives the front discharge electrodes 134 that function as a common electrode by operating from the logic controller 530 according to the common electrode driving-control signal S _X. The scan electrode driver 526 drives the rear discharge electrodes 136 that function as scan electrodes by operating in accordance with the scan electrode drive-control signal S _Y from the logic controller 530.

In this case, the ends of each of the front discharge electrodes 134 are electrically common to each other, and thus an electrical signal applied to each of the front discharge electrodes in response to an image signal applied from the outside, more specifically, the common electrode driver ( It is preferable that electrical signals applied in the form of potentials from 524 are common to each other.

When the ends of each of the front discharge electrodes 134 are common, the ends of each of the rear discharge electrodes 136 are electrically separated from each other, so that each of the rear discharge electrodes corresponds to an image signal applied from the outside. It is preferable that the electrical signals applied to, in more detail, the electrical signals applied in the form of a potential from the scan electrode driver 526 are separated from each other.

Hereinafter, the function of each electrode which comprises an electrode group is demonstrated in detail. Also in this case, it is assumed that the rear discharge electrode functions as the scan electrode, and the front discharge electrode functions as the common electrode. The driving method for driving the plasma display panel 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 2 may include various driving methods such as ADS driving, ALIS driving, AWD driving, and the like. Although various factors such as image quality, response speed, and the like may vary, the driving method does not change an essential feature of the present invention. Hereinafter, the plasma display panel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the ADS driving method. An example of driving will be described.

In general, discharge occurs in each of the discharge cells 150 included in the plasma display panel for displaying an image for realizing an image. As a result, the state of the wall charges or the amount of charged particles are different between the discharge cells 150, and, therefore, the discharge cells 150 to control the discharge occurring in the discharge cells 150 in a uniform manner. It is often difficult to achieve the desired control between them.

In order to prevent such a difficulty in the discharge control, by applying a high voltage of a predetermined level or more to all of the discharge cells 150 so that the discharge occurs at the same time all the discharge cells 150, the wall previously existed in the discharge cell 150 The electric charge is removed to be uniform, and the state of the charged particles in the discharge cell 150 is induced to be the same, which is called a reset discharge.

Such a reset discharge generally applies a high potential lamp potential to all of the rear discharge electrodes 136, a ground potential to all the address electrodes 135, and a predetermined time to the front discharge electrodes 134. This is done by applying a bias potential to discharge all of the discharge cells 150.

Then, after the above-described reset discharge occurs, an address discharge occurs. In this case, the address discharge is selected as the discharge cells 150 that exist at the point where the rear discharge electrode 136 and the address electrode 135 intersect in response to the external video signal. In order to cause the discharge cell 150 to discharge, a predetermined pulse voltage of opposite polarity is applied to the rear discharge electrode 136 and the address electrode 135 so that the discharge occurs, and the discharge cell 150 is discharged by the discharge. Refers to a discharge in which charged particles adhere to the side of the dielectric wall 130 in) to accumulate wall charges.

In order to cause the address discharge to occur in the selected discharge cell 150, a predetermined potential must be applied to the address electrode 135 and the rear discharge electrode 136 as described above. In this case, the rear discharge electrode 136 may be disposed close to the address electrode 135. When the rear discharge electrode 136 and the address electrode 135 are disposed close to each other, the electric field formed in the discharge cell 150 is increased due to the potential applied to the rear discharge electrode and the address electrode to facilitate address discharge. Because it occurs.

Therefore, the driving voltage causing the address discharge can be lowered in causing the address discharge of the required level to occur, thereby lowering the price of the integrated circuit chip controlling the address electrodes 135.

On the other hand, after the address discharge occurs, when the high potential pulse potential is applied to the rear discharge electrode 136, and the low potential pulse potential is applied to the front discharge electrode 134, the front discharge electrode 134 ) And the wall charge accumulated on the inner side of the discharge cell 150 during the address discharge due to the potential difference generated between the back discharge electrode 136 and the rear discharge electrode 136. At this time, as the wall charges move, the discharge gas atoms in the discharge cells 150 collide with the wall charges, thereby causing a discharge to generate plasma. Such a discharge is more likely to occur from portions close to each other of the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 in which a relatively strong electric field is formed.

In the plasma display panel 100 of the present invention in the sustain discharge, unlike the conventional AC three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel, the electrodes are disposed in the dielectric wall 130 to surround the discharge cell 150. As a result, the probability of the discharge occurring on the side surfaces of the discharge cells 150 in the vicinity of the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 is increased, and thus, the conventional AC electrode 3 surface discharge plasma display panel. Unlike this, discharge may occur at four sides surrounding the discharge cell 150, thereby greatly increasing the possibility of discharge and the amount of discharge.

In addition, when the discharge is successfully generated along the inner side of the discharge cell 150, the potential difference between the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 is maintained for a predetermined time, the discharge cell 150 The electric field formed on the side of the film is strongly concentrated in the center, and the area of the discharge is greatly enlarged compared with the prior art, thereby increasing the amount of ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge.

In addition, since the electric field is strongly concentrated in the center during discharge, the amount of accelerated charged particles proceeding to the phosphor layer 125 is lower than that of the alternating three-electrode surface discharge type, and thus ion sputtering is a phenomenon in which ions collide with the phosphor layer. The likelihood of this occurrence can be reduced to increase the lifetime of the phosphor layer.

Meanwhile, the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge excite the phosphor layers 125 disposed in the discharge cells 150, and generate visible light while the excited phosphor layers move to low energy levels, thereby realizing an image of the plasma display panel. do.

On the other hand, when the potential difference between the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 is lower than the discharge voltage after the discharge occurs, the discharge is no longer generated, the space charge and the wall charge is discharge cell 150 Is formed. At this time, when the polarity of the pulse voltage between the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 is changed to form a potential difference lower than the applied potential difference, the discharge starting voltage is reached with the help of wall charge. Again, discharge occurs. When the pulse potentials are alternately applied between the front discharge electrode 134 and the rear discharge electrode 136 repeatedly, the discharge is maintained. The gray scale of the plasma display panel 100 is determined by the sustain discharge, thereby realizing an image.

FIG. 7 illustrates a plasma display panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 illustrates an arrangement of electrode groups of FIG. 7, and FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 7. It is.

7 to 9, the plasma display panel 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a front substrate 120, front discharge electrodes 234, address electrodes 235, and rear discharge. Electrodes 236, back substrate 140, dielectric wall 130, phosphor layer 125, and discharge gas (not shown) are provided. Among the reference numerals shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the same elements as those shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 represent components having substantially the same functions and structures, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted below. The differences from the plasma display panel of the first embodiment of the present invention will be mainly described.

7 to 9, the width w22 of the address electrode 235 in the lateral direction may be greater than the width w21 of the front discharge electrode 234 in the lateral direction. The luminance of the plasma display panel can be improved by reducing the width w21 of the front discharge electrode which is positioned at the most forward and determines the aperture ratio. In addition, by increasing the width w22 of the address electrode lower in brightness than the dielectric wall 130, the area in which the address electrode can absorb the incoming light from the outside becomes large, thereby reducing external light reflection. Can be. Therefore, according to the present invention, not only the brightness is improved but also the bright room contrast can be improved.

In this case, the longitudinal thickness h22 of the address electrode 235 is preferably smaller than the longitudinal thickness h21 of the front discharge electrode 234 and the longitudinal thickness h23 of the rear discharge electrode 236. . This is to prevent the discharge surface area of the address electrode from increasing due to the wide width w22 of the address electrode 235. If the discharge surface area of the address electrode is increased, the capacitance between adjacent address electrodes 235 is increased. As a result, more heat is generated in the address electrode 235, and power consumption must be increased to compensate for this.

Therefore, in the present invention, the width of the thickness h22 of the address electrode 235 is reduced, thereby reducing the capacitance between adjacent address electrodes. As a result, a large amount of heat can be prevented from being generated at the address electrode, thereby reducing power consumption. In addition, this helps to induce an address discharge smoothly at an early stage, which also helps to improve the address voltage margin.

In this case, in order for the electrodes constituting the electrode group 233 to absorb external light smoothly, at least the address electrode 235 is preferably dark. Here, the dark color means a color having a brightness of 4 or less in the Munsell color system. In addition, it is preferable that the front discharge electrode 234 and the rear discharge electrode 236 also have a dark color.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the plasma display panel 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of FIG. 10. In this case, the same reference numerals as those of Figs. 7 to 9 are substantially the same components having the same structure and the same function, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.

10 and 11, the width w33 of the rear discharge electrode 336 may be formed to be greater than the width w31 of the front discharge electrode 334. Even in this case, the brightness of the plasma display panel can be improved by reducing the width w31 of the front discharge electrode which is positioned at the most front and determines the aperture ratio, and the width of the rear discharge electrode which is lower in brightness than the dielectric wall 130. By increasing (w33), the area where the rear discharge electrode 336 can absorb the light flowing from the outside becomes wider, and as a result, the reflection of external light can be reduced, thereby improving the clear contrast.

In this case, the width W32 of the address electrode 335 may be smaller than the width w33 of the rear discharge electrode 336.

Here, in order for the rear discharge electrode 336 to absorb external light smoothly, the rear discharge electrode 336 preferably has a dark color. Here, the dark color means a color having a brightness of 4 or less in the Munsell color system. In addition, it is preferable that the front discharge electrode 334 and the address electrode 335 also have a dark color in order to absorb external light smoothly.

12 is an exploded perspective view showing a plasma display panel 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of electrodes provided in the plasma display panel of FIG. It is sectional drawing taken along the XIV-XIV line of FIG.

12 to 14, the plasma display panel 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention includes a front substrate 120, front discharge electrodes 434, rear discharge electrodes 436, A back substrate 140, a dielectric wall 130, a phosphor layer 125, and a discharge gas (not shown). Among the reference numerals shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the same reference numerals as those shown in FIGS. 2 to 11 represent components having substantially the same functions and structures, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted below. The differences from the plasma display panel of the first embodiment of the present invention will be mainly described.

The electrode group 433 included in the plasma display panel 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is embedded in the dielectric wall 130, and the front discharge electrodes are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction (vertical direction) ( 434 and a rear discharge electrode 436.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 13, the front discharge electrode 434 and the rear discharge electrode 436 may be disposed to cross each other. That is, the front discharge electrode 434 extends along the discharge cells 150 in one row, and the rear discharge electrode 436 extends the discharge cells in the other row crossing the row of discharge cells followed by the front discharge electrode 434. Thus it can be extended.

One of the front discharge electrode 434 and the rear discharge electrode 436 functions as a scan electrode, and the other function as a common electrode. At the same time, one of the front discharge electrode 434 and the rear discharge electrode 436 functions as an address electrode causing an address discharge.

In this case, in particular, as shown in FIG. 14, the width w42 in the lateral direction of the rear discharge electrode 436 is larger than the width w41 in the lateral direction of the front discharge electrode 434. The luminance of the plasma display panel 400 can be improved by reducing the width w41 of the front discharge electrode 434 which is positioned at the most front and determines the aperture ratio. In addition, by increasing the width w42 of the lower discharge electrode having a lower brightness than the dielectric wall 130, the area where the rear discharge electrode can absorb light from the outside is increased, resulting in external light reflection. By reducing it, clear contrast can be improved.

In this case, the longitudinal thickness h42 of the rear discharge electrode 436 may be smaller than the longitudinal thickness h41 of the front discharge electrode 434. This is to prevent the discharge surface area of the rear discharge electrode 436 from increasing due to the wide width of the rear discharge electrode 436. If the discharge surface area of the rear discharge electrode 436 is increased, the capacitance between adjacent rear discharge electrodes 436 is increased. As a result, more heat is generated in the rear discharge electrode 436. To compensate for this, the power consumption must be increased. Therefore, in the present invention, the heat of the rear discharge electrode 436 is reduced by reducing the width of the thickness h32 of the rear discharge electrode 336, thereby reducing the capacitance between adjacent rear discharge electrodes 436. It can prevent the occurrence of power, thereby reducing the power consumption.

In this case, in order for the electrodes constituting the electrode group 433 to absorb external light smoothly, at least the rear discharge electrode 436 is preferably dark. Here, the dark color means a color having a brightness of 4 or less in the Munsell color system. In addition, the front discharge electrode 434 is also preferably dark.

Here, in FIG. 13, the front discharge electrodes 434 and the rear discharge electrodes 436 embedded in one dielectric wall 130 each discharge cell counterparts 434a and 436a separately surrounding neighboring discharge cells. ) And connecting portions 434b and 436b connecting the discharge cell counterparts 434a and 436a. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and electrodes are embedded in one dielectric wall in a ladder shape. The number of electrodes may be one, or alternatively, three or more.

The present invention having the above-described configuration provides the following effects.

First, since the electrodes, which are conventional components disposed on the optical path through which visible light travels, are disposed in the dielectric wall, components disposed on the front substrate are minimized, and thus the visible light transmittance is dramatically improved to improve luminance. At the same time, bright light contrast is improved by preventing external light from being reflected back to the outside.

Secondly, it is possible to use a material other than ITO as the material for forming the electrode, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the electrode and facilitating the large area of the plasma display panel. In addition, the manufacturing cost of the plasma display panel is reduced because the expensive ITO is not required.

Third, the discharge is three-dimensionally formed in the entire discharge cell, and the driving voltage is prevented from increasing while sufficiently increasing the spaced distance between the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode, so that many discharges can be generated even at a low voltage. As a result, an integrated circuit chip driven at a low voltage can be used, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the plasma display panel.

Fourth, ion sputtering generated in the phosphor can be reduced.

In addition, the discharge start voltage can be lowered, so that the discharge efficiency can be further increased, and the driving circuit can be constructed at a lower manufacturing cost.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims (26)

Front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate in a longitudinal direction; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate and partitioning discharge cells together with the front substrate and the rear substrate; A plurality of electrode groups having a front discharge electrode and a rear discharge electrode disposed longitudinally spaced apart in the dielectric wall, the plurality of electrode groups having lower brightness than the dielectric wall; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; And And a discharge gas existing in the discharge cell, At least one of the electrodes constituting the one electrode group, the separation distance to one side of the dielectric wall in which the electrode is embedded is different from the other electrodes. The method of claim 1, And electrodes forming the electrode groups have a dark color. The method of claim 1, And the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode are formed such that some of the surfaces vertically projected on the front surface of the front substrate overlap each other. The method of claim 1, The front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode is formed to extend in the same direction, And the electrode group further comprises address electrodes formed to extend in a direction orthogonal to the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. The method of claim 4, wherein And the address electrode is disposed between the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode in the dielectric wall. The method of claim 4, wherein And wherein the front discharge electrode, the rear discharge electrode, and the address electrode are formed so that a part of the surfaces vertically projected on the front surface of the front substrate overlap each other. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And the dielectric wall defines the discharge cells such that a cross section in a lateral direction of the discharge cell is closed. The method of claim 7, wherein And the front discharge electrodes and the rear discharge electrodes are arranged to surround the discharge cell. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And a passivation layer disposed to cover at least some side surface of the dielectric wall. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And the phosphor layer is disposed in a groove formed in the front substrate. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, And the dielectric wall vertically connects one surface of the front substrate and one surface of the rear substrate. Front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate in a longitudinal direction; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate and partitioning discharge cells together with the front substrate and the rear substrate; Forward discharge electrodes disposed within the dielectric wall; Address electrodes and rear discharge electrodes disposed in the dielectric wall and spaced apart from each other at the rear of the front discharge electrode; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; And And a discharge gas existing in the discharge cell, And at least one of the address electrode and the rear discharge electrode has a greater width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and is lower in brightness than the dielectric wall. The method of claim 12, And the front discharge electrode, the address electrode and the rear discharge electrode have a dark color. The method of claim 12, And the address electrode is disposed between the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. The method of claim 12, And the address electrode has a larger width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. The method of claim 15, And the address electrode has a thickness in a longitudinal direction smaller than that of the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. The method of claim 12, And the rear discharge electrode has a larger width in the lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and the address electrode. The method of claim 12, The front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode is formed to extend in the same direction, And the address electrode extends in a direction orthogonal to the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode. Front substrate; A rear substrate spaced apart from the front substrate in a longitudinal direction; A plurality of dielectric walls disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate and partitioning discharge cells together with the front substrate and the rear substrate; Forward discharge electrodes disposed within the dielectric wall; Rear discharge electrodes disposed to be spaced apart from the rear side of the front discharge electrode in the dielectric wall and having a greater width in a lateral direction than the front discharge electrode and having a lower brightness than the dielectric wall; A phosphor layer disposed in the discharge cell; And And a discharge gas existing in the discharge cell. The method of claim 19, And the front discharge electrode and the rear discharge electrode have a dark color. The method of claim 19, The front discharge electrode extends in a predetermined direction along a row of discharge cells, And the rear discharge electrode extends in a direction orthogonal to an extending direction of the front discharge electrode. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, And the dielectric wall defines the discharge cells such that a cross section in a lateral direction of the discharge cell is closed. The method of claim 22, And the front discharge electrodes and the rear discharge electrodes are arranged to surround the discharge cell. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, And a passivation layer disposed to cover at least some side surface of the dielectric wall. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, And the phosphor layer is disposed in a groove formed in the front substrate. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 21, And the dielectric wall vertically connects one surface of the front substrate and one surface of the rear substrate.

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