KR20010085293A - Method of producing gas discharge panel - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a gas discharge panel capable of efficiently performing exhaust in an exhaust process.

In the vacuum evacuating process, the temperature in the heating furnace 51 is heated (baked) at a temperature (exhaust baking temperature) lower than the softening point of the encapsulating material layer, the turbo molecular pump 53b and the rotary The pump 53c is operated to suck up the inside of the envelope 40 to a vacuum state and thereafter introducing a discharge gas from the gas introduction system 52 into the envelope 40 at a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.05 MPa) do.

Subsequently, the introduction of the discharge gas from the gas introduction system 52 is stopped, and the discharge gas in the envelope is sucked and discharged from the suction and exhaust system 53, so that the inside of the envelope 40 is again evacuated.

Description

METHOD OF PRODUCING GAS DISCHARGE PANEL [

Hereinafter, a conventional plasma display panel will be described with reference to the drawings. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an alternating-current (AC) type plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as " PDP ").

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 110 denotes a front glass substrate, and a discharge electrode 111 is formed on the front glass substrate 110. The discharge electrode 111 is covered with a dielectric protective layer 113 composed of a dielectric glass layer 112 and magnesium oxide (MgO) (see, for example, JP-A-5-342991).

Reference numeral 120 denotes a rear glass substrate on which an address electrode 121, a visible light reflecting layer 122 covering the address electrode 121, a partition wall 123, a phosphor layer 124, and a discharge space 130 are installed. The phosphor layers 124 are sequentially arranged with three phosphor layers of red, green, and blue for color display. Each of the phosphor layers 124 emits excitation light by an ultraviolet ray having a short wavelength (for example, a wavelength of 147 nm) generated by a discharge.

As the phosphor constituting the phosphor layer 124, the following materials are generally used.

&Quot; Blue phosphor ": BaMgAl ₁₀ O ₁₇ : Eu

&Quot; Green phosphor ": Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn or BaAl ₁₂ O ₁₉ : Mn

&Quot; Red phosphor ": Y ₂ O ₃ : Eu or (Y _x Gd _1-x ) BO ₃ : Eu

Each of the color phosphors can be manufactured as follows.

The blue phosphor (BaMgAl ₁₀ O ₁₇ : Eu) is prepared by first mixing barium carbonate (BaCO ₃ ), magnesium carbonate (MgCO ₃ ) and aluminum oxide (α-Al ₂ O ₃ ) 10 < / RTI >

Next, a predetermined amount of europium oxide (Eu ₂ O ₃ ) is added to this mixture. Then, the mixture is mixed with a suitable amount of a solvent (AlF ₂ , BaC _{1 2} ) in a ball mill and heated at a temperature of 1400 ° C. to 1650 ° C. for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hour) in a reducing atmosphere (in H ₂ or N ₂ ) Fired.

The red phosphor (Y ₂ O ₃ : Eu) is mixed with yttrium hydroxide Y ₂ (OH) ₃ and boric acid (H ₃ BO ₃ ) as raw materials such that the atomic ratio of Y and B is 1: 1. Next, a predetermined amount of europium oxide (Eu ₂ O ₃ ) is added to this mixture, mixed with an appropriate amount of the solvent together with a ball mill, and calcined in air at 1200 ° C. to 1450 ° C. for a predetermined time .

The green phosphor (Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn) is blended so that the atomic ratio of zinc oxide (ZnO) and silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) is 2: 1 as a raw material. Next, a predetermined amount of manganese oxide (Mn ₂ O ₃ ) is added to this mixture, mixed with a ball mill, and then fired in air at 1200 ° C to 1350 ° C for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 hour).

The phosphor particles produced by the above production method are pulverized and then screened to obtain a phosphor material having a predetermined particle size distribution.

Hereinafter, a conventional method of manufacturing a PDP will be described.

First, a discharge electrode is formed on a front glass substrate, a dielectric layer made of dielectric glass is formed so as to cover the dielectric layer, and a protective layer made of MgO is formed on the dielectric layer. Next, an address electrode is formed on the rear glass substrate, and a visible light reflecting layer made of dielectric glass and a barrier rib made of glass are formed thereon at a predetermined pitch.

A phosphor layer is formed by providing the respective color phosphor paste including the red phosphor, green phosphor and blue phosphor prepared as described above in the respective spaces sandwiched between the partition walls, and after the formation, the phosphor layer is baked To remove the resin component and the like in the paste (phosphor baking step).

After the phosphor is fired, a glass frit for sealing with a front glass substrate is applied to the periphery of the back glass substrate, and the glass frit is preheated at about 350 ° C to remove the resin component and the like in the glass frit.

A front glass substrate on which a discharge electrode, a dielectric glass layer, and a protective layer are formed in order; and a back glass substrate which is disposed so as to face the display electrode and the address electrode orthogonally through the barrier ribs, (Sealing step).

Thereafter, the inside of the panel is exhausted (exhaust process) while being heated to a predetermined temperature (about 350 DEG C), and the discharge gas is introduced at a predetermined pressure after the completion.

In the conventional method of manufacturing a plasma display panel as described above, there is a problem that the luminescent characteristics are gradually deteriorated in the aging process for stabilizing the luminescent characteristics and the discharge characteristics after the fabrication of the panel and during the normal operation.

This is because the impurities (gas components having a composition different from that of the discharge gas such as steam, oxygen, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide) in the internal space sufficiently remain in the internal space without being cleaned in the exhaust process.

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a gas discharge panel such as a plasma display panel used for image display such as a computer monitor and a television.

1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an AC type plasma display panel (PDP) common to the embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a configuration diagram of a display device in which a circuit block is provided in the PDP.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the sealing / attaching / exhausting device 50 used in the sealing / attaching step of this embodiment. Fig. 3 (a) Fig.

4 is a view showing an embodiment showing the temperature and pressure profile at the time of sealing.

5 is a view showing an embodiment showing the temperature and pressure profile in the vacuum evacuation / encapsulation process.

Fig. 6 is a view showing an embodiment showing the temperature and pressure profile of the sealing and vacuum evacuation / sealing processes.

Fig. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the sealing / attaching / discharging device 70 used in the sealing process of another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a PDP common to the embodiments of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a gas discharge panel that can be efficiently exhausted in an exhaust process required for a panel manufacturing process.

An envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing the second substrate on the surface of the first substrate on the side of the partition on which the partition wall for blocking the light emitting cells is formed on the main surface, And a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas, and a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas, In the manufacturing method of the discharge panel, the discharging step includes a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope, and a sub-step of filling a purge gas containing substantially no gas into the envelope with respect to the discharge gas, And a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope after that.

An envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing the second substrate on the surface of the first substrate on the side of the partition on which the partition wall for blocking the light emitting cells is formed on the main surface; A sealing step of sealing the outer periphery of the envelope with a sealing member; an evacuation step of evacuating the gas inside the envelope; and an encapsulating step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas The exhausting step comprises a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope, and a step of evacuating the inside of the envelope while flowing a cleaning gas containing substantially no gas into the envelope as the impurity against the discharge gas And a sub-step.

The term " substantial " means that " the main component of the cleaning gas is not an impurity for the discharge gas ". Therefore, " does not mean to exclude gas contained as an impurity (usually very low concentration) from the beginning in the main component gas ".

According to these manufacturing methods, not only the inside of the envelope is exhausted as in the prior art but also the exhaust gas is exhausted while filling or circulating the cleaning gas as described above, so that the concentration of the impurity gas in the envelope It is possible to quickly remove (in a short time) the concentration to a low level.

Further, in the above manufacturing method, when the envelope attaching step is performed by heating the entire envelope or the sealed portion at a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the encapsulating material and lowering the pressure inside the envelope to a value outside the envelope, The sealing material is sealed and adhered in a state in which both the substrates are uniformly pressed from the outside. Thus, the sealing material is sealed and adhered in a state in which there is almost no gap between the top of the septum and the substrate opposed thereto. Since the center of the envelope is not pressed, the top of the envelope and the substrate facing the envelope are sealed in a state in which they are wholly or partially separated from each other easy.

Therefore, according to this manufacturing method, it is possible to easily manufacture a PDP in which vibration is hardly generated at the time of driving the PDP, and the display quality is good.

Further, in the above manufacturing method, when the sealing step is carried out while the envelope is filled with the drying gas, thermal degradation of the phosphor can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a plasma display panel according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Regarding the Overall Configuration and Manufacturing Method of PDP]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an AC surface discharge type PDP according to an embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a display device in which a circuit block is mounted on this PDP.

This PDP generates a discharge in a discharge space by applying a pulse-like voltage to each electrode, and transmits visible light of each color generated on the back panel side in accordance with the discharge from the main surface of the front panel.

The PDP includes a front panel (not shown) having a plurality of discharge electrodes 12 (scan electrodes 12a, sustain electrodes 12b), a dielectric layer 13, and a protective layer 14 disposed on a front glass substrate 11 A back panel 20 on which a plurality of address electrodes 22 and dielectric layers 23 are disposed on a back glass substrate 21 is formed in a state in which the electrodes 12a and 12b and the address electrodes 22 are opposed to each other And are arranged parallel to each other with an interval therebetween.

The central part of the PDP is an area for displaying an image. Here, a gap between the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 is divided into a plurality of stripe barrier ribs 24 so that a plurality of discharge spaces 30 are formed And the discharge space 30 is filled with a discharge gas. A plurality of phosphor layers 25 are provided in the discharge space 30 on the back panel 20 side. This phosphor layer 25 is repeatedly arranged in the order of red, green and blue.

The discharge electrode 12 and the address electrode 22 are all in a stripe shape and the discharge electrode 12 is arranged in a direction orthogonal to the partition wall 24 and the address electrode 22 is arranged in parallel with the partition wall 24 have.

In addition, a panel structure in which cells emitting red, green, and blue light are formed at the intersection of the discharge electrode 12 and the address electrode 22.

The dielectric layer 13 is a layer made of a dielectric material that covers the entire surface on which the discharge electrodes 12 of the front glass substrate 11 are disposed and generally a lead (Pd) low melting point glass is used as a material. Or a laminate of a bismuth (Bi) based low melting point glass or a lead based low melting point glass and a bismuth based low melting point glass.

The protective layer 14 is a thin layer made of magnesium oxide (MgO) and covers the entire surface of the dielectric layer 13. The dielectric layer 23 is mixed with TiO ₂ particles also serving as a visible light reflecting layer. The barrier ribs 24 are made of a glass material and protrude from the surface of the dielectric layer 23 of the back panel 20.

On the other hand, at the outer peripheral portion of the PDP, the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 are sealed with an adhesive material.

The top portion of the partition 24 and the front panel 10 are almost entirely in contact with each other or joined together by a bonding material.

An example of a method of manufacturing such a PDP will be described below.

Front panel creation:

A discharge electrode 12 is formed on the front glass substrate 11 and a dielectric layer 13 is formed so as to cover the dielectric layer 13 and the surface of the dielectric layer 13 is covered with a magnesium oxide MgO) is formed on the protective layer 14.

The discharge electrode 12 can be formed by applying a silver electrode paste by screen printing and then firing it. Alternatively, a transparent electrode may be formed of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or SnO ₂ , and then a silver electrode may be formed thereon or a Cr-Cu-Cr electrode may be formed by photolithography.

Dielectric layer 13 is that the lead-based glass material (the composition, for example, lead oxide [PbO] 70% by weight of boron oxide [B ₂ O _3] 15% by weight, silicon oxide [SiO _2] 15% by weight) include The paste can be formed by applying the paste by a screen printing method and firing.

Production of back panel:

The address electrodes 22 are formed on the rear glass substrate 21 by the screen printing method as in the case of the discharge electrodes 12. [

Next, a glass material mixed with the TiO ₂ particles is coated and fired by a screen printing method to form the dielectric layer 23.

Next, the barrier ribs 24 are formed. The barrier ribs 24 can be formed by applying a glass paste for barrier ribs by a screen printing method and then firing the barrier ribs. In addition, the barrier ribs 24 can also be formed by applying a glass paste for barrier ribs to the entire surface of the rear glass substrate 21 and then cutting off the portions where the barrier ribs are not formed by the sandblast method.

A phosphor layer 25 is formed in the groove between the barrier ribs 24. The phosphor layer 25 is generally formed by applying a phosphor paste containing phosphor particles of each color by a screen printing method and then firing it. However, the phosphor layer 25 is applied by a method of scanning along the grooves while continuously injecting the phosphor ink from the nozzles, And then firing to remove the solvent or the binder contained in the phosphor ink after the application. This phosphor ink is prepared by dispersing the respective color phosphor particles in a mixture of a binder, a solvent and a dispersing agent and adjusting the viscosity to an appropriate value.

As specific examples of the phosphor particles,

Blue phosphor: BaMgAl ₁₀ O ₁₇ : Eu ²⁺

Green phosphor: BaAl ₁₂ O ₁₉ : Mn or Zn ₂ SiO ₄ : Mn

Red phosphor: (Y _x Gd _1-x ) BO ₃ : Eu ³⁺ or YBO ₃ : Eu ³⁺

.

In this embodiment, the height of the partition wall is 0.06 to 0.15 mm and the pitch of the partition wall is 0.13 to 0.36 mm in accordance with the 40-inch class VGA or high vision television.

Sealing process, vacuum exhaust process, discharge gas sealing process:

Next, the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 thus manufactured are sealed and attached.

In this sealing step, the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 are covered with an enveloping member at the outer periphery thereof to form an envelope, which is sealed with the sealing member. At this time, the bonding material may be applied to the top of the partition wall 24 of the back panel 20 if necessary.

As the sealing material, energy such as heat is applied from the outside and softened, usually using a low melting point glass, and the sealing material is softened by heating, and then cured to be sealed.

Further, when the sealing process is performed, a pressure difference is formed between the inside and the outside of the envelope so that the both panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside. As a result, the top portion of the partition wall 24 and the front panel 10 are sealed or attached to each other in a state in which they are in contact with or approach each other.

When the sealing process is completed, the inner space is evacuated to a high vacuum (for example, 1.3 × 10 ^-11 MPa) to extract impurity gas or the like adsorbed in the envelope (vacuum evacuation process).

Then, a PDP is manufactured by enclosing a discharge gas (for example, a He-Xe system, a Ne-Xe system, or an Ar-Xe system inert gas) in the envelope at a predetermined pressure (discharge gas sealing step).

In this embodiment, the content of Xe in the discharge gas is set to about 5 vol%, and the filling pressure is set in the range of 0.067 to 0.11 MPa.

When driving the PDP, the circuit block is mounted and driven as shown in Fig.

Hereinafter, the sealing attachment process, the vacuum evacuation process, and the discharge gas sealing process will be described in detail for the first to fourth embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the sealing / attaching / exhausting apparatus 50 used in the sealing / attaching step of this embodiment, wherein (a) is an upper cut-away view, and (b) FIG.

The enclosure attachment and exhaust device 50 is provided with a heating furnace 51 for storing the envelope 40 in which the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 are overlapped and heating the envelope 40, A gas introduction system 52, and a suction and exhaust system 53.

The heating furnace 51 can be heated by the heater 54, and the inside temperature can be controlled to a desired set temperature.

The sealing and attaching step (50) is used to carry out the sealing step as follows.

As shown in Fig. 3, air vent holes 21a and 21b are provided in the outer peripheral portion outside the display area in advance on the back panel 20 in advance. The vent hole 21a is formed on the upper right side of the back panel 20 and the vent hole 21b is formed on the lower left side of the back panel 20.

A paste including a sealing material is applied to the outer surface of one or both of the opposite surfaces of the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 and is fired to form the sealing material layer 41. [ Here, a low-melting glass having a softening temperature lower than that of the material of the partition wall 24 and the dielectric layer 23 is used as the sealing member. In addition, the sealing material is not limited to the low-melting glass, and a metal or the like may be used. In this case, the sealing attachment temperature is the temperature at which the metal melts, that is, the melting point or more.

Specific examples of the low melting point glass paste include a mixture of 80 parts of a low melting point glass frit (softening point: 370 DEG C), 5 parts of an ethylcellulose binder, and 15 parts of an acetic acid isoam mill. By coating this with a dispenser, Can be formed.

Between the partition walls located at both ends and the sealing adhesive material layer 41, there is provided a separating material 42 dividing the space formed therebetween into two. The separation material 42 may be made of the same material as the sealing material layer 41 and the partition wall. Due to the presence of the separator, gas can be introduced and discharged efficiently in the discharge space formed between the partitions. The separator 42 may not be provided.

Next, the envelope 40 is formed by overlapping the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 while aligning them. Then, the outer periphery of the envelope 40 is fastened with a clip (not shown) so that the positions of the front panel 10 and the rear panel 20 aligned with each other are not shifted.

And the envelope 40 is mounted in the heating furnace 51. Then, the gas introducing system 52 is connected to the vent hole 21a of the envelope 40 via the connecting pipe 55. On the other hand, the suction and exhaust system 53 is connected to the vent hole 21b of the envelope 40 via the connection pipe 56. [

The connecting pipe 55 and the connecting pipe 56 are glass tubes fixed to the lower surface of the back panel 20 via adhesive materials 55a and 56a. For example, the same material as that of the sealing material layer 41 is used for the adhesive material 55a, 56a, and the paste including the low-melting glass is applied by a dispenser, dried and temporarily fixed together by a clip. As a result, the encapsulation adhesive layer 41 is softened and cured to envelop the envelope 40 so that the adhesive materials 55a and 56a are also softened and hardened so that the connection pipe 55 and the connection pipe 56 and the back panel 20 The connection of the air vent 21a and the air vent 21b and the sealing of airtightness are automatically performed.

The gas introducing system 52 is composed of a gas bomb 52a filled with a discharge gas and a piping system 52b connecting the gas bomb 52a and the connecting pipe 55 to each other. An opening / closing valve 52c for adjusting the gas introduction amount is provided at the middle of the piping system 52b. The connecting pipe 55 and the piping system 52b are connected to each other with a zipper or the like ensuring airtightness.

The suction and exhaust system 53 includes a manifold 53a, a turbo molecular pump 53b, a rotary pump 53c, a piping system 53d for connecting the connection pipe 56 and the manifold 53a, And a piping system 53e for connecting the manifold 53a and the turbo molecular pump 53b. At the middle of the piping system 53e, an opening / closing valve 53f for adjusting the suction amount by the turbo molecular pump is provided. The connecting pipe 56 and the piping system 53d are connected to each other with a chuck or the like ensuring airtightness.

In this embodiment, the front panel 10 is fixed to the upper side and the rear panel 20 is fixed to the lower side. Further, if the positions of the panels 10 and 20 are fixed so as not to be shifted, the envelope 40 may be set in the heating furnace 51 and set.

Then, the inside of the heating furnace 51 is heated to raise the temperature to a sealing attachment temperature (for example 450 DEG C) which is slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing sealing material. After maintaining the sealing attachment temperature for a predetermined time, But is sealed and adhered while exhausting from the inside of the envelope 40 by the turbo molecular pump 53b. When the turbo molecular pump 53b is operated, the rotary pump 53c is operated simultaneously to lower the back pressure in the turbo molecular pump 53b. The sealing condition is determined by suitability of the glass substrate material and the sealing material, but it is about 10 to 20 minutes at about 450 DEG C when a low-melting glass is used.

It is preferable that the exhaust is started after the heating furnace 51 reaches the softening temperature of the sealing member. Since the airtightness of the outer circumferential portion between the panels 10 and 20 is not so much until the softening temperature of the enclosure attachment material is reached, even if exhausted from the inner space of the envelope 40, the inside thereof can not be made to have a high degree of vacuum, The outer peripheral portion between the panels 10 and 20 is hermetically sealed while the adhesive layer 26a is also softened and the connecting portion between the pipe member 26 and the vent hole 21a is also hermetically sealed, This is because the pressure is reduced to a high degree of vacuum (about 1.33 x 10 < ^-4 > MPa (about several Torr)) when exhausted from the inside of the rope 40. [

By exhausting from the inner space of the envelope 40 in this way, the both panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside. Suction and exhaust by the suction and exhaust system 53 is performed when the sealing adhesive is compressed by the pressure difference in the envelope 40 and the heating furnace so that the two front and rear panels approach each other and the front panel contacts the partition (For example, about 0.08 MPa) is sufficient.

When both the panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside, the top of the bulkhead on the back panel 20 and the front panel 10 are in close contact with each other as shown in FIG. When the temperature is lowered in this state, the sealing member is cured at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening temperature, so that the envelope 40 is sealed. Accordingly, the envelope top portion and the front panel 10 are kept in a state of being in close contact with each other in the envelope 40 after being sealed.

Further, in the above-mentioned sealing step, the temperature is not raised at a sealing attachment temperature slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing material, but the sealing material is heated at a temperature lower than the sealing attachment temperature for a predetermined time, for example, Is burned out, it is effective in suppressing deterioration of the phosphor.

After the encapsulation of the envelope 40 is completed in this manner, the process moves to the next vacuum evacuation process.

The vacuum evacuation process is a process in which the temperature in the heating furnace 51 is heated (baked) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the encapsulating material layer (baking temperature) and the turbo molecular pump 53b and rotary The pump 53c is operated to suck the inside of the envelope 40 to a vacuum state and thereafter the discharge gas is supplied from the gas introduction system 52 to the envelope 40 at a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.05 MPa) Lt; / RTI > It is more preferable to maintain the same pressure for a predetermined time (5 minutes to 10 minutes) after charging the discharge gas. This is because the conductance between the partition walls inside the envelope 40 is small and it takes time until the equilibrium pressure reaches.

Further, by performing the vacuum evacuation step while heating at the exhaust baking temperature as described above, the impurities adsorbed on the inner wall surface of the envelope 40 become gaseous and are likely to be filled in the discharge space, And it is generally preferable to perform vacuum evacuation while heating up to the exhaust baking temperature. However, it is of course possible to simply perform vacuum evacuation without doing so.

It is needless to say that the above-mentioned exhaust baking temperature is lower than the softening point of the sealant (temperature lower than the melting point of the metal when a metal is used for the sealant). In this case, the adsorbed water adsorbed on the inner wall surface of the envelope 40 is effectively removed (for example, about 350 DEG C).

In the vacuum evacuation process, the envelope 40 may be cooled after the temperature of the envelope 40 is cooled to room temperature. However, if the evacuation is performed at the time of cooling from the sealing attachment temperature to the exhaust baking temperature in the sealing adhering step, And thus it is preferable to shorten the manufacturing process.

Next, the introduction of the discharge gas from the gas introduction system 52 is stopped, and the discharge gas inside the envelope is sucked and discharged from the suction / exhaust system 53, so that the inside of the envelope 40 is again evacuated.

Such a process of vacuum evacuation / discharge gas introduction and vacuum evacuation is usually sufficient for one cycle, but the impurity gas inside the envelope 40 can be made to be lower in concentration by repeating this process.

As described above, the gas introduced into the envelope 40 may be a gas that does not become an impurity against the discharge gas even if it is not a discharge gas. The definition of the impurity is not clear, but refers to a gas that causes a decrease in luminance or the like. This gas is more preferable because it can suppress deterioration of the characteristics of the phosphor when it is a dry gas. Here, the dry gas is a gas having a lower partial pressure of water vapor than a normal gas, for example, a gas having a partial pressure of water vapor (LOC point) of 0.0027 MPa (22 DEG C) or less.

It is preferable that the pressure to be introduced into the envelope 40 after the vacuum is once set to be within the pressure range in which the envelope 40 does not break from about 1.33 x ^10-4 MPa (several Torr) to less than the atmospheric pressure .

Next, in the sealing step, the gas introducing system 52 supplies the discharge gas to the inner space of the envelope 40 at a predetermined sealing pressure (for example, 0.067 MPa). Then, the connection portion between the connection pipe 55 and the connection pipe 56 is melted by a burner or a heater to seal off the vent hole 21a and the vent hole 21b by chip off.

[Effects of the Manufacturing Method of this Embodiment]

Since the central portion of the envelope 40 is not pressed when the outer periphery of the envelope 40 is clamped with a clip or the like without placing a difference in the inner and outer pressure of the envelope 40, The envelope 40 can be sealed and adhered in a state of being totally or partially separated from the envelope 40. As described above, 41 are cured and sealed so that sealing is performed in a state where there is almost no gap between the top of the barrier rib and the front panel 10. [

Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily manufacture a PDP in which no vibration occurs during driving of the PDP, and the display quality is good.

In order to obtain such an effect, at least the softened sealing material layer 41 is required to be in a state in which the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the envelope 40 is generated by operating the suction and exhaust system at the time of curing, It is not necessary to operate the suction / exhaust system 53 continuously from the start to the end of the suction / Even when the operation of the suction and containment system 53 is started after the sealant attachment layer 41 is softened, for example, the effect of the inner and outer pressures of the both panels 10 and 20 can be sufficiently obtained.

It is also possible to quickly (in a short time) remove the impurity gas concentration in the envelope 40 to a low concentration by the vacuum evacuation process.

This has the following advantages: 1) the effect of diluting the impurity gas by charging a large amount of the discharge gas; 2) the effect of the residual impurity gas being discharged to the outside of the envelope 40 by the viscous flow during gas filling and re- 3) an effect of releasing the adsorbed gas by colliding with the inner wall surface of the envelope 40 of the phosphor, the protective layer or the like, the discharge gas molecules heated to a high temperature by heating at the time of exhaust baking. For the third reason, it is preferable to use a previously heated gas (purge gas) to be introduced into the envelope in the exhaust process.

It is impossible to sufficiently leak the residual gas in the discharge space surrounded by the partition wall inside the envelope 40 after evacuating the inside of the envelope 40 while keeping it at the exhaust baking temperature. For example, the diameter of the partition wall inside the envelope 40 is 120 μm, the pitch is 200 μm, the diameter of the exhaust hole is about 2 mm, the inner diameter of the connection pipe 57 is about 2 mm, The pressure inside the envelope 40 is about 1.3 x 10 < ¹¹ > to about 1.3 x 10 < ^-10 > MPa even if the inside of the envelope 40 is about 90 mm, Is about one to two digits higher than that of the manifold 53a.

Of course, if the baking time is lengthened, the amount of impurity gas such as water, carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen, and oxygen adsorbed on the inner wall of the envelope 40 is reduced, but the manufacturing cost is increased.

In the above-described vacuum evacuation process, the discharge gas is sealed and then evacuated again. However, the impurity gas can be removed more quickly as follows.

That is, the discharge gas is introduced into the envelope 40 from the gas introducing system 52, and at the same time, the inside of the envelope 40 is exhausted from the suction and exhaust system 53 Indicated by a thick arrow). This makes it possible to discharge the impurity gas more efficiently because of the flow of the discharge gas inside the envelope 40. Particularly, in the central portion of the envelope 40, the discharge gas (air hole 21b) The discharge efficiency of the impurity gas in the discharge space located apart is excellent.

In this case, it is not necessary to once evacuate the inside of the envelope before the sealing process for sealing the discharge gas, and it is also possible to seal the envelope in this state.

≪ Example 1 >

Next, an example in which a PDP relating to an embodiment in which each manufacturing step is performed will be described in detail based on the above embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a view showing the temperature and pressure profile at the time of sealing, FIG. 5 is a view showing the temperature and pressure profile in the vacuum evacuation process and the sealing process, and in this embodiment, Respectively. In the drawings, the dotted line indicates the temperature of the envelope 40, and the solid line indicates the change in the pressure in the manifold 53a of the suction and exhaust system connected to the envelope 40.

First, the temperature at which the sealant is attached is increased to 450 ° C over a period of 2 hours to 3 hours in the sealing process, and the temperature is maintained for 20 minutes. At the same time, when the temperature reaches 450 占 폚, the pressure of the manifold 53a is reduced to about 0.05 MPa to stop the operation of the suction and exhaust system to maintain the pressure.

The temperature is lowered to room temperature over a period of 2 to 3 hours while maintaining the reduced pressure.

In this step, the front panel and the back panel are completely sealed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, suction and evacuation are continued until the pressure in the manifold 53a reaches 1.3 × 10 ^{-1 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, and then heating is started. Heat to a temperature (350 ° C). Then, when the temperature reaches the exhaust baking temperature, the exhaust gas starts to be exhausted again, and the gas introduced into the manifold 15 is exhausted at the time of heating and heating. The pressure in the manifold 53a rises as indicated by reference numeral 60 in FIG. 5 due to the degassing from the inner wall of the connecting pipe 56 and the inner wall of the envelope 40. However, It is converted to reduction by resuming.

When the pressure in the manifold 53a is about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, the operation of the suction and exhaust system 53 is stopped and the gas introduction system 52 is operated to open the envelope 40) is filled with a discharge gas at about 0.05 MPa, and this pressure is maintained for about 5 to 10 minutes.

The gas inside the envelope 40 is resumed to be sucked and exhausted at a rate of about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to about} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa and then the discharge gas is supplied to the envelope 40) to 0.067 MPa.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure inside the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. However, in the vacuum evacuation process of this embodiment, The pressure can be reduced.

Here, it is expected that the driving force of the pump system of the suction / exhaust system is further increased, and if the inside of the envelope is drawn more strongly, the pressure can be reduced to a low pressure in a short time. However, in this case, the phosphors inside the envelope are separated from the phosphor layer, leading to deterioration of the panel characteristics. Therefore, generally, the suction force is relatively weakened through the manifold as described above to suck the inside of the envelope. Therefore, in the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes a comparatively long time to decompress the inside of the envelope to the desired internal pressure.

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating in the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than those in the case of pressing with a conventional clip or the like. In addition, the noise level at the outer periphery was suppressed down to several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered by about 5 to 10 V, so that the discharge current was about several to 10%, and the efficiency was improved by about 10% from several percent.

≪ Example 2 >

Next, an example in which the PDP according to another embodiment is manufactured by performing each manufacturing process based on the above-described embodiment will be described in detail.

Fig. 6 shows the temperature and pressure profile at the time of sealing, the temperature and pressure profile at the vacuum evacuation process and the sealing process, and in this embodiment, the PDP was manufactured in accordance with each profile. In each figure, the dotted line represents the temperature of the envelope 40, and the solid line represents the pressure change in the manifold of the suction and exhaust system connected to the envelope 40.

First, in the sealing-bonding step, the temperature is increased from 2 hours to 3 hours to the sealing temperature of 450 ° C, and the temperature is maintained for 20 minutes. At the same time, when the temperature reaches 450 占 폚, the pressure of the manifold 53a is reduced to about 0.05 MPa, and the operation of the suction and exhaust system is stopped to maintain this pressure.

Then, while maintaining the reduced pressure, it takes about 30 minutes to lower the temperature to the exhaust baking temperature (350 ° C.).

In this step, the front panel and the back panel are completely sealed. However, if the pressure in the manifold 53a is monitored together with the temperature drop, defects in the sealing adhesion can be known, And can help reduce costs.

Next, after the temperature is reduced to the exhaust baking temperature, suction and exhaust are continued to set the pressure in the manifold 53a to 1.3 x 10 < ^-11 > Suction and exhaust to about 3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. Next, the operation of the suction and exhaust system 53 is stopped, the gas introduction system 52 is operated to charge the discharge gas to about 0.05 MPa in the envelope 40, and this pressure is maintained for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Then, the gas in the envelope 40 is resumed to be sucked and exhausted at a rate of about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to about} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, and then the discharge gas is supplied to the envelope 40 ) At 0.067 MPa.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, in general, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure in the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. However, in the vacuum evacuation process of the embodiment, .

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating on the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than the conventional method of pressing with a clip. Also, the noise level from the outer periphery was suppressed to be low by several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered to about 10V from about 5V, and the discharge current was about 10% to about 10%, and the efficiency was improved by about 10% from several%.

Compared with the first embodiment, the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment has the effect of shortening the time from the sealing of the envelope 40 to cooling and the heating time from the room temperature for exhaust baking to the exhaust baking temperature. Also, the degree of deterioration of the phosphor was fewer in some cases than in Example 1, and was slightly superior.

(Second Embodiment)

In this embodiment, the method in the vacuum evacuation step is the same except for the difference from that in the first embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a view schematically showing the sealing / attaching / discharging device 70 used in the sealing / attaching step of this embodiment, and corresponds to Fig. 3 (b).

The sealing attachment and exhausting device 70 includes a heating furnace 71 for storing the envelope 40 in which the front panel 10 and the back panel 20 are overlapped and heating the envelope 40, And an introduction / exhaust / exhaust system (72).

The back panel 20 is provided with a connecting pipe 73 for communicating the vent hole 21a with the internal space and a getter pipe 74 for connecting the vent hole 21b and the internal space to the adhesive material 73a and the adhesive material 74a As described above.

The connecting pipe 73 is a glass tube whose contact end with the back panel 20 is opened and the getter tube 74 is a glass tube in which the other end of contact with the back panel 20 is sealed. In the getter tube 74, a getter accommodating space 74b for accommodating the getter is formed at the outlet of the vent hole 21b of the back panel 20.

The gas introduction / suction / exhaust system 72 includes a manifold 72a, a turbo molecular pump 72b, a rotary pump 72c, a gas cylinder 72d filled with a discharge gas, And a branch piping system 72f for connecting the manifold 72a to the turbo molecular pump 72b and the gas cylinder 72d. The piping system 72e connects the manifold 72a and the manifold 72a. One piping system 72f1 extended from the manifold 72a is connected to the piping system 72f2 via the path selection valve 72g and the piping system 72f3 is connected to the turbo molecular pump 72b and the gas cylinder Respectively. An opening / closing valve 72h for adjusting the suction amount by the turbo molecular pump and an opening / closing valve 72i for adjusting the flow rate of the discharge gas are provided in the middle of the piping system 72f2 and the piping system 72f3. The connection pipe (73) and piping system (72e) are connected to each other with a chuck or the like ensuring airtightness. The path selection valve 72g selects the piping system 72f2 when the turbo molecular pump 72b is operated and the piping system 72f3 when the discharge gas is introduced into the envelope 40 from the gas cylinder 72d .

Then, the inside of the heating furnace 71 is heated by the heater 75 to raise the temperature to a sealing attachment temperature (for example 450 DEG C) which is slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing attachment material, maintain it at the sealing attachment temperature for a predetermined time, The temperatures between the panels 10 and 20 are sealed up by lowering the temperature to below the temperature, but they are sealed while exhausting from the inside of the envelope 40 at the turbo molecular pump 72b. The conditions for the sealing are determined by suitability of the glass substrate material and the sealing material, but when the sealing glass is low melting glass, it is about 10 to 20 minutes at about 450 ° C.

It is preferable that the exhaust is started after the inside of the heating furnace 71 reaches the softening temperature of the sealing member. The airtightness of the outer peripheral portion between the panels 10 and 20 is not so significant until the sealing attachment material reaches the softening temperature, so that even if exhausted from the inner space of the envelope 40, the inside can not be made to have a high degree of vacuum. However, The outer peripheral portion between the panels 10 and 20 is airtightly sealed and the adhesive layer 41 is also softened so that the connection portion between the connection pipe 72 and the vent hole 21a is also hermetically sealed. 40), the pressure is reduced to a high degree of vacuum (about 1.33 × 10 ^-4 MPa (about several Torr)).

By exhausting from the inner space of the envelope 40 in this way, the both panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside. As the suction exhaust is compressed by the pressure difference between the inside of the envelope (40) and the inside of the heating furnace, the two front panel and the rear panel approach each other and the front panel is in contact with the partition wall. 0.08 MPa or so) is sufficient.

When both the panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside, the top of the barrier rib on the back panel 20 and the front panel 10 are in a state of close contact as described above. When the temperature is lowered in this state, the sealing member is cured at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point, so that the envelope 40 is sealed. Therefore, in the envelope 40 after the sealing, the top of the barrier rib and the front panel 10 are kept in a state in which they are in close contact with each other.

The end portion 74c of the getter tube 74 attached to the envelope 40 is broken so that the getter 76 in the form of a particle is moved in accordance with the size of the inner space of the envelope 40 And the end portion 74c is closed to store the getter 76 in the getter accommodating space 74b. In the getter 76 to be charged, the surface is activated by heating to irreversibly chemically adsorb the impurity gas. In this case, it is preferable to activate at the exhaust baking temperature of the next vacuum exhaust process.

Next, the inside of the envelope 40 is evacuated again, and then the temperature in the heating furnace 71 is heated (baked) at a temperature lower than the softening point of the sealing material layer (the baking temperature).

It is a matter of course that the exhaust baking temperature is lower than the softening point of the encapsulant (lower than the melting point of the metal when a metal is used for the encapsulating material). Here, the getter 76 is activated, and the adsorbed water adsorbed on the inner wall surface of the envelope 40 is effectively removed (for example, about 350 DEG C).

When the temperature of the getter 76 reaches the activation temperature of the getter 76 while raising the temperature to the exhaust baking temperature, impurity gases such as water, carbon dioxide gas, nitrogen, and oxygen are adsorbed on the surface of the getter 76, And is accommodated in the hole. This is because the impurity gas is accommodated in the getter 76 and a pressure gradient (gas concentration gradient) is generated between the inner space of the envelope 40 and the accommodating space 74b in which the getter 76 is accommodated.

Next, the open / close valve 72h is properly opened while the exhaust baking temperature is maintained, the turbo molecular pump 72b and the rotary pump 72c are operated to suck the inside of the envelope 40 again, The pipe 72f3 is selected from the valve 72g and the opening and closing valve 72i is opened to introduce the discharge gas into the envelope 40 at a predetermined pressure (for example, 0.05 MPa). It is more preferable to maintain the pressure as it is for a predetermined time (5 to 10 minutes) after charging the discharge gas. This is because time is required until the equilibrium pressure is reached because the conductance between the partition walls in the envelope 40 is small.

Next, the discharge gas is stopped, the discharge gas in the envelope is sucked and discharged, and the inside of the envelope 40 is again evacuated.

Such a process of vacuum evacuation / discharge gas introduction / vacuum evacuation is usually sufficient for one cycle, but the impurity gas in the envelope 40 can be made low in density by repeating this process.

As described above, the gas introduced into the envelope 40 is not a discharge gas but a gas that does not become an impurity against the discharge gas. Further, if this gas is a dry gas, deterioration of the characteristics of the phosphor can be suppressed.

It is preferable that the gas pressure introduced into the envelope 40 after the vacuum is once set to a pressure not higher than 1.33 × 10 ^-4 MPa (several Torr) and the envelope 40 is not destroyed, and lower than the atmospheric pressure.

Next, in the sealing step, the discharge gas is supplied to the inner space of the envelope 40 at a predetermined sealing pressure (for example, 0.067 MPa). The connection portion of the connection pipe 73 and the getter pipe 74 is melted by a burner or a heater to seal the vent hole 21a and the vent hole 21b by chip off.

[Effects of the Manufacturing Method of this Embodiment]

Since the central portion of the envelope 40 is not pressed when the outer periphery of the envelope 40 is clamped with a clip or the like without placing a difference in the inner and outer pressure of the envelope 40, The envelope 40 is sealed by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the envelope 40 so that both the panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside, The adhesive layer 41 is cured and sealed so that sealing is performed in a state where there is almost no gap between the top of the barrier rib and the front panel 10. [

Therefore, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, it is possible to easily manufacture a PDP in which vibration is less likely to occur during driving of the PDP, and the display quality is good.

In order to obtain such an effect, it is necessary to operate the suction / exhaust system at least at the time when the softened sealing material layer 41 is hardened, so that the inner / outer pressure difference of the envelope 40 is generated. However, It is not necessary to suck it. For example, the effect of the inner and outer pressure differences of both panels 10 and 20 can be sufficiently obtained even if the suction attachment operation is started after the sealing adhesive layer 41 is softened.

In addition, the concentration of the impurity gas in the envelope 40 can be quickly (in a short time) lowered by the vacuum evacuation process.

This is because: 1) the effect of diluting the impurity gas by charging a large amount of the discharge gas; 2) the effect that the residual impurity gas is discharged to the outside of the envelope 40 by the viscous flow during the gas filling and rewinding; and 3) And the effect of releasing the adsorbed gas by colliding the discharge gas molecules heated by heating with the inner wall surface of the envelope 40 of the phosphor or the protective layer. For the third reason, it is preferable to use a previously heated gas (purge gas) to be introduced into the envelope in the exhaust process.

In this embodiment, since the step of raising the temperature to the exhaust baking temperature includes the step of removing the impurity gas in the envelope 40 by the getter, the first step of the vacuum exhaust, the discharge gas filling, The impurity gas can be removed in the envelope 40 at a faster and lower concentration than the manufacturing method of the embodiment.

≪ Example 3 >

Next, an example in which the PDP relating to the embodiment in which each manufacturing step is performed will be described in detail based on the second embodiment.

In this embodiment, a PDP was fabricated according to the profiles shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The getter 76 is sealed in the getter tube 74 at the stage where the temperature is once lowered to the room temperature by sealing, and vanadium, titanium, and iron-based alloy particles having an activation temperature of 280 deg.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure in the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. In the vacuum evacuation process of the embodiment, the pressure can be reduced to about 1 hour.

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating in the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than those in the case of pressing with a conventional clip or the like. Also, the noise level from the outer periphery was suppressed to be low by several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered by about 5 to 10 V, the discharge current was about 10 to 10%, and the efficiency was improved from several% to about 10%.

Compared with Example 1, in the manufacturing method according to Example 3, the deterioration of the characteristics after the aging step (the aging step after the discharge gas sealing step and the step for stabilizing the panel characteristics) was slightly small and the efficiency was good to about several% .

(Third Embodiment)

In this embodiment, the method in the sealing and bonding step is the same as that in the first embodiment.

First, the inside of the heating furnace 51 is heated to raise the temperature to a sealing attachment temperature (for example 450 DEG C) which is slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing member. After maintaining the sealing attachment temperature for a predetermined time, When the temperature is raised at the sealing temperature, the gas introducing system is operated to raise the temperature while introducing the drying gas into the envelope 40. In this case, Here, the dry gas filled with the gas bomb 52a is dried. In addition, dry air, dry nitrogen gas, dry argon gas, dry neon gas (usually dry rare gas) can be used. When the envelope 40 is heated up to the temperature at which the envelope is attached to the envelope 40, the envelope 40 becomes airtight and the inner pressure of the envelope 40 increases. This is monitored to stop the introduction of the discharge gas.

Also, the flow rate of the drying gas is set such that, even when the drying gas flows into the envelope 40 at the time when the sealing member is softened and hermetically sealed, a sudden pressure rise occurs and the glass substrate constituting the envelope 40 is not damaged Will be limited.

Since the drying gas flows through the envelope 40 during the period until the sealing temperature reaches the sealing attachment temperature, in the stage where the sealing material is softened and the outer peripheral portion of the envelope 40 becomes airtight, Is filled with dry gas. Then, the sealing temperature is maintained for a predetermined time while the drying gas is being filled. The conditions for the sealing are determined depending on the suitability of the glass substrate material and the sealing material. However, when the low melting glass is used, the sealing condition is about 10 to 20 minutes at about 450 deg.

Thus, deterioration of the heat of the phosphor is prevented by sealing the dry gas in a state of being filled in the inner space.

In addition, while the drying gas is being filled, the sealing temperature is maintained for a predetermined time, and the turbo molecular pump 53b is sealingly attached while exhausting from the inside of the envelope 40. When the turbo molecular pump 53b is operated, the rotary pump 53c is operated simultaneously to lower the back pressure in the turbo molecular pump 53b.

It is preferable that the exhaust is started after the inside of the heating furnace 51 reaches the softening temperature of the sealing member. Until the softening temperature of the enclosure attachment material is reached, the airtightness of the outer periphery between the panels 10 and 20 is not so high, so even if exhausted from the inner space of the envelope 40, the inside thereof can not be made a high degree of vacuum. The outer peripheral portion between the panels 10 and 20 is hermetically sealed and the adhesive layer 56a is also softened so that the connection portion between the connection pipe 56 and the vent hole 21b is hermetically sealed. 40), the pressure is reduced to a high degree of vacuum (about 1.33 × 10 ^-4 MPa (about several Torr)).

By exhausting from the inner space of the envelope 40 in this way, the both panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside. As the suction exhaust is compressed by the pressure difference between the inside of the envelope 40 and the inside of the heating furnace, the two front panels and the rear panel approach to each other, so that the front panel contacts the partition wall. 0.08 MPa or so) is sufficient.

When both the panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside, the top of the bulkhead on the back panel 20 and the front panel 10 are in close contact with each other as shown in FIG. When the temperature is lowered in this state, the sealing member is cured at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point, so that the envelope 40 is sealed. Therefore, in the envelope 40 after the sealing, the top of the barrier rib and the front panel 10 are kept in a state in which they are in close contact with each other.

Further, in the above-mentioned sealing step, the temperature is not raised at a sealing attachment temperature slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing material, but the sealing material is heated at a temperature lower than the sealing attachment temperature for a certain time, for example, Burning out ashes is effective in suppressing deterioration of the phosphor.

Thereafter, the PDP is completed through a vacuum evacuation process, a sealing process, and a sealing process as in the first embodiment.

<Example 4>

Next, an example in which a PDP relating to an embodiment in which each manufacturing step is performed will be described in detail based on the above embodiment.

In this embodiment, a PDP was fabricated according to the profiles shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

First, in the sealing step, the sealing temperature is raised to 450 ° C for 2 hours to 3 hours, and the temperature is maintained for 20 minutes. At the same time, the drying gas is introduced into the envelope 40 by operating the gas introducing system until the temperature reaches the sealing attachment temperature.

Next, when the sealing temperature reaches 450 DEG C, the pressure of the manifold is reduced to about 0.05 MPa by stopping the operation of the gas introduction system, and this pressure is maintained.

The temperature is lowered to room temperature over a period of 2 to 3 hours while maintaining the reduced pressure.

In this step, the front panel and the back panel are completely sealed. However, if the temperature is lowered and the pressure in the manifold is monitored, defects in sealing can be known, , Which helps to reduce costs. The pressure in the manifold is gradually reduced when the sealing attachment is normally done, but otherwise it is reduced at a relatively high rate because the gas leaks into the furnace.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the suction and exhaustion is continued to start the heating after the pressure in the manifold 53a reaches 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, and the heating is started for 2 to 3 hours, Heat to a temperature (350 ° C). Then, when the exhaust baking temperature is reached, the suction exhaust is started again. And the gas introduced into the manifold is exhausted at the time of heating and heating. When the suction exhaust is resumed, the pressure in the manifold 53a rises due to the degassing from the inner wall of the connecting pipe and the inner wall of the envelope 40 as shown by reference numeral 60 in FIG. 5, .

The operation of the suction and exhaust system 53 is stopped and the gas introducing system 52 is operated so that the pressure in the manifold 53a becomes about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, The discharge gas is charged to about 0.05 MPa and the pressure is maintained for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Then, the gas in the envelope 40 is resumed to be sucked and exhausted at a rate of about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to about} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, and then the discharge gas is supplied to the envelope 40 ) Of 0.067 MPa.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure in the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. In the vacuum evacuation process of the embodiment, the pressure can be reduced to about 1 hour.

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating in the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than those in the case of pressing with a conventional clip or the like. In addition, the noise level at the outer periphery was suppressed by several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered by about 10V from about 5V, the discharge current was about 10% to about 10%, and the efficiency was improved from several% to about 10%.

Further, the PDP in which the dry gas is circulated after the above-mentioned flow and the light emission intensity (y value of the luminance / chromaticity coordinates of the PDP phosphor sealed and attached in the presence of the atmosphere without circulating the dry gas ). When the panel was broken and the Xe-excimer lamp (wavelength: 173 nm) was irradiated and evaluated, the emission intensity of the blue phosphor was improved by about 10%. The drying gas was unreacted, but the improvement effect was recognized, but the drying air was particularly good.

&Lt; Example 5 &gt;

Next, an embodiment in which a PDP according to another embodiment of the present invention is manufactured based on the above-described embodiment will be described in detail.

In this embodiment, a PDP was manufactured in accordance with the profile shown in Fig.

First, in the sealing step, the temperature is raised to 450 ° C for 2 hours to 3 hours, and the temperature is maintained for 20 minutes. At the same time, the drying gas is introduced into the envelope 40 by operating the gas introducing system until the temperature reaches the sealing attachment temperature.

Next, when the temperature of the sealing attachment reaches 450 캜, the pressure of the manifold is stopped by stopping the operation of the gas introduction system, and the pressure is maintained by reducing the pressure to about 0.05 MPa.

Then, the temperature is lowered to the exhaust baking temperature (350 ° C) over a period of from 2 hours to 3 hours for 30 minutes while maintaining the reduced pressure.

At this stage, the front panel and the back panel are completely sealed. However, if the temperature is lowered and the pressure in the manifold is monitored, defects in the sealing adhesion can be detected. It helps to save money. The pressure in the manifold gradually decreases gradually when the sealing attachment is performed normally, but otherwise the gas is leaked into the furnace and decreases at a relatively rapid rate.

Next, after the temperature is lowered to the exhaust baking temperature, the suction and exhaust are continued and the pressure in the manifold is sucked and discharged to about 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. Next, the operation of the suction and exhaust system 53 is stopped, the gas introduction system 52 is operated to charge the discharge gas in the envelope 40 to about 0.05 MPa, and the pressure is maintained for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Thereafter, aspiration of the gas in the envelope 40 is resumed while cooling, and the discharge gas is introduced into the envelope 40 by the gas introduction system after reaching the order of 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa, MPa.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure in the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. In the vacuum evacuation process of the embodiment, the pressure can be reduced to about 1 hour.

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating in the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than those in the case of pressing with a conventional clip or the like. Also, the noise level from the outer periphery was suppressed to be low by several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered from about 5 V to about 10 V, the discharge current was about several to 10%, and the efficiency was improved from several% to about 10%.

Compared with the fourth embodiment, in the manufacturing method according to the fifth embodiment, there is an effect that the time from the sealing to cooling of the envelope 40 and the heating time from the room temperature for exhaust baking to the exhaust baking temperature can be shortened . In addition, the degree of deterioration of the phosphor was about several%, which was smaller than that of Example 4, and was slightly superior.

(Fourth Embodiment)

In this embodiment, the method in the sealing and attaching step is the same as that in the second embodiment.

First, the inside of the heating furnace 71 is heated to raise the temperature to a sealing attachment temperature (for example 450 DEG C) which is slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing attachment material. After maintaining the sealing attachment temperature for a predetermined time, The temperature between the panels 10 and 20 is sealed up. However, when the temperature is raised to the temperature at which the sealant is attached, the gas introduction system is operated to raise the temperature while introducing the drying gas into the envelope 40. In this case, the dry gas filled with the gas bomb 72d is dried. In addition, dry air, dry nitrogen gas, dry argon gas, dry neon gas (usually dry rare gas) and the like can be used. When the envelope 40 is heated up to the temperature at which the envelope is attached to the envelope 40, the envelope 40 becomes airtight and the inner pressure of the envelope 40 increases. This is monitored to stop the introduction of the discharge gas.

Further, even when the drying gas flows into the envelope 40 at the time when the sealing member is softened and hermetically sealed, the flow rate of the drying gas is increased to such an extent that a sudden pressure rise occurs and the glass substrate constituting the envelope 40 is not damaged Will be limited.

Since the drying gas flows through the envelope 40 during the period until the sealing temperature reaches the sealing attachment temperature, in the stage where the sealing material is softened and the outer peripheral portion of the envelope 40 becomes airtight, Dry gas is charged. Then, the sealing temperature is maintained for a predetermined time while the drying gas is being filled. The conditions for the sealing are determined depending on the suitability of the glass substrate material and the sealing material, but when using a low-melting glass, it is about 10 to 20 minutes at about 450 ° C.

By sealing the drying gas filled in the inner space in this manner, deterioration of the heat of the phosphor is prevented.

In addition, while the drying gas is being filled, the sealing temperature is maintained for a predetermined time, and the sealing gas is sealed while being exhausted from the inside of the envelope 40 by the turbo molecular pump 72b. When the turbo molecular pump 72b is operated, the rotary pump 72c is simultaneously operated to lower the back pressure in the turbo molecular pump 72b.

It is preferable that the exhaust is started after the inside of the heating furnace 71 reaches the softening temperature of the sealing member. Until the softening temperature of the enclosure attachment material is reached, the airtightness of the outer periphery between the panels 10 and 20 is not so high, so even if exhausted from the inner space of the envelope 40, the inside thereof can not be made a high degree of vacuum. The outer peripheral portion between the panels 10 and 20 is airtightly sealed and the adhesive layer 73a is also softened so that the connecting portion between the connecting pipe 73 and the vent hole 21a is also hermetically sealed. 40), the pressure is reduced to a high degree of vacuum (about 1.33 × 10 ^-4 MPa (about several Torr)).

By exhausting from the inner space of the envelope 40 in this way, the both panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside. Aspiration exhaust may be caused by a pressure difference in the envelope 40 and the heating furnace which compresses the sealing adhesive so that the two front and back panels approach each other and contact the front panel with the partition wall. 0.08 MPa or so) is sufficient.

When both the panels 10 and 20 are uniformly pressed from the outside, the top of the partition wall on the back panel 20 and the front panel 10 are in a state of close contact as shown in FIG. When the temperature is lowered in this state, the sealing member is cured at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point, so that the envelope 40 is sealed. Therefore, in the envelope 40 after the sealing, the top of the barrier rib and the front panel 10 are kept in a state in which they are in close contact with each other.

In addition, in the above-mentioned sealing step, the temperature is not raised at a sealing attachment temperature slightly higher than the softening temperature of the sealing material, but the sealing material is heated at a temperature lower than the sealing temperature for a predetermined time, for example, It is effective in suppressing deterioration of the phosphor.

Thereafter, the PDP is completed through a vacuum evacuation process, a sealing process, and a sealing process similar to those of the first embodiment.

&Lt; Example 6 &gt;

Next, embodiments in which the PDP according to the embodiment is manufactured by performing each manufacturing process based on the above-described embodiment will be described in detail.

In this embodiment, a PDP was fabricated in accordance with the same temperature and pressure profile as in Example 4. The getter 76 was enclosed and stored in the getter tube 74 at the stage where the temperature was once lowered to room temperature, and vanadium, titanium, and iron-based alloy particles having an activation temperature of 280 占 폚 were used.

In the conventional vacuum evacuation process, it takes about 2 hours to reduce the pressure in the envelope to 1.3 × 10 ^{-11 to} 1.3 × 10 ^-10 MPa. In the vacuum evacuation process of the embodiment, the pressure can be reduced to about 1 hour.

The PDP produced in the above-described manner had less floating in the outer periphery, and the discharge characteristics were more uniform than those in the case of pressing with a conventional clip or the like. In addition, the noise level at the outer periphery was suppressed down to several dB to 10 dB. Also, the discharge starting voltage was lowered by about 10 V from about 5 V, the discharge current was about 10% to about 10%, and the efficiency was improved from several% to about 10%.

Further, the PDP in which the dry gas is circulated after the above-mentioned flow and the light emission intensity (y value of the luminance / chromaticity coordinate) of the PDP phosphor sealed and adhered in the presence of the atmosphere without circulating the dry gas When the panel was broken and the Xe excimer lamp (wavelength: 173 nm) was irradiated and evaluated, the emission intensity of the blue phosphor was improved by about 10%. The dry gas was non-reactive, and the same improvement effect was recognized, but the dry air was particularly good.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, the sealing attachment step and the exhausting step are performed in the same apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the sealing attachment step and the exhausting step may be performed in separate apparatuses.

In addition, in the sealing and attaching step, the entire envelope is not heated, but a heat source such as a laser beam is selectively irradiated to the sealed portion, and the portion can be selectively heated and sealed. In this case, since the phosphor is not directly heated, it is expected that the deterioration of the heat of the phosphor accompanied by the sealing and adhering process is not expected even if the drying gas is not introduced into the discharge space.

As described above, according to the present invention, an envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing a second substrate on a surface of a first substrate on which a partition wall for blocking light-emitting cells is formed on a main surface of the first substrate, An enveloping step of enclosing the outer circumferential portions of both substrates in the rope with an encapsulating material; an evacuation step of evacuating the gas inside the envelope; and an encapsulating step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas Wherein the exhausting step comprises a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope, and a step of filling a purge gas containing substantially no gas into the envelope with respect to the discharge gas as a substantial component And a sub-step of evacuating the interior of the envelope thereafter.

An envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing a second substrate on a surface of the first substrate on which a partition wall for blocking the light emitting cells is formed on the main surface of the first substrate; A sealing step of sealing the periphery of the envelope with an encapsulating material; an evacuation step of evacuating gas inside the envelope; and a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas Wherein the evacuating step includes a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope, and a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope while flowing a cleaning gas containing substantially no gas to the discharge gas into the envelope, The method comprising the steps of:

According to these manufacturing methods, not only the inside of the envelope is simply discharged as in the prior art but also the exhaust gas is discharged while filling or circulating the cleaning gas as described above, so that the concentration of the impurity gas in the envelope can be rapidly (In a short time) to a low concentration. This effect is more effective when the gas discharge panel is highly precise. This is because, in general, the higher the precision, the longer it takes to reduce the concentration of the impurity gas.

In addition, when exhausting the exhaust gas after filling the cleaning gas, it is preferable that the exhaust gas is exhausted within a period of time rather than the exhaust gas immediately after the exhaust gas.

Here, in the sealing step, the entire envelope is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the encapsulating material through the sealing adhesive between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the pressure inside the envelope is higher than the external pressure It is possible to make it to be sealed by cooling after that. As the sealing material, a lead alloy may be used.

As a result, the envelope is sealed and adhered to the envelope in a state in which both substrates are uniformly pressed from the outside by the pressure difference between the envelope and the envelope, so that sealing is performed in a state in which there is almost no gap between the top of the envelope and the substrate facing this.

Here, the step of storing the getter in the container communicated with the inside of the envelope may be provided between the sealing step and the evacuation step.

This makes it possible to remove the impurity gas from the envelope more quickly.

Here, the evacuation step may be performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. When the getter is used as described above, it is preferable that the activation temperature is within the range of the heating temperature in the exhaust step.

This makes it possible to more quickly remove impurities from the inside of the envelope to the outside.

Here, the cooling in the above-mentioned sealing step may be performed by heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point.

As a result, it is possible to quickly shift to the next evacuation step, since it is not required to once again cool to the vicinity of the room temperature and then to heat up to the exhaust baking temperature again.

Here, the sealing step includes a sub-step of heating the entire envelope to a temperature above the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material while passing the drying gas through the encapsulating material between the first substrate and the second substrate into the envelope, And a sub-step of heating the envelope to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the envelope, and lowering the pressure inside the envelope to an external pressure, and then cooling the envelope by sealing.

As a result, the sealing step is performed in a state in which the drying gas is filled in the envelope, so that deterioration of the heat of the phosphor can be suppressed.

Here, in the sealing step, the enclosed attachment member is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate to heat the enclosed sealing portion of the envelope to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the sealing sealing material, The pressure can be made lower than the pressure, and then cooled and then sealed.

Here, it is most preferable to use a discharge gas as the cleaning gas.

This is because there is no possibility that the cleaning gas becomes an impurity gas with respect to the discharge gas sealed in the sealing step performed after the exhausting step.

Here, rare gas may be used for the discharge gas.

Here, the rare gas may include at least one of helium, neon, argon, and xenon.

Here, the light emitting cell may be formed by intersecting the electrode group arranged on the first substrate and the electrode group arranged on the second substrate with a predetermined distance therebetween.

The method of manufacturing a gas discharge panel of the present invention can be used when manufacturing a PDP or the like used as an image display of a television, a computer monitor, or the like.

Claims (47)

An envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing a second substrate on a surface of the first substrate on which a partition wall for blocking the light emitting cells is formed on the main surface of the first substrate; And a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas, and a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharge gas, As a result, Wherein the evacuating step comprises a sub-step of evacuating the envelope, A sub-step of filling the inside of the envelope with a cleaning gas containing substantially no gas as a impurity for the discharge gas, And then vacuuming the interior of the envelope. &Lt; Desc / Clms Page number 13 &gt; An envelope forming step of forming an envelope by disposing a second substrate on a surface of the first substrate on which a partition wall for blocking the light emitting cells is formed on the main surface of the first substrate; An enveloping step of sealing the inside of the envelope with an encapsulating material; an evacuation step of evacuating gas inside the envelope; and a sealing step of sealing the inside of the envelope with a discharging gas In the method, Wherein the evacuating step comprises a sub-step of evacuating the envelope, And a sub-step of evacuating the inside of the envelope while flowing a cleaning gas containing substantially no gas into the envelope as the impurity against the discharge gas. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the sealing step includes heating the entire envelope between the first substrate and the second substrate with a sealing adhesive material to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the sealing member and lowering the pressure inside the envelope to a pressure higher than the external pressure , And after that, it is sealed by cooling. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the enveloping step includes heating the envelope to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the encapsulating member through the encapsulation member between the first substrate and the second substrate and making the pressure inside the envelope lower than the external pressure, And then sealing and adhering by cooling. The method according to claim 1, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. 3. The method of claim 2, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. The method of claim 3, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. 5. The method of claim 4, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. The method of claim 3, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 6. The method of claim 5, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. The method according to claim 6, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. The method of claim 3, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 5. The method of claim 4, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 12. The method of claim 11, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 13. The method of claim 12, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the sealing step includes a sub-step of heating the entire envelope to a temperature above the softening point or melting point of the sealing member while passing the drying gas through the envelope between the first substrate and the second substrate through the sealing member, And a sub-step of heating at a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or the melting point of the adherend, lowering the pressure inside the envelope to an external pressure, and then cooling the envelope by sealing. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the sealing step includes a sub-step of heating the envelope to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the sealing member while passing the drying gas through the envelope between the first substrate and the second substrate through the sealing member, And a sub-step of heating at a temperature higher than the softening point or melting point of the ash, lowering the pressure inside the envelope to an external pressure, and then cooling the envelope by sealing. 22. The method of claim 21, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. 23. The method of claim 22, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the exhausting step. 22. The method of claim 21, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 23. The method of claim 22, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 24. The method of claim 23, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 25. The method of claim 24, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 22. The method of claim 21, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 23. The method of claim 22, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 26. The method of claim 25, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. 27. The method of claim 26, Wherein the cooling in the sealing and attaching step is heating and cooling at a softening point or a temperature equal to or lower than the melting point. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the step of attaching and sealing the envelope is performed by heating the enclosed attachment portion of the envelope between the first substrate and the second substrate to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the envelope attachment material and making the pressure inside the envelope lower than the external pressure And then cooling and then sealing the gas discharge panel. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the step of attaching and sealing the envelope is performed by heating the enclosed attachment portion of the envelope between the first substrate and the second substrate to a temperature equal to or higher than the softening point or melting point of the envelope attachment material and making the pressure inside the envelope lower than the external pressure And then cooling and then sealing the gas discharge panel. 34. The method of claim 33, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. 35. The method of claim 34, And storing the getter in a container communicated with the inside of the envelope between the sealing step and the evacuation step. 34. The method of claim 33, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 35. The method of claim 34, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 36. The method of claim 35, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 37. The method of claim 36, Wherein the step of evacuating is performed while heating the entire envelope at a temperature equal to or lower than the softening point or the melting point of the encapsulating material. 41. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 40, Wherein the cleaning gas is a discharge gas. 42. The method of claim 41, Wherein the discharge gas is a rare gas. 43. The method of claim 42, Wherein the rare gas comprises at least one of helium, neon, argon, and xenon. 41. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 40, Wherein the light emitting cell is formed by intersecting the electrode group arranged in parallel with the first substrate and the electrode group arranged in parallel with the second substrate with a predetermined distance therebetween. 42. The method of claim 41, Wherein the light emitting cell is formed by intersecting the electrode group arranged in parallel with the first substrate and the electrode group arranged in parallel with the second substrate with a predetermined distance therebetween. 43. The method of claim 42, Wherein the light emitting cell is formed by intersecting the electrode group arranged in parallel with the first substrate and the electrode group arranged in parallel with the second substrate with a predetermined distance therebetween. 44. The method of claim 43, Wherein the light emitting cell is formed by intersecting the electrode group arranged in parallel with the first substrate and the electrode group arranged in parallel with the second substrate with a predetermined distance therebetween.