Discharge instability in alternating-current display panels (AC-PDPs)

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this study, discharge properties of 50-in. alternating current plasma display panels (AC-PDPs) were investigated as functions of the gap of ITO electrodes, the height and width of the barrier rib, and the width of address electrodes. The effects of each component on the discharge instability were studied. The change in the discharge gap of ITO electrode mainly affected the discharge instability, and moving-discharge stain increased with increasing the ITO gap. The moving-discharge stain was strongly related to unexpected opposite (or plate-gap) discharge in the energy recovery(ER)-up period and the main reason was the increase of charge variation in the discharge cells. The discharge instability in the AC-PDPs was dramatically reduced by applying overlapped sustain waveform and ER-coil with a low inductance. Both of overlapped sustain waveform and ER-coil with a low inductance suppressed the opposite discharge during ER-up period, and these reduced the charge variations in the discharge cells. However, these caused an increase in the power consumption and led to a decrease in the discharge efficiency. Consequently, the unexpected opposite discharge during ER-up period is considered as the main reason for the discharge instability, and the low inductance of ER-coil and overlapped sustain waveform effectively suppress the opposite discharge in ER-up period.