JP2681438B2 - Gas discharge display panel and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a gas discharge display panel for displaying characters, figures, and the like on a display surface, and more particularly, to a gas discharge display having high display brightness by devising a structure on a cathode side. Display panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 10, a conventional gas discharge display panel 50 includes a back substrate 54 made of an insulating material such as flat glass having a plurality of strip cathodes 52 arranged in parallel on one surface, and a plurality of substrates on one surface. And a front substrate 58 made of a transparent insulating material such as a flat glass plate in which the band-shaped transparent anodes 56 are arranged side by side so that the cathode 52 and the transparent anode 56 are orthogonal to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween.
The peripheral edges of both substrates are hermetically sealed with a sealing material to form an envelope 60, and a predetermined discharge gas is enclosed in the internal space of the envelope 60. The internal space is evenly divided by barrier ribs 62 formed in a lattice pattern on the opposite surface of the front substrate 58, and a discharge cell 64 is formed at each intersection of the cathode 52 and the transparent anode 56. Further, on the top surface of the barrier rib 62,
The spacers 66 are formed at a predetermined interval, and as a result, a gap 68 having a width corresponding to the height of the spacers 66 is provided between the barrier ribs 62 and the surface of the back substrate 54.
Is formed. Each discharge cell 64 is communicated via this gap 68.

However, by selectively applying a voltage between the transparent anode 56 and the cathode 52, a discharge is generated in a desired discharge cell 64, and light based on the discharge causes the transparent anode 56 and the front substrate 58 to emit light. It is transmitted and radiated to the outside. As a result, arbitrary characters, figures, etc. are displayed on the front substrate 58 as the display surface. It should be noted that the flow of ions between the discharge cells 64 is ensured through the gap 68.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional gas discharge display panel, the cathode shape is a flat strip shape and the thickness thereof is extremely thin, so that the discharge cell is limited in the discharge cell. Discharge can be generated only in a portion, and there is a drawback that the brightness of display is insufficient.

The present invention has been made in view of the drawbacks of the above conventional example, and an object of the present invention is to realize a gas discharge display panel which can obtain an extremely high-luminance display by increasing the luminous efficiency in the discharge cell.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a gas discharge display panel according to the present invention comprises a front substrate made of a transparent insulating material having a transparent anode formed on one surface, and an insulating substrate formed with a cathode formed on one surface. A rear substrate made of a material is disposed facing each other with a predetermined gap therebetween to form a discharge cell between the electrodes, and the periphery of both substrates is hermetically sealed to form an envelope. In a gas discharge display panel in which a predetermined discharge gas is filled, a cathode extraction pattern is provided on a surface facing the rear substrate,
A cathode holding layer that covers the surface of the cathode leading pattern, and a columnar shape that is erected on the surface of the cathode leading pattern and has one end side buried inside the cathode holding layer and the other end side protruding outside the cathode holding layer. A cathode is formed, and a barrier rib having a partition wall surrounding the columnar cathode is erected on the opposite surface of the front substrate, and a partition wall of the barrier rib and the surface of the cathode holding layer are coated with a phosphor. In addition to the above, an ultraviolet radiation gas is enclosed in the envelope.

[0007]

When a voltage higher than the discharge start voltage is applied between the transparent anode and the columnar cathode, a discharge is generated in the discharge cell, and the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge excite the phosphor to give a predetermined emission color. The contained light is transmitted to the outside through the transparent anode and the front substrate. Since the columnar cathode is used and the other end of the columnar cathode projects outside the cathode holding layer, not only the top face of the columnar cathode but also the side peripheral face thereof contribute to the discharge. Therefore, the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge are sufficiently irradiated to the phosphor adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer, and the phosphor adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer can be effectively used for discharge light emission, and thus the phosphor covered It is possible to secure a large landing area and display with extremely high brightness is possible.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a gas discharge display panel according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a gas discharge display panel 10. In this gas discharge display panel 10, a rear substrate 12 made of an insulating material such as flat glass and a front substrate 14 made of a transparent insulating material such as flat glass are arranged so as to face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and both peripheral edges of the substrates are arranged. The envelope 16 is formed by hermetically sealing it with a sealing material (not shown) such as low melting point glass.
The basic structure is to fill the inner space of the container with an ultraviolet radiation gas mainly containing a simple substance or a mixture of rare gases such as He and Xe.

As shown in FIG. 2, which is a partial perspective view of the back substrate 12, Ag.P is provided on the opposite surface of the back substrate 12.
A plurality of strip-shaped cathode extraction patterns 18 made of d-based paste or the like are arranged in parallel. In addition, each cathode extraction pattern 18
A plurality of columnar cathodes 20 made of an emitter material, which is a mixture of LaB ₆ and BaAl ₂ O ₄ , are erected at regular intervals on the upper surface of the. The columnar cathode 20 has its lower end portion 20 a buried in a cathode holding layer 22 that covers the opposing surface of the back substrate 12 and the cathode extraction pattern 18, and its upper end portion 20 b projects outside the cathode holding layer 22. ing. The cathode holding layer 22 is made of an insulating material such as glass.

As shown in FIG. 3, which is a partial perspective view of the front substrate 14, NESA is provided on the opposite surface of the front substrate 14.
A plurality of strip-shaped transparent anodes 24 made of a film (SnO ₂ ) or an ITO film (In ₂ O ₃ .SnO ₂ ) are arranged in parallel.
A first partition wall 26a that partitions between the transparent anodes 24;
Lattice-shaped barrier ribs 26 having second partition walls 26b that partition each transparent anode 24 in the lengthwise direction at predetermined intervals are formed. The barrier ribs 26 are made of an insulating material such as glass. Further, a spacer 28 made of an insulating material such as glass is provided at the intersection of the barrier rib 26 with the first partition wall 26a and the second partition wall 26b.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the rear substrate 12 and the front substrate 14, the cathode extraction pattern 18 and the transparent anode 24 formed on the respective opposing surfaces are orthogonal to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween.
In addition, the barrier rib 2 formed on the opposite surface of the front substrate 14
The six partition walls 26a and the second partition walls 26b are arranged so as to partition the columnar cathodes 20 from each other. At this time, the top surfaces of the spacers 28 formed on the barrier ribs 26 are brought into contact with the surface of the cathode holding layer 22 of the back substrate 12. The upper end portion 20b of each columnar cathode faces the transparent anode 24 with a predetermined gap. As a result, a discharge cell 30 surrounded by the first partition wall 26a, the second partition wall 26b, the front substrate 14, and the cathode holding layer 22 is formed for each columnar cathode 20.

In the vicinity of the upper end portion 20b of the columnar cathode in each discharge cell 30, a phosphor 32 corresponding to a desired emission color is deposited. To be more precise, the phosphor 32 has a peripheral portion of the upper end portion 20b of the columnar cathode on the surface of the cathode holding layer 22, a side surface portion of the spacer 28, a portion below the first partition wall 26a and the second partition wall 26b of the barrier rib ( Cathode support layer 2
2). The spacer 28
The phosphor is attached to the side surface of the spacer, and the lower portions of the first partition wall 26a and the second partition wall 26b of the barrier rib in the state of FIG. 3 (state with the front substrate 14 down).
8, the first partition wall 26a and the second partition wall 26b,
This is achieved by printing the phosphor coating in a pattern slightly wider than the width of each top surface and allowing the excess phosphor coating to hang down naturally on the side surfaces.

When a DC voltage is applied between the transparent anode 24 and the columnar cathode 20 from a power source (not shown), discharge is generated in the discharge cell 30 and ultraviolet rays are generated. The ultraviolet light excites the phosphor 32 in the discharge cell 30, and light having a predetermined emission color is emitted to the outside through the transparent anode 24 and the front substrate 14. By selectively executing this voltage application via a control / drive circuit (not shown), discharge light emission can be generated in a desired discharge cell 30 and an arbitrary character or figure can be displayed on the front substrate 14. .

At this time, the upper end portion 20b of the columnar cathode contributes not only to the top surface but also to the side peripheral surface to the discharge. Therefore, the ultraviolet rays generated by the discharge are also sufficiently irradiated on the phosphor 32 adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer 22, so that an extremely high-luminance display is possible. As described above, since the phosphor 32 adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer 22 can be effectively used for discharge light emission, a large adhered area of the phosphor 32 can be ensured. Therefore, it is advantageous when a plurality of types of phosphors are applied for color display.

As shown in FIG. 4, the lower end portion 20 of the columnar cathode
a closely adheres to the cathode holding layer 22 and is securely held by the cathode holding layer 22. Therefore, as compared with the case where the bottom surface of the columnar cathode 20 is simply connected to the surface of the cathode extraction pattern 18, the connection strength to the cathode extraction pattern 18 is much higher, and it is difficult to pull out easily. For this reason,
Sufficient connection strength can be secured even if the columnar cathode 20 is formed thin to correspond to the miniaturization of the discharge cells 30. The peripheral portion of the columnar cathode 20 on the surface of the cathode holding layer 22 is curved as shown in the drawing, and a groove 34 is formed between the columnar cathode 20 and the peripheral portion. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the phosphor 32 adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer 22 flows into the groove 34. As a result, the thickness of the phosphor 32 at the base of the columnar cathode 20 can be sufficiently ensured. The groove 34 also serves to stop the disordered flow of the phosphor 32.

As described above, since the top surface of the spacer 28 formed on the barrier rib 26 is in contact with the surface of the cathode holding layer 22, the first partition wall 26a and the second partition wall 26b.
A gap 42 corresponding to the height of the spacer 28 is formed between each top surface of the cathode holding layer 22 and the cathode holding layer 22 (FIG. 1). Therefore, the flow of ions is secured between the discharge cells 30 via the gap 42. The height of the gap 42 is sufficiently small as compared with the protruding height of the upper end portion 20b of the columnar cathode.
Moreover, most of the sputtered material generated by the discharge is scattered to the front substrate 14 side, so that the sputtered material enters the adjacent discharge cells 30 through the gap 42, and the insulation between the columnar cathodes 20 is impaired. That's not it.

Next, a method of manufacturing the cathode holding layer 22 and the columnar cathode 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an Ag / Pd-based paste is printed on one surface of the back substrate 12 to form a strip-shaped cathode extraction pattern 1.
8, a base material 38 of a cathode holding layer having a mold hole 36 corresponding to the outer shape of the columnar cathode 20 is formed in advance by printing a thick film of an insulating material such as a glass paste or a ceramic paste. (Fig. 6). An emitter material 40 made of a mixture of LaB ₆ and BaAl ₂ O ₄ is sprayed onto this by plasma spraying (FIG. 7). As a result, the mold material 36 is filled with the emitter material 40.

Thereafter, the emitter material 40 deposited on the surface of the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer is polished and removed (FIG. 8). As a result, only the emitter material 40 filled in the mold hole 36 is left. Finally, the cathode holding layer base body 38 is fired at a predetermined temperature to form the cathode holding layer 22. At this time, by setting the temperature higher than the normal firing temperature, the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer is set.
Shrinks entirely. And the base material 3 of this cathode holding layer
The emitter material 40 filled in the mold hole 36 protrudes from the surface of the cathode holding layer 22 by an amount corresponding to the contraction of 8, and as a result, the columnar cathode 20 is formed (FIG. 9).
Further, during the firing and shrinkage, a gap 34 between the cathode holding layer 22 and the columnar cathode 20 is also formed. The contraction rate of the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer is determined depending on the material of the insulating material, the melting point, and the firing temperature. Accordingly, by appropriately selecting these conditions, the degree of protrusion of the columnar cathode 20 can be adjusted.

In the above manufacturing method, an example in which the emitter material 40, which is the base of the columnar cathode 20, is sprayed onto the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer by plasma spraying is shown.
However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the emitter material 40 may be filled in the mold hole 36 of the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer by printing.

Further, as the material of the columnar cathode 20, instead of the emitter substance 40, a usual conductive material such as nickel paste may be used. As described above, the columnar cathode formed of a normal conductive material cannot exhibit the emitter characteristics of a low discharge starting voltage and excellent sputter resistance, but has the advantage of being inexpensively manufactured. In particular, when emitter characteristics are required, the surface of the upper end of a columnar cathode formed of a normal conductive material may be coated with an emitter material.

Further, in the above-mentioned manufacturing method, the upper end portion 20b of the columnar cathode is relatively projected by contracting the base material 38 of the cathode holding layer, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the cathode holding layer 22 having a required height is completed in advance, and then the material of the columnar cathode 20 is formed to a predetermined height by using a means such as printing or plasma spraying, so that the upper end of the columnar cathode is formed. You may comprise so that the part 20b may protrude.

In the above-described embodiment, the ultraviolet radiation gas is used as the discharge gas, and the phosphor 32 is applied inside the discharge cell 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, as discharge gas, Ne or A
It is also possible to select a material that generates visible light such as r and omit the application of the phosphor.

[0023]

The gas discharge display panel according to the present invention uses a columnar cathode, and the other end side of the columnar cathode projects outside the cathode holding layer, and the columnar cathode discharges not only the top surface but also the side peripheral surface. Therefore, the ultraviolet light generated by the discharge is also sufficiently irradiated to the phosphor adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer, and the phosphor adhered to the surface of the cathode holding layer is effectively used for discharge light emission. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to secure a large area for the phosphor to be adhered, and display with extremely high brightness is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing one embodiment of a gas discharge display panel according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the back substrate side according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the front substrate side according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a columnar cathode according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic enlarged cross-sectional view showing the periphery of a columnar cathode according to the above embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a manufacturing process of the cathode holding layer and the columnar cathode according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the manufacturing process of the cathode holding layer and the columnar cathode according to the above-mentioned example.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the manufacturing process of the cathode holding layer and the columnar cathode according to the above-mentioned embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the process of manufacturing the cathode holding layer and the columnar cathode according to the above-mentioned example.

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Gas Discharge Display Panel 12 Rear Substrate 14 Front Substrate 16 Envelope 18 Cathode Extraction Pattern 20 Columnar Cathode 20a Columnar Cathode Bottom 20b Columnar Cathode Top 22 Cathode Retaining Layer 24 Transparent Anode 26 Barrier Rib 26a First Partition 26b No. 2 barrier ribs 30 discharge cells 32 phosphors 36 type holes 38 base material of cathode holding layer 40 emitter material

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A front substrate made of a transparent insulating material having a transparent anode formed on one surface thereof and a rear substrate made of an insulating material having a cathode formed on one surface thereof are arranged to face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween and between the electrodes. In a gas discharge display panel in which discharge cells are formed, the peripheral edges of both substrates are hermetically sealed to form an envelope, and a predetermined discharge gas is sealed in the envelope, the opposite face of the back substrate is provided. A cathode lead-out pattern, a cathode holding layer covering the surface of the cathode lead-out pattern, and standing on the surface of the cathode lead-out pattern, one end side being buried in the cathode holding layer and the other end side being the cathode holding layer. A columnar cathode protruding outward is formed, and the columnar cathode is formed on the opposite surface of the front substrate.
Erected a barrier rib with a partition that surrounds the
The barrier rib partition wall and the phosphor on the cathode holding layer surface
And the ultraviolet radiation gas inside the envelope.
A gas discharge display panel characterized by being enclosed . 2. A transparent anode is formed on one surface of a front substrate made of a transparent insulating material, and a cathode extraction pattern and a cathode holding layer covering the surface of the cathode extraction pattern are formed on one surface of a rear substrate made of an insulating material. , Standing on the surface of the cathode extraction pattern, one end side is buried in the cathode holding layer, the other end side to form a columnar cathode protruding outside the cathode holding layer, the front substrate and the back substrate , A discharge cell is formed between the electrodes by facing each other with a predetermined gap, and the peripheral edges of both substrates are hermetically sealed to form an envelope, and a predetermined discharge gas is enclosed in the envelope. In the method for producing a gas discharge display panel, the surface of the cathode extraction pattern is formed with a base material of a cathode holding layer made of an insulating material having a mold hole corresponding to the outer shape of the columnar cathode, and the inside of the mold hole is formed. Filled with a substance that becomes the material of the columnar cathode After that, the method for producing a gas discharge display panel is characterized in that the base material of the cathode holding layer is fired and contracted to form the cathode holding layer and the columnar cathode.