Fabrication of lateral DC plasma display panels on flexible substrates

Summary form only given. We report a novel lateral pixel structure to realize DC-PDPs on glass and flexible substrates. Starting with the first substrate, a 1 /spl mu/m-thick Cr layer is sputter-deposited and patterned using standard photolithography. This layer forms the X-addressing lines and the connections to the anode electrodes. Patterned layer is then spin-coated with a 8 /spl mu/m-thick insulating layer. We have used an ultra-violet curable paste (Ritelok UV-50) to form the insulating layer. This layer is then patterned with UV to open windows to the bottom addressing lines. After windows are opened, the whole substrate is coated with silver (thermal evaporation) to form both anode and cathode electrodes as well as the Y-addressing lines. Plasma is generated when a DC voltage is applied between the anode and cathode (X and Y addressing lines). In this structure, both electrodes are placed on a single substrate and their spacing is achieved using photo-lithography and not by the height of the barrier ribs. The structure has been successfully fabricated on both glass and PET plastic substrates. Electrode separation is 80 /spl mu/m and the 8 /spl mu/m-thick insulating layer guarantees that breakdown does not occur between the top and bottom addressing lines. Green-Phosphor was used as the VUV-converting layer to form a mono-chrome panel. The Zn/sub 2/SiO/sub 4/:Mn grains were embedded onto a second PET substrate which acts as the top encapsulating substrate. A waffle structure was formed in this top PET substrate using a "photochemical" etching of plastic with a 400/spl times/400 /spl mu/m square craters with 100 /spl mu/m deep instead of standard sand-blasting. Embedding of phosphor grains in the top PET substrate, studied by SEM and XRD analyses, is achieved by "blasting" of grains with a pressure of 4-bar and at a temperature of 120/spl deg/C. A small panel with 4/spl times/6 cm/sup 2/ area was realized on both glass and plastic substrates and the first image of a flower is demonstrated. The Paushen curve of each cell was studied in an Argon ambient gas, yielding an optimum pressure of 250 torr and a turn-on voltage of 320 V. The effect of twisting of the substrates on the turn-voltage of each cell will be presented. The problem of water penetration through the bottom plastic substrate can be minimized using stainless-steel foils coated with a 0.5 /spl mu/m-thick SiO/sub 2/ layer. Also the external electronics will be presented.