Gas plasma display

A method of operating a display device which includes a first array of electrodes comprising a plurality of pairs of electrodes formed on a surface of a first substrate and covered by a first dielectric layer, a second array of electrodes formed on a surface of a second substrate and covered by a second dielectric layer, where the substrates are placed so as to form a gap between the dielectric layers and the electrodes of the two arrays are positioned to form crosspoint regions each including at least two electrodes from the first array and one electrode from the second array, and an ionizable gas occupies the gap, the method comprising selecting a desired crosspoint region for display including the steps of:

• applying a pulse of one polarity to a selected electrode in the second array and a pulse of opposite polarity to a selected first electrode in the first array in the desired crosspoint region sufficient to cause a net accumulation of charges of opposite polarities on the dielectric layers over the two electrodes;
• applying a pulse to a second electrode in the first array in the desired crosspoint region having the same polarity as the pulse previously applied to the electrode of the second array and sufficient to transfer the charges accumulated over the electrode in the second array to the dielectric layer portion over the said second electrode;
• and
• applying an AC signal to at least two electrodes in the first array at the desired crosspoint region to sustain a glow discharge between the dielectric portions over the said electrodes.

A display device comprising:

• first and second substrates placed so as to define a gap region between them;
• a gas capable of forming a glow discharge occupying the gap;
• first and second arrays of electrodes formed in the gap region, covered by dielectric layers, and positioned so as to form crosspoint regions between the electrodes of the two arrays, said first array comprising a plurality of at least pairs of electrodes spaced in at least the crosspoint regions so that a glow discharge may be sustained at the surface of the dielectric between the electrodes of each pair;
• means for supplying a voltage selectively to the electrodes of the first and second arrays in order to select pairs of electrodes of the first array for initiation and extinction of a display glow discharge at desired crosspoint regions by accumulation of charge on the portions of the dielectric over the selected electrodes of the first and second array;
• means for supplying a voltage to another electrode in the first array in the desired crosspoint region sufficient to transfer the charge accumulated over the electrode in the second array to the dielectric portion over the said another electrode;
• and
• means for supplying a voltage to both electrodes of each pair of electrodes in the first array to sustain glow discharges between the pairs of electrodes selected for glow discharges at the desired crosspoint regions.