US 5,210,468 AGranted

Gas-discharge display element driven by using seed discharge

AssigneeNEC Corporation

InventorToshihiro Yoshioka

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Abstract

In a gas discharge display element according to the present invention, two pairs of electrodes are arranged in a discharge space of a display cell and one of the electrode pairs which forms a first discharge space between the first electrodes is driven such that discharge having a memory function and capable of being memory-driven is produced during a time in which light emission of the display cell is sustained. The other electrode pair is driven with a voltage pulse having duration smaller than that of the driving voltage pulse for the first electrode pair such that discharge a is obtained in the other space defined between the electrodes of the other electrode pair using the discharge in the first space as a seed discharge. The duration of the drive pulse for the second electrode pair preferably terminates before the discharge current is reduced due to the formation of a wall charge.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A gas discharge display element comprising:

a first substrate;
a second substrate formed above said first substrate with a predetermined space therebetween;
a pair of first electrodes formed on said first substrate;
a first dielectric film formed on said first electrodes and on said first substrate;
a pair of second electrodes formed on said first dielectric film in the vicinity of said first electrodes;
a second dielectric film covering said second electrodes;
discharge gas filling a space defined in between said first and second substrates;
a phosphor member formed on a portion of a lower surface of said second substrate opposing said first and second electrodes pairs;
first power supply means including means for supplying a first voltage pulse to said pair of first electrodes wherein discharge produced between said pair of first electrodes indicates a memory characteristic;
and
second power supply means including means for supplying a second voltage pulse to said pair of second electrodes, the second voltage pulse having a shorter width than the first voltage pulse, wherein discharge is produced between said pair of second electrodes using the discharge indicating memory characteristics as seed discharge.

8 more elements

A gas discharge display element comprising:

a first substrate;
a second substrate formed above said first substrate with a predetermined space therebetween;
a pair of first electrodes formed on said first substrate;
a first dielectric film formed on said first electrodes and on said first substrate;
a pair of second electrodes formed on said first dielectric film in the vicinity of said first electrodes;
a second dielectric film covering said second electrodes;
discharge gas filling a space defined in between said first and second substrates;
a phosphor member formed on a portion of a lower surface of said second substrate opposing said first and second electrodes pairs;
an electrode formed on the lower surface of said second substrate;
first power supply means connected to said first electrode pair including means for applying a first voltage pulse across said first electrodes, wherein discharge produced between said first electrodes indicates a memory characteristic;
a third dielectric film formed between said electrode and said phosphor member;
second power supply means connected to said second electrode pair including means for supplying to said second electrode pair a second voltage pulse whose width is shorter than that of the first voltage pulse supplied to said first electrode pair so that discharge is produced between said second electrode pair utilizing the discharge indicating memory as seed discharge;
and
third power supply means connected to said electrode including means for supplying write and erase pulses to said electrode.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.