Discharger display device having means for air-tight separation of discharge chambers by partition walls, and process of producing the same

A discharge display device comprising:

• a first plate and a second plate which are disposed in parallel with each other and are spaced apart from each other;
• a sealing member which is disposed between peripheral portions of said first and second plates and which cooperates with said first and second plates to form a gas-tight space;
• a plurality of partition walls formed on an inner surface of one of said first and second plates, so as to define a plurality of discharge chambers in said gas-tight space;
• and
• a plurality of height adjusting layers which are interposed between end faces of said partition walls, respectively, and an inner surface of the other of said first and second plates, which inner surface is opposed to said inner surface of said one of said first and second plates,
• each of said height adjusting layers being formed from a material which has a softening point not lower than that of said sealing member and which is softened at a sealing temperature at which said first and second plates are bonded together by said sealing member so as to form said gas-tight space, said height adjusting layers having respective thickness values which increase with a distance between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said first and second plates, so that said height adjusting layers assure gas-tight separation of said discharge chambers from each other, without gaps being left between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said other of said first and second plates,
• and wherein said first and second plates and said partition walls have softening points higher than that of said height adjusting layers.

A discharge display device comprising:

• a first plate and a second plate which are disposed in parallel with each other and are spaced apart from each other;
• a sealing member which is disposed between peripheral portions of said first and second plates and which cooperates with said first and second plates to form a gas-tight space;
• a plurality of partition walls formed on an inner surface of one of said first and second plates, so as to define a plurality of discharge chambers in said gas-tight space;
• a plurality of height adjusting layers which are interposed between end faces of said partition walls, respectively, and an inner surface of the other of said first and second plates, which inner surface is opposed to said inner surface of said one of said first and second plates,
• each of said height adjusting layers being formed from a material which has a softening point not lower than that of said sealing member and which is softened at a sealing temperature at which said first and second plates are bonded together by said sealing member so as to form said gas-tight space, said height adjusting layers having respective thickness values which increase with a distance between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said first and second plates, so that said height adjusting layers assure gas-tight separation of said discharge chambers from each other, without gaps being left between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said other of said first and second plates;
• a plurality of elongate parallel discharge electrodes corresponding to said plurality of partition walls, respectively, each of said plurality of elongate parallel discharge electrodes being interposed between a lower and an upper portion of the corresponding one of said plurality of partition walls;
• a third plate disposed on one of opposite sides of said other of said first and second plates, which is remote from said one of said first and second plates;
• and
• a plurality of elongate parallel transparent electrodes which are supported by said third plate and which extend in a direction perpendicular to a direction of extension of said plurality of elongate parallel discharge electrodes.

A process of fabricating a discharge display device comprising:

• (a) a first plate and a second plate which are disposed in parallel with each other and are spaced apart from each other;
• (b) a sealing member which is disposed between peripheral portions of said first and second plates and which cooperates with said first and second plates to form a gas-tight space;
• (c) a plurality of partition walls formed on an inner surface of one of said first and second plates, so as to define a plurality of discharge chambers in said gas-tight space;
• and (d) a plurality of height adjusting layers which are interposed between end faces of said partition walls, respectively, and an inner surface of the other of said fist and second plates, which inner surface is opposed to said inner surface of said one of said first and second plates, each of said height adjusting layers being formed from a material which has a softening point not lower than that of said sealing member and which is softened at a sealing temperature at which said first and second plates are bonded together by said sealing member so as to form said gas-tight space, said height adjusting layers having respective thickness values which increase with a distance between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said first and second plates, so that said height adjusting layers assure gas-tight separation of said discharge chambers from each other, without gaps being left between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said other of said first and second plates, said process comprising the steps of:
• forming said plurality of partition walls on said inner surface of said one of said first and second plates;
• forming masses of a paste of said material on said end faces of said partition walls, respectively;
• placing said sealing member on said peripheral portion of said one of said first and second plates, such that said sealing member has a height larger than that of a highest one of said partition walls;
• placing said other of said first and second plates on an assembly of said one plate, said partition walls, said sealing member and said masses of said paste, such that said outer plate is supported by at least one of said sealing member and said masses of said paste;
• and
• heat-treating said assembly and said other plate such that said sealing member is melted while said masses of said paste are softened, for thereby bonding together said first and second plates by said sealing member, and for permitting said masses of said paste to be deformed between said inner surface of said other plate and said end faces of said partition walls, so as to form said height adjusting layers, respectively.

A discharge display device comprising:

• a first plate and a second plate which are disposed in parallel with each other and are spaced apart from each other;
• a sealing member which is disposed between peripheral portions of said first and second plates and which cooperates with said first and second plates to form a gas-tight space;
• and
• a plurality of partition walls formed on an inner surface of one of said first and second plates, so as to divide said gas-tight space into a plurality of discharge chambers,
• at least an end portion of each of said partition walls remote from said one of said first and second plates being formed from a material which has a softening point higher than that of said sealing member and which is softened at a sealing temperature at which said first and second plates are bonded together by said sealing member so as to form said gas-tight space, said partition walls assuring gas-tight separation of said discharge chambers from each other, without gaps being left between said end faces of said partition walls and said inner surface of said other of said first and second plates.