Method for making back glass substrate for plasma display panel

Abstract

A method and apparatus (50, 70, 90) for making a back glass substrate (24) for a plasma display panel (20) by forming hot sheet glass G heated above its annealing point and embodied either as a continuous ribbon (60) or discrete sheets (74). The hot forming provides the hot sheet glass G with gas discharge troughs (38) spaced by barrier ribs (40). The hot forming of the sheet glass G heated above its annealing point can be performed by a rotatable forming member (62) having curved projections (66) or by a press member (78) having elongated projections (84). The constructed plasma display panel (20) has a front glass substrate (22) and a back glass substrate (24) with the gas discharge trough and barrier rib construction made by hot forming above the annealing point. The gas discharge troughs (38) can be hot formed with bottom surfaces (95) that have an undulating shape along their lengths to enhance luminescence of phosphors (48), and the barrier ribs (40) can have distal ends with openings (98) that provide communication between the gas discharge troughs (38) and that are located adjacent peaks (100) of the trough bottom surfaces (94) remote from the location of discharge.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.