Light emitting tube array, display device employing the light emitting tube array, and method of producing the light emitting tube array

A light emitting tube array, comprising:

• front and rear plates;
• and
• a plurality of elongated light emitting tubes each filled with a discharge gas and disposed parallel to each other between the front and rear plates,
• the front plate including at least one pair of display electrodes provided thereon in contact with an upper surface of each light emitting tube and extending across the light emitting tubes;
• the rear plate including address electrodes provided thereon in contact with a lower surface of each light emitting tube and extending parallel to the light emitting tubes;
• wherein the rear plate has a slit or a groove provided parallel to the light emitting tubes between each two adjacent light emitting tubes or between each two adjacent light emitting tube groups, each of the light emitting tube groups including a plurality of consecutively arranged light emitting tubes.