Manufacturing method for plasma display panel

A manufacturing method for a plasma display panel that includes a front substrate having an MgO-containing protective layer on one surface thereof and a back substrate having a phosphor layer on one surface thereof, the manufacturing method comprising:

• a superposing step of superposing one of the front and the back substrates on the other via a sealing material disposed along peripheral edges of the substrates to sandwich barrier ribs, so that the protective and the phosphor layers oppose each other with a predetermined distance therebetween;
• a sealing step of sealing the substrates together along the peripheral edges by the sealing material to enclose an inner space between the substrates, while bringing the inner space into communication with an outside of the space through at least one tube provided in one of the substrates;
• an evacuating step of evacuating the inner space via the tube after the sealing step;
• and a discharge gas introducing step of introducing a discharge gas containing a Xe gas into the inner space after the evacuation step, wherein
• the evacuation step includes:
• an inserting sub-step of inserting copper ion-exchanged zeolite into the tube as an absorbent material for absorbing an impurity in the inner space;
• a heating and evacuating sub-step of evacuating the inner space of a gas through the tube, while heating the substrates at a predetermined temperature;
• and
• a cooling sub-step of cooling the substrates after the heating and evacuating sub-step, and
• in the evacuation step, at least the heating and evacuating sub-step is performed in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere in a depressurized state, and
• at least one of (i) an amount t of the absorbent material to be inserted in the inserting sub-step and (ii) a partial pressure p of Xe in the discharge gas to be introduced in the discharge gas introducing step is determined according to the following formula or a variant thereof:
• t=(po−0)v/P2x,
• where
• x denotes a Xe absorption capacity of the absorbent material (cm3/g), p2 denotes a partial pressure of Xe in the discharge gas that is injected via an exhaust tube (kPa), p denotes the partial pressure of Xe in the discharge gas that is to be introduced in a discharge space (kPa) and v denotes a discharge gas volume (cm3) that is to be introduced in the discharge space.