GB1254688A - Electric gas discharge tube - Google Patents

Abstract

1,254,688. Glow discharge lamps. PHILIPS ELECTRONIC & ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES Ltd. 10 June, 1970 [13 June, 1969], No. 28163/70. Heading H1D. An electric gas discharge tube includes an envelope containing a cross-bar addressing electrode system which comprises a plurality of rodelectrodes 7 and 8 which are connected to lead-in conductors 10 provided in a base-plate 1 and which are situated in open grooves provided in an electrically insulating face of a supporting plate 6, each rod-electrode being connected to the corresponding lead-in conductor 10 by a flexible conductor 9, and the supporting plate 6 being urged, by a spring 13, against an optically permeable window 5 in the envelope wall and situated on the opposite side of the supporting plate 6 to the base-plate 1, the open sides of the grooves facing the window 5. The window 5, e.g. of glass, is cemented in metal plate 2 which has a flange 4 sealed to metal base-plate 1 to form the envelope which is filled with argon. Rod-electrodes 7 and 8 are disposed in deep and shallow grooves respectively in aluminium supporting plate 6 which is superficially oxidized electrolytically. The ends of the deep grooves may be slightly squeezed together or cement may be used at these points to fix the rods 7. The conductors 10 are insulated from the metal plate 1 by ceramic tubes 11, the lead-through being vacuum-sealed by a vitreous cement 12. In an alternative embodiment (Figs. 4 and 5, not shown) the rod-electrodes 7 are disposed in grooves in the bottom face of plate 6 facing the base-plate 1 and are retained therein by an additional spring-urged insulating plate which need not be transparent. The plate 6 is provided with perforations at the cross-points of electrodes 7 and 8. Several plates 6 may be stacked to provide groups of electrodes in more than two planes. A getter may be provided in the tube which may be used to display television pictures and may be other than rectangular in shape.