JP2000223037A - Discharge cell and plasma addressed electro-optical device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [PROBLEMS] To provide a discharge cell having a low voltage or low electric energy required for causing a discharge and a plasma addressed electro-optical device using the same. SOLUTION: When electrodes 1a and 1b in a discharge cell are arranged to face each other, one or two or more planar conductors 4a and 4b are perpendicularly arranged on the electrode surface inside or outside the walls of partition walls 2a to 2c. Provide. Alternatively, the electrodes 1a, 1
b, one or two or more planar conductors 4a, 4b are provided inside or outside the walls of the partition walls 2a to 2c.
Is provided in parallel with the electrode surface. This planar conductor prevents electric energy from leaking outside the discharge cell.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a discharge cell and a plasma addressed electro-optical device, and more particularly to a discharge cell suitably used for a display device such as a switching element and a display, and a plasma addressed electro-optical device using the same. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A discharge cell utilizes a glow discharge phenomenon or an arc discharge phenomenon in terms of discharge engineering, and has conventionally been used in the field of lighting such as fluorescent lamps and the field of high power electric systems such as relay tubes. Has been widely used.

The schematic structure of this discharge cell is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, partition walls 2a and 2 made of a dielectric material such as glass.
b, 2c to form a closed space (vessel) 3 in which a dischargeable gas (N
e, Ar, etc.), and further, electrodes 1a,
1b. Then, the mechanism is to apply a voltage to the cathode electrode on the minus side and the anode electrode on the plus side to cause dielectric breakdown and start discharge. In this figure, reference numeral 5 denotes a voltage circuit applied to the cathode electrode with respect to the anode electrode;
Indicates electric lines of force.

[0004] By causing a discharge in this way, light emitted by excited particles during discharge or light emission of a phosphor by ultraviolet rays emitted by the excited particles can be used as illumination.
Further, once the discharge starts, the impedance of the discharge space drastically changes from infinity to almost zero, so that it can be used as a switching element, and has been used as a relay tube under the name of thyratron or the like.

In recent years, such discharge cells have been reduced in size to several tens μm to several hundred μm,
It is used as a main component in a large-screen flat display device such as a plasma-addressed electro-optical device such as a (plasma-addressed liquid crystal) or a PDP (plasma display panel).

That is, in the PALC, a large-sized liquid crystal display device can be realized by replacing the switching action of the TFT portion in the TFT (thin film transistor) liquid crystal display device with a discharge cell. In a PDP, similar to a fluorescent lamp, a fluorescent substance applied to the wall of a minute discharge cell emits light with ultraviolet rays generated from a discharge, and a large number of the discharge cells are arranged in a matrix on a plane to provide a television or display function. Has been realized.

[0007]

The above-mentioned PALC and PD
Problems of P include reducing power consumption and lowering the voltage of the drive power supply for the discharge cells. Current PALCs and PDPs require a voltage of 200 V to 400 V to drive the discharge cells, and it is necessary to apply such a high voltage in a pulsed manner in order to use it as a display. A dedicated integrated circuit element is used for applying a high-voltage pulse. However, the higher the withstand voltage, the more expensive the integrated circuit element, and a problem arises in maintaining the withstand voltage of peripheral circuits.

One of the reasons why such a high voltage is required at the start of the discharge is that the space between the cathode and anode electrodes is made up of a dielectric wall and is not electrically shielded. That is, the energy is wasted in the form of an electric field in a region other than the discharge space.

As a method for reducing such a high voltage, in the field of PDP, for example, A.I. Sobel,
IEEE Transactions on Plas
maScience 19 (1991) 1032, JP-A-4-269426 and JP-A-4-129131.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-163, a discharge cell having a “DIXY” structure or a similar structure is proposed. This has a structure similar to that provided with a starting auxiliary electrode (for example, “Illumination Optics (Revised Edition)” edited by the Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan (1996)) in the field of light sources.

That is, as shown in FIG. 11A, a pre-discharge is generated by applying a voltage between the trigger electrode 11 and the cathode electrode 1a by attaching the trigger electrode 11 to a flat electrode for starting discharge. . And FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11B and FIG. 11C, the discharge starting voltage between the cathode electrode 1a and the anode electrode 1b is reduced by using the charged particles generated there. In this figure, reference numeral 12 denotes a discharge region.

[0011] This utilizes the general property of discharge that "if charged particles are present in the discharge space, the firing voltage can be lowered there". This "D
In the structure of the trigger electrode in the IXY "structure and the electrode for starting assistance in the light source field, the electrode for inducing the preliminary discharge and the voltage application electrode are connected via a discharge space, and further, a dielectric is formed on the electrode. It is in a covered state.

However, this structure has the following problems. First, when an electrode for inducing pre-discharge is used, although the effect of reducing the discharge starting voltage is obtained, the surface on which charged particles are accumulated during the pre-discharge is damaged by the sputtering phenomenon due to the charged particles. Further, it is necessary to separately provide a drive circuit for voltage application in order to cause the preliminary discharge. In addition, extra time is required to cause a preliminary discharge, and when used as a display device, its brightness is reduced. Further, since the trigger electrode 11 in the "DIXY" structure is provided on the far side of the cathode electrode 1a when viewed from the anode electrode 1b, electric energy (electric field) generated between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode is generated outside the discharge space. The effect of preventing leakage to the region cannot be expected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems of the prior art, and is intended to prevent electric energy from leaking to an area other than a discharge space and to generate a voltage or an electric energy necessary for causing a discharge. To provide a discharge cell that does not cause damage due to a sputtering phenomenon and that does not require a drive circuit and extra time for preliminary discharge, and a plasma addressed electro-optical device using the discharge cell. Aim.

[0014]

In the discharge cell of the present invention, a dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space surrounded by a partition, and a voltage is applied between a plurality of electrodes installed in the closed space. A discharge cell in which the closed space is in a discharge state, wherein electrodes in each closed space are arranged with their surfaces facing each other, and one or two or more planar conductors are provided inside or outside the wall of the partition. , Provided vertically to the electrode surface, thereby achieving the above object.

In the discharge cell of the present invention, a dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space surrounded by a partition, and a voltage is applied between a plurality of electrodes installed in the closed space to cause the closed space to pass through the closed space. A discharge cell to be in a discharge state, wherein electrodes in each closed space are arranged side by side with their surfaces facing in the same direction, and one or more planar conductors are provided inside or outside the wall of the partition wall. It is provided parallel to the surface, thereby achieving the above object.

Preferably, the area of the planar conductor is equal to or greater than the area between the electrodes in each of the closed spaces.

It is preferable that the electric potential of the planar conductor is the same as any of the electrodes in each of the closed spaces.

One or more connection terminals for connecting to an external circuit are provided inside the closed space, inside the wall of the partition, inside the wall, outside the wall or near the outside wall, between each connection terminal or one of the connection terminals. The impedance between the electrode and the electrode may be changed depending on the presence or absence of discharge.

[0019] The planar conductor may have translucency.

According to the plasma addressed electro-optical device of the present invention, in the discharge cell of the present invention, one of the inner surfaces of the partition walls is provided.
One of them functions as the connection terminal, the outer wall surface of the partition and the display selection electrode are arranged at an interval, and a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal layer are provided in the gap therebetween, thereby achieving the above object. You.

[0021] The display selection electrode may also be used as the planar conductor.

[0022] The display selection electrode may have a color filter on a side opposite to the partition wall, and may further have a light source for vertically incident light on the liquid crystal layer.

The electrodes may have a stripe shape, and a plurality of the discharge cells in which each electrode is arranged in parallel may be arranged on a plane.

It is preferable that the distance between the planar conductor and the striped electrode is shorter than the distance between the electrodes.

It is preferable that the distance between the planar conductor and the striped electrode is shorter than half the distance between the electrodes.

A plurality of the discharge cells are provided, wherein the closed space has a tubular shape, the electrodes are arranged one at each end, and a plurality of the planar conductors are provided inside the partition wall so as to surround the closed space. May have a structure aligned on a plane.

The operation of the present invention will be described below.

When the present inventor examined the state of the electric field inside and outside the standard discharge cell in detail, the following findings were newly obtained.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10A, in a discharge cell in which a plurality of electrodes 1a and 1b are arranged, a partition wall 2 is formed.
When a to 2c are composed of only a dielectric, the lines of electric force 10 exist with the cathode electrode 1a as a starting point and the anode electrode 1b as an end point. At this time, the electric field strength is 10 lines of electric force.
It is expressed by the density of The electric field that causes a dielectric breakdown to generate a discharge is the electric field of the closed space 3 in the discharge cell,
As shown in FIG. 10B, the electric field lines 1
There is an electric field with 0 spreading. The spread is in a direction parallel to the electrode surface. Since the electric energy is (square of the electric field) × dielectric constant / 2, there is wasteful electric energy outside the discharge cell that is not useful for starting the discharge.

Therefore, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the inner surface of the partition walls 2a, 2b or the outer surface of the partition walls 2a, 2b is perpendicular to the surfaces of the electrodes 1a, 1b opposed to each other. Alternatively, two or more planar conductors 4a and 4b are provided.
The electric field does not spread beyond the planar conductors 4a and 4b, and the electric field that tends to spread in a direction parallel to the electrode surface is suppressed. By suppressing the spread of the electric field in this manner, the dissipation of electric energy is suppressed, and as a result, the electric field intensity in the discharge cell is increased as shown in FIG.

When a discharge cell having a two-dimensional structure as shown in FIG. 1 is considered, the maximum value of the electric field strength in the discharge cell is about 1.3 times as large when one flat conductor is provided. That is, when two sheets are installed, the size becomes about twice as large. Therefore, by providing the planar conductors 4a and 4b, it is possible to reduce a voltage that causes a dielectric breakdown voltage applied between the cathode electrode 1a and the anode electrode 1b.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), one or more planar conductors may be provided inside the partition walls 2a, 2b or on the outer surfaces of the partition walls 2a, 2b in parallel with the surfaces of the electrodes 1a, 1b arranged side by side. 4a is installed. In this case, the lines of electric force 10 exist with the cathode electrode 1a as a starting point and the anode electrode 1b as an end point, and extend in a direction perpendicular to the electrode surface.
The electric field does not spread beyond the planar conductor 4a, and the electric field that tends to spread in the direction perpendicular to the electrode surface is suppressed.
By suppressing the spread of the electric field in this manner, the dissipation of electric energy is suppressed, and as a result, the electric field intensity in the discharge cell is increased as shown in FIG. Therefore, by providing the planar conductor 4a, the cathode electrode 1a
And a voltage that causes a breakdown voltage applied between the anode electrode 1b and the anode electrode 1b can be reduced.

In the present invention, the flat conductors 4a,
4b and electrodes 1a and 1b are made of a dielectric material
c, which is greatly different from a structure in which the space between the electrodes for inducing preliminary discharge and the electrodes is mainly occupied by space, such as a “DIXY” structure. Therefore, in the case of the present invention, no discharge occurs between the planar conductors 4a and 4b and the electrodes 1a and 1b, and an undesirable phenomenon such as a sputtering phenomenon cannot occur. In the case of the "DIXY" structure or the like, a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the pre-discharge inducing electrode is required. However, the planar conductor according to the present invention is used to avoid wasting electrical energy for main discharge. Since the functions are completely different, a separate driving circuit is not required. Furthermore, when the discharge cell of the present invention is used as a light source for a PDP or the like, the time for preliminary discharge is not required unlike the “DIXY” structure or the like, so that the brightness of the display does not decrease.

The area of the planar conductor is preferably not less than the area between the electrodes in each closed space. The reason is that if the area of the planar conductor is made larger than the area between the electrodes, the space between the electrodes can be covered by the planar conductor, so that the electric energy leaking from the space between the planar conductor and the electrode Is reduced.

The potential of the planar conductor is preferably the same as that of any of the electrodes in each closed space. This is because if the planar conductor is set at a floating potential, it is necessary to prevent dielectric breakdown with an external circuit. When there is no particular limitation, the potential of the planar conductor is preferably set to the anode potential, that is, the ground potential.

The discharge cell of the present invention thus configured can be used as a light emitting source for a PDP or the like.

Further, as shown in FIG.
By providing one or more connection terminals 6 having a connection part 7 with an external circuit in the inside of the wall, the inner surface of the wall, the outer surface of the wall, or in the vicinity of the outer surface of the wall, between the connection terminals or between one of the connection terminals and the electrode It can be used as a switching element by utilizing the fact that the impedance between them varies depending on the presence or absence of discharge.

At this time, it is preferable to use a transparent material such as a transparent conductive film or a mesh-shaped conductor as the planar conductor 4a because the switching element becomes translucent and inconspicuous.

Such a discharge cell as a switching element is particularly suitable for use as a PALC.
For example, as shown in FIG.
Of the partition wall 2b and the display selection electrode 9 are spaced apart from each other, and a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal layer 8 are provided in the gap between the two.
ALC.

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, by providing the display selection electrode 9 in parallel with the surfaces of the electrodes 1a and 1b, the display selection electrode 9 can also function as a planar conductor. it can. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, by providing the planar conductor 4a on the partition 2a on the opposite side of the display selection electrode 9, the electric energy is further confined as in the case of providing two planar conductors. The effect is enhanced and the discharge voltage can be reduced.

By providing a color filter and a light source on such a PALC, a color PALC can be obtained, and the display quality can be greatly improved.

One of the effective electrode shapes is a stripe shape as shown in FIG. According to such striped electrodes 1a and 1b, the spread of the electric field is two-dimensional, and the effect of confining electric energy by the planar conductor is higher than in the case of the three-dimensional spread. .

This is because, in the case of a PALC having such striped electrodes 1a and 1b, if the distance from the planar conductor 4a to the striped electrodes 1a and 1b is long, the effect of confining electric energy is reduced. FIG. 6 shows the result of measuring the maximum value of the electric field intensity while changing the distance between the striped electrodes 1a and 1b and the planar conductor 4a while keeping the electrode interval constant. From FIG. 6, it can be seen that the striped electrode 1
It can be seen that when the distance between the electrodes a and 1b and the planar conductor 4a is shorter than the distance between the electrodes, the electric field strength is significantly increased.

Further, as shown in FIG.
a, 1b and the distance between the planar conductors 4a are set to 1 which is the distance between the electrodes.
It can be seen that the electric field intensity is further increased when the length is shorter than / 2. In this case, it is preferable to select a dielectric (partition) material having a high dielectric breakdown strength between the stripe-shaped electrodes 1a and 1b and the planar conductor 4a.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the partition walls 2a to 2a
electrodes 1a, 1b at both ends of a tubular discharge cell surrounded by
May be arranged one by one, and the planar conductors 4 a to 4 c and 9 may be provided so as to surround the tubular closed space 3. In this case, electric energy is confined in the closed space 3 in the single discharge cell by the planar conductors 4a to 4c, 9, so that discharge can be performed even in a long tubular discharge cell, and crosstalk with an adjacent channel can be prevented. Further, according to such dot-shaped electrodes 1a and 1b, the aperture ratio which has been reduced in the electrode portion when the stripe-shaped electrodes are used is remarkably improved.

[0046]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1A is a sectional view showing the structure of a discharge cell of this embodiment.

In this discharge cell, a dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space 3 surrounded by partition walls 2a, 2b and 2c, and a cathode electrode 1a and an anode electrode 1b are arranged to face each other. The planar conductors 4a and 4b are embedded in the partitions 2a and 2b.

This discharge cell has a discharge cell shape and size applicable to a DC type PDP. In this embodiment, the size in the closed space is 100 μm × 100 μm × 250 μm.
And It has been confirmed that by adjusting the gas pressure, the dimensions of the closed space can be changed in the range of several tens μm to several hundreds of μm. He gas is 200 To as dischargeable gas.
Used at rr.

Ni is used as the material of the cathode electrode 1a, and Ni or ITO is used as the material of the anode electrode 1b.
(Indium titanium oxide) was used. Anode electrode 1b
No difference was found in the discharge characteristics when either Ni or ITO was used as the material for the above.

As the planar conductors 4a and 4b, ITO or Al is disposed on a glass plate, and a coating thickness of 50 μm
By applying a glass paste to form partition walls, the planar conductors 4a and 4b were embedded in partition walls 2a and 2b made of glass having a partition wall thickness of 2 mm. Planar conductor 4a,
As a material of 4b, a transparent metal such as SnO ₂ or ZnO,
An opaque metal such as Ni or Ag may be used, and any material may be used as long as the conductivity can be ensured. As a material of the partition walls 2a and 2b, various dielectric materials, oxides, organic compounds, and the like such as glass, alumina, and polyimide can be used.

The number of the planar conductors is 0, 1 (when either one of the planar conductors 4a and 4b in FIG. 1 is provided), 2
(When both planar conductors 4a and 4b in FIG. 1 are provided)
Table 1 below shows the firing voltage when the discharge voltage was changed.

[0053]

[Table 1]

As is apparent from Table 1, the provision of the planar conductor reduced the firing voltage by 70 V at the maximum.

At this time, there was almost no difference between the case where the potential of the planar conductor was kept at the floating potential and the case where it was set to the same ground potential as the anode electrode 1b. As described above, since the potential of the planar conductor does not particularly affect the discharge starting characteristic, it can be set to the same potential as the electrode depending on the convenience of connection to an external circuit.

In the PDP, the cathode electrode 1
a) When the anode electrodes 1b are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the display surface, a structure in which a planar conductor is embedded in a partition wall separating adjacent discharge cells can be employed.
Further, in this embodiment, a discharge cell of 1 mm or less was manufactured, but it is obvious that a similar effect can be obtained irrespective of the dimensions as long as the discharge cell has a similar shape.

(Embodiment 2) In this embodiment, a discharge cell is manufactured by changing the area of the two planar conductors 4a and 4b shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the area between the electrodes. Flat conductor 4
The potentials of a and 4b were set to the ground potential. Otherwise, the structure was the same as that of the first embodiment.

Table 2 below shows the discharge starting voltage of each discharge cell.

[0059]

[Table 2]

As is apparent from Table 2, particularly in the region where the area of the planar conductors 4a and 4b is equal to or larger than the area between the electrodes 1a and 1b, the discharge starting voltage is reduced.

(Embodiment 3) In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a connection terminal 6 for connecting to an external circuit is embedded in a partition 2b. Otherwise, the structure was the same as that of the first embodiment.

In this case, as in the first embodiment, the discharge starting voltage could be reduced. Then, when the discharge occurred, the impedance between the connection terminal 6 and the anode electrode 1b was measured at the position of the connection portion 7 with the external circuit.
The impedance showed a minimum of 10Ω. The value of this impedance was constant regardless of the presence or absence of the planar conductor 4a. Therefore, it was found that the switching function can be used as a switching element that can realize the switching function at a lower voltage.

If the planar conductor 4a is made of a material having high light transmittance such as ITO, the application can be further expanded. For example, it can be used as a switching element that does not impair light transmission in fields where light transmission is required, such as window glass and show windows, in addition to the display field.

(Embodiment 4) FIGS. 2 and 5 are sectional views showing the structure of a plasma addressed electro-optical device according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the discharge cells. Actually, several hundred or more discharge cells are arranged. Here, three parts are shown. FIG. 5 shows one discharge cell portion.

In this plasma addressed electro-optical device, tubular discharge cells are arranged in a plane. In the discharge cell, a dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space 3 surrounded by partitions 2a, 2b, and 2c, and a striped cathode electrode 1a and an anode electrode 1b are arranged side by side. These electrodes 1
a and 1b are connected to an external pulse voltage application circuit, and a voltage is applied with a pulse width of 10 μs. A planar conductor 4a is embedded inside the partition wall 2a to which the electrode is attached.

In this embodiment, the dimensions in the closed space are 200 μm × 800 μm in cross section, 25 cm in the longitudinal direction, and the distance between the electrodes is 250 μm. In addition, by adjusting the gas pressure, the dimensions of the closed space can be changed, the length of the cross-sectional portion and the distance between the electrodes are variable in the range of several tens μm to several hundred μm, and the length in the longitudinal direction is 10 cm to 100 cm. It has been confirmed that the range is variable. Xr gas was used at 25 Torr as a dischargeable gas, but 15 Torr to 50 Torr.
Can also be used. In addition, other rare gases (He,
Ar, Ne, etc.) can also be used.

Ni was used as the material of the striped cathode electrode 1a and anode electrode 1b. As the planar conductor 4a, ITO having a thickness of 1 μm is vacuum-deposited on a glass plate by a sputtering method, and a paste material containing glass as a main component is applied thereon at 50 μm and baked to form the planar conductor 4a on the partition wall 2a. Embedded. Note that a similar structure can be realized by another method. The partition 2b facing the partition 2a has a thickness of 50 μm.
m thin glass was used. As the material of the partition walls 2a to 2c, various dielectrics, oxides, organic compounds, and the like such as glass, alumina, and polyimide can be used.

On this discharge cell, an alignment film having a liquid crystal molecule alignment function and a liquid crystal layer 8 are provided, and further thereon, a stripe-shaped display selection electrode 9 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the discharge cell. Is provided. This display selection electrode 9
Is connected to an external circuit, and a voltage of 0 V to ± 70 V is applied. Thereby, the inner surface 6 of the thin glass functions as a virtual connection terminal of the switching element, and the discharge cell functions as a switching element for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer.

Table 3 shows the results of examining how the discharge starting voltage and the uniform discharge voltage change depending on the presence or absence of the planar conductor provided below the electrodes 1a and 1b. Note that the discharge starting voltage indicates a voltage when a discharge occurs in any part of the tubular discharge cell, and the uniform discharge voltage indicates that the discharge spreads over the entire discharge cell, and that any part of the discharge cell is switched by its switching action. Indicates the minimum voltage at which liquid crystal can be driven.

[0070]

[Table 3]

As is apparent from Table 3, by providing the planar conductor, both the discharge starting voltage and the uniform discharge voltage are reduced.
The voltage dropped by 10 V to 120 V.

In addition, when the distance between the electrode and the planar conductor was changed while the distance between the cathode electrode and the anode electrode was fixed, the result of examining how the discharge starting voltage and the uniform discharge voltage changed were examined. Are also shown in Table 3 above.

As is apparent from Table 3, when the distance between the electrode and the planar conductor was shorter than the distance between the electrodes, the voltage was significantly reduced. Therefore, the distance between the electrode and the planar conductor is
It can be seen that it is effective to make the distance shorter than the electrode interval.
Further, when the distance between the electrode and the planar conductor was shorter than の of the electrode interval, the voltage drop exceeded 100 V. Generally, a driver element used as a pulse voltage generating power supply is commercially available at a voltage of 100 V, so that the voltage is 1 V.
By reducing the voltage by 00V, it became possible to replace the driver element for applying the cathode voltage with an inexpensive one for the low voltage.

(Embodiment 5) In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a device having no planar conductor below the electrodes 1a and 1b was manufactured. Further, as a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 9, an electrode 1a, 1b provided on a partition 2c was produced. Otherwise, the structure was the same as that of the fourth embodiment. FIGS. 4 and 9 are cross-sectional views in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the discharge cells. Actually, several hundred or more discharge cells are arranged, but three parts are shown here.

Table 4 below shows the discharge starting voltage and uniform discharge voltage of each plasma addressed electro-optical device.

[0076]

[Table 4]

As is apparent from Table 4, the structure of FIG. 4 has a discharge starting voltage lower by about 40 V and a uniform discharge voltage lower by about 50 V. This is probably because in the structure shown in FIG. 9, the surfaces of the electrodes 1a and 1b and the display selection electrode 9 are in a parallel positional relationship, and the display selection electrode 9 also plays a role of a planar conductor. On the other hand, in the structure of FIG. 9, the surfaces of the electrodes 1a and 1b and the display selection electrode 9 are not in a parallel positional relationship, and the display selection electrode 9 does not play a role of a planar conductor at all. Therefore, the electrode 1 shown in FIG.
It can be said that the arrangement of a and 1b and the display selection electrode 9 is more preferable. In the case where the cathode electrode 1a and the anode electrode 1b are arranged on the partition 2c as shown in FIG. 9, the structure may be such that the planar conductor is embedded in the partition 2c separating adjacent discharge cells. it can.

(Embodiment 6) In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the dot-shaped cathode electrode 1a and the anode electrode 1b are connected to both ends of a tubular discharge cell (partition wall 2d).
), And the tubular closed space 3 is wrapped by the planar conductors 4a to 4c embedded in the lower partition 2a, the left and right partitions 2c, and the planar conductor functioning also as the display selection electrode 9. . FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the longitudinal direction of the discharge cells. In actuality, several hundred or more discharge cells are aligned in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. FIG. 8 shows one discharge cell portion.

The operation of the plasma addressed electro-optical device is shown in Table 5 below together with that of the fourth embodiment.

[0080]

[Table 5]

As shown in Table 5, in the sixth embodiment, the electrode spacing is increased by three digits as compared with the structure of the fourth embodiment.
The gas pressure was reduced by about three orders of magnitude. The discharge start voltage is the same in the fourth and sixth embodiments, but the uniform discharge voltage is lower in the sixth embodiment. This is because when a discharge occurs, the entire discharge cell is discharged. Further, in the sixth embodiment, the aperture ratio is significantly increased. This is because in the case of a striped electrode, the aperture ratio is reduced by the electrode portion,
This is because in the case of a dot-shaped electrode, the aperture ratio is determined only by the left and right partition portions. Further, there was no occurrence of crosstalk in adjacent discharge cells, which was a concern. This is the right and left partition 2
This is because electrical energy was confined in a single discharge cell by providing the planar conductors 4b and 4c also in b and 2c.

In the first to sixth embodiments, the electrodes are exposed to the discharge space, and the discharge cell and the plasma addressed electro-optical device in which the so-called DC drive is performed have been described. Not so-called AC
The present invention is also applicable to a discharge cell driven and a plasma addressed electro-optical device.

[0083]

As described above in detail, in the case of the present invention, one or more planar conductors are formed on the inside of the partition or on the outer surface of the partition so as to be perpendicular to the surface of the electrode arranged inside each partition. Install. Alternatively, one or two or more planar conductors are provided inside the partition or on the outer surface of the partition in parallel with the surfaces of the electrodes arranged in parallel in each partition. This makes it possible to suppress the electric field from spreading outside the discharge cells, and to reduce the voltage or electric energy required for causing a discharge to be lower than usual. According to the discharge cell of the present invention, "DI
Undesirable phenomena such as a sputtering phenomenon do not occur as in the XY "structure and the like, no separate driving circuit is required, and no time for preliminary discharge is required.

Therefore, according to the plasma addressed electro-optical device of the present invention using the discharge cells, power consumption can be reduced and a brighter display can be obtained. Moreover,
Since low-voltage operation is possible, the cost of the voltage application circuit can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a discharge cell according to an embodiment of the present invention, a sectional view showing electric lines of force, and a diagram showing an electric field intensity distribution.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a plasma-addressed electro-optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention, a sectional view showing electric lines of force, and a diagram showing an electric field intensity distribution.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a switching element discharge cell according to an embodiment of the present invention and lines of electric force.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma addressed electro-optical device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the plasma addressed electro-optical device of FIG. 2;

6 is a graph showing a change in the maximum value of the electric field in the discharge cell with respect to the distance between the planar conductor and the electrode when the distance between the electrodes is fixed in the discharge cell of FIG. 3 or the plasma-addressed electro-optical device of FIG. is there.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma addressed electro-optical device according to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the plasma addressed electro-optical device of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a plasma addressed electro-optical device according to a comparative example.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional discharge cell, its electric lines of force, and a diagram showing an electric field intensity distribution.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining an outline of a process leading to a discharge start in a “DIXY” structure which is an example of a conventional discharge cell, and is a diagram showing a schematic cross-sectional configuration thereof and an applied voltage waveform.

[Explanation of symbols]

1a Cathode electrode 1b Anode electrode 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d Partition wall 3 Closed space 4a, 4b, 4c Planar conductor 5 Voltage circuit applied to cathode electrode for anode electrode 6 Connection terminal 7 Connection to external circuit 8 Liquid crystal molecule alignment Alignment film having function and liquid crystal layer 9 Display selection electrode 10 Line of electric force 11 Trigger electrode 12 Discharge area

Claims (13)

[Claims] A dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space surrounded by a partition, and a voltage is applied between a plurality of electrodes provided in the closed space to make the inside of the closed space a discharge state. A cell, wherein electrodes in each closed space are arranged with their surfaces facing each other, and one or two or more planar conductors are provided perpendicularly to the electrode surface inside or outside the wall of the partition wall Discharge cell. A dischargeable gas is sealed in a closed space surrounded by a partition, and a voltage is applied between a plurality of electrodes installed in the closed space to make the inside of the closed space a discharge state. A cell, wherein electrodes in each closed space are arranged side by side with their surfaces facing in the same direction, and one or more planar conductors are provided inside or outside the wall of the partition wall in parallel with the electrode surface. Discharge cells. 3. The discharge cell according to claim 1, wherein an area of the planar conductor is equal to or greater than an area between the electrodes in each of the closed spaces. 4. The discharge cell according to claim 1, wherein the potential of the planar conductor is the same as that of any of the electrodes in each of the closed spaces. 5. One or more connection terminals for connecting to an external circuit inside the closed space, inside the wall of the partition, inside the wall, outside the wall, or near the outside wall, between the connection terminals or between the connection terminals. The discharge cell according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the impedance between one of the electrodes and the electrode changes depending on the presence or absence of discharge and functions as a switching element. 6. The discharge cell according to claim 5, wherein the planar conductor has a light transmitting property. 7. The discharge cell according to claim 5, wherein one of the inner walls of the partition functions as the connection terminal, and the outer wall of the partition and the display selection electrode are spaced apart from each other. A plasma addressed electro-optical device having a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal layer in a gap between the two. 8. The plasma addressed electro-optical device according to claim 7, wherein said display selection electrode is also used as said planar conductor. 9. A display device according to claim 7, further comprising a color filter on a side of said display selection electrode opposite to said partition wall, and further comprising a light source for vertically incident light on said liquid crystal layer.
3. The plasma addressed electro-optical device according to 1. 10. The device according to claim 7, wherein said electrodes have a stripe shape, and said electrodes have a structure in which a plurality of said discharge cells arranged in parallel are arranged on a plane. Plasma address electro-optical device. 11. The plasma addressed electro-optical device according to claim 10, wherein a distance between the planar conductor and the stripe-shaped electrode is shorter than a distance between the electrodes. 12. The distance between the planar conductor and the stripe-shaped electrode is shorter than の of the distance between the electrodes.
0. The plasma-addressed electro-optical device according to 0. 13. The discharge cell, wherein the closed space has a tubular shape, the electrodes are arranged one at each end, and a plurality of the planar conductors are provided inside the partition wall so as to surround the closed space. The plasma addressed electro-optical device according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the plurality has a structure arranged on a plane.