Analysis for discharge-radiation dynamics in alternating current plasma display panels

An analytical method to study the discharge-radiation dynamics (DRD) in alternating current plasma display panels was developed. The input parameters for this DRD analysis were experimentally determined panel voltage and current wave forms. Discharge voltage, current, and power wave forms in the discharge volume of a cell were first obtained from the measured panel voltage and current wave forms using known geometrical configurations and electric circuit calculations. Intrinsic discharge parameters, such as electron temperature and density, were then determined to satisfy these discharge wave forms under the assumption of a hydrodynamic approach. A one-dimensional discharge structure with two regions (cathode fall and positive column) and several other assumptions which are plausible from the discharge physics point of view were also adopted. These assumptions took account of known cross sections and energies of electron-impact excitation and ionization of discharge gas atoms, and a secondary electron emission coefficient of the dielectric surface at the cathode side induced by ion bombardment. Radiation intensities from the discharge were calculated using the determined intrinsic discharge parameters, and the results were compared with those measured for the respective panel conditions used in the calculations, yielding a fair agreement. The luminous efficiency, defined as the radiation intensity divided by the discharge power, was also determined using the intrinsic discharge parameters. Discussion on the luminous efficiency change for different panel operating conditions revealed that the efficiency improvement at a lower voltage was attributable to a lower electron temperature for this condition. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.