Plasma Excitation Patents (Class 349/32)
  • Patent number: 6122022
    Abstract: A plasma address liquid crystal display device is arranged such that an ineffective transparent electrode formed in an ineffective picture screen area of its liquid crystal cell is grounded or is applied with a drive voltage substantially same as that applied to a liquid crystal electrode formed in an effective picture screen area adjacent to the ineffective transparent electrode, whereby it is possible to avoid the generation of unstable electric field between the ineffective transparent electrode and the liquid crystal electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takuji Hayakawa
  • Patent number: 6108068
    Abstract: In a liquid crystal display apparatus including a liquid crystal layer sandwiched by a front glass substrate and a back glass substrate, spacers contained in the liquid crystal layer to maintain a predetermined thickness of the liquid crystal layer are made from a conductive material. This enables to reduce flicker and baking generated by electric charge caused by impurities ions remaining on the boundary surface of the liquid crystal layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2000
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomoya Yano, Masanobu Tanaka
  • Patent number: 6100946
    Abstract: A PALC panel is filled with LC material by creating a partial vacuum in the LC space and a peripheral receiving space inward of an attachment bead which secures the lower substrate assembly to the upper substrate assembly and introducing sufficient LC material into the receiving space to fill the LC space. The receiving space is then sealed. The volume of the receiving space is substantially greater than the volume of the LC space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Thomas S. Buzak, Kevin J. Ilcisin, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 6081306
    Abstract: Although it is inevitable that the barrier rib fracture remains on the barrier rib from a pressure applied from opposing glass substrates surface, the present invention aims to assemble the panel display after removing the broken fragments of the barrier rib from the discharge chamber. According to the manufacturing method of the panel display for the present invention, the method includes the step of temporary aligning the two glass substrates face-to-face, the step of decompressing the barrier rib pattern area formed by the alignment of the two glass substrates by isolating the barrier rib pattern area from the normal atmospheric pressure, the step of cleaning at least one of the glass substrates on facing side by detaching one of the glass substrates after the pressure has been returned to the normal atmospheric pressure, and the step of forming the discharge chamber by pasting the two glass substrates together in the similar manner as the temporary alignment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinichiro Nagano
  • Patent number: 6075578
    Abstract: A plasma addressed display system with a flat panel structure comprising a display cell for displaying an image through modulation of incident light in accordance with an image signal, and a plasma cell joined to the display cell for scanning the same. The plasma cell has discharge channels arrayed in rows and generates discharges in succession to scan the display cell line sequentially. The display cell has signal electrodes arrayed in columns, and forms pixels at intersections with the discharge channels. The display cell applies an image signal in synchronism with the line sequential scanning and modulates the incident light per pixel. Pixels of two rows are defined in the discharge channel of one row.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2000
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masatake Hayashi, Jun Iwama, Tomoaki Kichimi
  • Patent number: 6067141
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of this invention includes a pair of substrates and a liquid crystal layer including liquid crystal molecules having a negative dielectric anisotropy interposed between the pair of substrates, vertical alignment layers being formed on surfaces of the pair of substrates in contact with the liquid crystal layer, a voltage being applied across the liquid crystal layer by voltage application means formed on the pair of substrates, the liquid crystal molecules being oriented substantially vertical to the pair of substrate when no voltage is applied, wherein a plurality of column structures are provided so as to be at least partly in contact with the pair of substrates, and the liquid crystal layer has a plurality of liquid crystal domains in a direction in the plane of the substrates, and, when a voltage is applied, orientation directions of the liquid crystal molecules are continuous in each of the liquid crystal domains, while the orientation directions of liquid crystal molecul
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Yamada, Toshikazu Hirata, Takashi Kurihara, Masato Imai, Kazuyuki Endo
  • Patent number: 6057895
    Abstract: A flat display device preferably of the PALC type in which the plasma channels are formed by depositing successive layers of electrically conductive and electrically insulating material on a substrate containing spaced walls of a resist material that are preferably structured with a negative slope to form in the space between the resist walls flanking channel walls comprising an electrode layer and rising above it a wall of insulating material with the electrode layer sides exposed to adjacent channels. Subsequently, the resist walls are removed by a lift-off process removing with it the layer deposits on the resist walls leaving behind the layer deposits between the resist walls. The remaining insulating walls are then covered with thin dielectric sheet-like member to form the plasma channels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventors: Henri R. J. R. Van Helleputte, Jacob Bruinink, Adrianus L. J. Burgmans, Petrus F. G. Bongaerts, Babar A. Khan, Karel E. Kuijk
  • Patent number: 6052161
    Abstract: A plasma address liquid crystal display device having a flat panel structure which is composed of display cells and plasma cells bonded to one another with an intermediate sheet, and in which position registration tolerance between the display and plasma cells can be made less strict. A plasma cell 2 has discharge channels 5 extending in the row direction. The display cell 1 has a electro-optical device 9 and signal electrodes 10 extending along the column direction. Pixels 11 are defined at the points of intersections of the signal electrodes 10 and the discharge channels 5. The electro-optical device 9 is a set of finely partitioned liquid crystal areas 15 and is controlled in orientation to axis-symmetrical orientation. The liquid crystal areas 15 are continuously arrayed at a constant pitch DP finer than an arraying pitch CP of the pixels 11 at least in the column direction. This structure can be extensively applied to the active matrix type liquid crystal display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Yamada, Yasuhiro Kume, Toshikazu Hirata, Masahiko Kondo, Masato Imai, Kazuyuki Endo
  • Patent number: 6052160
    Abstract: The display device is furnished with a channel plate (39) comprising channels (30, 30', 30") containing an ionizable gas (33), and the walls of the channels (30, 30', 30") being provided with electrodes (31, 32) for selectively generating a plasma discharge of the ionizable gas (33) during operation. The display device further comprises an electro-optical layer (35) of a material having an optical property which is governed by the discharge state of the plasma discharge. The display device is characterized in that at least one of the electrodes (31, 32) is furnished with a layer (37) comprising particles of a sputter-resistant material having an average diameter .ltoreq.2.5 .mu.m, preferably .ltoreq.1.5 .mu.m. The particles are preferably composed of rare-earth borides (for example LaB.sub.6) or ruthenium oxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: U.S. Philips Corporation
    Inventors: Marcel R. Bohmer, Monica Scholten, Udo Van Slooten
  • Patent number: 6014188
    Abstract: The liquid crystal display device of this invention includes a display medium sandwiched between a plasma generation substrate having channels for generating plasma and a counter substrate. In this liquid crystal display device, the display medium includes liquid crystal regions and polymer regions, wherein the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal regions are axisymmetrically aligned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2000
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Nobuaki Yamada, Shuichi Kozaki, Kenji Majima
  • Patent number: 6002456
    Abstract: A plasma addressed liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first base having plurality of first electrodes arranged substantially in parallel to each other on one principal surface, a second base having plurality of second electrodes arranged substantially in parallel to each other and substantially perpendicular to the first electrodes on the principal surface opposite to the first electrodes on the first base, a dielectric sheet provided between the first and second bases, a liquid crystal layer provided between the first base and the dielectric sheet, a plurality of barriers formed along the second electrodes within a discharge chamber formed between the second base and the dielectric sheet, and a seal member provided in a manner to seal the discharge chamber. In the plasma addressed liquid crystal display apparatus, the spacing between the barriers and the spacing between the barrier positioned nearest to the seal member and the seal member are set to 1.8 mm or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 14, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Togawa
  • Patent number: 5923389
    Abstract: A plasma addressed electro-optical display which is capable of formation of amalgams in the terminal electrodes to elongate the lifetime of the plasma addressed electro-optical display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 13, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Atsushi Seki
  • Patent number: 5909261
    Abstract: A plasma addressed electro-optical display is disclosed which is capable of improving current resistance of discharge electrodes disposed below cover glass to be similar to that of discharge electrodes in an effective frame and which, therefore, is enabled to be free from disconnection the reliability to be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Seki, Masatake Hayashi, Takahiro Togawa, Saori Ariji
  • Patent number: 5909260
    Abstract: In a plasma addressed liquid crystal display panel, a separating layer having a lower dielectric constant than the material of the upper substrate is interposed between the data drive electrodes and the upper substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 1997
    Date of Patent: June 1, 1999
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ilcisin, Thomas S. Buzak, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 5907311
    Abstract: A liquid crystal cell and a plasma cell are layered together with a dielectric sheet in between. Data electrodes (column electrodes) are constructed to form parallel columns on the underside of an upper substrate in a display cell. Discharge channels filled with ionizable gas are constructed in parallel rows in a plasma cell. Row electrodes are constructed on the upperside of a lower substrate corresponding to each of the discharge channels, and reference electrodes to which reference voltages are applied, are constructed inside each of the discharge channels. Data voltages are applied to the data electrodes and drive pulses are applied to the row electrodes. The polarities of the data voltages are changed so as to be opposite to the polarities of the drive pulses with respect to the reference voltages. Each time the polarities of the drive pulses are inverted, plasma discharges are generated in the discharge channel corresponding to the row electrodes to which the drive pulses are applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 25, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoya Yano
  • Patent number: 5903325
    Abstract: In a plasma addressed liquid crystal display panel comprising a channel substrate, a cover sheet, a layer of twisted nematic liquid crystal material, an upper substrate, and an array of electrodes on the lower surface of the upper substrate, ##EQU1## where V.sub.x is the voltage that will turn a simple TN liquid crystal cell from the off state to X% transmissive in a normally black mode, d.sub.TD is the thickness of the cover sheet, d.sub.LC is the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, .epsilon..sub.TD is the dielectric constant of the cover sheet, .epsilon..sub..perp. is the perpendicular dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material, and .epsilon..sub..parallel. is the parallel dielectric constant of the liquid crystal material, and d.sub.LC .DELTA.n.sub.LC is in the range from about 0.4 to 0.5, where .DELTA.n.sub.LC is the difference in refractive indices for the liquid crystal material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 11, 1999
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ilcisin, Thomas S. Buzak, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 5844639
    Abstract: To provide a plasma addressed liquid crystal display device which can enhance the bonding strength between the dielectric sheet and the plasma substrate glass, a frit seal is provided at the outside of the barrier ribs, and dummy barrier ribs and a frit seal are sequentially provided on the outside of the frit seal. The frit seal has a greater width than that of the frit seal and has a role as a reinforcing member. The dielectric sheet and a plasma substrate glass are provided so as to sandwich the barrier ribs. A liquid crystal layer is provided on a surface side of the dielectric sheet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Togawa
  • Patent number: 5838398
    Abstract: A composite electrode in a channel substrate for a PALC display panel comprises a metal core and a surface layer of a fullerene.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 17, 1998
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ilcisin, Thomas S. Buzak, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 5835167
    Abstract: A plasma-addressed liquid crystal color display device comprising a layer of liquid crystal material, data electrodes coupled to the liquid crystal layer and adapted to receive data voltages for activating pixels of the liquid crystal layer, and a plurality of ionizable-gas-filled plasma channels extending generally transverse to the data electrodes for selectively switching on said liquid crystal pixels. The plasma channels are sealed off by a thin dielectric sheet, and a color filter layer is provided in the device through which changes in the attenuation of the liquid crystal pixels may be viewed to obtain a color image. To reduce the magnitude of the data voltages needed to activate the device, the device layers are configured and given compositions such that a much higher fraction of the applied data voltages appears across the liquid crystal layer thereby allowing a smaller data voltage to be used to obtain the same effect on the liquid crystal pixels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America
    Inventors: Petrus Franciscus Gerardus Bongaerts, Jacob Bruinink, Adrianus Leonardus Josephus Burgmans, Henri Roger Jules Richard Van Helleputte, Babar Ali Khan, Karel Elbert Kuijk, Thomas Stanley Buzak, Kevin John Ilcisin, Paul Christopher Martin
  • Patent number: 5800232
    Abstract: To improve the durability of discharge electrodes formed in a plasma cell and achieve fine detail, a plasma-addressed display device is provided having a laminated structure with a display cell 1 provided with column-arranged, stripe-shaped signal electrodes 5, a plasma cell 2 provided with row-arranged, stripe-shaped discharge electrodes 9, and a dielectric sheet 3 sandwiched in between the display cell 1 and the plasma cell 2. The portions where the signal electrodes 5 and the discharge electrodes 9 intersect define pixels. The plasma cell 2 includes an insulating substrate 8 bonded to the dielectric sheet 3 with a gap therebetween to form a cell and a gas that ionizes when a voltage is applied to the discharge electrodes 9 sealed in the cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 1, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeki Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 5760753
    Abstract: To normally display an image and prevent open circuiting of drive circuits by optimizing power supplying sequences upon turn-on and turn-off of a back light of a plasma addressed display panel, a plasma addressed display panel 1 having a laminated structure of a liquid crystal cell and a plasma cell is provided, wherein the liquid crystal cell includes signal electrodes 4 arranged in columns and the plasma cell includes discharge channels 4 arranged in rows. Upon turn-off of the power switches, the supply of power to the plasma drive circuit 2 is stopped after the supply of power to the liquid crystal drive circuit 2 is stopped. Moreover, the supply of power to the drive circuits 2, 3 is stopped after a back light 8 is turned off. Upon turn-on of the power switches, the supply of power to the plasma drive circuit 2 and the liquid crystal drive circuit 3 is started after the supply of power to a control circuit 7 is started to enable the control circuit 7.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1996
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masatake Hayashi
  • Patent number: 5747932
    Abstract: To suppress the discharge current in a plasma cell incorporated in a display device, thereby extending the useful service life of the plasma cell and stabilizing the operation characteristics of the plasma cell, the display device includes a plasma cell 2, which includes a pair of substrates 3 and 8 bonded together with a space defined therebetween, discharge electrodes 9 and 9a formed on at least the substrate 8, and an ionizable gas sealed in this space. The discharge electrodes 9 and 9a are grouped into plural pairs of anodes A and cathodes K parallel to each other, thus forming a plurality of discharge channels 12 extending in lines. At least each cathode K is partially covered with insulators 13 periodically arranged, thereby limiting the effective area of each discharge electrode 9a to suppress the discharge current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 5, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Masatake Hayashi, Shigeki Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 5714841
    Abstract: To improve the durability of discharge electrodes formed in a plasma cell and achieve fine detail, a plasma-addressed display device is provided having a laminated structure with a display cell 1 provided with column-arranged, stripe-shaped signal electrodes 5, a plasma cell 2 provided with row-arranged, stripe-shaped discharge electrodes 9, and a dielectric sheet 3 sandwiched in between the display cell 1 and the plasma cell 2. The portions where the signal electrodes 5 and the discharge electrodes 9 intersect define pixels. The plasma cell 2 includes an insulating substrate 8 bonded to the dielectric sheet 3 with a gap therebetween to form a cell and a gas that ionizes when a voltage is applied to the discharge electrodes 9 sealed in the cell. The discharge electrodes 9 are constituted by electrically conductive material embedded into grooves 13 dug in rows into the insulating substrate 8.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 3, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Shigeki Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 5696523
    Abstract: A plasma display device which can stabilize the state of discharge in a plasma chamber includes a transparent electrode 32 supplied with an anode potential formed on a glass substrate 17; and stripe-like insulation layers 31a to 31c, column electrodes 19a to 19c supplied with the cathode potential, and insulation layers 20a to 20c sequentially formed on the transparent electrode 32. On the insulation layers 20a to 20c, a dielectric sheet 13, a liquid crystal layer 16, and a data electrode 15 are sequentially formed. In the plasma chambers 18a and 18b, an ionizable gas such as helium is sealed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoya Yano
  • Patent number: 5694183
    Abstract: A plasma addressed liquid crystal display panel comprises a channel substrate having plasma channels in its upper surface thereof and an upper substrate over the upper surface of the channel substrate. A first polarizer is disposed over the upper surface of the channel substrate and transmits only light that is polarized in a first state. An electro-optic layer extends over the first polarizer and has a first condition in which it transmits light that is polarized in the first state without changing the state of polarization and a second condition in which it converts light that is polarized in the first state to a second state of polarization that is orthogonal to the first state. A second polarizer is over the electro-optic layer and transmits only light that is polarized in the second state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Tektronix, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Ilcisin, Thomas S. Buzak, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 5626772
    Abstract: A flat display device preferably of the PALC type in which a fragile micro-sheet covering the plasma channels is replaced by a more robust plate having etched spaced elongated cavities configured in such a way that the top portions of the plate between side walls of each cavity defining a channel and facing the bottom plate are substantially flat. Preferably, the thickness of the glass top plate separating each plasma discharge from an electro-optic pixel is made substantially uniformly thin while the side walls reinforce and greatly increase the strength of the plate making it less prone to breakage during assembly of a display panel. Preferably, the glass plate is etched by means of a plasma etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: May 6, 1997
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation
    Inventors: Petrus F. G. Bongaerts, Jacob Bruinink, Adrianus L. J. Burgmans, Henri R. J. R. Van Helleputte, Babar A. Khan, Karel E. Kuijk, Thomas S. Buzak, Kevin J. Ilcisin, Paul C. Martin
  • Patent number: 5596431
    Abstract: A method for making an electrical device such as a PALC display device, and the electrical device or PALC device so made, in which a channel plate is provided with substantially vertical side walls, and the electrodes are formed by a self-aligning anisotropic plasma etching process which requires no photolithography. A similar process may be used to form a fanout region for individual contacting of channel electrodes. For improved contacting, preferably the fanout region is also channelled and an upstanding structure such as columns provided in the fanout channels so that the spaces between the columns and between the columns and the side walls are filled up with deposited metal that remains following the anisotropic etching process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 21, 1997
    Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corp.
    Inventors: Petrus F. G. Bongaerts, Jacob Bruinink, Adrianus L. J. Burgmans, Henri R. J. R. Van Helleputte, Babar A. Khan, Karel E. Kuijk