Abstract: An improved AC plasma display panel structure and method of driving for improved efficiency. Gaseous discharges can tunnel or initiate in microchannels parallel to sustain electrodes in a front substrate lowering operating voltages and allowing the use of more efficient gas mixtures. A write step applies a pulse to selected first and second sustain electrodes corresponding to cells on a row that will be turned ON, and an erase step applies a voltage to first and third electrodes corresponding to cells that are to be turned OFF. Write discharges are tunneled through microchannels.

Abstract: This invention is directed to improve visual effects on digital display devices that use time and space modulation methods to display grayscale values. A distributed line technique is utilized to provide grayscale capability. The grayscale display is illuminated by energizing pixels of a weighted grid of eight line addresses. The first grid line illuminates pixels based on the first selected bit of the grayscale value for those pixels, the second grid line pixels are illuminated based on the second selected bit of the grayscale value for those pixels, the third grid line pixels are base on the third selected bit of the grayscale value for those pixels, etc. until all pixels for all eight grid lines have been selected. Thereafter, a second set of grid lines is accessed during the second addressing period, a third set is accessed during the third addressing period, and so forth until all grid sets have been accessed. There are N grid sets where N is the number of time slots allocated per frame time.

Abstract: A method of driving AC plasma display panels by initiating sustain and address discharges to groove sidewalls in the substrate and forming lateral discharges along the groove. A write step applies a pulse to selected first and second electrodes corresponding to cells on a row that will be turned "ON", and an erase step applies a voltage to first and third electrodes corresponding to cells that are to be turned "OFF".