Abstract: A flat panel liquid crystal display (10) has an addressing structure (12) that uses an ionizable gaseous medium captured within channels (2) in a first electrode structure (42). An electro-optical material (44) structure positioned between the first electrode structure and a second electrode structure (40) has thickness that is determined by spacers (104, 110, and 126) that are formed on second electrode structure at points directly opposite support structures (66) between the channels. Such spacers provide support for the second electrode structure and do not intrude into the active area (70) of the display. The spacers are preferably formed of a polyimide resin layer using a photoetch process. Particulate spacers (110) can also be entrained in a black surround material (110) before it is applied to achieve spacers confined to inactive regions. Alternately, spacers (126) can be formed of the black surround material using a two-step photoetching process.

Abstract: The cover sheet of a PALC display panel is spaced from the ribs of the channel member.

Abstract: A plasma addressed liquid crystal display panel includes a channel substrate, a cover sheet sealed to the channel substrate and extending over the channels in the channel substrate, helium in the sealed volume defined by the channel substrate and the cover sheet at a partial pressure within the range from about 50 mB to about 350 mB, and a body of a storage material that reversibly absorbs and releases hydrogen, the hydrogen being present at a partial pressure in the sealed volume within the range from about 0.02 mB to about 36 mB.

Abstract: An anode in a channel of a PALC display panel is composed of an electrically conductive core and a protective coating made of a material that is electrically conductive and is non-reactive with hydrogen.

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.

Abstract: A channel subassembly for a PALC display panel comprises a channel member having spaced, substantially parallel, linear channels in its upper surface and a cover sheet (6) attached to the channel member. Islands of transparent conductive material are disposed in a row on a surface of the cover sheet over each channel. The islands in each row are spaced apart along the channel over which they are disposed and are bounded in directions perpendicular to the length of the channel such that they do not extend laterally substantially beyond the channel.

Abstract: A channel member for a PALC panel is fabricated from a substrate of hard transparent material by forming a layer of conductive material over an upper surface of the substrate, forming a layer of insulating material over the layer of conductive material, removing the layer of insulating material in accordance with a predetermined spatial pattern so as to expose predetermined portions of the layer of conductive material, and removing exposed portions of the layer of conductive material by erosion until parts of the upper surface of the substrate are exposed.

Abstract: An anode in a channel of a PALC display panel has an upper surface of a material that is electrically conductive and is non-oxidizing.

Abstract: A channel member for a PALC panel has a channel in its surface and a wire in the channel as an electrode of the PALC panel.

Abstract: A plasma addressed liquid crystal display system (10) includes improved electrode structures (90, 100, 130) that are nonuniform parallel to their surfaces and may also be nonuniform perpendicular to their major surfaces. The nonuniformities include surface nonuniformities (92, 94), bulk nonuniformities (108, 110, 112, 112), and geometric nonuniformities (132, 134). Electrodes having such nonuniformities provide localized sites of preferential and nonpreferential surface and bulk properties of the electrodes, which, in turn, provide improved and locally tailored plasma discharge characteristics. PALC displays having the nonuniform electrodes have improved quality because of reduced firing voltages in one plasma channel region compared to another, reduced sputtering damage, reduced total current between electrodes, decreased discharge initiation time, and decreased ionized gas decay time.

Abstract: A display device for displaying an image represented by an incoming raster scan video signal comprises a PALC display panel having a rectangular array of addressable panel elements. A frame buffer stores a frame of video and a comparator compares the incoming video signal with the frame stored in the frame buffer on a line-by-line basis. In the event that a line of the incoming video signal is different from the corresponding line of the stored frame, the line of the incoming video signal is supplied to the display panel and is used to update the corresponding line of the frame buffer. Otherwise, the line of the incoming video signal is not supplied to the display panel.

Abstract: This invention is a resistive layer (112, 122) for electrodes (30, 62) comprising at least one partially conductive compound and describes processes for coating the electrodes by way of cataphoretic deposition and/or screen printing of particles of at least one partially conductive compound. A second class of particles, known as a "frit," is also deposited or screen printed. In the subsequent one hour firing, these particles melt and thereby bond the partially conductive compound particles to the electrodes. This invention is also plasma addressing structures (110, 120) in which particles of at least one partially conductive compound are deposited on the electrodes of the display by cataphoretic deposition and/or screen printing. The resulting electrode structures limit and uniformly distribute discharge currents (102) in the operation of ionizable gaseous medium (90) devices, such as plasma addressed liquid crystal displays.

Abstract: A channel substrate assembly for a plasma addressed liquid crystal display device is made from a channel substrate formed with channels in a first main surface thereof, by attaching a cover sheet to the channel substrate with a first main surface of the cover sheet in confronting relationship with the first main surface of the channel substrate. The cover sheet is then thinned from its second main surface.

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.

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.

Abstract: A composite electrode in a channel substrate for a PALC display panel comprises a metal core and a surface layer of a fullerene.

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.

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.

Abstract: An addressing structure uses an ionizable gaseous mixture having a decreased decay time to address data storage elements (16) defined by the overlapping areas of multiple column electrodes (18) on a first substrate (48) and multiple channels (20) on a second substrate (54). Each of the channels contains the ionizable gaseous mixture and includes a reference potential electrode that receives a data signal and a row electrode that receives a data strobe signal. The ionizable gaseous mixture contains an ionizable gaseous medium and ionized particles that are collisionally matched with the ionizable gaseous medium to produce an decreased decay time of the ionizable gaseous mixture. The decreased decay time of the ionizable gaseous mixture provides an addressing structure having high-speed addressing capabilities.

Abstract: An electrode structure (100) for an addressing structure using an ionizable gaseous medium has a substrate (102) and a cover (126). A plurality of channel-defining portions (116, 118, 120, 122, 124) each extend from the substrate to the cover; each pair of adjacent channel-defining portions defines a plasma discharge channel (129, 131, 133, 135, 137) for the ionizable gaseous medium. An electrode (104, 106, 108, 110, 112) extends through each channel-defining portion so that the electrode has a surface exposed to each of the channels defined in part by the channel-defining portion. Each of the channel defining portions or walls separates each electrode from the cover. An addressing structure using the electrode structure of the invention ionizes the gas in each channel by driving the electrodes of the pair of adjacent channel-defining portions that define the channel.