Flat display panel having exhaust holes within display area

A flat display panel comprising exhaust holes in a display region is provided. In the flat display panel, a front substrate comprising X and Y electrodes a rear substrate comprising an address electrode are sealed at a predetermined interval in parallel. Vacuum exhaust and gas discharge are performed on a space between the sealed substrates through the exhaust holes in the display area, thereby reducing a non-radiation area of the panel to less than 1 mm. As a result, the flat display panel is effective in formation of an indefinite extension multi-PDP because a seam between the panels is removed when a multi-PDP comprising a plurality of panels is formed.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to a flat display panel, and more specifically, to a plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as “PDP”) comprising exhaust holes each positioned in a random region of a display area for vacuum exhaust and gas charge from/to a space between substrates.

BACKGROUND ART

A PDP is formed by injecting gas into a cell between two substrates comprising transparent electrodes each having a predetermined pattern. When a discharge voltage is applied to the cell where the gas is injected and sealed, a fluorescent substance is excited by ultraviolet rays generated from the discharge voltage to embody figures, letters or graphic.

FIG. 1is an exploded perspective view illustrating a structure of a general PDP.

In the general PDP, a front substrate10where a electrode X (sustain electrode) and a electrode Y (scan electrode) are formed and a rear substrate20where an address electrode is formed are sealed at a predetermined distance in parallel.

The electrodes X and Y in the front substrate10sustain radiation generated by discharge in the cell selected at an address period. The electrodes X and Y are formed of transparent electrode (or ITO electrode) Xa and Ya that are made by transparent ITO materials and of bus electrodes Xb and Yb that are made by metal materials. The electrodes X and Y are covered by a dielectric layer12for limiting discharge current and insulating the electrodes. A protective film13such as a MgO film is formed on the dielectric layer12.

The rear substrate20comprises barriers21arranged in parallel as a stripe type (or dot type) for forming cells C which are discharge spaces. Also, the rear substrate20comprises address electrodes A arranged in parallel with the barrier21and crossed with the electrodes X and Y. A dielectric layer23is formed on the address electrode A. Then, a R.G.B fluorescent layer24for emitting visible rays at address discharge to display image is coated on the upper surface of the rear substrate20except the top surface of the barrier21.

For charging discharge gas in the above-described PDP, a sealing unit27is formed between the front substrate10and the rear substrate20so as to maintain airtightness between the front substrate10and the rear substrate20. Then, vacuum exhaust is performed on the inside of the PDP, and discharge gas is charged in the vacuum-exhausted space.

As shown inFIG. 2, an exhaust hole25is formed on the rear substrate20. Next, the rear substrate20and an exhaust small tube26are seamed using the sealing unit27, so that the exhaust small tube26is safely positioned on the exhaust hole25. As a result, gas exhaust and discharge gas injection in the panel are performed through the exhaust small tube26.

However, in the conventional PDP, the exhaust hole25is located at the outside of the display area. Although the location of the exhaust hole25does not matter in case of the PDP consisting of a single panel, there is a limit in reduction of a seam between panels when a multi-PDP comprising a plurality of PDP panels for a large screen is embodied. That is, when the exhaust hole25is formed at the outside of the display area, the seam of the indefinite extension multi-PDP cannot be reduced to less than several cms in consideration of precision of the location of the exhaust hole25and the diameter of the exhaust small tube26.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

Technical Problem

It is an object of the present invention to form an exhaust hole in a display area of a PDP, thereby reducing an outer area of the display area that does not contribute to image embodiment.

Technical Solution

In an embodiment, a flat display panel comprises a front substrate comprising X and Y electrodes and a rear substrate comprising an address electrode which are sealed in parallel at a predetermined interval, where vacuum exhaust and gas charge are performed on a space between the sealed substrates through one or more exhaust holes. Preferably, the one or more exhaust holes are formed in a display area.

Moreover, each exhaust hole is formed to perforate the address electrode in a corresponding cell area. When a plurality of exhaust holes are formed, exhaust holes are formed symmetrically on a basis of the center of the display area.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the address electrode which has the exhaust hole comprises an exhaust hole electrode unit having a locally wide-formed portion where the exhaust hole is formed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the exhaust hole electrode unit has a width obtained by adding a width of the address electrode to a width or a diameter of the exhaust hole, and the exhaust hole is formed in the middle of the exhaust hole electrode unit.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, the exhaust hole is formed to be circular or polygonal.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 3is a diagram illustrating a plurality of circular exhaust holes formed in a display area of a plasma display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 4is a diagram illustrating an enlarged electrode structure where the exhaust hole is formed.

In this embodiment, when vacuum exhaust and gas charge are performed on the inside of the display panel, a plurality of exhaust holes31(five exhaust holes in the embodiment of the present invention) are formed symmetrically in the display area as shown inFIG. 3, so that the vacuum exhaust and gas charge are uniformly performed on the entire display region.

Since the exhaust holes31are formed in the display area, a non-radiation region which does not contribute to image embodiment can be reduced to less than 1 mm. As a result, a size of a rear substrate30becomes identical with that of the display area as shown inFIG. 3.

Here, each exhaust hole31can be formed in a random cell C area that a manufacturer desires regardless of colors of R/G/B pixels, and its size is formed smaller than the corresponding pixel. That is, when the size of the exhaust hole31is larger than the corresponding pixel, a corresponding cell can be an off cell where discharge does not occurs constantly. Accordingly, the size of the exhaust hole31is formed to be smaller than that of the R/G/B pixel for facilitating fluorescent coating. Although the size of the exhaust hole31is smaller than the pixel, when the exhaust hole31penetrates an address electrode of the corresponding cell C, a corresponding address electrode may be disconnected or an electrode width becomes narrower in a corresponding area. As a result, sufficient discharge cannot be performed, and precise alignment cannot be performed on the corresponding cell.

To solve the above-described problem, a width of an electrode where the exhaust hole31is formed in an address electrode A′ (hereinafter, referred to as ‘exhaust hole electrode’33) is formed to be locally wide. Preferably, the exhaust hole31is formed to perforate the middle portion of the exhaust hole electrode33. As shown inFIG. 5, when a width of the address electrode A′ is L and a diameter of the exhaust hole31is W, a width of the exhaust hole electrode33becomes L+W, and the exhaust hole31is formed at its middle portion. Here, a length of the exhaust hole electrode33can be identical with the width of the exhaust hole electrode33when the exhaust hole31is formed to be circular. When the exhaust hole31is formed to be oval in a length direction, the length of the exhaust hole electrode33can be formed to be longer that its width in proportion to the diameter of the major axis of the exhaust hole31. Also, when the exhaust hole31is formed to be oval, the width of the exhaust hole electrode33can be formed to be narrower than when the exhaust hole31is formed to be circular in a range where the size of the circle is identically maintained.

FIG. 6is a cross-sectional diagram illustrating the rear substrate where the exhaust hole electrode33shown inFIG. 5is formed.

As shown inFIGS. 5 and 6, the exhaust hole31according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed to enlarge an alignment deviation margin between the electrode and the barrier32and to facilitate a process at the same time.

Although the exhaust hole31formed to be circular or oval is exemplified in the above-described embodiment, the shape of the exhaust hole can be variously changed within a range which does not affect the vacuum exhaust and the gas charge.

FIG. 7is a diagram illustrating an exhaust hole according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7aand7bshow that an exhaust hole is formed to be a regular square and a rectangle, respectively.

As the method described inFIG. 5, a width of exhaust holes34and35is obtained by adding a width of a corresponding square to that of an address electrode A′. When the exhaust hole is formed to be a rectangle as shown inFIG. 7b, the width of the exhaust hole electrode35can be formed to be narrower than that of the exhaust hole34ofFIG. 7a.

In this embodiment, the exhaust hole can be formed to have a polygonal shape having various angles such as a triangle or a pentagon other than the rectangle or the square ofFIG. 7depending on a manufacturing process.

Although the example where the5exhaust holes31are formed in the display area of each panel is illustrated in the above-described embodiment, the number of the exhaust holes31can be properly regulated if necessary.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

Accordingly, exhaust holes for vacuum exhaust and gas charge are formed in a display area, so that a non-radiation area of a panel is reduced to less than 1 mm. Thus, since a seam between panels can be removed in a multi-PDP where a plurality of panels are connected, it is effective to form an indefinite extension PDP.