AC discharge display panel including a plurality of electrode lines having multi-layers

An alternating current discharge display panel including a plurality of electrode lines in a dielectric layer, and each of the electrode lines includes a plurality of layers, in which an intermediate layer has the smallest resistivity and resistivity of other layers become larger as being far from the intermediate layer.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2005-0055412, filed on Jun. 25, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a discharge display panel, and more particularly, to an alternating current (AC) discharge display panel including electrode lines covered by a dielectric layer.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, an AC discharge display panel, such as the plasma display panel disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,900,591, includes electrode lines covered by a dielectric layer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,541,618 discloses a method of driving an AC discharge display panel.

Each electrode line may be formed by combining a transparent electrode line and an opaque electrode line, or may be formed of an opaque electrode line. Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) is often used for the transparent electrode line. The opaque electrode line, which has a lower resistance and a lower coupling capacity than those of the transparent electrode line, is generally a metal electrode line.

When fabricating an AC discharge display panel, metal particles of the opaque electrode line may diffuse and migrate into the dielectric layer during heat treatment of the plasma display panel.

Therefore, the conductivity of the dielectric layer increases, which may cause dielectric breakdown. Additionally, if the conductivity of the dielectric layer increases, the AC discharge display panel's performance may degrade. Also, discoloration of the discharge display panel and diffusion of light may degrade the panel's optical performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an AC discharge display panel including electrode lines covered by a dielectric layer that may prevent conductive particles of the electrode lines from diffusing and migrating into a glass substrate and the dielectric layer.

The present invention discloses an AC discharge display panel including a plurality of electrode lines covered by a dielectric layer. Each electrode line includes a plurality of layers, in which an intermediate layer has the smallest resistivity and the remaining layers have increasing resistivity in a direction away from the intermediate layer.

The present invention also discloses an AC discharge display panel including pairs of X electrode lines and Y electrode lines covered by a first dielectric layer adjacent to a first substrate, and address electrode lines covered by a second dielectric layer adjacent to a second substrate. The X electrode lines and the Y electrode lines each include a plurality of layers, the intermediate layer has the smallest resistivity of the plurality of layers, and the remaining layers have increasing resistivity in a direction away from the intermediate layer.

The present invention also discloses an AC discharge display panel including a plurality of electrode lines protected by a dielectric layer, and each of the electrode lines has a plurality of layers including an intermediate layer, a first outermost layer, and a second outermost layer. The intermediate layer has the smallest resistivity of the plurality of layers, and the first outermost layer and the second outermost layer have the highest resistivity of the plurality of layers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1is an exploded perspective view of a three-electrode surface discharge plasma display panel, as an example of an AC discharge display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 2is an enlarged view of a part of an X electrode line or a Y electrode line of the display panel ofFIG. 1, andFIG. 3is a front view of the display panel ofFIG. 1from a position of a front glass substrate.

Referring toFIG. 1,FIG. 2, andFIG. 3, the AC plasma display panel includes a front substrate20and a rear substrate10. The front and rear substrates10and20may be made of glass. Address electrode lines11, front and rear dielectric layers23and12, pairs of X and Y electrode lines30, a phosphor layer15, barrier ribs13, conductive black stripes29, and a protective layer24are arranged between the front and rear glass substrates20and10.

The address electrode lines11are arranged on the rear glass substrate10and are covered by the rear dielectric layer12. The barrier ribs13are arranged on the rear dielectric layer12, and they define discharge regions14of the display cells and prevent cross talk from generating between neighboring cells. The phosphor layer15is applied on the display cells.

The pairs of X and Y electrode lines30are arranged on the front substrate20in a direction crossing the address electrode lines11. The front dielectric layer23covers the X and Y electrode lines.

The X electrode line21and the Y electrode line22each include a plurality of openings. For example, one X electrode line21includes three auxiliary electrode lines and a short-circuit portion SH between the three auxiliary electrode lines. When a width WBof one auxiliary electrode line is in a range of 20 μm through 150 μm, a width WSof the short-circuit portion SH may be determined as follows.
0.2WB≦WS<WB(1)

The conductive black stripes29are arranged between, and parallel to, the pairs of X and Y electrode lines30. The protective layer24, which may be a magnesium oxide (MgO) layer, may be arranged on the front dielectric layer23to protect the panel from a strong electric field. A gas for forming plasma is sealed in the discharge regions14.

In each pair of the X and Y electrode lines30, the X electrode line21and the Y electrode line22each include a plurality of layers. The intermediate layer of the plurality of layers has the smallest resistivity, the outermost layers have the highest resistivity, and the layer(s) between the intermediate and outermost layers have increasing resistivity. For example, referring to the exemplary embodiment ofFIG. 2, the X electrode line21and the Y electrode line22each include a plurality of layers L1through L5. In this case, the intermediate layer L3has the smallest resistivity, the second and fourth layers L2and L4have a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the intermediate layer L3, and the outermost layers L1and L5have a resistivity that exceeds the resistivity of the second and fourth layers L2and L4.

For example, the resistivity of the intermediate layer L3may be in a rage of 10−8through 2×10−8Ω·cm, the resistivity of the second and fourth layers L2and L4may be about 60Ω·cm, and the resistivity of the first and fifth layers L3and L5may be about 7×108Ω·cm. The third layer L3is thicker than the total thickness of the remaining layers. Accordingly, an average resistance of the pairs of X and Y electrode lines30may be reduced.

For example, when the total thickness of the plural layers L1through L5is T, the thickness of the first and fifth layers L1and L5may be 0.05T, respectively, the thicknesses of the second and fourth layers L2and L4may be 0.1T, respectively, and the thickness of the third layer L3may be 0.7T. The total thickness T of the plural layers L1through L5may be in a range of 0.1 through 10 μm.

The third layer L3may be formed of a conductive material having a low resistivity, and the other layers may be formed of an oxide of the conductive material. For example, the third layer L3may be formed of a metal, and the other layers may be formed of an oxide of the metal. In this case, the adhesive force between the first layers L1of the X electrode line21, the Y electrode line22, and the conductive black stripe29and the front glass substrate20may be strengthened.

The third layer L3may be made of Ag, Pt, Pd, Ni, or Cu. In the current embodiment, the third layer L3comprises Ag, the first and fifth layers L1and L5comprise Ag2O, and the second and fourth layers L2and L4comprise AgO or Ag2O3. A method of fabricating the plural layers L1through L5will be described with reference toFIG. 4.

The conductive black stripe29may also include a plurality of layers. An intermediate layer among the plural layers has the smallest resistivity, and the farther a layer is from the intermediate layer, the larger its resistivity.

Therefore, the layers outside the metal intermediate layer L3among the plural layers L1through L5have larger resistivity and larger oxidation coupling force in the X electrode line21, the Y electrode line22, and the conductive black stripe29, respectively. Accordingly, the conductive particles of the layer L3, which has small resistivity and small coupling force, have difficulty in diffusing and migrating to the front dielectric layer23through the other layers.

Additionally, since the resistivity of the plural layers L1through L5decreases toward the intermediate layer L3, the average resistance of each pair of the X and Y electrode lines30may be reduced. In other words, an average conductivity of the X and Y electrode line pairs30may increase.

Therefore, infiltration of conductive particles from the X and Y electrode line pairs30toward the front dielectric layer23may be prevented while maintaining the conductivity of the pairs of X and Y electrode lines30. Additionally, diffusion and migration of conductive particles from the conductive black stripe29toward the front dielectric layer23may be prevented.

FIG. 4illustrates layer resistivity versus an oxygen content rate in a gas when the pairs of the X and Y electrode lines are formed using an Ag-sputtering thin film deposition method. The gas used to deposit the Ag-sputtering thin film may be a mixture containing O2and Ar. Therefore, the oxygen content rate (%) is a rate occupied by O2in the gaseous mixture of O2and Ar.

Processes for forming the pairs of X and Y electrode lines30is described below with reference toFIG. 1,FIG. 2, andFIG. 4.

The first layer L1may be formed of Ag2O, which is a stably combined silver oxide, under an atmosphere where the oxygen content rate (%) is about 60˜80% on a portion of the front substrate20. The resistivity of the first layer L1is about 7×108Ω·cm.

Additionally, the second layer L2may be formed of AgO or Ag2O3, which is unstably formed silver oxide, under an atmosphere where the oxygen content rate (%) is about 30% on the first layer L1. The resistivity of the second layer L2is about 60Ω·cm.

Next, air inducing is suspended, and the third layer L3may be formed of Ag on the second layer L2. The resistivity of the third layer L3is about 10−8˜2×10−8Ω·cm.

Then, the oxygen content rate (%) of the gas is increased to about 30%, and the fourth layer L4may be formed of the AgO or Ag2O3, which is unstably combined silver oxide, on the third layer L3. The resistivity of the fourth layer L4is about 60Ω·cm.

Next, the oxygen content rate of the gas increases to 60˜80%, and the fifth layer L5may be formed of Ag2O, which is stably combined silver oxide, on the fourth layer L4. The resistivity of the fifth layer L5is about 7×108Ω·cm.

As described above, according to an AC plasma display panel of the present invention, when a layer among a plurality of layers in an electrode line is far from the intermediate layer, the resistivity of the layer increases, and thus, the coupling force of the layer increases. Accordingly, conductive particles from the layer having the small resistivity and the small coupling force may not diffuse and migrate to the dielectric layer through the other layers.

Additionally, when the layer is close to the intermediate layer, the resistivity decreases. Accordingly, the average resistance of the electrode lines may be reduced.

Therefore, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the diffusion and migration of conductive particles to the dielectric layer from the electrode lines may be prevented while maintaining the high conductivity of the electrode lines.