Patent ID: 7714510

Claim:
A plasma display apparatus, comprising: a front substrate; a plurality of first sustain electrodes and a plurality of second sustain electrodes formed on the front substrate; a rear substrate positioned adjacent to the front substrate; a plurality of address electrodes formed on the rear substrate; at least one column barrier rib at least substantially parallel with the address electrodes and at least one row barrier rib crossing the address electrodes; and a plurality of discharge cells positioned where the pluralities of first and second sustain electrodes cross the plurality of address electrode, the first and second sustain electrodes not overlapping the row barrier rib, wherein at least one of the plurality of first sustain electrodes or the plurality of second sustain electrodes is formed of one layer with a bus electrode, and wherein a thickness of the at least one of the plurality of first sustain electrodes or the second sustain electrodes ranges from ˜3 μm to ˜7 μm, said apparatus further comprising: a first bridge portion that crosses at least one of the first sustain electrodes; and a second bridge portion that crosses at least one of the second sustain electrodes, wherein: the first and second bridge portions have first ends that extend toward one another and beyond respective ones of the first and second sustain electrodes, the first ends aligned at least substantially along a common axis to define a gap, the first ends project beyond respective ones of the first and second sustain electrodes by distances sufficient to correspond to a predetermined firing voltage for driving the plasma display apparatus, and the first and second bridge portions have second ends that extend in directions different from the first ends of the first and second bridge portions, the second ends extending towards corresponding row barrier ribs of a discharge cell leaving respective gaps therebetween, wherein each of the gaps is ˜70 μm or less.