Flat-panel display with controlled sustaining electrodes

Abstract

A plasma flat-panel display comprising a hermetically sealed gas filled enclosure. The enclosure includes a top glass substrate having a plurality of parallel sustaining electrode pairs deposited upon an interior surface thereof and at least one auxiliary electrode associated with each pair of sustaining electrodes deposited upon the interior surface between the associated sustaining electrodes. The enclosure also includes a thin dielectric film covering the sustaining and auxiliary electrodes and a bottom glass substrate separated from the top glass substrate. The bottom substrate includes a plurality of alternating barrier ribs and microgrooves. An address electrode is associated with each microgroove and a phosphor is deposited over a portion of each address electrode. A first voltage is applied to the auxiliary electrode to initiate a discharge between the auxiliary electrode and a sustaining electrode. A second voltage, that is greater than the first voltage is applied to the sustaining electrodes and causes the discharge to extend between the sustaining electrodes.