Multiple gaseous discharge display/memory panel comprising rare gas medium and photoluminescent phosphor

Claim 2

IN A GASEOUS DISCHARGE INFORMATION DISPLAY/MEMORY DEVICE CHARACTERIZED BY AN IONIZABLE GASEOUS MEDIUM IN A GAS CHAMBER FORMED BY A PAIR OF OPPOSED DIELECTRIC MEMBERS, AND A PAIR OF TRANSVERSE ELECTRODE ARRAYS, EACH ARRAY BEING INSULATED FROM THE GAS CHAMBER BY SAID DIELECTRIC MEMBERS AND PROVIDING FIRING AND SUSTAINING ALTERNATING CURRENT VOLTAGES FOR INITIATING AND SUSTAINING DISCHARGES OF SAID GASEOUS MEDIUM, SAID OPPOSED DIELECTRIC MEMBERS STORING CHARGES DURING EACH HALF CYCLE OF OPERATION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID DIELECTRIC MEMBERS ARE SPACED UNDER ABOUT 10 MILS AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OPPOSED DIELECTRIC MEMBERS CONTAINS AT LEAST ONE PHOTOLUMINESCENT PHOSPHOR SENSITIVE TO AND EXCITED BY ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION OF A WAVELENGTH WITHIN A RANGE OF ABOUT 500 TO ABOUT 2,500 ANGSTROM UNITS, SAID GASEOUS MEDIUM CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF A GAS SELECTED FROM THE RARE GASES HELIUM, NEON, ARGON, KRYPTON AND XENON AND MIXTURES THEREOF AND AT A PRESSURE FROM ABOUT 50 TORR TO ABOUT 800 TORR, SAID PHOSPHOR IN THE EXCITED STATE EMITTING VISABLE LIGHT OF A BRIGHTENS AND INTENSITY SUFFICIENT FOR VISUAL DISPLAY SAID PHOSPHOR BEING

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1 wherein the photoluminescent phosphor is sensitive to and excited by vacuum ultraviolet radiation of about 750 to about 2,000 angstrom units.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 1 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a zinc sulfide, zinc-cadmium sulfide, zinc-sulfo-selenide, zinc silicate, zinc-beryllo-silicate, magnesium silicate, calcium tungstate, magnesium tungstate, calcium phosphate, cadmium borate, zinc borate, magnesium arsenate, zinc oxide, magnesium fluoride, or magnesium fluorogermanate.

Claim 5

The invention of claim 1 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a thin film having a thickness between about 100 angstroms and 10 microns.

Claim 6

In a gaseous discharge information display/memory panel comprising an ionizable gaseous medium in a gas chamber formed by a pair of opposed dielectric material members backed by electrode members, the electrode members behind each dielectric material surface being transversely oriented with respect to the electrode members behind the opposing dielectric material surface so as to define a plurality of discharge units, and means providing firing and sustaining alternating current voltages for initiating and sustaining discharges of said gaseous medium, said gaseous medium consisting essentially of a rare gas selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof, said dielectric material surfaces serving to store charges during each half cycle of operation, the improvement wherein the frequency of said sustaining alternating current voltage is in the range of from about 25 KHz to about 300 KHz, and said ionizable gaseous medium is at a pressure in the range from about 50 torr to about 800 torr and sufficient to give said panel a memory margin, at least one dielectric member contains at least one photoluminescent phosphor sensitive to and excited by ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength within a range of about 750 to about 2,000 angstrom units, said phosphor in the excited state emitting visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for visual display.

Claim 7

In a gaseous discharge information display/memory panel comprising an ionizable gaseous medium in a gas chamber formed by a pair of opposed dielectric material members backed by electrode members, the electrode members behind each dielectric material surface being transversely oriented with respect to the electrode members behind the opposing dielectric material surface so as to define a plurality of discharge units, and means providing firing and sustaining alternating current voltages for initiating and sustaining discharges of said gaseous medium, said gaseous medium consisting essentially of a rare gas selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof, said dielectric material surfaces serving to store charges during each half cycle of operation, the improvement wherein the frequency of said sustaining alternating current voltage is in the range of from about 25 KHz to about 300 KHz, and said ionizable gaseous medium is at a pressure in the range from about 50 torr to about 800 torr and sufficient to give said panel a memory margin, at least one dielectric member contains at least one photoluminescent phosphor sensitive to and excited by ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength within a range of about 750 to about 2,000 angstrom units, said phosphor in the excited state emitting visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for visual display.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 5 wherein the gaseous medium is xenon.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 5 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a zinc sulfide, zinc-cadmium sulfide, zincsulfo-selenide, zinc silicate, zinc-beryllo-silicate, magnesium silicate, calcium tungstate, magnesium tungstate, calcium phosphate, cadmium borate, zinc borate, magnesium arsenate, zinc oxide, magnesium fluoride, or magnesium fluorogermanate.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 5 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a thin film having a thickness between about 100 angstroms and 10 microns.

Claim 11

In a process for operAting a gaseous discharge display/memory device characterized by an ionizable gaseous medium in a gas chamber formed by a pair of dielectric material members having opposed charge storage surfaces, which dielectric material members are respectively backed by a series of parallel-like electrode members, the electrode members behind each dielectric material member being transversely oriented with respect to the electrode members behind the opposing dielectric material member so as to locate a plurality of discrete discharge volumes each constituting a discharge unit having a discharge gap under about 10 mils, and wherein the gas is selectively ionized within each discharge unit by firing and sustaining alternating current voltages applied to the transversely oriented electrode members and charges are stored on said charge storage surfaces during each half cycle of operation, the improvement which comprises applying at least one photoluminescent phosphor to at least one dielectric member and then exciting the phosphor with an ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength of about 750 to about 2000 angstrom units, said alternating current voltages having a frequency in the range of from 25 KHz to about 300 KHz such that the phosphor is excited by pulses of U.V radiation during the discharge and at double the frequency of said alternating current voltage and emits visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for color visual display, said gaseous medium consists essentially from the rare gases group and at a pressure between 50 torr and 800 torr sufficient to give the panel a memory margin.

Claim 12

In a process for operAting a gaseous discharge display/memory device characterized by an ionizable gaseous medium in a gas chamber formed by a pair of dielectric material members having opposed charge storage surfaces, which dielectric material members are respectively backed by a series of parallel-like electrode members, the electrode members behind each dielectric material member being transversely oriented with respect to the electrode members behind the opposing dielectric material member so as to locate a plurality of discrete discharge volumes each constituting a discharge unit having a discharge gap under about 10 mils, and wherein the gas is selectively ionized within each discharge unit by firing and sustaining alternating current voltages applied to the transversely oriented electrode members and charges are stored on said charge storage surfaces during each half cycle of operation, the improvement which comprises applying at least one photoluminescent phosphor to at least one dielectric member and then exciting the phosphor with an ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength of about 750 to about 2000 angstrom units, said alternating current voltages having a frequency in the range of from 25 KHz to about 300 KHz such that the phosphor is excited by pulses of U.V radiation during the discharge and at double the frequency of said alternating current voltage and emits visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for color visual display, said gaseous medium consists essentially from the rare gases group and at a pressure between 50 torr and 800 torr sufficient to give the panel a memory margin.

Claim 13

The invention of claim 9 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a zinc sulfide, zinc-cadmium sulfide, zinc-sulfo-selenide, zinc-silicate, zinc-beryllo-silicate, magnesium silicate, calcium tungstate, magnesium tungstate, calcium phosphate, cadmium borate, zinc borate, magnesium arsenate, zinc oxide, magnesium fluoride, or magnesium fluorogermanate.

Claim 14

The invention of claim 9 wherein said photoluminescent phosphor is a thin film having a thickness between about 100 angstroms and 10 microns.

Claim 15

A gas discharge display/memory device comprising, in combination, a pair of spaced-apart nonconductive support members, a pair of conductor arrays arranged one on each of the confronting surfaces of said support members, the arrays being in transverse relative orientation so as to provide a series of cross-points therebetween, a thin dielectric material coating on the confronting surfaces of each of the support members and conductor arrays defining therebetween a sealed gas chamber with the discharge gap at each cross-point being between 3 and 8 mils, and means providing firing and sustaining alternating current voltages of a selected frequency for initiating and sustaining discharges of said gaseous medium, said gaseous medium consists essentially of a rare gas selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof, said dielectric material coating serving to store charges during each half cycle of operation, there being at least two discharges per cycle of operation, at least one of said dielectric material coatings containing photoluminescent phosphor means located at each of said cross-points, said phosphor means being sensitive to and excited by ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength within a range of about 500 to about 2,500 angstrom units generated by gaseous discharge at the respective cross-points, said selected frequency being in the range between about 25 KHz and about 300 KHz, said phosphor means in the excited state emitting visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for visual display, the pressure of said gas being between 50 torr and 800 torr depending on the gas characteristics and the electrode spacing and at least sufficient to give the panel a memory margin.

Claim 16

A gas discharge display/memory device comprising, in combination, a pair of spaced-apart nonconductive support members, a pair of conductor arrays arranged one on each of the confronting surfaces of said support members, the arrays being in transverse relative orientation so as to provide a series of cross-points therebetween, a thin dielectric material coating on the confronting surfaces of each of the support members and conductor arrays defining therebetween a sealed gas chamber with the discharge gap at each cross-point being between 3 and 8 mils, and means providing firing and sustaining alternating current voltages of a selected frequency for initiating and sustaining discharges of said gaseous medium, said gaseous medium consists essentially of a rare gas selected from helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and mixtures thereof, said dielectric material coating serving to store charges during each half cycle of operation, there being at least two discharges per cycle of operation, at least one of said dielectric material coatings containing photoluminescent phosphor means located at each of said cross-points, said phosphor means being sensitive to and excited by ultraviolet radiation of a wavelength within a range of about 500 to about 2,500 angstrom units generated by gaseous discharge at the respective cross-points, said selected frequency being in the range between about 25 KHz and about 300 KHz, said phosphor means in the excited state emitting visible light of a brightness and intensity sufficient for visual display, the pressure of said gas being between 50 torr and 800 torr depending on the gas characteristics and the electrode spacing and at least sufficient to give the panel a memory margin.