Planar AC plasma display having glow suppressor electrode

Claim 2

Display cell apparatus comprising a dielectric layer having a planar surface, an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said surface, first and second conductors embedded in said layer, and a single glow suppression pad capacitively coupled to said first and second conductors biasing said glow suppression pad at a voltage intermediate the voltage on said first and second conductors.

Claim 3

The display cell apparatus of claim 1 wherein said glow suppression pad is approximately equally capacitively coupled to said first and second conductors.

Claim 4

The display cell apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first and second conductors are embedded in said layer at first and second levels therewithin, respectively, said second level being more proximate to said body of ionizable gas than said first level, and said glow suppression pad is located on the same level and adjacent said second conductor.

Claim 5

The display cell apparatus of claim 3 further comprising a glow supporting pad disposed in said layer at said second level adjacent to said second electrode on a side opposite the location of said glow suppression pad and substantial capacitively coupled to said first electrode.

Claim 6

The display cell apparatus of claim 3 wherein said first and second conductors are elongated in shape and disposed substantially at right angles to one another.

Claim 7

The display cell apparatus of claim 3 further comprising at least one conductive pad located on the same level as said first conductor and having a capacitive coupling to both said second conductor and said glow suppression pad.

Claim 8

The display cell apparatus of claim 6 wherein said conductive pad has a segment located under said second conductor and a segment located under said glow suppression pad.

Claim 9

The display cell apparatus of claim 6 wherein said conductive pad is elongated in shape with the length dimension disposed substantially in parallel with said first conductor.

Claim 10

The display cell apparatus of claim 3 wherein said glow suppression pad is elongated in shape with the length dimension substantially in parallel with said second conductor.

Claim 11

The display cell apparatus of claim 3 wherein said glow suppression pad is located at the Paschen minimum distance from said second conductor and has a width greater than the Paschen minimum distance.

Claim 12

Display apparatus comprising a planar substrate; a planar layer of dielectric material disposed on said substrate; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said layer; a first plurality of conductors embedded in said layer; a second plurality of conductors embedded in said layer forming a plurality of display cells with said first plurality of conductors; a plurality of individual glow suppression pads with only one suppression pad per display cell which is capacitively coupled to each conductor forming the display thereby biasing each suppression pad at a voltage intermediate the voltage on the conductors coupled thereto.

Claim 13

Display apparatus comprising a planar substrate; a planar layer of dielectric material disposed on said substrate; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said layer; a first plurality of conductors embedded in said layer; a second plurality of conductors embedded in said layer forming a plurality of display cells with said first plurality of conductors; a plurality of individual glow suppression pads with only one suppression pad per display cell which is capacitively coupled to each conductor forming the display thereby biasing each suppression pad at a voltage intermediate the voltage on the conductors coupled thereto.

Claim 14

Display apparatus comprising a planar substrate; a planar layer of dielectric material disposed on said substrate; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said layer; a first plurality of conductors embedded in said level; a second plurality of conductors arranged substantially perpendicular to said first plurality of conductors forming a plurality of display cells with said first plurality of conductors and embedded in said layer at a second level which is more proximate said body of ionizable gas than said first level; and a plurality of individual glow suppression pads located at said second level, wherein only one suppression pad is capacitively coupled to conductors of each intersection formed by said first and second plurality of conductors.

Claim 15

Display apparatus comprising a planar substrate; a planar layer of dielectric material disposed on said substrate; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said layer; a first plurality of conductors embedded in said level; a second plurality of conductors arranged substantially perpendicular to said first plurality of conductors forming a plurality of display cells with said first plurality of conductors and embedded in said layer at a second level which is more proximate said body of ionizable gas than said first level; and a plurality of individual glow suppression pads located at said second level, wherein only one suppression pad is capacitively coupled to conductors of each intersection formed by said first and second plurality of conductors.

Claim 16

The display apparatus of claim 11 or 12 wherein each of said plurality of glow suppression pads are approximately equally capacitively coupled to conductors of said intersection formed by said first and second plurality of conductors.

Claim 17

The display apparatus of claim 11 or 12 further comprising a first plurality of glow supporting pads each disposed in said layer at said second level and adjacent to one of said second plurality of conductors on a side opposite the location of a glow suppression pad and substantially capacitively coupled to one of said first plurality of conductors forming an intersection with said one of said second plurality of conductors.

Claim 18

The display apparatus of claim 11 or 12 wherein at least one of said plurality of glow suppression pads is elongated in shape with the length dimension substantially in parallel with and located at the Paschen minimum distance from its second conductor and having a width greater than the Paschen minimum distance.

Claim 19

The display apparatus of claims 11 or 12 further comprising a plurality of conductive pads located on the same level as said first plurality of conductors and each of said plurality of conductive pads having a capacitive coupling to both a second conductor and a glow suppression pad of an intersection.

Claim 20

The display apparatus of claim 16 wherein each of said plurality of conductive pads have a segment located under said second conductor and a segment located under said glow suppression pad of an intersection.

Claim 21

The display apparatus of claim 16 wherein at least one of said plurality of conductive pads is elongated in shape with the length dimension disposed substantially in parallel with a first conductor.

Claim 22

Glow suppression apparatus for preventing ionization of a gas at conductor crossover locations of a display apparatus; said display apparatus comprising a dielectric layer having a planar surface; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said surface; first and second conductors embedded in said layer at first and second levels, respectively, forming a non-conductive crossover therein, said second level being more proximate to said body of ionizable gas than said first level; and said glow suppression apparatus comprising two glow suppression pads located on the same level and adjacent each side of said second conductor at said non-conductive crossover, said glow suppression pads being capacitively coupled to said first and second conductors.

Claim 23

Glow suppression apparatus for preventing ionization of a gas at conductor crossover locations of a display apparatus; said display apparatus comprising a dielectric layer having a planar surface; an enclosed body of ionizable gas adjacent said surface; first and second conductors embedded in said layer at first and second levels, respectively, forming a non-conductive crossover therein, said second level being more proximate to said body of ionizable gas than said first level; and said glow suppression apparatus comprising two glow suppression pads located on the same level and adjacent each side of said second conductor at said non-conductive crossover, said glow suppression pads being capacitively coupled to said first and second conductors.

Claim 24

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of said two glow suppression pads are approximately equally capacitively coupled to said first and second conductors.

Claim 25

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 19 or 20 further comprising at least one conductive pad located on the same level as said first conductors and having a capacitive coupling to one of said second conductors and to one of said glow suppression pads.

Claim 26

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 21 wherein said conductive pad has a segment located under one of said second conductors and a segment located under one of said glow suppression pads.

Claim 27

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 21 wherein said conductive pad is elongated in shape with the length dimension disposed substantially in parallel with one of said first conductors.

Claim 28

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 19 or 20 wherein said glow suppression pads are elongated in shape with the length dimension substantially in parallel with said second conductors.

Claim 29

The glow suppression apparatus of claim 24 wherein each of said glow suppression pads are located at the Paschen minimum distance from one of said second conductors and has a width greater than the Paschen minimum distance.