ABSTRACT
Plasma-driven flat panel display pixels were invented by D. L. Bitzer and H. G. Slottow at the University of Illinois in 1966. Individual pixels formed by the intersection of two conductor wires are aligned with the perforations. Pixels are illuminated by applying a voltage between two intersecting wires sufficient to initiate gas breakdown. Over the years, this basic pixel design has undergone a multitude of refinements and improvements, but the fundamental concept is still widely used. Plasma-driven flat panel displays offer a number of advantages over competing display technologies. The highly nonlinear electrical behavior of each pixel, with inherent memory properties, can be used to advantage in design of the drive electronics required to refresh and to update the pixel array of the display. The physical processes governing of the behavior of the pixel discharge are closely coupled and form a closed-loop system.
