Direct measurement of electron density and temperature distributions in a micro-discharge plasma for a plasma display panel

Spatial distributions of electron density (n(e)) and electron temperature (T-e) of a micro-discharge plasma for an alternating current plasma display panel cell were directly measured using the laser Thomson scattering method. The use of a triple-grating spectrometer was very successful in suppressing the strong stray laser light and allowed us to perform measurements at 0.1 mm above the surface of the electrode substrate. Values of n(e) and T-e were (0.2-3)x10(19) m(-3) and (1.6-3.4) eV, respectively, depending on the time from the beginning of the pulsed discharge and the observation position. The structure of the micro-discharge is discussed in terms of the obtained distributions of n(e) and T-e. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.