BOLTZMANN SIMULATIONS OF AC-PDP GAS-DISCHARGES

The AC-plasma display panel (AC-PDP), capable of producing real-time, high-resolution, full-color video images is a fairly recent technology. The operation of these devices is dictated by the physics of low-temperature gas discharges. We have developed a fully self-consistent, Boltzmann-Poisson numerical simulation for the operation of an idealized AC-PDP picture element. A key component in the operation of the AC-PDP is a dielectric layer on each of the pixel electrodes. These dielectric layers provide each pixel with a memory capability. This allows a pixel, once addressed, to remain in an on-state until it is specifically re-addressed into an off-state. This ability leads to ''write'', ''sustain'', and ''erase'' duty cycles for each pixel. In this paper, we will present a brief introduction to AC-PDP construction and operation and present detailed simulation results for the ''write'' and ''sustain'' operations of a picture element.