SURFACE-DISCHARGE AC PLASMA COLOR FLAT PANEL DISPLAY FOR SPACE STATION APPLICATIONS

LARGE-AREA, HIGH-RESOLUTION, FULL-COLOR, FLAT-PANEL DISPLAYSARE NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM ANY MANUFACTURER. THE AIM OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP SUCH A DISPLAY, WITH BOTH GRAY-SCALE AND VIDEO CAPABILITY, USING A NEW AC-PLASMA MEMORY PANEL STRUCTURE. PLASMA DISPLAYS ARE THE LEADING FLAT-PANEL COLOR TECHNOLOGY BEING DEVELOPED IN JAPAN FOR LARGE-AREA, HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION, AND THERE HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS PROGRESS IN THESE DEVICES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF PHASE I IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW AC-PLASMA STRUCTURE AND COMPARE ITS PERFORMANCE WITH MORE CONVENTIONALDOUBLE-SUBSTRATE, COLOR-PLASMA PANELS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT. A SURFACE-DISCHARGE PANEL STRUCTURE APPEARS TO OFFER A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT TECHNICAL AND MANUFACTURING ADVANTAGES OVER PRESENT PLASMA CONFIGURATIONS. A MINIMUM OF 16 PANELS WILL BE FABRICATED, WITH FOUR CRITICAL PARAMETERS SYSTEMATICALLY VARIED. THESE PANELS WILL HAVE A PICTURE RESOLUTION OF 128 X 128 CELLS. PHASE II WILL OPTIMIZE THE PANEL STRUCTURE TO PRODUCE A 19-INCH-DIAGONAL, 640 X 480 PIXEL FULL-COLOR DISPLAY. THIS DISPLAY WILL BE DELIVERED TO NASA WITH DYNAMIC DRIVE ELECTRONICS AND DEMONSTRATION SOFTWARE. LARGE-AREA, HIGH-RESOLUTION, FULL-COLOR, FLAT-PANEL DISPLAYSARE NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM ANY MANUFACTURER. THE AIM OF THE PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP SUCH A DISPLAY, WITH BOTH GRAY-SCALE AND VIDEO CAPABILITY, USING A NEW AC-PLASMA MEMORY PANEL STRUCTURE. PLASMA DISPLAYS ARE THE LEADING FLAT-PANEL COLOR TECHNOLOGY BEING DEVELOPED IN JAPAN FOR LARGE-AREA, HIGH-DEFINITION TELEVISION, AND THERE HAS BEEN TREMENDOUS PROGRESS IN THESE DEVICES OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE OF PHASE I IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW AC-PLASMA STRUCTURE AND COMPARE ITS PERFORMANCE WITH MORE CONVENTIONALDOUBLE-SUBSTRATE, COLOR-PLASMA PANELS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT. A SURFACE-DISCHARGE PANEL STRUCTURE APPEARS TO OFFER A NUMBER OF IMPORTANT TECHNICAL AND MANUFACTURING ADVANTAGES OVER PRESENT PLASMA CONFIGURATIONS. A MINIMUM OF 16 PANELS WILL BE FABRICATED, WITH FOUR CRITICAL PARAMETERS SYSTEMATICALLY VARIED. THESE PANELS WILL HAVE A PICTURE RESOLUTION OF 128 X 128 CELLS. PHASE II WILL OPTIMIZE THE PANEL STRUCTURE TO PRODUCE A 19-INCH-DIAGONAL, 640 X 480 PIXEL FULL-COLOR DISPLAY. THIS DISPLAY WILL BE DELIVERED TO NASA WITH DYNAMIC DRIVE ELECTRONICS AND DEMONSTRATION SOFTWARE.