Temporal behavior of the wall voltage in a surface-type alternating current plasma display panel cell using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy

Electric fields were measured using laser induced fluorescence spectroscopy and the wall voltage was estimated from the measured electric fields in a surface-type alternating current plasma display panel cell with a helium discharge (100 Torr) driven by square sustaining pulses. The wall voltage showed very complicated, temporally dynamic behavior. The polarity of the wall voltage changed rapidly as soon as the plasma was ignited, and its magnitude continuously increased due to the continuous injection of charged particles onto the dielectric surface from the afterglow plasma during the rest of the pulse-on period. When there was a self-erasing discharge at the instant of the pulse turn-off, the wall voltage dropped sharply by about 110 V and decreased continuously owing to the diffusion-induced charge redistribution or leakage. The decay rate of the wall voltage during the pulse-off period was very dependent on the surface condition of the protecting layer of the dielectric.