AVS 49th International Symposium
    Plasma Science Tuesday Sessions
       Session PS1-TuA

Paper PS1-TuA7
Materials with a High Secondary-electron Yield Studied in a Macroscopic Discharge Cell

Tuesday, November 5, 2002, 4:00 pm, Room C-103

Session: Microdischarges
Presenter: T.J. Vink, Philips Research, The Netherlands
Authors: T.J. Vink, Philips Research, The Netherlands
R.G.F.A. Verbeek, Philips Research, The Netherlands
A.R. Balkenende, Philips Research, The Netherlands
H.A.M. van Hal, Philips Research, The Netherlands
S.T. de Zwart, Philips Research, The Netherlands
Correspondent: Click to Email
Reduction of the firing voltage in plasma display panels (PDPs) calls for electrode coatings with a high secondary-electron yield. To this end we have selected a range of materials that have a low electron affinity and thus potentially a high electron emission yield. Among these materials are MgO, used as a default in PDPs, MgF@sub 2@, Al@sub 2@O@sub 3@, CsI, Rb-halogenides etc. The materials, in thin film form, were tested in a so-called macroscopic discharge cell, with dimensions that are 50 times larger than those of a discharge cell in a real PDP. Compared to the real PDP the product of pressure times electrode gap width is kept constant, and the capacitance of the dielectric layer above the electrodes is scaled accordingly. Furthermore, because of its relatively large size the macroscopic discharge cell enabled us to prepare some of the more chemically reactive materials in situ, which is crucial for measuring surface sensitive electron emission properties properly. It is shown that the firing voltages measured in the macroscopic discharge cell compare quantitatively with respect to values obtained from a PDP test panel. A 50% reduction in the firing voltage relative to the best quality MgO can be achieved. The measured firing voltages correlate well with a relatively simple model based on ionization energy of the gas atom, and band gap and electron affinity of the solid. Finally, the occurrence of secondary-electron emission yields above the Auger limit of 0.5 are discussed in terms of ion- and photon-induced processes.