Abstract. In this paper, we describe the principles of operation of a plasma display panel (PDP) and the physical mechanisms controlling the performances of a PDP in terms of light emission efficiency, lifetime and image quality. Emphasis is put on the physics of the plasma occurring in a PDP cell, on the discharge optimization, and on the analysis of recent results provided by experimental and numerical diagnostic tools. We focus on alternative current PDPs, where the plasma is generated by a dielectric barrier discharge, the configuration adopted by most PDP companies. The recent improvements and the remaining research issues are discussed.

Print publication: Issue 6 (21 March 2003)
Received 29 August 2002
Published 26 February 2003