1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a Plasma Display Panel (PDP). More particularly, the present invention relates to a plasma display panel having an improved electrode structure to enhance luminous efficiency.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a plasma display panel (hereinafter referred to as a “PDP”) is a display device implementing an image with visible light generated by exciting phosphor with vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) rays radiated by plasma during gas discharge. The PDP can provide a super wide screen of greater than 60 inches with a thickness of less than 10 cm (centimeters). Additionally, the PDP has the characteristics of excellent color representation and no distortion phenomenon with regard to a viewing angle, since the PDP is a self-emissive display element like a cathode ray tube (CRT). Additionally, the PDP has advantages in productivity and production cost since its fabrication method is simple compared to that of a liquid crystal display (LCD). The PDP may be more suitable for a flat panel display for industrial use and a television display for home use in the next generation due to the above advantages.
A three-electrode surface-discharge type is one of the well-known structures of a PDP. The three-electrode surface-discharge type of structure includes a front substrate and a rear substrate maintaining a space therebetween, display electrodes on the front substrate, and address electrodes on the rear substrate crossing the display electrodes. Additionally, the front and rear substrates are combined and a discharge gas is filled into the space therebetween. In the PDP, an address discharge is generated by scan electrodes connected to each line and being individually controlled and address electrodes crossing the scan electrodes, and a sustain discharge is generated by the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes facing each other and located on the same surface. Whether to discharge or not is determined by the address discharge, and brightness is expressed by the sustain discharge.
In this case, the scan and sustain electrodes in each of the discharge cells are formed of transparent electrodes so as not to block the visible light emitted from the discharge cells. However, since the transparent electrodes have very high resistance, metal electrodes are provided with the transparent electrodes to compensate for electrical conductivity thereof. Since the metal electrodes block visible light, the metal electrodes are formed on edge portions of the transparent electrodes in a widthwise direction of the transparent electrodes so as not to block the visible light emitted from the discharge cells.
Thus, the transparent electrodes are disposed around a discharge gap in which plasma discharge substantially occurs, thereby increasing discharge firing voltage. Additionally, since material of the transparent electrodes, e.g., ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), is very expensive, a unit price of production goes up and price competitiveness goes down. Additionally, since the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes are formed having the transparent electrodes and the metal electrodes, work processes are very complicated and the unit price of production further increases.
The information disclosed above in this Background section is only provided to aid in understanding of the aspects of the present invention described in detail below.