NSF Award
0109627
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will show the efficacy of using small hollow glass microspheres, "Plasma-spheres", as cellular-size gas containers for plasma display panels. Current plasma panel technology utilizes an "open" plasma system, which captures ionizable gas between two glass panels. This system is difficult to fabricate. Production costs are high due to time consuming gas processing techniques presently in use. If successful, the new system is expected to decrease the gas processing time significantly, thereby lowering costs, and it will allow the production of flexible plasma panels. Phase I will fabricate and gas fill the microspheres, construct prototype, monochrome Plasma-sphere panels, and compare their critical characteristics, such as efficiency, brightness, life, operating voltage requirements, with those achieved with a standard monochrome plasma panel.<br/><br/>Successful replacement of extant open plasma systems with plasma-sphere systems can reduce costs sufficiently to make high definition television available to the home consumer market. Plasma-spheres may also extend plasma panel use to low pressure environments, e.g., high altitude and space applications, and to high-pressure environments, e.g., undersea applications. The possibility of an open flexible plastic substrate can lead to various aerospace, military, and consumer applications.
