A plasma bubble display: A new approach to the design of a shift-addressed AC plasma display

The picture elements of the proposed plasma bubble display are plasma bubble domains. The properties of these domains, which are analogous to those of magnetic bubble domains, are reviewed. The design of a plasma bubble display based on an assembly of shift-registers composed of generator, propagator, and annihilator elements, is described. The bubble propagator design is analogous to the "angelfish" field access scheme first developed for magnetic bubble memories. Periodic modulation of the sustain voltage produces periodic modulation of the bubble area to move the bubble along an asymmetric guiding track. The display promises a number of attractive features including transparent backplate and faceplate electrodes, circular bubble picture elements, and a significantly reduced number of external connections. A 2560 character display with 32 lines of 80 7 × 9 characters with an 8 × 12 character field and cursor line will require 68 connections.