Temporal distribution of space charge in AC plasma cell discharge

By measuring the transported electrons produced by transverse sampling pulses, the temporal space-charge distribution of an operating ac plasma display cell is established for the first time. Results show that the space charge buildup continues beyond discharge breakdown (∼ 0.85 µs from the sustain pulse leading edge) and reaches a peak at ∼2.25 µs. These space charges, usually lost in the recombination process due to weak internal field, can be transported out and effectively used in new devices such as shift displays and plasma logic gates.