Discharge properties and chemical stability of SrZrO films

Abstract

MgO thin film is currently used as a surface protective layer for dielectric materials because MgO has a high resistance during ion sputtering and exhibits effective secondary electron emission. The secondary-electron-emission coefficient γ of MgO is high for Ne ions; however, it is low for Xe ions. The Xe content of the discharge gas of PDPs needs to be raised in order to increase the luminous efficiency. Thus, the development of high-γ materials replacing MgO is required. The discharge properties and chemical surface stability of SrO containing Zr (SrZrO) as the candidate high-γ protective layer for noble PDPs have been characterized. SrZrO films have superior chemical stability, especially the resistance to carbonation because of the existence of a few adsorption sites due to their amorphous structure. The firing voltage is 60 V lower than that of MgO films for a discharge gas of Ne/Xe = 85/15 at 60 kPa. FIGURE 1 -Schematic diagram of the hot-cathode sputtering system. The powder target and thermal insulator between the target and cathode electrode were used in order to increase the target temperature.

Annealing process for recovery of carbonated (Mg,Ca)O protective layer for plasma discharge device

“…[13][14][15] However, the practical application of these materials as protective layers has not been realized, because they largely adsorb H 2 O and CO 2 in air owing to the enhanced reactivity at O 2− sites. 16,17) Many other materials have also been reported, [18][19][20][21] but their practical use has not been realized for similar reasons. To suppress the effects of chemical reactivity and obtain optimal performance of plasma discharge devices with these materials as protective layers, an all-in-vacuum process 22) or a structure with double protective layers 23,24) has been proposed, but these are difficult to practically apply in production.…”