Color Plasma Displays

After decades of research and development, plasma displays are finally beginning to appear in the commercial and consumer markets. Following a short review on the basic principles of direct and alternating current plasma displays, we present a summary of the status of color plasma displays. Plasma display panels (PDPs) have finally achieved luminance and efficiency values on par with hi-definition cathode ray tube monitors. Additional improvements in performance will open up a new world of large PDP displays. Ultimately, what will drive the PDP market will be continued improvements in the performance of color PDPs themselves. PDP makers are working on reducing power consumption through improved luminous efficiency and improved component materials and manufacturing methods of color PDPs. With improvements in the cell structure and driving methods, there is a good prospect of achieving a luminous efficiency of 2–3 lm/W and a power consumption of about 200 W for 50-in diagonal size.