An ultra-thin shadow mask plasma display panel is suitable for double-sided display and 3D display. A self-consistent fluid model is used to analyze the discharge characteristics of the ultra-thin SMPDP cell. The discharge processes of ultra-thin SMPDP and normal SMPDP are almost same proved by fluid model and ICCD images. Moreover, both the simulation and experimental results indicate that the discharge efficiency can be highly improved by using the ultra-thin glass as dielectric layer for its 50-70 m thick and 6.7 dielectric constant in ultra-thin SMPDP compared to normal SMPDP especially in high Xe ratio.