MgO Erosion Profile in the High Pressure Coplanar Discharge

Abstract

The sputtering of the MgO protective layer by energetic ions is one of the factors limiting the lifetime of the plasma display panels (PDPs). The sputtering profile of the MgO layer in a coplanar PDP cell has been studied using two-dimensional particle-incell Monte-Carlo Collision (PIC-MCC) simulations. The sputtering profile of the MgO layer for various gas conditions is obtained accounting for the energy and angle distributions of different ion species and their respective sputtering yields. Based on the simulation results, the MgO layer is more aggressively sputtered in Ne-based discharges than in He-based discharges. As a result, it is expected that the addition of He to the Ne-Xe mixture in PDPs will reduce the sputtering of the MgO layer and extend the lifetime of the PDP cells.

Microplasmas: Sources, Particle Kinetics, and Biomedical Applications

“…It should be noted, however, that the erosion profile is not directly proportional to the flux since the sputtering yield depends on the energy and incidence angle of the bombarding particle (Figure 18). Good agreement between simulation and experimental observations was also reported in regard to the erosion profile of MgO layers in plasma display panel cells 59…”

“…In discharges with gas mixtures, ions of low concentration substances can reach significantly higher energies owing to the unlikelihood of charge exchange resonant collisions with the background gas 59. For example, in a 300 Torr Ne/Xe(5%) DBD discharge, the ion energy probability function of Xe + ions presents a high energy tail of ≈15 eV (Figure 16a), whereas Ne + ions have a high energy tail of only ≈4 eV.…”

Modeling High‐Pressure Microplasmas: Comparison of Fluid Modeling and Particle‐in‐Cell Monte Carlo Collision Modeling

“…The dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was also sustained in an Ne/Xe mixture at 300 Torr (39.9 kPa). The Xe concentration was 5, 10, or 20% and the discharge configuration corresponds to a parallel‐plate reactor with electrodes covered with 30 µm dielectrics ( ε r = 10) 23. The distance between the two parallel electrodes was 200 µm, and the discharge was driven by 200 V bipolar square pulses of 3 µs duration with rising and falling times of 50 ns.…”