Design, fabrication, testing, and conditioning of micro-components for use in a light-emitting panel

• US 6,822,626 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Issued: 11/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Leidos, Inc. (Leidos Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Science Applications International Corporation
• Inventors: Green, Albert M., Wyeth, N. Convers, George, E. Victor, Drobot, Adam T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H.
• Application Number:
  US10/214,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20040175854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 315/169.3, 315/312, 315/313, 345/60, 345/61, 345/67, 438/30, 438/149, 438/151, 438/152, 313/582
• US Class Current: 345/60
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0033 Means for improving the coupling-out of light from the light guide
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0036 2-D arrangement of prisms, protrusions, indentations or roughened surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/0065 Manufacturing aspects; Material aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 11/18 containing a plurality of independent closed structures for containing the gas, e.g. plasma tube array [PTA] display panels
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 17/49 Display panels, e.g. with crossed electrodes , e.g. making use of direct current display panels making use of alternating current H01J11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2217/49264 Vessels
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/241 the vessel being for a flat panel display H01J9/261 takes precedence; flat discharge lamps H01J9/248

Abstract

A method of forming micro-components is disclosed. The method includes pretesting and conditioning of the micro-components. The micro-components that fail testing or conditioning are discarded, and those remaining are assembled into a panel.

Claims

1. A process for forming a micro-component, comprising:

forming a shell of predetermined shape and encapsulating therein a plasma-forming gas to thereby form a micro-component;

testing the formed micro-component for certain predetermined physical characteristics;

discarding each formed micro-component that does not meet the predetermined physical characteristics.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

creating liquid droplets of the same shape as the micro-component to be formed, in the presence of a plasma-forming gas;

encasing said droplets with a material which forms said shell; and

dehydrating said encased droplets.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein said predetermined shape is a sphere.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein said predetermined shape is a capillary.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein said testing comprises inspecting the formed micro-component for physical defects, and thereafter exciting the gas therein, detecting luminous output from each formed micro-component and discarding each formed micro-component that has physical defects or does not achieve a predetermined level of luminous output.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the micro-components are formed by forming a shell and thereafter injecting a plasma-forming gas therein and sealing the shell to encapsulate the plasma-forming gas in the shell.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the micro-component is formed by forming cavities in at least one of two substrates in the presence of at least one plasma-forming gas, and affixing the two substrates together.

8. The process of claim 1, further comprising forming said micro-components of a size of at least about 10 microns to about several centimeters.

9. The process of claim 1, further comprising coating the micro-component with a frequency converting coating.

10. The process of claim 9, wherein said frequency converting coating is phosphor.

11. The process of claim 9, wherein said frequency converting coating is a rare earth.

12. The process of claim 9, wherein said coating is at least one of barium fluoride, yttrium aluminum garnet, yttrium aluminum garnet doped with cerium, and gadolinium gallium garnet.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein said plasma-forming gas is a rare gas halide.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said plasma-forming gas contains at least one of the rare gas halides.

15. The process of claim 1, wherein the micro-components are formed by glass blowing with a capillary, and with a plasma-forming gas being blown through the capillary to form the plasma-forming gas encapsulating micro-component.

16. A process for testing formed micro-components, comprising:

in a continuous process, optically inspecting micro-components as they are formed for structural defects; and

discarding micro-components detected to have structural defects.

17. The process of claim 16 further comprising applying an excitation field to the formed micro-components to cause plasma generating gas therein to become excited;

optically inspecting each micro-component to determine if it discharges radiation; and

discarding those micro-components that do not discharge radiation.

18. The process of claim 17, wherein said micro-components are excited by an electron beam.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said individual testing comprises discarding micro-components which fail said individual testing.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said micro-components are excited at a level of excitation greater than any excitation to be applied when assembled in a plasma display.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein said predetermined amount of time is selected to be sufficient to ensure that substantially all micro-components which are to fail, fail during said predetermined amount of time.

22. The process of claim 17, wherein said micro-components are excited by a tesla coil.

23. The process of claim 17, wherein said micro-components are excited by high frequency RF.

24. A method of conditioning micro-components for use in plasma display, comprising

assembling micro-components to be assembled into a display in a batch;

applying an excitation field to the assembled micro-components to excite a plasma generating gas in the micro-components for a predetermined amount of time; and

terminating said excitation and continuously individually testing the micro-components to ensure each one functions.