A plasma display panel (PDP) is essentially a matrix of tiny fluorescent tubes which are controlled in a sohpisticated fashion. There are two main types, DC - and AC of which the latter has become mainstream because of simpler structure and longer lifetime.
Their functioning process is the folowing:
A plasma is generated by applying a certain voltage across two electrodes. The breakdown between these two electrodes is triggered by a very small voltage applied in an address line. When this breakdown occurs, electrons collide with Xe or Ne atoms, exciting them, and thus producing UV light.
The UV light will excite the phosphors, converting it into visible spectrum.
The color shading is controlled using a Pulse code modulation with time scale in the order of nanoseconds. This pulsing signal is integrated by the slower eye system into a solid primary value.
The plasma is self-mantained even when the address line goes to zero, due to the fact that the applied voltage between the electrodes is tuned to be very close to the breakdown voltage. Thus, there is no need for refreshing.
