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Emeritus Research Professor of Physics
Ph.D., 1963, University of Colorado
Within the next half decade sizable markets ($10B annually) for large area display
devices for high definition television (HDTV) and workstations are anticipated. The
possible candidates to fabricate large screens are: 1) cathode ray tubes (CRT); 2)
liquid crystal displays (LCDs); 3) light emitting diodes (LEDs); and 4) plasma display
panels (PDPs). Currently, the most promising technology appears to be PDPs. A computer
code which simulates the operation of a monochrome or color plasma display picture
element is being developed by the theoretical plasma group at The University of Toledo.
The fabrication of a prototype color plasma display panel (CPDP) is a time-consuming
and costly job if it is done each time new ideas are to be incorporated into the design.
Parametric studies of design changes can become major expenditures of research funding.
If a reliable computer simulation of a PDP element is available, then changes in design
and their influence on the final display panel can be studied rapidly and relatively
inexpensively. The time and cost from drawing board to prototype and final design
can, in principle, be greatly reduced. Some of the desirable features to incorporate
into such a code are ways to study computationally: increased luminosity output, extended
PDP lifetime, and lower power consumption (increased efficiency). In addition, there
is valuable knowledge gained about the fundamental way a PDP operates. In order to
be useful in research and development environments, the code must be able to provide
reasonable turn-around time in studying design modifications. Research collaboration
with local industries and national laboratories has been rather successful.
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