Development and characterization of micromachined hollow cathode plasma display devices

In this paper, we report the development of hollow cathode micro plasma devices made using micromachining techniques. Compared with larger discharge devices, micromachined discharge devices operate at much higher pressures, up to 1 atm. Linear current-voltage relationships are obtained, potentially simplifying the control electronics for such devices. The size of micromachined discharge units is reduced and the distribution of sizes and light intensity in an array is more uniform relative to previous devices.