To date, most colour plasma display panel (PDP) manufacturers have chosen to use soda-lime glass as their substrate material. However, as these displays increase in size and resolution, PDP manufacturers are beginning to recognize the shortcomings of this substrate glass. The sensitivity of soda lime glass to the temperatures added complexity and expense during processing, and to limitations in the panel's design and operation. This paper focuses on Corning's efforts to understand the substrate's thermal stability requirements as driven by current and future display resolution goals. It then reviews the results of experimentation used to translate these requirements into design criteria for new glass compositions especially tailored for this application.
