Microspheres in Plasma Display Panels
Consumer, Home, and Recreation
Originating
Technology/NASA Contribution
NASA does things that have never been done before—sending
spacecraft to other planets, sending people to the Moon,
and exploring the limits of the universe. To accomplish
these scientific missions, engineers at work within the
Space Agency build machines and equipment that have never
been made before—rockets that can send advanced instruments
across the solar system, giant telescopes that watch the
stars from space, and spacecraft that can keep astronauts
safe from the perils of space flight. To do these never-before-done
deeds with these never-before-made materials, NASA often
needs to start at the basics and create its own textiles
and materials. The engineers and materials specialists
at the Space Agency are, therefore, among the best in the
world.
It is not surprising then, that oftentimes, when industry
engineers have difficulties with their designs or processes,
they turn to NASA for assistance and NASA teams are happy
to oblige.
Partnership
Filling small bubbles of molten glass with gasses is just
as difficult as it sounds, but the technical staff at NASA
is not known to shy away from a
difficult task.
When Microsphere Systems, Inc. (MSI), of Ypsilanti, Michigan,
and Imaging Systems Technology,
Inc. (IST), of Toledo,
Ohio, were trying to push the limits of plasma displays
but were having difficulty with the designs, NASA’s Glenn
Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative (GMCI) assembled
key personnel at Glenn Research Center and Ohio State University
for a brainstorming session to come up with a solution
for
the companies.
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Conceptual
drawing of a large-area, thin flat-panel display
television in a home setting. Imaging Systems Technology,
Inc., engineers were among the first to begin work
in the field of developing plasma displays, and
they are continuing to push the boundaries of this
field. |
They needed a system that could produce hollow, glass micro-sized
spheres (microspheres) that could be filled with a variety
of gasses. But the extremely high temperature required
to force the micro-sized glass bubbles to form at the tip
of a metal nozzle resulted in severe discoloration of the
microspheres. After countless experiments on various glass-metal
combinations, they had turned to the GMCI for help.
NASA experts in advanced metals, ceramics, and glass concluded
that a new design approach was necessary. The team determined
that what was needed was a phosphate glass composition
that would remain transparent, and they went to work on
a solution.
Six weeks later, using the design tips from the NASA team,
Tim Henderson, president of MSI, had designed a new system
in which all surfaces in contact with the molten glass
would be ceramic instead of metal. Meanwhile, IST was able
to complete a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research
(SBIR) grant supported by the National Science Foundation
(NSF) and supply a potential customer with samples of the
microspheres for evaluation as filler materials for high-performance
insulations.
In 2002, MSI received a $35,000 GMCI “Commerciali-zation
Assistance Award” to upgrade and implement its production
system to evaluate customer and investor reactions to a
new plasma display panel; and IST was able to continue
to develop the flexible display technology using microspheres.
In addition to the Phase I SBIR, IST went on to receive
NSF Phase II and Phase IIB grants, as well as a National
Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Technology
Program grant for $2 million and two additional research
grants from the State of Ohio, totaling nearly $800,000.
Product Outcome
Under the direction of its president, Carol Ann Wedding,
IST specializes in microspheres for flat-panel displays
and related devices—with a strong focus and capability
in plasma display design, development, and analysis. The
staff at IST can trace its roots back to the development
of the very first plasma displays created; and microspheres
are the key component for IST’s novel plasma displays,
since they can be made into a variety of contours and shapes
without distorting the image.
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Imaging
Systems Technology, Inc., is leading the way in
the areas of plasma design, development, and testing. |
IST markets the microspheres as Plasma-spheres, tiny hollow
spheres encapsulating an ionizable gas that glows when
charged. The spheres, which can be applied to both flexible
and rigid panels, form the basis of an addressable pixel
element—a Plasma-sphere display. The display offers the
same bright, full color as a conventional plasma display,
but it is very rugged and can be a low-cost solution for
large-area flexible displays.
These displays have commercial application in the markets
of large venue displays, large conformable displays, and
even home theaters.
The company continues to stay on the cutting edge of this
field, thanks in part to the NASA partnership. It has worked
on many designs, products, and services in the area of
imaging and display technology, including product tear-downs,
analysis and correction of false contour and motion artifacts,
as well as development of custom test equipment. It has
even designed a line of large-area
touchscreens, including the world’s largest, which measures
in at 32 by 8 feet.
In October 2005, IST received the prestigious “R&D
100 Award,” making it the third time that plasma display
research teams led by the Wedding family have received
this honor. In 1982, Donald K. Wedding with Dr. Donald
R. Willis of Magnavox had received the award for the development
of the world’s first 1-meter plasma panel. In 1990, Carol
Ann Wedding had received the award for the development
of the first video addressable color plasma display. The
company received the R&D 100 award, which recognizes
its cutting-edge technology as one of the most technologically
significant products of the year, for its innovative work
in flexible Plasma-sphere displays. That same year, IST
was also awarded the “State of Ohio 2005 Emerging Technology
Award.”
Plasma-sphere™ is a trademark of Imaging
Systems Technology, Inc.
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