Inside of a plasma screen.
A Plasma display is a term used to describe screens whose pixels rely on plasma cells, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent lamps. A panel typically has millions of tiny cells in compartmentalized space between two panels of glass.
How They Work[]
A plasma display panel is an array of hundreds of thousands of small, luminous cells positioned between two plates of glass. Each cell is essentially a tiny neon lamp filled with rarefied neon, xenon, and other inert gases; the cells are luminous when they are electrified through "electrodes."
If you introduce many free electrons into the gas by establishing an electrical voltage across it, the free electrons collide with the atoms, knocking loose other electrons. With a missing electron, an atom loses its balance. It has a net positive charge, making it an ion.
In a plasma with an electrical current running through it, negatively charged particles are rushing toward the positively charged area of the plasma, and positively charged particles are rushing toward the negatively charged area. In this mad rush, particles are constantly bumping into each other. These collisions excite the gas atoms in the plasma, causing them to release photons of energy.
Xenon and neon atoms, the atoms used in plasma screens, release light photons when they are excited. Mostly, these atoms release ultraviolet light photons, which are invisible to the eye. But ultraviolet photons can be used to excite visible light photons.
Plasma Verses Liquid Crystal Display[]
See also: Liquid Crystal Display
While the market is constantly changing in displays as companies produce better and cheaper screens, it seems that plasmas have fallen in popularity for a few reasons:
- They tend to be more expensive than the same size LCD display
- LCD displays look brighter in the store, even though plasma has much richer colors if you can darken the room
- Plasma displays tend to consume more energy, as if anyone cares
- Though it never used to be the case, LCD displays now have better viewing angles than Plasma (nearly 180 degrees now for some LED TVs
- Plasmas can have the problem of burn in, where an image, if displayed long enough, will become a permanent fixture in your TV. Imagine looking at that Fox News logo all the time, hoping the world will somehow catch up with your obviously correct conservative ideology, saying to yourself, "I haven't seen a birth certificate. How do I know Obama's not from Kenya?" and "Boy that Glenn Beck sure has some good points." If this describes you, buy a plasma.