A study of the secondary electron yield γ of insulator cathodes for plasma display panels

In order to provide a guideline in the search for the optimum cathode materials for plasma display panels (PDPs), formulas for the simple calculation of the secondary electron yield γ were derived from Hagstrum´s theory for an insulator without impurity levels. From these, we obtained the generalized relations between γ and the band parameters of an insulator and the potential energy of an incident particle, which is an ion or a metastable atom. Unlike metals, it is not work function but the sum of band gap and electron affinity that essentially contributes to γ of an insulator, By applying these formulas, the γ values of BaO and MgO for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe ions and metastable atoms were practically calculated. In particular, the metastable atom-induced γ values of these insulators were calculated for the first time. The γ values of these insulators for these noble gas ions are determined by Auger neutralization only. As for MgO, which is at present the most useful insulator cathode for PDPs, the γ values for Kr and Xe ions become zero. These calculated γ values of MgO for all noble gas ions were compared with experimental results reported previously