Neutral Point Clamped Inverter Based PDP Driver

A cost-effective and high-efficiency driver is proposed for plasma display panels (PDPs) by eliminating switching devices with high current ratings. The proposed driver is based on a neutral -point clamped inverter structure, and the path switches can be eliminated without reducing the flexibility in designing driving waveforms. Moreover, the LC resonant operation during the sustain period can be constructed with only unidirectional diodes in aid of the switching scan IC devices. Thus, the proposed driver can produce a PDP driving waveform with no path switches as well as no resonant switches. Since the path switches and the resonant switches are practically implemented with several semiconductor devices in parallel due to high gas-discharge and capacitor displacement current, the proposed driver can considerably simplify the overall driver with fewer semiconductor devices. Additionally, high conduction losses from the path switches and the resonant switches with high current loading can be eliminated in the proposed driver, leading to higher efficiency. The developed driver also places the clamping diodes to recover the inductive energy trapped in the resonant inductors due to the inevitable diode reverse-recovery phenomena.