Field controlled plasma discharge printing device

摘要

A field controlled plasma discharge display element is disclosed for light source use in single element and multiple element plasma discharge electrostatic printers. The display element includes a pair of hollow discharge electric field electrodes, and a third electrode positioned external to and aligned with the discharge electric field electrodes for generating a control electric field proximate to the discharge electric field. The control electric field is used to control the intensity of the plasma discharge by distorting the shape of the generated discharge electric field. The single element plasma discharge device is modulated in accordance with the image to be printed and the modulated output is scanned across the photoconductive surface to produce the latent image. The multi-element matrix hollow cathode discharge device, on the other hand, generates the latent image on the photoconductive surface using either a line imaging (using a one by y matrix discharge device) effect or a page imaging (using an x by y matrix discharge device) effect.