Electronic Drive Considerations for High Brightness Vacuum Fluorescent Graphic Displays

High brightness vacuum fluorescent graphic displays have been successfully manufactured with both front luminous vacuum fluorescent (FLVFD) and conventional vacuum fluorescent (VFD) display technologies. These graphic displays require the development of high voltage low current driver integrated circuits (IC's) to take advantage of the display's full brightness capabilities. As these drivers become available, high brightness displays will be ubiquitous in automotive free format displays, navigational systems, and medical equipment.

This paper discusses the pertinent IC requirements for driving conventional graphic VFD's and FLVFD's. An analysis is made of the total system power which considers the power components associated with the drivers and VF display. The concluding section discusses the factors that limit the display's brightness, which include phosphor efficiency, filament lifetime, and anode plating.