A flat lamp with horizontal facing electrodes is provided, in which a front substrate
and a rear substrate are spaced such as to face each other. Walls between the front
and rear substrates form a discharging space filled with a discharge gas. A plurality
of front electrodes and a plurality of rear electrodes are provided on facing surfaces
of the front and rear substrates, respectively. The front and rear electrodes,
formed in strips, are arranged in such a way that the front electrodes alternate
with the rear electrodes. Accordingly, the discharging distance between front and
rear electrodes is lengthened, and many fine discharging operations occur between
tip electrodes extending from the lateral sides of the electrode strips and flat
portions of corresponding electrode strips. Therefore, a current concentration
is prevented, thereby achieving uniform discharging. Also, brightness of the flat
lamp increases.
