In order to improve the discharge characteristics of MgO thin film as a protective layer in an alternative current plasma display panel, Fe-doped MgO thin films was introduced. Both the surface characteristics of the deposited thin films and the electro-optical properties of 4 inch test panels were investigated. It has been demonstrated experimentally that ac PDP with Fe-doped MgO protective layer has lower discharge voltage than that of undoped MgO film, which corresponds to measured secondary electron emission coefficients. The crystallinity and surface roughness of thin films were determined by XRD patterns and AFM images. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.