Flat panel displays have recently received much attention in, research and development. as alternatives to the cathode ray tube (CRT). The plasma display panel (PDP) is considered a promising candidate for commercial, development. The performance of an ac PDP is influenced strongly by the surface plasma characteristics on the protective layer. The objective of this study was to examine the potential use of a polymerized thin film to replace MgO conventionally use for this protective layer. This thin film was formed using an interelectrode capacitively coupled plasma polymerization apparatus using methyl methacrylate (MMA) to create a polymerized PPMMA plasma polymerized methyl methacrylate (PPMMA). Both the functional groups of PMMA and PPMMA were found in the analysis using Fourier transform infrared. The polymerization rate of plasma polymer increased as a function of the plasma power and decreased as a function of the system pressure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The plasma polymerized thin films showed high transparency of over 98% and had a secondary electron emission coefficient that was higher than the MgO thin films 0.02-0.14 over 50-150 V. The characteristics of the PPMMA made it a very attractive candidate protective layer. The next step in its qualification is to study sputtering and operational characteristics in demonstrative panel. (C) 2003 American Vacuum Society.