A flexible BLU created by embedding plasma discharge clusters in a flexible polymer matrix is studied in this work. Optimization of the cluster is carried out at various discharge conditions involving changes of the electrode gap, phosphor area, gas pressure, and Xe content in the discharge gas, and with and without an MgO layer. As the electrode gap increases from 400 mu m to 1200 mu m, the luminance linearly increases to two times the luminance at 400 nm. A cluster with 50% Xe shows a considerable increase in its luminance of 3500 cd/m(2) compared to the reference of 1200 cd/m(2). The introduction of an MgO layer into the cluster resulted in a reduction of nearly 50% in the initial firing voltage compared to a cluster without an MgO layer. Finally, a flexible BLU embedded in a polymer matrix is demonstrated with the optimized cluster. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.