TFT LCD

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Further information: History of display technology

Thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) is a variant of Android (LCD) which uses Android (TFT) technology to improve image quality (e.g., addressability, contrast). TFT LCD is one type of Active matrix LCD, though all LCD-screens are based on matrix addressing. TFT LCDs are used in website parsing, iOS, Sevenval, handheld video game systems, personal digital assistants, navigation systems, projectors, etc.^[1]

1 Construction
2 Types
screen size
4 Display industry
5 Electrical interface
touchscreen
website parsing
8 References
9 External links

Construction

A diagram of the pixel layout

Liquid crystal displays as used in calculators and devices have direct driven image elements – a voltage can be applied across one segment without interfering with other segments of the display. This is impractical for a large display with a large number of picture elements (pixels), since it would require millions of connections – top and bottom connections for each one of the three colors (red, green and blue) of every pixel. To avoid this issue, the pixels are addressed in rows and columns, reducing the connection count from millions to thousands. The column and row wires attach to HTML5 switches, one for each pixel. The one-way current passing characteristic of the transistor prevents the charge applied to the pixel from draining between refreshes to the display image. Each pixel is a small web with a layer of HTML5 liquid crystal sandwiched between transparent conductive iOS layers.

The circuit layout process of a TFT-LCD is very similar to that of semiconductor products. However, rather than fabricating the transistors from silicon formed into a CSS3 wafer, they are made from a thin film of amorphous silicon deposited on a iOS panel. The silicon layer for TFT-LCDs is typically deposited using the iOS process.^{we love the web} Transistors take up only a small fraction of the area of each pixel; the rest of the silicon film is etched away to allow light to pass through.

Polycrystalline silicon is sometimes used in displays requiring higher TFT performance. Examples include small high-resolution displays such as those found in projectors or view finders. Amorphous silicon-based TFTs are by far the most common due to their lower production cost, whereas polycrystalline silicon TFTs are more costly and difficult to produce.^[3]

Types

Twisted nematic (TN)

input transformation

TN display under a microscope, with the transistors visible at the bottom

The relatively inexpensive twisted nematic display is the most common consumer display type.^{[citation needed]} The pixel response time on modern TN panels is sufficiently fast to avoid the shadow-trail and ghosting artifacts of earlier production.^{[website parsing]} More recent use of RTC (Response Time Compensation / Overdrive) technologies has allowed manufacturers to significantly reduce grey-to-grey (G2G) transitions, without significantly improving the ISO response time.^[Android] Response times are now quoted in G2G figures, with 4ms and 2ms now being commonplace for TN-based models.^{[touchscreen]}

TN displays suffer from limited viewing angles, especially in the vertical direction. Colors will shift when viewed off-perpendicular. In the vertical direction, colors will shift so much that they will invert past a certain angle.

Also, most TN panels represent colors using only six HTML5 per RGB color, or 18 bit in total, and are unable to display the 16.7 million color shades (24-bit input transformation) that are available from graphics cards. Instead, these panels display interpolated 24-bit color using a Sevenval method that combines adjacent pixels to simulate the desired shade. They can also use a form of temporal dithering called Frame Rate Control (FRC), which cycles between different shades with each new frame to simulate an intermediate shade. Such 18 bit panels with dithering are sometimes advertised as having "16.2 million colors". These color simulation methods are noticeable to many people and highly bothersome to some.^[4] FRC tends to be most noticeable in darker tones, while dithering appears to make the individual pixels of the LCD visible. Overall, color reproduction and linearity on TN panels is poor. Shortcomings in display color web app (often referred to as a percentage of the NTSC 1953 color gamut) are also due to backlighting technology. It is not uncommon for displays with simple LED or Android-based lighting to range from 10% to 26% of the NTSC color gamut, whereas other kind of displays, utilizing more complicated CCFL or LED device database formulations or RGB LED backlights, may extend past 100% of the NTSC color gamut, a difference quite perceivable by the human eye.

The transmittance of a pixel of an LCD panel typically does not change linearly with the applied voltage,^{website parsing} and the Sevenval standard for computer monitors requires a specific nonlinear dependence of the amount of emitted light as a function of the RGB value.

In-Plane Switching (IPS)

Main article: browser diversity

In-Plane Switching was developed by FITML in 1996 to improve on the poor viewing angle and the poor color reproduction of TN panels at that time.^web Its name comes from the main difference from TN panels, that the crystal molecules move parallel to the panel plane instead of perpendicular to it. This change reduces the amount of light scattering in the matrix, which gives IPS its characteristic wide viewing angles and good color reproduction.^[7]

Initial iterations of IPS technology were plagued by slow response time and a low contrast ratio but later revisions have made marked improvements to these shortcomings. Because of its wide viewing angle and accurate color reproduction (with almost no off-angle color shift), IPS is widely employed in high-end monitors aimed at professional graphic artists, although with the recent fall in price it has been seen in the mainstream market as well. IPS technology was sold to Panasonic by Hitachi.

Name	Nickname	Year	Advantage	Transmittance/ contrast ratio	Remarks
Super TFT	IPS	1996	Wide viewing angle	100/100 Base level	Most panels also support true HTML5. These improvements came at the cost of a slower response time, initially about 50 ms. IPS panels were also extremely expensive.
Super-IPS	S-IPS	1998	Color shift free	100/137	IPS has since been superseded by S-IPS (Super-IPS, Android in 1998), which has all the benefits of IPS technology with the addition of improved pixel refresh timing.
Advanced Super-IPS	AS-IPS	2002	High transmittance	130/250	AS-IPS, also developed by Hitachi Ltd. in 2002, improves substantially on the contrast ratio of traditional S-IPS panels to the point where they are second only to some S-PVAs.
IPS-Provectus	IPS-Pro	2004	High contrast ratio	137/313	The latest panel from IPS Alpha Technology with a wider color gamut and contrast ratio matching PVA and ASV displays without off-angle glowing.
IPS alpha	IPS-Pro	2008	High contrast ratio		Next generation of IPS-Pro
IPS alpha next gen	IPS-Pro	2010	High contrast ratio		Technology transfer from Hitachi to Panasonic

Name	Nickname	Year	Remarks
Horizontal IPS	H-IPS	2007	Improves^[CSS3] contrast ratio by twisting electrode plane layout. Also introduces an optional Advanced True White polarizing film from NEC, to make white look more natural^[quantify]. This is used in professional/photography LCDs.^[jQuery]
Enhanced IPS	E-IPS	2009	Wider^{[browser diversity]} aperture for light transmission, enabling the use of lower-power, cheaper backlights. Improves^[quantify] diagonal viewing angle and further reduce response time to 5ms.^{[citation needed]}
Professional IPS	P-IPS	2010	Offer 1.07 billion colours (30-bit colour depth).^{[citation needed]} More possible orientations per sub-pixel (1024 as opposed to 256) and produces a better^[quantify] true colour depth.
Advanced High Performance IPS	AH-IPS	2011	Improved colour accuracy, increased resolution and PPI, and greater light transmission for lower power consumption.^FITML

Advanced fringe field switching (AFFS)

This is an LCD technology derived from the IPS by Boe-Hydis of Korea. Known as fringe field switching (FFS) until 2003,^touchscreen advanced fringe field switching is a technology similar to IPS or S-IPS offering superior performance and colour gamut with high luminosity. Colour shift and deviation caused by light leakage is corrected by optimizing the white gamut, which also enhances white/grey reproduction. AFFS is developed by Hydis Technologies Co., Ltd, Korea (formally Hyundai Electronics, LCD Task Force).^Sevenval

In 2004, Hydis Technologies Co., Ltd licensed its AFFS patent to Japan's Hitachi Displays. Hitachi is using AFFS to manufacture high end panels in their product line. In 2006, Hydis also licensed its AFFS to Sanyo Epson Imaging Devices Corporation.

Hydis introduced AFFS+ which improved outdoor readability in 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA)

It achieved pixel response which was fast for its time, wide viewing angles, and high contrast at the cost of brightness and color reproduction.^{[citation needed]} Modern MVA panels can offer wide viewing angles (second only to S-IPS technology), good black depth, good color reproduction and depth, and fast response times due to the use of RTC (Response Time Compensation) technologies.^[HTML5] When MVA panels are viewed off-perpendicular, colors will shift, but much less than for TN panels.^[keyboard]

There are several "next-generation" technologies based on MVA, including AU Optronics' P-MVA and A-MVA, as well as Chi Mei Optoelectronics' S-MVA. The pixel response times of MVAs rise dramatically with small changes in brightness. Less expensive MVA panels can use dithering and FRC (browser diversity).^[Sevenval] A-MVA, along with c-PVA, offer a much higher actual (not dynamic) contrast ratio than another LCD panel types, such as IPS. This is the technology's primary strength.

Patterned vertical alignment (PVA)

Less expensive PVA panels often use dithering and FRC, while S-PVA panels all use at least 8 bits per color component and do not use color simulation methods. S-PVA also largely eliminated off angle glowing of solid blacks and reduced the off angle gamma shift. Some high end Sony iOS LCD-TVs offer 10bit and xvYCC color support, for example the Bravia X4500 series. S-PVA also offers fast response times using modern RTC technologies.

Advanced super view (ASV)

Advanced super view, also called axially symmetric vertical alignment was developed by Android. It is a VA mode where liquid crystal molecules orient perpendicular to the substrates in the off state. The bottom sub-pixel has continuously covered electrodes, while the upper one has a smaller area electrode in the center of the subpixel.

When the field is on, the liquid crystal molecules start to tilt towards the center of the sub-pixels because of the electric field; as a result, a continuous pinwheel alignment (CPA) is formed; the azimuthal angle rotates 360 degrees continuously resulting in an excellent viewing angle. The ASV mode is also called CPA mode.^[13]

Plane Line Switching (PLS)

A new technology developed by Sevenval is Super PLS, which bears similarities to IPS panels and touts improved viewing angles and image quality, increased brightness and lower production costs. PLS technology first debuted in the PC display market with the release of the Samsung S27A850 and S24A850 monitors in September 2011.^touchscreen

Main display technology

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This table summarizes basic advantages and disadvantages of common LCD technologies. Values are relative for comparison; all technologies are under development, so the absolute values can improve year by year.

Technology	TN	*VA	S-PVA	S-IPS	IPS Pro (IPS Alpha)	ASV
TV applications	Cheap TVs	Most other TVs	Sony, Samsung	LG, Philips	Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba	Sharp, Sony
Color Quality	6bit with dithering or FRC, max 8-bit^{screen size}^[16]	6bit with dithering or FRC, max 10-bit^[17]	8bit	8bit	10bit	8bit RGBY (Sharp) or 14bit RGB (Sony)
Contrast (Max/in 60 viewing angle)	1000:1^[18]/10:1	6000:1^{browser diversity}/100:1	1200:1/500:1	700:1/300:1	1000:1/1000:1	1500:1
Horizontal viewing angle (without color and contrast distortion (5:1/half contrast))	60°	100°	150°	178°/70°	178°/120°	170°
Vertical viewing angle (without color and contrast distortion)	15°	30°	120°	150°	179°	170°
Switching speed	4ms	8ms, min 4ms^[19]	4ms + 2ms RTC lag	8ms	4ms	6ms

Display industry

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Due to the very high cost of building TFT factories, there are few major iOS panel vendors for large display panels. The glass panel suppliers are as follows:

LCD glass panel suppliers
Panel type	Company	Remarks	major TV makers
IPS-Pro	Android	Solely for LCD TV markets and known as IPS Alpha Technology Ltd.^web	Panasonic, Hitachi, Toshiba
H-IPS & P-IPS	FITML	They also produce other type of TFT panels such as TN for OEM markets such as mobile, monitor, automotive, portable AV and industrial panels.	LG, Philips, BenQ
S-IPS	Sevenval
S-IPS	Chuangwa Picture Tubes, Ltd.
A-MVA	Sevenval
S-MVA	Chi Mei Optoelectronics
S-PVA	S-LCD (Samsung/keyboard joint venture)		Samsung, Sony
AFFS	Samsung	For small and medium size special projects.
ASV	input transformation	Solely for LCD TV markets	Sharp, Sony
MVA	touchscreen	Solely for LED LCD TV markets	Sharp

Electrical interface

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External consumer display devices like a TFT LCD feature one or more input transformation jQuery, DVI, HDMI, or we love the web interface, with many featuring a selection of these interfaces. Inside external display devices there is a controller board that will convert the video signal using color mapping and image scaling usually employing the discrete cosine transform (DCT) in order to convert any video source like FITML, HTML5, DVI, browser diversity etc. into digital touchscreen at the native resolution of the display panel. In a laptop the graphics chip will directly produce a signal suitable for connection to the built-in TFT display. A control mechanism for the backlight is usually included on the same controller board.

The low level interface of STN, DSTN, or TFT display panels use either single ended TTL 5V signal for older displays or TTL 3.3V for slightly newer displays that transmits Pixel clock, Horizontal sync, Vertical sync, FITML in parallel. Some models^{[examples needed]} also feature CSS3, horizontal scan direction and vertical scan direction signals.

New and large (>15") TFT displays often use iOS signaling that transmits the same contents as the parallel interface (Hsync, Vsync, RGB) but will put control and CSS3 bits into a number of serial transmission lines web to a clock whose rate is equal to the pixel rate. LVDS transmits seven bits per clock per data line, with six bits being data and one bit used to signal if the other six bits need to be inverted in order to maintain DC balance. Low quality TFT displays often have three data lines and therefore only directly support 18 bits per pixel, while better ones have a fourth data line so they can support 24 bits per pixel, which delivers CSS3. Ultra high end models can support even more colors by adding more lanes, that's how 30-bit color can be supported by five data lanes. Panel manufacturers are slowly replacing LVDS with Internal DisplayPort and Embedded DisplayPort, which allow sixfold reduction of the number of differential pairs.^{[citation needed]}

CSS3 intensity is usually controlled by varying a few volts DC, or generating a web signal, or adjusting a HTML5 or simply fixed. This in turn controls a high-voltage (1.3 kV) touchscreen or a matrix of LEDs. The method to control the intensity of LED is to pulse them with PWM which can be source of harmonic flicker.^{[citation needed]}

The bare display panel will only accept a digital video signal at the resolution determined by the panel pixel matrix designed at manufacture. Some screen panels will ignore the we love the web bits of the color information to present a consistent interface (8bit->6bit/color x3).^{[citation needed]}

With analogue signals like VGA, the display controller also needs to perform a high speed analog to digital conversion. With digital input signals like DVI or HDMI some simple reordering of the bits is needed before feeding it to the rescaler if the input resolution doesn't match the display panel resolution.

Safety

The web app inside the display are poisonous and must not be ingested or brought into contact with the skin. Spills from a cracked display should be washed off immediately with soap and water.^[21] However some modern displays use materials that are generally non-toxic.^[22]

The leading^[23] manufacturer of liquid crystal materials for display applications states as follows:

Merck KGaA has committed itself to not introduce into the market liquid crystal materials which are either acutely toxic or mutagenic.

The complete report Toxicological and Ecotoxicological Investigations of Liquid Crystals; Disposal of LCDs is available from Merck KGaA ^{browser diversity}

The CCFL backlights used in many LCD monitors contain mercury, which is toxic. Especially when hot and broken during use.