When it comes to the display types and the quality, the term ‘LCD’ is used
extensively. LCD is mainly used in the screen of electronic devices.
Although most people are using LCD in different devices, they do not
actually know the full form of LCD.
In this article, we have briefly covered the most important topics about
LCD, such as the full form of LCD, what is LCD, its history, construction,
working process, and more.
What You Will Learn
What is the full form of LCD?
LCD is an abbreviation used for 'Liquid Crystal Display'. It is a flat panel display technology mainly used on laptops, computer
monitors, and televisions. However, nowadays smartphones are also using this
technology to produce better images and quality. The LCD looks completely
different from the older heavy CRT monitor and is now the most widely used
screen in modern days.
The full form of LCD can be explained as:
| L | Liquid |
| C | Crystal |
| D | Display |
Let’s talk about what LCD is:
What is LCD?
By definition, an LCD is a thin, flat panel display or an optical video
display that features a light modulating property of a liquid crystal. The
properties of a liquid crystal change when an electric field is applied to
them. The main function of the LCD is to display images on various
electronic devices. LCDs are designed in such a way that they can produce
both, arbitrary images and fixed images.
Arbitrary images are images displayed in general-purpose computers, laptops,
etc. Besides, fixed images are used in digital clocks, calculators, and many
other devices. Due to its excellent power efficiency, LCDs are suitable for
battery-powered devices and equipment.
A Brief History of LCD
In 1964, LCDs were introduced for the first time by 'George Heilmeier', an electrical engineer at RCA Laboratories. Before the manufacture of
LCDs, liquid crystals were discovered in 1888 by an Austrian botanist,
‘Friedrich Reinitzer’. At that time, liquid crystal was a part of the
research and experimental work. Later in 1936, it was first practically used
as a liquid crystal light valve in wireless telegraphy.
As technology continues to evolve, a researcher named 'Richard Williams'
worked with a liquid crystal material and applied different voltages to it.
This eventually produced many patterns in a thin layer of liquid crystal.
This was referred to as the 'electro-optical' effect. After many continuous
experiments, the LCD was made in the year 1964.
Note: The first modern LCD using a passive grid technology was built in 1972 by
the owner of the International Liquid Crystal Company (ILIXCO).
Construction of LCD
LCD is a combination of two phases, made up of liquid and solid matters. The
solid element used here is referred to as 'crystal' and when it is combined
with the liquid, it helps in producing better and clear pictures. Aside from
this, there are two different layers in LCDs, which include two polarized
filters and the electrodes. The backlight is placed behind the screen panel.
Also, there are mainly two kinds of pixel grids in LCD, namely
'active-matrix grid' and the 'passive matrix grid'. Active Matrix Grid is
usually implemented in modern devices, such as smartphones, tablets, etc. On
the other side, Passive Matrix Grid is an older technology and used in older
devices.
How does LCD work?
LCDs usually operate by blocking the light-beam instead of just releasing
the lights. It works on the principle of liquid crystal color emission.
According to that, the light is polarized and the liquid crystal is twisted
by applying the electrical voltage to it. By doing this, the polarized light
gets blocked when there is no electric current. Besides, when the electric
current is applied to it, the light gets activated and reflects toward the
audience. This helps generate millions of pixels required for producing the
picture.
Devices Using LCD
LCD is used across a range of devices. Some of the most common devices using
the LCD are listed below:
• Televisions
• Laptops
• Computer Monitors
• Smartphones
• Tablets
• Calculators
• Digital Clocks
• Smartwatches
• Gaming Devices
Advantages of LCD
Some essential advantages of LCD are listed below:
• LCD is thinner, light-weight, and flexible to move from one place
to another.
• LCD consumes very little power, which makes it energy
efficient.
• LCD produces better quality pictures with excellent brightness,
contrast, and resolutions. Also, it provides perfect sharpness and zero
geometric distortion at the native resolution.
• LCD produces very little radiation as compared to general CRT
monitors, which makes it environment-friendly.
• LCD can be coupled with CMOS integrated circuits boards so that LCD
is comparatively easy to make when compared with the old CRT screens.
Disadvantages of LCD
Some essential disadvantages of LCD are listed below:
• LCD requires an additional light source for lighting the pixels,
which means if the light source is gone then there will be no image on the
screen.
• LCD has a limited wide viewing angle support, which is
comparatively less than general CRT displays. That means if we try to watch
the screen at wider angles, then the color of the picture will not look
properly.
• LCD does not produce truer black levels because individual liquid
crystals cannot obstruct all the backlight passing through it.
• LCD has a low response time, which causes motion blur issues when
moving objects are displaying on the screen.
• LCD comes with a fixed aspect ratio and resolution.
Summary
LCD (stands for ‘Liquid Crystal Display’) is a widely used flat panel
display. It has replaced the old CRT monitors and is now coming with most
devices, such as laptops, computers, smartphones, smartwatches, digital
clocks, and more.
What others reading:
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