History of display technology

Electrically operated display devices have developed from electromechanical systems for display of text, up to all-electronic devices capable of full-motion 3D color graphic displays. Electromagnetic devices, using a solenoid coil to control a visible flag or flap, were the earliest type, and were used for text displays such as stock market prices and arrival/departure display times. The cathode ray tube was the workhorse of text and video display technology for several decades until being displaced by plasma, liquid crystal (LCD), and solid-state devices such as thin-film transistors (TFTs), LEDs and OLEDs. With the advent of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), integrated circuit (IC) chips, microprocessors, and microelectronic devices, many more individual picture elements ("pixels") could be incorporated into one display device, allowing graphic displays and video.

## Cathode ray tube

[edit]

Main article: Cathode-ray tube

One of the earliest electronic displays is the cathode-ray tube (CRT), which was first demonstrated in 1897 and made commercial in 1922.[1] The CRT consists of an electron gun that forms images by firing electrons onto a phosphor-coated screen. The earliest CRTs were monochrome and were used primarily in oscilloscopes and black and white televisions. The first commercial colour CRT was produced in 1954. CRTs were the single most popular display technology used in television sets and computer monitors for over half a century; it was not until the 2000s that LCDs began to gradually replace them.

A derivative of CRTs were storage tubes, which had the ability to retain information displayed on them, unlike standard CRTs which need to be refreshed periodically. In 1968, Tektronix introduced the Direct-view bistable storage tube, which went on to be widely used in oscilloscopes and computer terminals.[2]

### Monochrome CRT

[edit]

1922 Monochrome cathode ray tube:

Dual trace, showing different time bases on each trace.

### Color CRT

[edit]

1954 Color cathode ray tube for the display of color television:[3]

### Direct-View Bistable Storage Tube

[edit]

1968[2] The Direct-View Bistable Storage Tube CRT retains static information displayed upon it, written using a steerable electron beam that can be turned off. The DVBST was used in vector displays of early computers and in oscilloscopes.

Tektronix 4014 with a "DVBST" storage display screen

## Nixie tube display

[edit]

1955 Nixie tube:

The ten digits of a GN-4 Nixie tube

## Flip-flap or disc display

[edit]

1957 Split-flap display:

1961 Flip-disc display:

Flip-Dot-Display

## Stroboscopic display

[edit]

1960s Stroboscopic display:[4][5] In the 1960s RASA Calculator (Russian), a small motor spins a cylinder that has a number of transparent numerals. To display a numeral, the calculator briefly flashes a thyratron light behind the required number when it spins into position.

## Monochrome plasma display

[edit]

1964 Monochrome plasma display:

Plasma displays were first used in PLATO computer terminals. This PLATO V model illustrates the display's monochromatic orange glow as seen in 1988.

## LED display

[edit]

1968 LED display:

LED destination displays on buses, one with a colored route number. Outdoor 4 x 3 m large LED screen in Jelgava, Latvia.

## Eggcrate display

[edit]

1968 Eggcrate display

## Vacuum fluorescent display

[edit]

1967 Vacuum fluorescent display as used in consumer electronics.

Vacuum fluorescent display used in a videocassette recorder. VFD raster display

## Twisted nematic field effect LCD

[edit]

1971 Twisted nematic field effect LCD [6][7] [8]

## Electroluminescent display

[edit]

1974 Electroluminescent display (ELD):[9]

## Super-twisted nematic LCD

[edit]

1984 Super-twisted nematic display (STN LCD) to improve passive-matrix LCDs, allowing for the first time higher resolution panels with 540x270 pixels.

Prototype Brown Boveri STN LCD with 540x270 pixels

## Pin screen

[edit]

Pin screen:

1969 Braille display:[10]

## Thin film transistor LCD

[edit]

1986 Color Thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display:[11]

## Digital Light Processing

[edit]

1987 optical micro-electro-mechanical technology that uses a digital micromirror device. While the Digital Light Processing (DLP) imaging device was invented by Texas Instruments, the first DLP-based projector was introduced by Digital Projection Ltd in 1997.

## Full-color plasma display

[edit]

1995 Full-color plasma display:[12]

## Organic light-emitting diode

[edit]

2003 Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) [13]

Sony XEL-1, the world's first OLED TV

2003 Active-matrix OLED (AMOLED):[14]

## Electronic paper

[edit]

2004 Electronic paper:[15]

iLiad E-book reader equipped with e-paper display iLiad in sunlight

## See also

[edit]

* Display device

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Computer History - 1922". www.computerhope.com. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
2. ^ a b medical-answers.org – Tektronix 4014 Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ "– earlytelevision.org – Picture Tubes, 15GP22 Color CRT". Archived from the original on 2017-01-01. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
4. ^ Stroboscopic display on the Soviet calculator "RASA" (video)
5. ^ Soviet made "RASA" electronic calculator with stroboscopic display
6. ^ Schadt, M.; Helfrich, W. (1971-02-15). "Voltage-Dependent Optical Activity of a Twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal". Applied Physics Letters. 18 (4). AIP Publishing: 127–128\. Bibcode:1971ApPhL..18..127S. doi:10.1063/1.1653593. ISSN 0003-6951.
7. ^ Helfrich, W.; Schadt, M. (1971-08-30). "Birefringence of Nematogenic Liquids Caused by Electrical Conduction". Physical Review Letters. 27 (9). American Physical Society (APS): 561–564\. Bibcode:1971PhRvL..27..561H. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.27.561. ISSN 0031-9007.
8. ^ Joseph Castellano, "Modifying Light', American Scientist, September–October 2006
9. ^ faqs.org – Patent application title: Personal article with electron luminescent display
10. ^ U.S. patent 3,594,787;
11. ^ auburn.edu – Note on the Liquid Crystal Display Industry Archived 2012-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
12. ^ indoclient.com – Television Development Archived 2024-02-11 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ rpi.edu – Lighting industry, Structure and technology in the transition to solid state
14. ^ WP-de Organische Leuchtdiode[permanent dead link] 2011-05-17
15. ^ hitech-projects.com – E-paper production flow – Adapting production workflow processes for digital newsprint Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Display devices.

* v
* t
* e

Display technology

Video displays|

| Past
generation|

* Eidophor
* Cathode-ray tube (CRT)
* Jumbotron
* Electroluminescent display (ELD)
* Rear-projection display
* Plasma display panel (PDP)
* ALiS

|

Current
generation|

* Quantum dot display (QLED)
* Electronic paper
* E Ink
* Gyricon
* Light-emitting diode display (LED)
* Organic light-emitting diode (OLED)
* Active-Matrix Organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED)
* Liquid-crystal display (LCD)
* TFT
* TN
* IPS
* LED-backlit
* Blue Phase
* Digital light processing (DLP)
* Liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS)

Next
generation|

* microLED
* Electroluminescent Quantum Dots (ELQD/QD-LED)
* Organic light-emitting transistor (OLET)
* Surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED)
* Field-emission display (FED)
* Laser TV
* Quantum dot
* Liquid crystal
* MEMS display
* IMoD
* TMOS
* Ferroelectric liquid crystal display (FLCD)
* Thick-film dielectric electroluminescent technology (TDEL)
* Laser-powered phosphor display (LPD)

Non-video|

* Electromechanical
* Flip-dot
* Split-flap
* Eggcrate
* Fiber-optic
* Nixie tube
* Vacuum fluorescent display (VFD)
* Light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC)
* Lightguide display
* Dot-matrix display
* Seven-segment display (SSD)
* Eight-segment display
* Nine-segment display
* Fourteen-segment display (FSD)
* Sixteen-segment display (SISD)

3D display|

* Stereoscopic
* Autostereoscopic
* Multiscopic
* Hologram
* Holographic display
* Computer-generated holography
* Volumetric
* Fog display

Static media|

* Monoscope
* Movie projector
* Neon sign
* Slide projector
* Transparency
* Laser beam

Display capabilities|

* EDID
* CEA-861
* DisplayID
* Always-on display
* See-through display

Related articles|

* Scan line
* History of display technology
* Large-screen television technology
* Optimum HDTV viewing distance
* High Dynamic Range (HDR)
* Color Light Output
* Flexible display
* Comparison of CRT, LCD, plasma, and OLED displays

Comparison of display technology
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template