TFT LCDs are a variant of Liquid Crystal Display which use Thin-Film Transistor technology to improve their image quality. TFT LCDs are one type of active matrix LCD, though this is usually synonymous with them. They are used in both flat panel displays and projectors. In computing, TFT monitors are rapidly displacing competing CRT technology, and are commonly available in sizes from 30 to 77 cm. As of 2006, they have also made inroads on the television market.
Construction
Normal Liquid Crystal Displays like those found in calculators 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 pixels since it would require millions of connections – top and bottom connections for each of red, green and blue of every pixel. To avoid this issue, the pixels are addressed in rows and columns which reduce the connection count from millions to thousands. If all the pixels in one row are driven with a positive voltage and all the pixels in one column are driven with a negative voltage, then the pixel at the intersection has the largest applied voltage and is switched. The problem with this solution is that all the pixels in the same column see a fraction of the applied voltage as do all the pixels in the same row, so although they are not switched completely, they do tend to darken. The solution to the problem is to supply each pixel with its own transistor switch which allows each pixel to be individually controlled. The low leakage current of the transistor also means that the voltage applied to the pixel does not leak away between refreshes to the display image. Each pixel is a small capacitor with a transparent ITO layer at the front, a transparent layer at the back and a layer of insulating liquid crystal between.
The layout of the circuit is very similar to the one used in DRAM computer memory but rather than being built using silicon wafers, the whole structure needs to be created on glass. Many of the processing techniques used in creating circuits on silicon require temperatures in excess of the melting point of glass. The silicon substrate of normal semiconductors is grown from liquid silicon to produce a large single crystal with excellent properties for transistors. The silicon layer for TFT LCDs is deposited from Silane gas to produce an amorphic or polycrystalline silicon layer which is far less suitable for producing high grade transistors.
Types
TN+Film
The TN+Film (Twisted Nematic) display is the most common consumer display type, due to its lower price. The pixel response time on modern TN panels is sufficiently fast to avoid the shadow-trail artifacts that were a cause for complaint in the past. This fast response time has been a heavily marketed aspect of TN displays, although in most cases this number does not reflect performance across the entire range of possible color transitions. However this marketing strategy, combined with the relatively lower cost of production for TN panels, has led to the dominance of TN in the consumer market.
The TN display suffers from limited viewing angles, especially in the vertical direction, and some are unable to display the full 16.7 million colors (24-bit truecolor) available from modern graphics cards. These particular panels, with 6 bits per color channel as opposed to 8, can approach true 24-bit color using a dither method which quickly cycles pixels to simulate a given shade, which are noticeable to some and discomforting to others. Overall, color reproduction and linearity on TN panels is poor. Shortcomings in display color gamut (often referred to as a percentage of the NTSC color gamut) can also be attributed to backlighting technology. It is not uncommon for displays with CCFL (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) based lighting to range from 40% to 76% of the NTSC color gamut, whereas displays utilizing white LED backlights may extend past 100% of the NTSC color gamut – a difference quite perceivable by the human eye.
IPS
IPS (In-Plane Switching) was developed by Hitachi in 1996 to improve on the poor viewing angles and color reproduction of TN panels. These improvements came at a loss of response time, which was initially on the order of 50ms. IPS panels were also extremely expensive.
IPS has since been superseded by S-IPS (Super-IPS), which has all the benefits of IPS technology with the addition of improved pixel refresh timing. Though color reproduction approaches that of CRTs, the contrast ratio remains relatively weak. S-IPS technology only appears in larger displays aimed at professionals, though pricing has come down to the reach of the typical consumer.
TW-IPS – True Wide IPS developed by LG Philips to improve the viewing angle of the current S-IPS.
MVA
MVA (Multi-domain Vertical Alignment) was originally developed in 1998 by Fujitsu as a compromise between TN and IPS. It achieved fast pixel response (at the time), wide viewing angles, and high contrast at the cost of brightness and color reproduction.
Analysts predicted that MVA would corner the mainstream market, but instead, TN has risen to dominance. A contributing factor was the higher cost of MVA, along with its slower pixel response (which rises dramatically for small changes in brightness).
PVA (Patterned Vertical Alignment) and S-PVA (Super Patterned Vertical Alignment) are more advanced versions of MVA technology offered by Samsung. Developed independently, it suffers from the same problems as MVA, but boasts very high contrast ratios such as 3000:1.
Display industry
Due to the immense cost of building TFT factories, the number of major OEM panel vendors is reduced. Several of the most well-known are Sharp Corporation, Samsung Electronics, LG.Philips LCD and AU Optronics. As of April 2006, the three biggest manufacturers are LG.Philips and Samsung with 22% of the market, followed by AU Optronics with a 19% share.
Raw LCD TFT panels are usually factory-sorted into three categories, with regard to the number of dead pixels, backlight evenness and general product quality. Additionally, there may be up to +/- 2ms maximum response time differences between individual panels that came off the same assembly line on the same day. The poorest-performing screens are then sold to no-name vendors or used in “value” TFT monitors (often marked with letter V behind the type number), the medium performers are incorporated in gamer-oriented or home office bound TFT displays (sometimes marked with the capital letter S), and the best screens are usually reserved for use in “professional” grade TFT monitors (usually marked with letter P or S after their type number).
Value TFT screens and most 38 cm (~15 in.) sized LCDs usually fail to include a digital signal compatible DVI interface, thus their future proofing may be limited. The upper end of 43 cm or 48 cm gamer and office TFT screens may have dual analog-VGA and DVI sockets; almost all professional screens have DVI and pivot mode for letter-mode display.