The history of liquid-crystal displays

The modern history of liquid crystals has been dominated by the development of electronic displays. These developments began in 1964, when Heilmeier of RCA Laboratories discovered the guest-host mode and the dynamic-scattering mode. He thought a wall-sized fat-panel color TV was just around the corner From that point on, twisted-nematic (TN) mode, super TN mode, amorphous-Si field-effect transistor; and room-temperature liquid crystals were developed. In the beginning, liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) were limited to niche applications such as small-size displays for digital watches, pocket calculators, and small handheld devices. :That all changed with the development of the notebook computer industry. In 1988, Washizuka et al. of Sharp Corporation demonstrated an active-matrix full-color fall-motion 14-in display using a thin-film-transistor array. The electronics industries now recognized that Heilmeier's 25-year dream of a wall-hanging television had become reality. LCDs could be used to replace existing cathode ray tribes. Through the cooperation and competition of many electronics giants, the LCD industry was firmly established.