Overview

In this chapter, a number of specific AMLCD configurations are described that are different from the standard, stand-alone transmissive color TFT LCD.

Ultra-high-resolution monochrome monitors with more than 10-bit gray scale have been developed for medical imaging to replace X-ray film on light boxes.

Reflective LCDs for low-power portable applications are briefly addressed along with their pros and cons as compared to transflective LCDs, which use a combination of the reflective and transmissive operational modes.

In field-sequential color LCDs the color filters are eliminated and temporal rather than spatial color mixing is employed with the potential for higher resolution and lower power.

In this Chapter, emerging stereoscopic LCD technology will be introduced as well. Finally, various types of touch screens added to LCDs will be described. They facilitate a more interactive and intuitive user input.

7.1 Ultra-High-Resolution Monitors and Improved Gray Scale

The highest resolution display to date is a 22-in. W-QUXGA display with 9.2 million pixels, as demonstrated by IBM and produced in low volumes ^[1]. It uses a multi-domain IPS mode for wide viewing angle and needs several DVI connectors to supply the video signal.

One important application of high-resolution TFT LCDs in the 2 5 Mpixel range is in medical imaging. With the advent of digital X-ray detectors (also using a-Si TFT arrays and to be described in Chapter 9), X-ray films are being replaced with digital images that need to be studied on high-quality monitors. Other modalities such as MRI, ultrasound, and computed tomography also...