Chapter 4 - AMLCD Electronics

Abstract

This chapter is designed to discuss active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) electronics. The design of the display glass assembly plays a central role in the image quality of an AMLCD. Equally significant are the display electronics, which must supply accurate data signals to each pixel. The incoming video signals are either computer-generated or processed from an image acquisition by such as a digital camera, television camera, or camcorder. The task of the display electronics is to obtain optimum image quality based on the incoming video signal information. This chapter starts with discussing drive methods and row select and column data drivers. The row driver integrated circuit (IC) generates the select pulses sequentially addressing each row in the display. The column drivers supply the video data signals to the data lines connected to the source of the thin film transistors (TFTs) at each pixel. They are commonly referred to as the source drivers. The timing controller (TCON) is the chip that supplies the control and video signals to the row and column drivers some of the peripheral electronics of the TFT liquid crystal display (LCD) can be integrated on the glass. The low mobility of a-Si TFTs precludes the design of high-speed circuitry with a-Si TFTs. Most AMLCDs operate in the transmissive mode. They can be considered electronically controlled transparencies on a light box, the backlight. Many display parameters, including brightness, depend strongly on the backlight.