Harm Tolner

Chapter 9 – Plasma Displays

Publisher Summary The quality of large flat displays like plasma display panels (PDP) now is approaching that of a CRT. They have a thickness of <4 in (10 cm) and a weight of only 20 kg. Using these displays, it is possible to create a home theater. For large flat displays, PDP is the most serious candidate for future home use. Until recently, projection was the only technology available for sizes ranging from 40–60 in 1–1.5 m. Rear projection systems, however, have not reached the CRT quality level. For sizes smaller than 25 in (∼60 cm), thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFTLCD) is the most important display technology. Today LCD displays are used mostly as monitors for personal computers (PC). For desktop use, however, high-end CRT is now being replaced by TFT-LCD. For video applications, LCD displays still need a wider viewing angle for easy viewing as well as improved response time. The state of the art has been improved considerably. Other new flat display technologies target mainly the same application area as TFT LCD; the goal of this chapter is to remedy some of its shortcomings, such as field of view (FOV). The most important competing technologies are field emission and electroluminescence.