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passive-matrix display
Last modified: Thursday, August 30, 2001
A common type of flat-panel display consisting of a grid of horizontal and vertical wires. At the intersection of each grid is an LCD element which constitutes a single pixel, either letting light through or blocking it. A higher quality and more expensive type of display, called an active-matrix display, uses a transistor to control each pixel.
In the mid-90s, it appeared that passive-matrix displays would eventually become extinct due to the higher quality of active-matrix displays. However, the high cost of producing active-matrix displays, and new technologies such as DSTN, CSTN and HPA that improve passive-matrix displays, have cause passive-matrix displays to make a surprising comeback.
