Abbreviation for Thin-Film Transistor. This is the technology used to build active-matrix LCD screens found on laptop computers, flat-panel monitors, synthesizer workstations, cell phones, and other display devices.

Flat-panel displays are lightweight, portable, and relatively rugged. They require less power than a CRT and offer high resolution. Active-matrix TFT displays are composed of a grid (or matrix) of picture elements (pixels). Thousands or millions of these pixels together create an image on the display. Thin-film transistors act as switches to individually turn each pixel “on” (light) or “off” (dark). The TFTs are the active elements, arranged in a matrix, on the display.