LCD

Abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display. LCD’s are used in many different types of electronic equipment from watches to large video board displays used in arenas. There are many different types of LCD’s, but the heart of many of them is one or more pieces of liquid crystal material placed between transparent electrodes. The liquid crystal changes the phase of the light passing through it and this phase change can be controlled by the voltage applied between the electrodes. If such a unit is placed between a pair of plane polarizer plates then light can pass through it only if the correct voltage is applied. Liquid crystal displays are formed by integrating a number of such cells, or more usually, by using a single liquid crystal plate and a pattern of electrodes. The result is a display that is capable of very high resolution and many different colors, depending upon the exact construction.