@head: Max's Chips and Dips: SED and OLED displays
@deck: The next thing in computer displays may well be based on the surface emission display (SED) or organic light emitting display (OLED) technologies.
@text: I'm constantly amazed by the number of things I discover I know nothing about. For example, I'm currently in the process of writing a paper (for my own amusement) on the origin and evolution of computer displays/screens.
After describing cathode ray tube (CRT) technology in excruciating detail – starting around 1854, when a German glass blower named Heinrich Geissler invented a powerful vacuum pump –and leading up to the concepts of memory-mapped and I/O driven video display units (VDUs), I thought I might mention modern display technologies, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
So I started by introducing the concept of liquid crystals (LCs), and how one could use them as tiny optical "switches" that could block or pass light, and so forth. But then I started to ponder the horizontal fly-back and vertical fly-back techniques used in CRTs. These aren’t required with LCDs because there is no electron beam to return to its starting point. But LCDs are still often driven by the standard VGA (analog RBG) outputs from computers that can also be used to drive CRTs.
The electronics in the LCD obviously process these signals, but do they still end up performing a raster scan? Do the LCD pixels need periodic refreshing, or are they static entities (once you've set a pixel to a certain level, does it stay at that level until you change it, or does it start to drift over time)?
It started to strike me that – at this level – I really don’t have much idea as to how LCDs work, so I called a friend who purports to be an expert at this sort of thing. He started off by telling me what I already knew, but when I came to pose my questions he responded: "Hmmm, that's a good one … I haven’t got a clue."
That was a bit of a blow really, because now my interest is piqued. On the bright side, my friend introduced me to the concept of carbon nanotube-based surface emission display (SED) technology, which is as thin as an LCD but which combines carbon nanotubes with a CRT phosphor-coated screen to deliver an incredible visual experience.
He also mentioned organic light emitting displays (OLEDs). Being organic myself, these also sounded like a jolly interesting idea. Apparently SED and OLED technologies are poised to hit the market running in the next few years. And when they do, remember that you heard it here first! (If you're interested in my paper on the origin of computer displays, which I'll be making available in a few days for anyone to peruse and ponder, please feel free to drop me an email at <a href="mailto:"></aand I'll let you know when it's available on the web). Until next time, have a good one!