How does a liquid crystal display (LCD) work?

An LCD works by manipulating the properties of liquid crystals to produce images.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are a type of flat panel display commonly used in electronic devices such as televisions, computer monitors, and mobile phones. They work by manipulating the properties of liquid crystals, which are materials that exhibit both liquid and crystalline properties.

Inside an LCD, there are two layers of polarizing filters with a layer of liquid crystal material in between. When an electric current is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the crystals align themselves in a specific way, allowing light to pass through the second polarizing filter and produce an image.

There are two main types of LCDs: passive matrix and active matrix. Passive matrix displays use a grid of electrodes to apply voltage to specific pixels, while active matrix displays use thin-film transistors (TFTs) to control each pixel individually. Active matrix displays are more commonly used because they offer better image quality and faster response times.

LCDs have several advantages over other types of displays, including low power consumption, high resolution, and the ability to display images in bright sunlight. However, they also have some drawbacks, such as limited viewing angles and slower refresh rates compared to other display technologies.