Void formations in liquid crystal displays

Through the advent of information processing, systems capability, and the increased need of situational awareness, the use of liquid crystal displays has taken root in both civil and military cockpits. Along with the additional capabilities, including reliability and ease of maintainability, failures unique to LCDs have occurred. The main phenomenon has been the formation of “bubbles” or “voids” within the display mounted in fighter aircraft. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the occurrence of this failure through a case study using dichroic LCDs. Even though the specifics apply to dichroics, this information should be considered in the selection, production, implementation, and operations of other flat-panel display technology using the same assembly methods. The phenomenon of having “voids” form in the LCD is not new. Information about this occurrence has been reported and documented through many avenues; however, the problems still exist. The decision to use LCDs is usually based upon several considerations but LCDs ate mainly used to replace systems which are hard to maintain. These systems include electro-mechanical and Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs)