Matrix addressing flat-panel displays

The most critical problem in flat-panel displays reduces to that of addressing the large array of picture elements (pixels). Numerous technologies have evolved for creating an image, including gas discharge, vacuum fluorescence, light-emitting diodes, electroluminescence, liquid crystallinity, and electrochromism. The problem of addressing the array for an eight-character display with 64 pixels is critical and becomes awesome for a 2000-character display or a TV video display with approximately 200,000 pixels. This paper reviews the status of technology for addressing a flat-panel display, presents new techniques for the analysis of large arrays, and describes the state of the art of display drive electronics.