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How a LCD Screen Works

How a LCD screen works is amazing. As just about everyone knows, LCD stands for liquid crystal display. First off, when you hear liquid crystal, it sounds dumb because we usually think of a crystal as being a solid object, not liquid.

But applying great amount of heat to crystal's can turn them into a liquid state. When crystals are in their liquid state, that's when they can bend and refract light.

What makes the picture?

The process that turns a signal into an image onto your LCD screen, can be explained in simple terms, but underneath that is complex science that is much harder to understand.



So how is the image created then? Well, liquid crystals are placed between two polarized panels, with electrodes to the left side that can send currents through the liquid crystals. The electrical currents make liquid crystal molecules twist or untwist changing its angle and light reflection, which make the different colors that make up a whole image. Like I said, simple explanation, but how a LCD screen works is complicated underneath.

LCD Layers

Reflective twisted nematic liquid crystal display.

  1. Vertical filter film to polarize the light as it enters.
  2. Glass substrate with ITO electrodes. The shapes of these electrodes will determine the dark shapes that will appear when the LCD is turned on. Vertical ridges are etched on the surface so the liquid crystals are in line with the polarized light.
  3. Twisted nematic liquid crystals.
  4. Glass substrate with common electrode film (ITO) with horizontal ridges to line up with the horizontal filter.
  5. Horizontal filter film to block/allow through light.
  6. Reflective surface to send light back to viewer.

Provided by Wikipedia

 



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