Back to the Future

摘要

The history of flat-panel-display (FPD) development presents an overall pattern of relatively steady evolution resulting from the interplay of scientific breakthroughs, market forces, and corporate policies. But FPD history also reveals cases in which failed ideas sprout again in response to new technical conditions or a new generation of venture capitalists. What implications can we draw from this history for the future of displays, including organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) displays, microdisplays, and electronic paper? But let's start close to the dawn of FPD history. Thirty years ago, the cathode-ray tube (CRT) for television was the only display of commercial significance. Integrated circuits (ICs) were still relatively new, and their application in mass markets was just beginning. CRTs teamed with semiconductor memory appeared in interactive terminals for airline ticketing, several four-function electronic calculators came on the market, and the first digital wristwatches were shown, but the IBM PC was still a decade away.