	Flat Panel Display Markets Overview
	FPD Market
	FPD Basics
	FPD Applications

Flat Panel Display Applications

The design of flat panel displays (FPDs) can be based on a number of technologies, the most common of which is the active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with amorphous-silicon transistors. Other technologies include low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) TFT-LCDs, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), and field emission diodes (FEDs).

For amorphous-silicon AMLCDs, thin-film transistors and color filters are produced on high temperature glass, with feature sizes down to 3 to 5 µm and overlay accuracy of ± 1 µm.

LTPS TFT-LCDs, used for PDAs and mobile phone cameras, require more masks than amorphous-silicon AMLCDs because of peripheral circuitry, which can consume as much as 30 percent of the panel area. LTPS TFT-LCD displays require feature sizes down to 1.5 µm and overlay accuracy of ± 0.4 µm.

OLEDs utilize both glass and flexible plastic as the substrate, the latter providing a particular challenge in photolithography due to the instability of the material. A means of compensating for the substrate distortion is necessary to ensure precision imaging.

For prototype FEDs, photolithography is used to create precise holes in the cathode plate on which the emitters are fabricated. The diameter of emitter holes ranges from 1 to 1.5 µm, while the height of the emitter is 3 to 5 µm. Electrodes are also formed with photolithography on the anode plate, with line widths ranging from 10 to 15 µm.