When Did It Rise in Popularity?
Although liquid crystals seem like a recent development, they’ve been around since the late 1800s, and Austrian scientist Friedrich Reinitzer first discovered them. He made this discovery completely by accident, but it paved the way for future pioneers in the 20th century. The military found the technology useful, and it quickly took the world by storm.How It Works
Liquid crystals are molecules in between a solid and liquid state. When electricity triggers the liquid crystals, they’ll open or close. Multiple liquid crystals form arrangements that turn into pixels. The pixels have two polarizing glass filters, one behind them and one in front of them. When they open and close, or twist and untwist, the crystals’ movement changes the angle at which light comes through the filters. As the liquid crystal structure rotates, it can block polarized light or reflect red, green, or blue light. This is how displays can turn their pixels “on” and “off”, thus creating a full color display between two glass panels.To ensure their products meet lighting requirements, companies should have their devices undergo display testing. Generally, this process entails using a spectroradiometer to measure a display’s color and luminance.