Liquid crystal display

George Heilmeier, one of the LCD’s inventors, with the first display, 1963.

From 1963 to 1968, a team of engineers from RCA’s David Sarnoff Research Center (now part of SRI) developed a revolutionary method for the electronic control of light reflected from liquid crystals. This led to their invention of liquid crystal display (LCD) technology, now the standard for flat-panel displays, watches, telephones, and more. Flat-panel video displays now dominate the market and have changed the way people view information on a screen.

In 2006, the IEEE commemorated the contribution with a milestone plaque—one of four given to SRI to date. (Other plaques have been given to SRI for its work on the ARPANET, the TIROS 1 Weather Satellite, and Color Television .)


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