Introduction of TN technology enabled the light in displays to dance in tune with electrical impulses: With magical precision, the black bars of the seven-segment displays in calculators joined up to form numbers. Each segment was individually connected, and these blocks themselves were such a novelty that a new term had to be coined for them: Picture Element — or pixel. There were 56 of them in one of the first electronic calculators equipped with an LCD display — the EL-805 from Sharp, which was launched in 1973. Today’s LCD devices have millions of pixels .

The term “pocket calculator” already implied the possibility of having a computer in your pocket — and the first professional digital calculators with LCD displays were indeed very expensive. It wasn’t until 1990 that computer and liquid crystal technology reached a stage of development that would enable the creation of laptops as we know them today. Cells that utilised the Super Twisted Nematic (STN) process invented in 1984 made for faster-reacting and more colourful display screens by increasing the twist of the molecules in the liquid crystal layer from 90 to 180 degrees and more. This technology was later refined to create the Double Super Twisted Nematic (DSTN) process.

Rapid and precise image changes have been available since 1989 thanks to Active Matrix Displays (AMD) — liquid crystal displays in which each pixel has its own individual power supply complete with amplifier. This technical arrangement is usually achieved through the use of thin-film transistors (TFT), the technology for which was also to be found in the desktop LCD monitors from the 1990s. The advent of ever-shorter reaction times thrilled both video editors and computer game enthusiasts.
   
LCD technology then reconquered the small-format sector at the end of the 1990s, this time with sharp, fast, and colourful images. This was the beginning of the era of personal digital assistants with colour touchscreens, as well as more powerful and colourful mobile phone displays. With the dawn of the new millennium, LCD televisions commenced their conquest of the market, and their dynamic sales development continues today.
   
Technologically speaking, the chronology was as follows: In 1996, manufacturers began producing displays with in-plane switching (IPS). Here, the molecules twist in a single plane, which is why contrast losses with IPS displays are low, even when they’re viewed from a sharp angle. The year 1998 saw the launch of displays with vertical-alignment (VA) technology, which also offered high contrast and less dependence of image quality on the viewing angle.
   
Each new advancement in the LCD evolution either enabled the development of new devices or opened up new dimensions for existing applications. After more than 25 years of use with digital technology, liquid crystal displays have created a new window into daily life. Those who look through this window can now see a vision for the future of computer technology. Merck, for its part, continues to shape this vision by working with its partners on the next generation of liquid crystal displays.