Electroluminescent Display Technology
Electroluminescent display (EL) technology is still unique and relevant for today's embedded display solutions. The unique performance and visual characteristics of EL electroluminescent display technology make it an ideal solution for the most challenging and demanding applications where other technologies are simply inadequate. Equipment and system designers use electroluminescent displays to fulfill the growing demands from their customers for improved image quality, longer lifetime and higher reliability.
Over the last 20 years our engineers have made continual and dramatic improvements in the brightness of the luminescent films and the development of drive schemes to extend display life. They have significantly improved brightness and contrast, reduced power consumption, developed proprietary gray-scale algorithms, improved packaging to reduce size and enhanced shock and vibration resistance. We continue to set the standards for the EL flat panel industry with a new multi-color EL display being launched at the end of 2006.
| TFEL | OLED | AMLCD | PLCD | VFD | LED | |
| Environment | 1 = Excellent 2 = Very Good 3 = Good 4 = Poor | |||||
| Temperature Range | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Humidity | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Shock & Vibration | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| EMI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Power Consumption | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Visual Performance | 1 = Excellent 2 = Very Good 3 = Good 4 = Poor | |||||
| Brightness | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Response Time | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Contrast | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Viewing Angle | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Color Gamut | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Gray Scale | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Sunlight Readability | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Graphics-friendly | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cost of Ownership | 1 = Excellent 2 = Very Good 3 = Good 4 = Poor | |||||
| MTBF | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Operating Life | 1 | 3 or 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Only EL Offers an Ultra Wide Temperature Range
Planar's thin film EL displays (TFEL) have the widest operating temperature range of any commercially available technology. TFEL glass can operate to -100° C. EL modules are rated as low as -60° C without any decrease in response time.
Compare TFEL to TFT displays. Wide temperature TFT displays cannot operate in less extreme temperature ranges at full response time. Even automotive temperature range TFTs will not meet the operating temperature range of TFEL.
EL Display temperature range
Thin Film EL Technology
Planar's ICEBrite Electroluminescent Displays consist of a solid-state glass panel, an electronic control circuit, and a power supply. The thin film EL glass panel consists of a luminescent phosphor layer sandwiched between transparent dielectric layers and a matrix of row and column electrodes. A circuit board containing the drive and control electronics is connected to the back of the glass panel. Voltage is applied to row and column electrodes causing the area of intersection (a pixel) to emit light.
The result of this solid-state design is a flat, compact, reliable, and inherently rugged display with exceptionally fast response times (< 1 ms).
Structure of Thin Film Electroluminescent Displays
ICEBrite
EL Advantage
Electroluminescent (EL) displays are commonly used in harsh and demanding industrial display environments. Compact and lightweight, they are totally solid-state structures with superb shock and vibration resistance.
Features & Benefits
- Operating temperature of -50°C to +85°C
- Unrivaled visual performance
- High brightness and contrast
- Wide viewing angle > 160°
- Rapid display respond < 1 µs
- Space efficient mechanical package
- Low EMI emissions
- Extremely durable, perfect for ruggedized applications
- Reliable, long operating life
Fast developing technology for fast developing markets
- Dramatic improvements in the luminous efficiency of the thin films
- New drive schemes that extend display brightness and life
- Significant improvements in contrast and readability in bright ambient light
- Reduced power consumption
- Improved packaging and ruggedized design to reduce size, enhance shock and vibration resistance
- Extended reliability, up to 100,000 MTTF
- Color capability
- Rapidly reducing costs
Related Content
- 20 Reasons Why Thin Film EL (TFEL) is Your Most Reliable Display Choice for Rugged Viewing Conditions Download PDF
- EL Technology Overview (PDF, 208kb)
- Various electroluminescent whitepapers and application notes
We'll be adding new whitepapers, case studies and videos to this section soon.
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