A critical component in all flat-panel display devices (FPDs), from simple calculator liquid-crystal displays to large-area, active-matrix, liquid-crystal color screens,
are the electrodes that control the orientation of the liquid-crystal molecules and,
consequently, the on-off state for the passage of light. At least one of the electrodes
in a flat-panel display must be transparent since either ambient or transmitted (i.e.,
backlight) light must pass through the device and reach the viewer’s eyes.