How LCD TVs Are Made

Liquid Crystals

The molecular structure of a liquid crystal matches that of a solid, but its molecules behave like a liquid. As a result, liquid crystals are at the heart of an LCD television. With back lighting (the crystals emit no light of their own), the millions of crystals in an LCD television provide a sharp, high-resolution color picture for their owner.

Creating LCD Screens

The display panel consists of a sandwich of liquid crystals embedded between two panes of polarized glass. Three filters, called sub-pixels (each a coated liquid crystal)--one red, one green and one blue--are required for each pixel. Working together in sets of three, the television creates a display that can show any given pixel in any one of 16,800 colors.

Putting the Television Together

If the liquid crystal sandwich serves as the heart of an LCD television, than the framing makes up the body; the circuit boards, the brain and the additional components (e.g., S-video input), and the hands. A complete television requires all its parts to work properly.

The manufacturer injection molds the body parts and builds the circuit boards in-house, or subcontracts that work. Wherever the parts came from, when they arrive in the assembly area, skilled technicians test them to ensure their quality and other technicians assemble them, test the assembled televisions and send them on to shipping.

Resources

• More on LCD Televisions