Past and Present: The History of LED Display Technology

With all the advances being developed in display technology, it seems impossible to believe that the knowledge that was used to create and develop this technology is more than a hundred years old. In fact, the first steps in the field of display technology began in 1897 when Karl Ferdinand Braun, a physicist and inventor, built the first Cathode Ray Tube. This small one had to allow the construction of the first televisions and thus create an industry that has advanced enormously since its inception.

The second noticeable breakthrough in display technology originated ten years later, in 1907 with the discovery of Electroluminescence. This natural phenomenon would provide the first advance to LED technology. 1952 saw the development of the first hunched screen, and was installed in only a few theaters in the United States. That technology would not be available to consumers for fifty years.

The next big step in screen history was the invention of the first LED bulb in 1961. Robert Biard and Gary Pittman patented the first infrared LED light for Texas Instruments. The following year Nick Holonyack produced the first visible LED light. Two years later, in 1964, screen technology made another big leap with the invention of LCD and plasma screens by American inventor James Fergason.

While smartphone display technology is relatively new, the first of these displays was invented in 1965 and was the first to be used for air traffic controllers. HDTV also has its beginning in Japan during the 1960s and 1970s, although HDTVs did not reach the United States until 1998. While people accessed the screens of the 90s, OLEDs were invented by Kodak and thus obtained the first full-color plasma screens.

Incredibly, the display industry has expanded rapidly and will continue to do so. Screens of various sizes, shapes and technology will continue to be developed for different applications. As a result, the importance of accurate screen testing systems will also advance significantly. Konica Minolta has several display measurement systems to meet the changing needs of the display industry.