Have you come across a display device that uses super-twisted nematic (STN) technology? If so, you might be wondering how it works. STN displays are capable of producing images just like all other displays. With STN technology, though, they offer some unique benefits. To better understand STN displays, you must familiarize yourself with their mechanics. Below is a brief introduction to STN displays.
The Basics of STN Displays
An STN display is a type of liquid-crystal display (LCD) device that’s characterized by the use of passive-matrix monochrome pixels. They were invented by researchers at the Brown Boveri Research Center in the early to mid-1980s. Prior to this period, most LCDs used standard-twisted nematic (TN) technology. STN displays differ in the sense that they use a 180-to-190-degree twisted composition for their respective pixels.
STN displays are all still considered LCDs. There are many different types of LCDs, all of which contain liquid pixels comprised of an organic material. STN displays are simply an advanced type of LCD. While standard TN displays use a 90-degree twisted composition for their pixels, STN displays use a 180-to-190-degree twisted composition. In other words, their pixels are more twisted.
Benefits of STN Displays
While they typically cost more than standard TN displays, STN displays offer several benefits. For starters, they produce more contrast. Contrast refers to the difference between the light and dark colors of a display. With STN displays, there’s a greater difference between the light and dark colors, resulting in a higher contrast.
STN displays are also more energy efficient than standard TN displays. All display devices consume energy during use. You can’t run a display device without energy — and STN displays are no exception. With that said, STN displays require less energy to use than other types of display devices.
Disadvantages of STN Displays
As previously mentioned, STN displays are more expensive than many other display devices. They require more time and labor to produce, thereby driving up the cost. If you’re on a budget, you may want to choose a standard TN display, instead.
Along with the cost, STN displays typically suffer from slower response times than that of their standard TN counterparts. Response time is a measurement of how quickly a display device changes its colors. Some display devices have a higher response time than others, meaning they can change from one color to another color in less time. STN displays usually suffer from a slower response time than standard TN displays.
