Reference
Display Module Glossary
52 terms used across this site and in LCD, OLED and touch module datasheets generally - glass modes, interfaces, touch and bonding, and the commercial terms that come up in a quotation.
Glass modes and optics
- TN
- Twisted Nematic - the simplest and lowest-cost LCD glass mode. Good contrast viewed straight-on, narrows quickly off-axis. Glass mode guide →
- IPS
- In-Plane Switching - a TFT glass mode with wide, stable viewing angles and colour that does not shift off-axis, at a higher cost than TN. Glass mode guide →
- VA
- Vertical Alignment - a glass mode giving the deepest black and highest contrast of the common TFT modes, with a viewing angle between TN and IPS. Glass mode guide →
- STN
- Super-Twisted Nematic - a passive-matrix glass mode used on monochrome and character displays, lower cost than active-matrix TFT. COG modules →
- FSTN
- Film-compensated STN - an STN variant with an added retarder film that corrects the colour tint STN otherwise shows, giving a neutral black-on-white or blue-on-white image.
- HTN
- High-Twisted Nematic - a passive glass mode between TN and STN, giving better contrast across temperature than TN on segment and character displays. Segment LCD guide →
- VATN
- Vertical-Aligned TN - the highest-contrast, widest-viewing-angle passive glass mode we offer for custom segment displays, used where legibility cannot slip. Segment LCD guide →
- Transflective
- A display type that reflects ambient light like a reflective panel in bright conditions and uses a backlight like a transmissive panel in low light - readable both outdoors and in the dark on the same panel. Brightness guide →
- Nits / cd/m²
- Units of surface luminance - one nit equals one candela per square metre. The brightness figure on every datasheet is measured this way, typically at full backlight drive and 25 °C. Brightness guide →
- Contrast ratio
- The luminance ratio between a panel’s brightest white and darkest black under stated ambient light conditions - meaningful mainly when the ambient condition is also stated.
- Viewing angle
- The angle off-centre at which contrast has dropped to a stated threshold (commonly 10:1). Wider is better for a display read from more than one position. Glass mode guide →
- View direction
- The clock-position (commonly 6 o’clock or 12 o’clock) that gives the best contrast on a passive display - specified opposite to where the operator actually stands relative to the glass.
- Gray scale inversion direction
- On passive and some active glass, image contrast can invert when viewed from the opposite direction to the one it was designed for - a standard datasheet field, not a defect.
- Response time
- How quickly a pixel switches between grey levels, usually quoted in milliseconds. Matters for fast-moving content; largely irrelevant for static instrument UIs.
- Duty ratio
- On a passive-matrix (non-active) display, the fraction of time each segment line is actually driven, for example 1/4 or 1/16. Fewer segments per line (lower ratio) gives better contrast at the cost of more drive pins. Segment LCD guide →
Interfaces and electrical
- SPI
- Serial Peripheral Interface - a 4-5 wire serial bus where the panel’s own driver IC holds the frame buffer, giving the lowest pin count of any interface that still drives colour graphics. SPI interface page →
- MCU interface (8080 / 6800)
- An 8 or 16-bit parallel bus with read/write/chip-select control lines, named after the classic microcontroller bus timing conventions it follows. MCU interface page →
- RGB (parallel)
- A direct parallel pixel bus - typically 16 to 24 data lines plus sync signals - driven from a display controller on the host processor, with no frame buffer on the panel itself. RGB interface page →
- MIPI DSI
- Mobile Industry Processor Interface, Display Serial Interface - a high-speed differential serial interface used by most modern application processors, needing far fewer physical pins than RGB at the same resolution. MIPI interface page →
- LVDS
- Low-Voltage Differential Signalling - a parallel-to-serial interface used on larger panels and longer cable runs than RGB comfortably supports. Interface guide →
- I²C
- A 2-wire serial bus (SDA/SCL) shared with other devices - the lowest pin count of any display interface, at the lowest bandwidth, mainly used on small OLED and monochrome panels. I2C interface page →
- UART / smart serial
- A display with its own on-board controller that takes text and value commands over a simple serial link, rather than streaming pixels - removes the graphics stack from the host firmware. UART interface page →
- Driver IC
- The controller chip that converts interface commands or pixel data into the analogue voltages that actually drive the glass - for example ST7789, GC9A01 or ST7066U. Driver IC guide →
- VCOM
- A per-glass analogue voltage setting on the driver IC that has to match the specific panel it is paired with - copying VCOM from a different module’s example code is a common cause of washed-out or ghosting images. White screen troubleshooting →
- Logic voltage
- The supply voltage for the driver IC’s digital interface logic, kept separate from the backlight LED supply and, on some panels, from the analogue panel drive voltage.
- PPI
- Pixels per inch - a display’s pixel density, calculated from resolution and diagonal size. Higher PPI means finer detail is resolvable at the same viewing distance. Choosing a module guide →
- Dot pitch
- The physical centre-to-centre distance between adjacent pixels or dots, usually given in millimetres - the mechanical counterpart to PPI.
- PWM dimming
- A backlight dimming method that switches the LEDs fully on and off faster than the eye can follow, varying the ratio of on-time to off-time rather than the current itself - keeps colour more consistent across the dimming range than analogue current dimming. Backlight lifetime guide →
- L50 / backlight lifetime
- The number of hours of continuous operation, at rated drive current and a stated temperature, before an LED backlight’s brightness decays to 50% of its initial value. Backlight lifetime guide →
Touch, cover glass and structure
- CTP
- Capacitive Touch Panel - projected-capacitive touch sensing, bare-finger and multi-touch capable, the consumer-feel default. CTP vs RTP guide →
- RTP
- Resistive Touch Panel - pressure-sensed touch that keeps working with gloves, a stylus, or a wet screen, at the cost of single-point touch and a less premium feel. CTP vs RTP guide →
- Air-gap bonding
- Mounting a touch panel or cover glass over the display with a thin air layer between them - cheaper and independently repairable, but the air interface reflects some light and reduces outdoor contrast. CTP vs RTP guide →
- Optical bonding
- Filling the gap between touch panel, cover glass and display with optical adhesive - removes the reflective air interface, improving sunlight readability and reducing internal condensation risk. CTP vs RTP guide →
- OCA
- Optical Clear Adhesive - the transparent adhesive film most commonly used for optical bonding between display, touch sensor and cover glass layers. CTP vs RTP guide →
- AG (anti-glare)
- A matte, etched cover glass surface that diffuses reflections instead of concentrating them into a bright spot, at a small cost to image sharpness. Cover glass guide →
- AR (anti-reflective)
- A multi-layer optical coating that reduces the amount of light reflected off the cover glass while keeping the surface glossy and clear - costs more than AG. Cover glass guide →
- AF (anti-fingerprint)
- An oleophobic coating that resists skin oils and makes a touch surface easier to wipe clean, usually combined with AG or AR. Cover glass guide →
- Active area
- The actual visible, addressable image area of a panel - smaller than the module outline dimension by the width of the surrounding bezel and seal.
- Outline dimension
- The full physical outer size of the module, including the bezel - what has to fit inside your enclosure cutout.
- FPC
- Flexible Printed Circuit - the flexible ribbon connecting the glass to a connector or directly to your board; length, exit direction and connector position are all customisable per project.
- COG
- Chip-On-Glass - a construction where the driver IC is bonded directly onto the glass itself rather than onto a separate FPC, giving a compact, low-profile module. COG category →
- COB
- Chip-On-Board - a construction where the driver IC is bonded onto a small PCB attached to the glass, common on character LCD modules. Character LCD category →
Manufacturing and commercial
- MOQ
- Minimum Order Quantity - the smallest quantity we will produce or supply at a given price tier. Ours: 5 pcs samples, 100 pcs standard catalogue items, 1,000 pcs where new tooling is required. MOQ and lead time guide →
- NRE
- Non-Recurring Engineering - the one-off cost of tooling, design or qualification work for a custom part, quoted separately from the per-piece production price so you can see what is one-off. Custom development guide →
- Tooling
- The mould, glass mask or fixture set built specifically for a custom part - required whenever glass size, shape or segment layout changes from an existing design. Custom development guide →
- Approved sample
- The physical sample a buyer signs off before mass production - it becomes the binding reference for dimensions, display quality and interface timing on every repeat order. MOQ and lead time guide →
- EOL
- End-of-Life - the point at which a component is discontinued by its original manufacturer. Requires a requalification decision, not just a purchasing one. End-of-life guide →
- EXW / FOB / CIF
- Incoterms defining where cost and risk transfer from seller to buyer: EXW at our factory door, FOB once loaded at the departure port, CIF including freight and insurance to the destination port. HS code and duties guide →
- HS code
- Harmonized System code - the international customs classification number used to determine import duty and documentation requirements, extended into country-specific tariff schedules by each importing market. HS code and duties guide →
- HMI
- Human-Machine Interface - the operator-facing display and control panel on industrial or instrument equipment. Industrial HMI industry page →
- BMS
- Battery Management System - in this context, the electronics that monitor and protect a battery pack, often paired with a smart serial display module that renders its status without needing its own graphics stack. Energy storage industry page →
- ESD
- Electrostatic Discharge - a risk factor in handling and shipping bare glass and assembled modules, managed with anti-static bags, trays and ESD-protected workstations throughout packing. Packaging and ESD guide →
Need a quote or a datasheet?
Send us size, resolution, interface and annual quantity. Our engineers reply within one working day. Sample MOQ 5 pcs, lead time 10-20 days.