Segmented-Cold-Cathode Display Panels

Display panels based largely on the principles of proximity-focused image-intensifier tubes have been proposed as alternatives to cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) and other conventional devices for wide displays. A panel of the proposed type would afford the high brightness and wide viewing angle (almost 180°) of a CRT, but it could readily be made much wider than the maximum dimension [50 in. (127 cm) diagonal] of currently available CRTs. The thickness of the panel [<4 in. (<10.2 cm)] would be much less than the depth of a typical CRT. Moreover, unlike a CRT, the panel would not introduce any geometric distortion into the displayed image because the image geometry would be established by a pixel structure within the panel.