What is In-Plane Switching Technology?

When researching the different technologies used in liquid crystal displays (LCD), you may come across something known as “in-plane switching,” or IPS. Based on the name alone, it’s difficult to decipher what exactly IPS is. So today we’re going to take a closer look at IPS, revealing how it works and why it’s becoming such a popular feature in LCD displays and LCD-based touchscreen devices.

Active-Matrix

In-plane switching is a type of active-matrix technology that is commonly used in LCD displays and devices. Up until the 1990s, passive-matrix was the de-facto standard in the consumer electronics industry. While some smaller, portable devices still use passive-matrix technology, the vast majority of modern-day devices, including televisions, laptops and tablets, now use active-matrix technology. Active-matrix differs from passive-matrix in the sense that each and every pixel within the display can be controlled, opening the doors to a whole new world of application possibilities.

IPS a form of active-matrix technology that aligns the liquid crystals within the device so they are parallel to the glass substrates. Typically, it achieves this goal by applying an electrical charge through opposite electrodes on the glass substrate, which in turn allows the liquid crystals to be switched on the same plane.

In order for IPS switching to work, however, there must be two separate transistors for each pixel instead of just one. For thin-film transistor (TFF) displays, only a single transistor is needed. With the introduction of IPS, however, LCD displays and touchscreen devices using IPS technology must have two transistors for each pixel; otherwise, it won’t function properly.

History of IPS

You might be surprised to learn that LG is responsible for pioneering IPS technology. In-place switching is a relatively new form of LCD active-matrix technology that was first introduced by LG back in 2009. Before the introduction of IPS technology, the use of multiple transistors caused transmission areas to be blocked; therefore, brighter backlights were needed, subsequently drawing more power. IPS, however, fixed this issue.

Here are some of the advantages of using IPS displays:

• Offer consistent color from all viewing angles.
• Brightness is not affected when IPS display is touched (major benefit for smartphones and tablets.
• Provides clear images as well as stable response times.