The panel display industry is a rapidly developing and increasingly vital field of technology. With advancements in modern technology and growing digital demand, display technology has become a critical component of the information industry, supporting devices such as televisions, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCDs) are one of the mainstream display panel technologies today. Unlike organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, LCDs do not exhibit flickering or burn-in effects, have a long lifespan, mature manufacturing processes, low production costs, and a well-established industrial supply chain, from raw materials to panel manufacturing and assembly. Due to these advantages, even with the rise of next-generation display technologies such as micro-LED (Mini/Micro-LED), quantum-dot LEDs (QLED), laser displays, and printed displays, LCDs are expected to remain relevant and play an essential role for a long time.
TFT-LCDs are composed of two main parts: the liquid crystal and the liquid crystal driving circuit (TFT). The technology for LCD panels is divided into two categories based on the orientation of liquid crystal molecules: vertical in-plane rotation, including twisted nematic (TN) and vertical alignment (VA); and horizontal in-plane rotation, including in-plane switching (IPS), fringe-field switching (FFS), and advanced super-dimension switching (ADS). TFT technology is classified by materials, including amorphous silicon (a-Si), high-temperature polysilicon (HTPS), low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS), low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO), and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO).
Globally, Samsung and LG are the two largest display panel manufacturers, but their main LCD production lines have largely ceased or been restructured by the end of 2022, shifting towards OLED and MLED technologies. China currently dominates the global LCD panel market, accounting for over 60% of both demand and production capacity. Key players in China's TFT-LCD sector include BOE Technology Group (BOE), TCL CSOT (TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology), and Tianma Microelectronics, among others. BOE is the leading display panel manufacturer in China and ranks among the world's largest. TCL CSOT and Tianma Microelectronics mainly produce high-end and large-size panels. Other prominent players in China’s OLED market include Visionox, Everdisplay Optronics (EDO), and AU Optronics (AUO).
In the pursuit of next-generation display technologies like MLED and QLED, key objectives for manufacturers are to improve yield rates and expand production capacity. Optical system simulation software has become an essential tool in this process, enabling developers to conduct simulations, design, analysis, and optimization. Using optical system simulation software, developers can rapidly construct models, simulate and analyze display performance, optimize the structure and parameters of optical components, and enhance overall display quality, color accuracy, and energy efficiency. This simulation helps manufacturers anticipate and address potential issues, reduce trial-and-error costs, rapidly validate the performance of different design schemes, and enhance the reliability and stability of production processes.
This special feature uses optical system simulation software to simulate the optical components of display panels, covering the construction of various optical elements, physical model parameter settings, computational simulation, and results analysis. It aims to equip software users with a practical understanding of how to use the software and to help them identify structures and methods for improving display quality, color performance, and energy efficiency, contributing to China's efforts to advance the display panel industry to world-class standards.
This special feature uses Rayzen optical system simulation software for display panel simulation. Rayzen is based on low-discrepancy sequence Monte Carlo, non-sequential forward ray tracing, and rapid intersection algorithms. By analyzing the surface morphology, optical properties, and internal material characteristics of optical components, Rayzen simulates light propagation paths, refraction, reflection, and scattering within complex optical systems. It is widely applicable for stray light analysis in imaging systems, light distribution in illumination systems, and light transmission and extraction in light and guiding systems. In the future, Rayzen is expected to become an indispensable tool in research fields such as imaging and non-imaging optical design, optoelectronic components, photonic system integration, display panels, and optical films.
In this special feature, Rayzen was used to simulate the illuminance distribution of an edge-lit backlight module, showcasing the construction and analysis process of the backlight module structure. This helps users understand the functions and operations of Rayzen, gain in-depth insight into optical simulation principles, and support further optimization of display panel performance.