VAN LCOS Microdisplays: A Decade of Technological Evolution

Microdisplays of the liquid crystals on silicon (LCOS) type have gone through a rapid evolution during the last decade. We present an overview of how vertically aligned nematic (VAN) LCOS have evolved from an attractive, but notoriously difficult and even infamous technology, to the mainstream microdisplay technology that it is today. At the same time, we highlight a number of remaining issues and concerns, and present some ideas of how to remedy them.