Super-twisted nematic display

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A super-twisted nematic (STN) display is a type of passive matrix liquid crystal display (LCD). STN displays provide more contrast than twisted nematic (TN) by twisting the molecules from 180 to 270 degrees. They also require less power and are less expensive to manufacture than TFT LCDs, another popular type of LCD. However, STN displays typically suffer from lower image quality and slower response time than TFT displays. STN displays are used in some inexpensive mobile phones and informational screens of some digital products.

CSTN stands for "color super-twist nematic" a form of passive matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for electronic display screens. Originally developed by Sharp Electronics Corporation. Unlike TFT, CSTN is based on a passive matrix, which is less expensive to produce. The original CSTN displays developed in the early 90's suffered from slow response times and ghosting (where lit pixels in a row can affect the unlit pixels). Recent advances in the technology, however, have made CSTN a viable alternative to active matrix displays. New CSTN displays offer 100ms response times (TFT 8ms), a 140 degree viewing angle, and high-quality color rivaling TFT displays - all at about half the cost. A newer passive-matrix technology called High-Performance Addressing (HPA) offers even better response times and contrast than CSTN.

[edit] STN displays

STN (Monochrome)
FSTN (Monochrome): (Film Compensated STN) A passive matrix LCD technology that uses a film compensating layer between the STN display and rear polarizer for added sharpness. It was used in laptops before the DSTN method became popular.
CSTN (Color) - "Color super-twist nematic" is a form of passive matrix LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) for electronic display screens. The original CSTN displays developed in the early 90's suffered from slow response times and ghosting (where lit pixels in a row can affect the unlit pixels). Recent advances in the technology, however, have made CSTN a viable alternative to active matrix displays.
DSTN can stand for:
- Dual-scan STN: An enhanced STN passive matrix LCD display. The screen is divided into halves, and each half is scanned simultaneously, thereby doubling the number of lines refreshed per second and providing a sharper appearance. DSTN was widely used on earlier laptops. See STN and LCD.
- Double layer STN: An earlier passive matrix LCD technology that used an extra compensating layer to provide a sharper image.
FRSTN (Fast Response STN)