Their complex anode design requires many lead pins to be pulled out of conventional VFDs. With the new active matrix technology, semiconductor chips on which the phosphor matrixes are fabricated are arranged on the glass plate, and the chips and outer leads are connected by wire bonding. Therefore, mounting this device on printed circuit boards is easy compared to conventional graphic VFDs. Because these graphic displays incorporate semiconductor driver ICs with embedded memory, static display mode becomes available even for graphic display applications. Thus no special power source is required.
Conventional tubes require drivers and multi-functional controllers.
The interface adopts a synchronized serial format and consists of data clock, latch and enabling logics. Although these products feature different dot structures, the grids, anode voltages interfaces and timing are the same for all sizes. In addition, the results of Noritake's CIG technology are displays that are brighter, longer lasting and require less power than conventional VFDs. Vacuum fluorescent displays, popular as high visibility display elements, are experiencing new technical demands. Engineers, faced with an ever increasing variety of electronic devices, demand smaller, lighter VFDs that consume less energy.