Patent ID: 8022913

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a two dimensional array of display elements disposed on a common semiconductor substrate, with each display element comprising at least a pixel, a transistor, and a storage capacitance, with each transistor having at least a gate, a drain, and a source terminal, and with each transistor arranged to control an operating state of the pixel, and wherein a first plate of the storage capacitance is connected to a drain terminal of the transistor; a plurality of row select lines distributed to control a first plurality of gate terminals; a plurality of column select lines distributed to control a second plurality of gate terminals; a common heating voltage line, the common heating voltage line electrically connected to and integral with two or more display elements at a point other than the gate terminal, and independent of both the row select and column select lines, and the common heating voltage line also connected to provide a second plate of the storage capacitance in each display element, the common heating voltage line also having two terminals to provide a first node and a second node; and a control circuit, for controlling voltages provided to both the first node and second node, such that a voltage difference between the first and second nodes causes current to flow through the common heating voltage line, and to thereby heat the display elements connected thereto, but also such that the common heating voltage line is applied to the storage capacitance independent of voltages applied to control the row and column select lines, so that heat is applied directly to the display element while the display element is actively operating to display information.