Introduction to Zeus displays

This article describes why and how a research program to realize the ‘picture on the wall’ was started in the Philips Research Laboratories some seven years ago. The objective was to maintain the performance advantages of the cathode ray tube (CRT) while realizing a small depth and a low weight of the display. This is accomplished by using electrons in vacuum impinging at high energy on cathodoluminescent phosphors. Insulating internal supports to withstand the atmospheric pressure are required to make the display thin and light. A radical solution was discovered which led to a display with a thickness of about 1 cm for any display size and which is capable of producing CRT quality TV pictures.