| 摘要 |
A flat panel display or image sensor or a data store or memory device, or other type of large area electronic device, particularly but not exclusively with thin-film circuitry, comprises an array of device elements (8) which are arranged in rows (N...) and columns (M...) with the device elements (8) in each pair of neighbouring columns (M, M+1) sharing a column conductor (11). The device elements (8) are coupled to their associated row conductor (21) via a first switching element (S1). In each pair (M, M+1) of neighbouring columns, the device elements (8) share a column conductor (11). In accordance with the present invention, each device element of a row (N) in one column (M) of each pair is coupled via a respective second switching element (S2) to one reference conductor (1), while each device element (8) of the same row (N) in the other column (M+1) of the pair is coupled via a respective second switching element (S2) to another reference conductor (2). The reference conductors (1 and 2) function as enabling lines, which extend throughout the array for selecting their respective device elements (8). The present invention permits the device elements (8) in pairs of neighbouring columns to share a column conductor (11), without the necessity for the device elements (8) to have opposite orientations, and without the need for the switching elements (S1, S2) to be of opposite conductivity types or to be driven with opposite polarity pulses. The switching elements (S1, S2) can be fabricated with less processing steps, as thin-film diodes. Furthermore, the device elements (8) may share both a column conductor (11) and a row conductor (21) so as to reduce the numbers of both column conductors and row conductors for the array. Thus, the device elements (8) may be organised in groups of four (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D) in pairs of neighbouring columns and rows, with four separate reference conductors (1, 2, 3, 4) extending throughout the array. |
