This introductory article reviews the topics covered in this issue of MRS Bulletin on advanced flat-panel displays and materials. The common requirements of flat panel displays are compact dimensions, low power consumption, light weight, and high performance. Flat panel displays are incorporated in many consumer products as well as in a large range of industrial, medical, military, transportation-related, and scientific instruments. In recent years, there have been dramatic improvements in flat panel display technology due to an enhanced understanding of various new or existing materials as well as fabrication processes. "Flat-panel display" is a general term that includes many different types of technologies. It includes panels that are in mass production, such as passive or active addressed liquid-crystal displays or plasma displays, and those in the early production or development stages, such as organic light-emitting devices or electrophoretic displays. It also includes novel products that are based on the principle of flat panel display technology, such as solid-state x-ray imagers. The articles in this issue cover a range of these topics.
