Active matrix is a type of addressing scheme used in flat panel displays.
It is a method of switching individual elements of a flat panel display, known as pixels.
Active matrix technology was invented by Bernard J. Lechner at RCA,[1] using MOSFETs (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors).
[2] Active matrix technology was first demonstrated as a feasible device using thin-film transistors (TFTs) by T. Peter Brody, Fang Chen Luo and their team at the Thin-Film Devices department of Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1974, and the term was introduced into the literature in 1975.
The Macintosh Portable (1989) was perhaps the first consumer laptop to employ an active matrix panel.