passive matrix 
A type of flat-panel display that is created by placing a layer of liquid-crystal diode elements on top of a grid of wires. By applying current to the various intersections, the diodes are lit to act as pixels. Passive displays apply current to the diodes at a specific refresh rate to maintain an image. Passive-matrix displays are often found on handheld devices, such as mobile phones and PDAs, and are less commonly used for notebooks because of the better image quality provided by active matrix and TFT technologies.