What exactly causes dead pixels on monitors?

[maybethisnamewillwork]

I have recently noticed that there is a one (1) dead pixel in the right corner of my 4K monitor...

Would too much heat cause the transistor to shut down and produce a dead pixel?
My PC is located right next to the monitor and it pushes a lot of heat especially when gaming. And there is also a window behind the monitor which let's cold air in.
I can sometimes hear the plastic behind monitor "popping" when the panel cools down after use.
Could these hot/cold cycles caused a heat expansion and killed the pixel?

Thanks.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Manufacturing defects or age. Heat would accelerate age but that's about it. And it's questionable how long that takes because well, there are monitors out there that are older than most high schoolers that still work fine.

 

Back in the old days, LCDs were lit by cold fluorescent lights, which despite their name, weren't really cold. They were pretty warm if not hot to the touch.

[Curious Pineapple]

It happens. LCD manufacturers usually give the maximum number of dead pixels per square "insert unit of measurement here" and also for the whole panel in the datasheets. These are what can leave the factory after QC, some are better than others. Its how cheaper brands can claim to use the same panels as Dell, Samsung etc, they buy panels that didn't meet the requirements for being sold at the top price. I wouldn't worry about it. If it starts to spread like mine has then it would be cause for concern.