A liquid-crystal-on-silicon (LCOS) panel includes a wafer having bond pads thereon, a liquid crystal layer, and a conductive layer. The panel carrier for the LCOS panel includes a conductive-layer electrode for electrically connecting the conductive layer to a printed circuit assembly (PCA), address electrodes for electrically connecting the bond pads to the PCA, and a cavity for holding the LCOS panel. The cavity includes a conductive pad for electrically connecting the conductive layer to the conductive-layer electrode, and bond-pad electrodes for electrically connecting each bond pad to a respective address electrode. A method for electrically connecting an LCOS panel to a panel carrier includes a step of electrically connecting each bond pad to a respective address electrode, and a step of electrically connecting the conductive layer to the conductive pad.