Apple has partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to develop “ultra-advanced” micro OLED screens in a secret facility in Taiwan, reports Nikkei. Micro OLED displays will be used in “upcoming augmented reality devices.”
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Micro OLED screens are built directly onto chip wafers instead of a glass substrate, resulting in thinner, smaller, more energy-efficient screens. These thinner micro OLED screens are great for smaller devices, such as the smart glasses that Apple is rumored to be working on.
Development on micro OLED screens is said to be in the production phase of testing and it will be several years before Apple and TSMC are ready for mass production, which will make these screens suitable for Apple glasses that they are rumored to be launched sometime around 2023. they are said to be less than an inch in size, which is where TSMC’s knowledge is useful.
Apple is already partnering with TSMC on all the A-Series chips used in the iPhone and iPad and the new Apple M1 silicon chips used in Apple’s Mac line.
“Dashboard players are good at making screens bigger and bigger, but when it comes to thin, light devices like AR glasses, you need a very small screen,” said a source who has direct information about the project. of micro OLED R&D. “Apple is partnering with TSMC to develop the technology because the chip maker’s experience is making things very small and good, while Apple is also leveraging the knowledge of panel experts in display technologies.”
In addition to working on micro OLED displays in factories located in Taiwan, Apple is also exploring microLED technology, with test production lines established for both types of displays. A June 2020 report suggested that Apple had invested $ 330 million in a Taiwanese factory that developed microLED displays for Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks alongside vendor Epistar.
MicroLED, a technology independent of micro OLED, uses smaller components than those used in traditional LED lighting. These screens do not require backlight modules, so they can be thinner as well as offer high color contrast and can be used to create folding or curved screens.
In accordance with Nikkei, Apple has several unmarked white lab buildings in Taiwan’s Longtan Science Park, focused on new display technologies, with the location within walking distance of TSMC’s chip packing and testing plant. Apple has hired veterans of display manufacturer AU Optoelectronics to work on micro OLEDs, and employees are subject to strict non-disclosure agreements that prohibit them from “even meeting with friends or acquaintances working in the technology industry.”
Apple’s investments in micro OLED and microLED are said to be aimed at reducing its reliance on Samsung Electronics in the future. Samsung is Apple’s leading supplier for the OLED screens used in current iPhones.