Apple Glasses displays use micro OLED; in test production



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Apple Glasses displays are expected to be micro OLEDs, a new report says today. Not to be confused with microLED, micro OLED is an advanced form of display technology that is integrated directly onto chip wafers and is ideal for very small displays that might be used in augmented reality glasses from Apple.

The Cupertino-based company reportedly worked on the project with A-series chipmaker TSMC under extreme privacy conditions even by Apple standards …

While the Cupertino-based company planned to launch a high-end VR / AR headset first, it is believed to be just a stepping stone to a consumer product that has been dubbed Apple Glasses. It’s expected to be a device that looks a lot like conventional glasses, but with small, built-in displays to overlay information like map directions, messages, app notifications, and more.

Nikkei cites own sources for the report.

Apple has partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to develop ultra-advanced display technology at a secret facility in Taiwan, Nikkei Asia has learned. […]

Apple’s complex at Longtan Science Park consists of several unmarked white buildings – there is no company logo or address on the outside, and only a very faint apple symbol could be seen in the lobby, saw Nikkei reporters on a recent visit. Apple registered a business in the park in 2014 and expanded it in 2020. The complex is within walking distance of TSMC’s advanced chip conditioning and testing plant, located in the same science park. […]

The California tech giant plans to develop micro OLED displays – a radically different type of display built directly on chip wafers – with the ultimate goal of using the new technology in its upcoming augmented reality devices, said people. sources informed about it.

Apple is working with its long-time chip supplier TSMC because micro OLED displays are not built on glass substrates like the classic LCD displays in smartphones and TVs, or the OLED displays used in high-end smartphones. Instead, these newer displays are built directly onto wafers – the substrates on which semiconductors are made – allowing for much thinner, smaller displays and using less power, making them more suitable for use. use in portable AR devices, according to sources familiar with the projects.

Although micro OLED is a different technology from microLED, Apple is reportedly working on both types of displays at the same facility.

Apple’s other display project on the Longtan campus focuses on micro LED technology, which the company hopes to eventually use in the Apple Watch, iPads, and MacBooks. Apple has partnered with Taiwanese LED company Epistar to co-develop the technology.

Just like micro OLEDs, the micro LED project also involves chip manufacturing technology. The components are 100 times smaller than those used in LED lighting products and they don’t need backlight modules like traditional LEDs and LCDs, which means the screen can be much thinner. Micro LEDs also offer high color contrast and can be used to create curved or foldable displays, similar to OLED displays.

The report states that the Apple Glasses display project “is now in the trial production stage,” designed to ensure that potential series production plans are realistic. It is important to note that although this is an important step along the way, it still represents an early step in the project as a whole. The test production here is for Apple Glasses displays, rather than the AR devices themselves.

Today’s report says built-in screens will be smaller than an inch in size and Apple takes privacy even more seriously than usual.

Anyone who signs up to work on the program must sign a strict nondisclosure agreement that prohibits them even from meeting friends or acquaintances working in the tech industry, the source added.

Conceptual image: Antonio De Rosa

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