Apple is working with TSMC on micro OLED displays for upcoming AR glasses

Apple has partnered with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to develop “ultra-advanced” micro OLED displays at covert facility in Taiwan, reports Nikkei. Micro OLED screens will be used in “future augmented reality devices”.

Micro OLED displays are built directly on chip wafers rather than a glass substrate, resulting in thinner, smaller, and more energy efficient displays. These thinner micro OLED displays are ideal for smaller devices like smart glasses that Apple would work on.

It is said that the development of micro OLED displays is in the test production stage and it will be several years before Apple and TSMC are ready for mass production, which would make these displays suitable for Apple. Glasses that would launch around 2023. The displays that are in development right now would be smaller than one inch, and that’s where TSMC’s expertise comes in handy.

Apple is already partnering with TSMC on all of the A-series chips used in the iPhone and iPad and on the new Apple M1 silicon chips used in Apple’s Mac line.

“Panel players are good at making screens bigger and bigger, but when it comes to thin and light devices like AR glasses, you need a really small screen,” a source said. has direct information about micro OLED R&D project. “Apple is partnering with TSMC to develop the technology because the chipmaker’s expertise makes things ultra-small and good, while Apple is also harnessing the expertise of the panel’s display technology experts.”

In addition to working on micro OLED displays at factories located in Taiwan, Apple is also exploring microLED technology, with test production lines in place for both types of displays. A June 2020 report suggested that Apple had invested $ 330 million in a Taiwanese factory developing microLED displays for Apple Watch, iPad and MacBook alongside supplier Epistar.

MicroLED, a separate technology from micro OLED, uses smaller components than those used in traditional LED lighting. These displays do not require backlight modules, so they can be thinner, offer high color contrast, and can be used to create foldable or curved displays.

According to Nikkei, Apple has several unmarked white lab buildings in Longtan Science Park in Taiwan focused on new display technologies, with the location within walking distance of TSMC’s chip packaging and testing plant. Apple has hired veterans of display maker AU Optoelectronics to work on the micro OLED, and employees are subject to strict nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them “even from meeting friends or acquaintances working in the tech 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 main supplier for OLED displays used in current iPhones.