Apple is working with TSMC on Micro OLED displays for future AR glasses

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

Micro OLED screens are built directly on chip wafers, rather than on a glass substrate, leading to thinner, smaller and more energy-efficient displays. These thinner micro OLED displays are ideal 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 test production stage and it will be several years before Apple and TSMC are ready for series production, which would make these displays suitable for the Apple Glasses It is rumored that they will be launched sometime around 2023. The screens that are currently in operation are said to be less than an inch in size, which is why TSMC’s expertise is useful.

Apple is already working with TSMC on all the A-Series chips used in the iPhone and iPad and Apple’s new M1 silicon chips, which are used in the Apple Mac range.

“Panels are good for making screens bigger and bigger, but when it comes to thin and light devices such as AR glasses, you need a very small screen,” said a source who has direct information about the project. micro OLED research and development. “Apple is working with TSMC to develop the technology, as the chip maker’s expertise makes things very small and good, while Apple also leverages the expertise 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 trial production lines for both types of displays. A June 2020 report suggested that Apple had invested $ 330 million in a Taiwanese factory developing microLED displays for the Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks with 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, plus provide high color contrast, and can be used to make foldable or curved screens.

Conformable Nikkei, Apple has several unmarked white lab buildings in Taiwan’s Longtan Science Park, focusing on new display technologies, located a few steps from the TSMC chip testing and packaging plant. Apple has hired veterans from display manufacturer AU Optoelectronics to work on micro OLEDs, and employees are subject to strict non-disclosure agreements that prohibit them from “even meeting friends or acquaintances working in the technology industry.”

It is said that Apple’s investments in both micro OLED and microLED are intended to reduce its dependence on Samsung Electronics in the future. Samsung is Apple’s leading provider of OLED displays used in current iPhones.