Apple partners with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to develop ‘ultra-advanced’ micro OLED displays at a secret facility in Taiwan, reports Nikkei. The micro OLED screens will be used in “upcoming augmented reality devices”.
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Micro OLED screens are built directly on chip wafers instead of a glass substrate, resulting in screens that are thinner, smaller and more energy efficient. These slimmer micro OLED screens are ideal for smaller devices, such as the smart glasses that Apple is reportedly working on.
The development of micro OLED displays is reportedly in the production phase of the trial and it will be several years before Apple and TSMC are ready for mass production, making these displays suitable for the Apple Glasses that are said to be somewhere will be on the market around 2023. currently in the works would be less than an inch in size, which is where TSMC’s expertise comes in handy.
Apple is already partnering with TSMC for all A-series chips used in the iPhone and iPad and the new M1 Apple silicon chips used in Apple’s Mac lineup.
“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 very small screen,” said a source who has direct information on the 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 also leveraging the know-how of panel experts in display technologies.”
Apple is not only working on micro OLED displays in factories in Taiwan, but is also exploring microLED technology, with test production lines for both types of displays. A June 2020 report suggested that Apple had invested $ 330 million in a Taiwanese factory developing microLED screens for Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks alongside supplier Epistar.
MicroLED, a technology separate from micro OLED, uses components that are smaller than those used in traditional LED lighting. These screens don’t require backlight modules, so they can be thinner, plus they offer high color contrast and can be used to make folding or curved screens.
According to NikkeiApple has several unmarked white lab buildings in Longtan Science Park in Taiwan that focus on new display technologies, with the location within walking distance of TSMC’s chip packaging and testing plant. Apple has hired veterans of display manufacturer AU Optoelectronics to work on micro OLED, and employees are subject to strict nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from “even meeting friends or acquaintances who work in the tech industry.”
Apple’s investments in both micro OLED and microLED are said to be aimed at becoming less dependent on Samsung Electronics in the future. Samsung is Apple’s main supplier for the OLED screens used in today’s iPhones.