Apple is working with TSMC to produce Micro-OLED screens for upcoming AR glasses
According to Nikkei, Apple has teamed up with TSMC to develop cutting-edge OLED microdisplays at a secret factory in Taiwan. Small OLED screens are used in (upcoming augmented reality devices).
Micro-OLED displays are developed directly on chips rather than glass substrates, resulting in thinner, smaller displays that consume less power. These increasingly smaller OLED screens are perfect for smaller devices, such as the smart glasses Apple is rumored to be working on.
Rumors say that the process of developing small OLED screens is in the experimental production stage, and it may be years before Apple and TSMC are ready to start mass production, making these screens suitable for the power supply of Apple Glasses that is expected to hit the world. Available sometime in 2023. The screen is said to be less than an inch, and that's where Apple needs TSMC's expertise.
Apple partners with TSMC
Apple has partnered with TSMC to develop various A-series chips for the iPhone and iPad, as well as the new Apple M1 silicon chip for the Apple Mac line. Sources familiar with the (Micro OLED R&D) project said panel makers are good at making screens bigger and bigger, but for thin and light devices like augmented reality glasses, very small screens are needed. (Since TSMC developed the technology, the chipmaker's expertise has kept things small and
great, and Apple has benefited greatly
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While small OLED screens are being worked on in Taiwan factories, Apple is also developing microLED technology, with pilot production lines for both display types. According to a report issued in June 2020, Apple has invested $330 million in a Taiwanese factory to develop microLED screens for Apple Watch, iPads and MacBooks, in cooperation with supplier Epistar.
MicroLED is a new technology separate from micro OLED, and uses components that are smaller than those used in traditional LED lighting. These screens do not require backlight units so they can be thinner. In addition, they provide high color contrast and can be used to make foldable or curved screens.
According to Nikkei, Apple owns a group of unmarked white lab buildings in Longtan Science Park in Taiwan that focus on new display technologies, with a location within walking distance of a TSMC chip packaging and testing plant. Apple has hired its best display engineers from AU Optoelectronics to work on micro OLED, and employees are subject to strict non-disclosure agreements (even from friends or acquaintances in the tech industry).
Apple's investments in both micro OLED and microLED are said to be aimed at reducing its dependence on Samsung Electronics in the future. Samsung is Apple's main supplier of the OLED screens used in current iPhones.
