Apple's suppliers are reportedly developing a new OLED manufacturing technology that could deliver brighter displays for the iPhone and iPad. Apple has long planned to replace the displays on all of its products with OLED, and while it is well on its way to that goal, the OLED panels it uses in the future could be a marked improvement over what is in use now.
According to The Elec, reporting on November 3, Apple display suppliers Samsung Display and LG Display are working on new methods to make OLED screens. Both are part of Apple's OLED supply chain and are keen to secure more orders from the company. A source says Apple is prioritizing an existing sputtering process for creating High Mobility Oxide (HMO) based panels, while Samsung and LG develop new Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and sputtering methods for production lines.
The changes offer several advantages, including brighter individual pixels, which can increase both brightness and contrast. The research may also lower the cost per display, making the technology more suitable for budget-friendly products. HMO improves the thin-film transistor that switches each pixel on and off, with electrons moving three to five times faster than normal. This supports high refresh rate displays, needed for features like ProMotion. Sputtering uses plasma to deposit material onto the substrate and can reuse equipment already on OLED lines. ALD offers highly precise layer control but requires costly machinery and raw materials.
Ross Young, an RDL advisor and former DSCC CEO, says the new PROLED MacBook Pro already uses HMO for its display panel rather than existing LTPS or LTPO backplane technologies, suggesting the future may already be here.
Source: AppleInsider · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing