Apple and TSMC create ultra-modern micro OLED displays with a diagonal of less than an inch

According to AsiaNikkei, Apple is developing cutting edge technology for micro OLED displays at a secret facility in Taiwan in partnership with TSMC.

Micro OLED displays are planned for future augmented reality devices from Apple, according to sources familiar with the matter. Apple has partnered with a renowned chip supplier because micro OLED displays are not built on glass substrates like regular LCD panels used in smartphones and TVs, or even OLED displays used in premium flagship phones. Micro OLED displays are built directly into wafers or substrates on which semiconductors are fabricated. This allows the new panels to be thinner and also consume less power, which in turn makes them great choices for virtual and augmented reality devices.

The project is currently in test production, but mass production will take several more years. Current micro OLED displays that Apple is testing are under an inch diagonal.

Apple even hired dozens of veterans from Taiwanese display manufacturer AU Optoelectronics to help with its project. These new hires are forced to sign a strict nondisclosure agreement, which prohibits them even from meeting friends or acquaintances in the high-tech industry.