Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems IPMS have developed an innovative 2K OLED microdisplay. They will present initial results at SID Display Week 2026 in Los Angeles, USA, from 5-7 May 2026, at Booth 1146.
OLED microdisplays are a mature technology for generating high-resolution images for a wide range of optical applications. Recently, particular attention has been given to specially designed integrated driver circuits, known as microdisplay backplanes. These circuits drive pixels with comparatively high voltages and currents, enabling high brightness and a strong contrast ratio, especially in augmented reality applications.
Highest-resolution model
Fraunhofer IPMS is expanding its portfolio with a high-resolution OLED microdisplay for stationary and portable optical systems. The new 2K OLED microdisplay (2,048 x 2,048 pixels, 9.3 µm x 9.3 µm RGB stripe, and 1.07 inches) is the highest-resolution model in the Fraunhofer IPMS microdisplay family. It is based on the institute’s proprietary high-voltage backplane circuit concept. This technology controls multiple stacked OLEDs, resulting in high brightness.
“In addition to its expanded ability to drive pixels across a wide dynamic range, the display can be controlled via an on-chip LVDS interface, reducing the number of required interconnects. This enables high data bandwidth and allows for refresh rates of up to 120 Hz. A novel microdisplay module package has been developed to generate all the necessary voltages for the display chip directly on the module, so that only a single supply voltage is needed. This significantly reduces the effort required to integrate it into existing optical systems,” explains Philipp Wartenberg, Head of the IC & System Design Department at Fraunhofer IPMS.
Evaluation kits available
The researchers welcome the expansion of the microdisplay family and look forward to adapting the new 2K display to new, customer-specific applications. Evaluation kits are available for this purpose.