Smartkem’s agreement with Taiwan’s leading display manufacturer AUO to build the world’s first rollable, transparent MicroLED display marks an ambitious step forward in screen technology. The bold collaboration brings together three cutting-edge innovations, MicroLED, rollable and transparent displays, which have the potential to reshape the future of screens.
MicroLED technology promises significant advantages over current displays, with improvements in brightness, clarity and efficiency. Transparent displays offer a wealth of potential applications, while rollable technology allows displays to expand and retract, saving space.
World’s first rollable display notebook
The potential of these technologies was on show at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Lenovo Thinkbook, the world’s first rollable display notebook, impressed attendees with a 14-inch display which extends to 16.7 inches at the press of a button. A number of other flexible screens also caught the attention of attendees, including a Samsung Display stretchable screen which bulges out in the middle, creating a 3D effect. The demonstration showed a shark bursting through the sea, its nose poking the screen outwards.
Transparent displays are also becoming more prevalent. LG launched what it calls the world’s first transparent and true wireless TV to the public in November. Priced at just under $60,000, the LG Signature OLED T is beyond most people’s price range, but it showcases the potential of this technology. While these are early days for rollable, transparent and MicroLED displays, the potential is vast.
Foldable smartphones are already bringing flexible displays into the mainstream, offering greater screen space without increasing pocket size. Apple is reportedly preparing to launch a foldable iPhone, which could further raise interest in the format.
Similar to the foldable format are rollable displays. These rely on a flexible screen that can be extended and retracted using a rolling mechanism inside the device. This eliminates the need for creases and hinges, though brings added weight, cost and complexity.
Revolution in car displays
Even so, flexible screens built on bendable plastic substrates could revolutionise how displays are used in cars, at home, in the workplace and in gaming and entertainment.
Transparent screens have many possibilities, with potential uses in virtual and augmented reality headsets, smart glasses and head-up displays on car windscreens, with the potential to display information overlaid on a real-world view. There are also potential medical uses, such as enabling surgeons to unroll transparent screens to bring up key data and information during surgery. They could also transform storefront displays, allowing new products and special offers to be displayed in shop windows with the interior still visible.
Interior designers could blend transparent, flexible displays into smart homes, integrating them with windows, mirrors and furnishings. Flexible screens also have potential uses in wearables. They could be integrated into clothing and become fashion accessories sewn into fabrics.
Adding MicroLED screens into the mix
Adding MicroLED screens into the mix, as envisioned by Smartkem and AUO, will bring greater clarity, colour and brightness to these flexible and see-through screens, offering up to 10,000 NITs of brightness, compared to 2,000 NITs offered by OLED displays.
MicroLED technology has been touted as the future of displays, given its superior performance and durability. But progress has been slower than expected and the technology suffered a setback last year when Apple postponed a project using MicroLED screens in a new smartwatch. This was to be the first mass commercial use of MicroLED and would have been a highly visible demonstration of its advantages.
Following Apple’s withdrawal, set manufacturers and suppliers have scaled back development. Research company Omdia forecasts that MicroLED display shipments will reach 34.6 million units by 2031, with extended reality headsets accounting for a quarter of the market. These shipment forecasts are lower than those made before Apple’s decision.
A challenge facing MicroLED commercialisation is the complex and expensive manufacturing process. One process known as mass transfer places millions of transistors onto the microscopic MicroLED lights which are placed on a substrate. But mass transfer requires incredible accuracy and if even a small number of the transistors are misplaced, the process must be repeated. A second method is laser welding. Both methods are carried out at temperatures of some 300 degrees Celsius, which would melt a flexible plastic substrate.
Organic thin film transistors
Smartkem’s organic thin film transistors are designed to be deposited in the form of electronic inks which avoids the problems described above. These inks can be processed at temperatures as low as 80 degrees Celsius and are applied directly onto MicroLEDs. This eliminates the need for mass transfer or laser welding. The low-temperature process developed by Smartkem allows displays to be made on flexible plastic substrates rather than rigid glass, making them suitable for flexible and bendable displays. Smartkem’s technology is expected to lower the cost of MicroLED manufacturing while also increasing efficiency.
To build the prototype rollable, transparent MicroLED display, AUO will use the 2.5 Gen production line developed by the Institute of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Taiwan. This is a pilot assembly line for prototyping innovative display technologies and, crucially, it works with a range of substrates, making it suitable for producing transparent and flexible displays.
Together, Smartkem and AUO are pioneering a simpler, lower-cost solution which is more efficient and also environmentally friendly. Their collaboration could pave the way for a new era of display technology. From rollable smartphones and see-through TVs to wearable screens and flexible in-car displays, the possibilities for screen innovations are limitless and they are fast becoming a reality.