Following LCD and AMOLED, micro-LED has emerged as the next-generation display technology that is expected to be deployed widely in various applications. Increasing interests from electronics giants Apple and Sony during the recent period have encouraged further investments in micro-LED and accelerated the timetable for its commercialization. The latest analysis from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, forecasts that micro-LED displays for smart wearable devices will enter the mass production stage in 2018. The technology will become available for smartphones later in 2020.   “Compared with the existing technologies, micro-LED offers significant improvements in many areas, including brightness/contrast, energy efficiency and response time,” said LEDinside analyst Philip Chang. “It also satisfies the demand for higher pixel density (expressed as pixels per inch or PPI) and other product design requirements, such as flexible and transparent screens. In sum, micro-LED overcomes the limitations of both LCD and AMOLED, and the mass production of displays based on this technology is foreseeable in the near future despite many unresolved technical issues.” Chang added: “Currently, the most significant technical hurdle that prevents the mass production of micro-LED displays is finding the best balance in the trade-off between pixel density and pixel volume. In this matter, Apple and Sony diverge in their strategies to commercialize the technology.”

With OLED gaining traction on the market and rumored to be adopted in upcoming Apple iPhones and MacBook touch panels, it is surprising that the third generation Apple Watch might be switching to another innovative display technology, according to a report from Mac Rumor.

University of Tokyo researchers have developed an ultrathin, ultraflexible, protective layer and demonstrated its use by creating an air-stable, OLED display. This technology will enable creation of electronic skin (e-skin) displays of blood oxygen level, e-skin heart rate sensors for athletes and many other applications.

Pixelligent, the leader in high-index advanced materials, today launched a new family of PixClear® materials for display and optical components and films. The PixClear product line is now available in a new solvent system -- a low boiling ethyl acetate (ETA) -- that delivers the same high performance while easing integration with customer manufacturing processes. Now leading manufacturing companies will have the choice of a standard, high boiling propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA) or the low boiling ETA for their testing. These materials are available in both 20 percent and 50 percent loadings for PixClear PG and PixClear PB.

A Kent State University professor in the College of Arts and Sciences has received a grant from the Binational Science Foundation to continue his development of a combined LED and organic transistor that could be used in flexible displays. Bjorn Lussem, Ph.D., an assistant professor of physics, was awarded US $180,000 to use vertical transistors to create organic displays that are more power efficient and could potentially have a higher resolution.

The new generation of human space exploration spacecraft is getting a new generation clock to count it down for launch on December 4.