Audio and Video

Globalfoundries to develop monolithic microdisplay for AR

11 March 2021

Globalfoundries will manufacture what it claims is the world’s first monolithic microdisplay designed for augmented reality (AR) glasses.

The microdisplay from Compound Photonics, called IntelliPix, enables real-time holographic consumer AR experience by enabling smaller and lighter AR glasses that last longer on a single charge. The microdisplay provides a real-time video pipeline, coupled with a fully integrated digital backplane and driver for pixels as small as 2.5µm — which the company said is the first time this has been offered in a single-chip solution.

What is billed as the world's first monolithic microdisplay will be used for new augmented reality systems. Source: GlobalfoundriesWhat is billed as the world's first monolithic microdisplay will be used for new augmented reality systems. Source: GlobalfoundriesThe microdisplay will be built on GF’s 22FDX platform, supporting up to 100 times faster modulation while consuming 4 to 12 times less system power across the video pipeline, compared to previous microdisplays.

IntelliPix is directed to pixels that are active, while conserving power in inactive pixel regions, resulting in high image quality and brightness, while lowering the overall display subsystem power. IntelliPix’s smart pixel digital backplane is integrated with CP’s proprietary real-time video pipeline at high frame rates and low latency all in one single chip with no compromises in display area, cost or performance consumption to meeting, CP said.

The microLED pixel technology can be configured with a constant current pixel drive optimized to deliver pixel to pixel uniformity supported with a software-defined drive scheme and an MIPI interface. The microdisplay provides configuration as a voltage/charge driven pixel optimized for driving LC based pixels for both amplitude and phase/holographic light modulation. The technology platform is also customizable for resolutions up to 2048 x 2048 and beyond.

GF said it expects the first commercial products from the IntelliPix microdisplays to be on the market in 2023.

To contact the author of this article, email PBrown@globalspec.com


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