Apple Weighs Sputtering for Next-Gen OLED HMO Tech

What happened

According to industry sources on Nov. 2, Apple is considering sputtering as its preferred deposition method as it develops high-mobility oxide (HMO) technology for next-generation OLED panels, and the final mass-production process has yet to be determined. Apple is prioritizing the use of existing sputtering processes in its HMO development; while ALD offers advantages in thin-film precision and property control, its high equipment and material costs have prompted Apple to examine sputtering as a less expensive alternative. HMO is being considered for future high-resolution OLED displays for IT products such as MacBooks and iMacs; premium OLED panels currently use LTPO technology combining silicon and oxide semiconductors, and if HMO performance improves sufficiently, some silicon processes could be replaced with oxide technology, simplifying manufacturing and reducing production costs. Samsung Display is developing sputtering-based HMO technology while evaluating ALD, examining whether it can achieve the electron mobility and reliability required by Apple on large substrates; Apple is said to have evaluated HMO-related technologies at its own R&D facility in Taiwan before asking Samsung Display to assess the feasibility of applying the technology to eighth-generation large-area manufacturing processes. LG Display is also developing sputtering-based HMO technology on its sixth-generation small- and medium-sized OLED production line, conducting ALD research in parallel, and last year unveiled an OLED prototype incorporating an oxide TFT fabricated using ALD, achieving electron mobility of about 40 cm²/V·s; however, considering the burden of additional capital expenditure, the company is said to be leaning toward using existing sputtering equipment. Conventional oxide TFTs have electron mobility of around 10 cm²/V·s, while HMO aims to raise the figure to between 30 and 50 cm²/V·s. Both companies are testing the performance and stability of the different deposition methods; an industry official said the performance advantages of ALD have been confirmed at the research stage, but sputtering appears to be undergoing further testing because of cost considerations.

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Source and time

Source: The Elec · 11/2/2026 · View original source