Microelectronics

Fraunhofer IPMS: Novel 2k OLED microdisplay for near-to-eye applications

April 21, 2026. OLED microdisplays are a mature technology for the realization of high-resolution image generators for a wide variety of optical applications. Recently, the focus has been on specially designed integrated control circuits, so-called microdisplay backplanes. These control the pixels with comparatively high voltages or currents in order to enable high brightness and a good contrast ratio, particularly in augmented reality applications. Fraunhofer IPMS is expanding its portfolio to include a high-resolution OLED microdisplay for stationary and portable optical systems.

OLED microdisplay with 2K resolution (2048 x 2048 pixels, 1.07 inches) Photo: Fraunhofer IPMS

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This new 2K OLED microdisplay (2048 x 2048 pixels, 9.3um x 9.3um RGB-stripe, 1.07 inch) is the highest resolution in the Fraunhofer IPMS microdisplay family and is based on the in-house high-voltage backplane circuit concept. This technology enables the control of several stacked OLEDs, resulting in high brightness.

“In addition to the extended control option of the pixels in a wide dynamic range, the display can be controlled via a chip-integrated LVDS interface, which reduces the number of lines required. At the same time, it enables a high data bandwidth so that refresh rates of up to 120 Hz can still be achieved. A new type of microdisplay module package was also developed, which generates all the voltages required for the display chip on the module and therefore only requires a single system voltage. This significantly reduces the integration effort in existing optical systems,” explains Philipp Wartenberg, head of the IC & amp; System Design department at Fraunhofer IPMS.

The scientists are looking forward to expanding the microdisplay family and adapting the new 2K display to new, customer-specific applications. Evaluation kits are available for this purpose.

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