Apple Files Patent App. for Futuristic ‘True Quantum Dot’ Display

Apple could develop a revolutionary ‘hybrid display’, which would combine the power efficiency of OLED with the quick responsiveness of LED into an all-new display technology dubbed ‘True Quantum Dot (QD) OLED,’ according to the company’s latest patent application.

Titled “Quantum Dot LED and OLED Integration for High Efficiency Displays,” Apple’s patent was published Thursday by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and goes on to describe a futuristic display technology that’s capable of “breaking down elements in a single pixel into sub-pixels” with the ultimate goal of combining key elements of LED/LCD and OLED into a ‘hybrid display’ of sorts.

LCD/LED vs. OLED

Whereas traditional LCDs are considered transmissive, in that they’re capable of changing color in accordance with their luminescent backlighting, OLED displays are considered emissive, in that each of their pixels function as its own source of electrically-generated light. As a result of lacking any backlights like LED/LCDs, OLED displays are synonymous with low power consumption, and are capable of producing blacker blacks and more true-to-life colors. By not requiring a traditional LED backlight, OLED displays tend to not only be thinner than their LED-backlit LCD counterparts, but the refresh rate of OLED panels is much faster due to their electromagnetically-powered pixels.

Apple’s Vision of True QD Technology

Quantum Dot OLED displays currently exist as larger television panels, within which the QD technology is implemented to help improve overall backlighting — albeit not on a pixel by pixel basis, as is the case with current OLED displays. Apple’s vision of ‘True QD’, meanwhile, appears to embody a standard that differs from the current slate of OLED displays in several ways. For starters, whereas the emphasis in current QD OLED displays is placed on overall backlighting, True QD would outright swap conventional LED backlights for “electroluminescent nanoparticles,” which would be capable of producing light on a pixel-by-pixel basis in the backlight’s absence.

Apple’s patent outlines several key advantages of True QD OLED technology, including longer pixel lifespans, superior saturation of green colors, thinner panels, and quicker manufacturing thanks to a more streamlined process — although the patent goes on to note, unfortunately, that it could take years to achieve optimal manufacturing yields since the technique hasn’t been perfected yet. True QD OLED displays would also offer much faster pixel response times in comparison to conventional OLED panels.

When Can We Expect QD OLED Displays?

The short answer, unfortunately, is not anytime soon. While QD OLED displays currently exist in various embodiments at your local Best Buy, True QD OLED displays are still very much a work in progress. Apple’s patent application discusses the technology as a whole, but focuses more on the current challenges in developing it, while touching on the complexity of the fabrication process. What’s also unclear is Apple’s timeline for True QD display development, however it appears from the patent document that the company is hedging its bets on OEM display-makers eventually improving on the technology and its fabrication process over the coming years.