Apple patents stacked LED layers for color displays
Apple describes a display design where light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of different colors are stacked vertically on top of each other. The filing details how these stacked layers share electrical connections to create a screen that produces images for the user.
In the filing’s own words
An electronic device may have one or more displays that produce images for a user. The display may include an array of light-emitting diodes. Each light-emitting diode in the array of light-emitting diodes may include a plurality of vias. The vias may be arranged in an array of rows and columns. The light-emitting diodes in the array may share a common cathode. The common cathode may include a conductive layer formed from a reflective material. The conductive layer may be formed in a grid that defines a plurality of openings for the light-emitting diodes or may be formed around the periphery of the array. The array may include light-emitting diodes of two different colors in a head-to-tail arrangement, connected in series, or that share a common cathode. The array may include light-emitting diodes of three different colors that are vertically stacked.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. An electronic device comprising: a first n-type semiconductor layer; a first p-type semiconductor layer; a multi-quantum wells layer of a first color that is interposed between the first n-type semiconductor layer and the first p-type semiconductor layer, wherein the first n-type semiconductor layer, the first p-type semiconductor layer, and the multi-quantum wells layer of the first color define a first plurality of light-emitting diodes of the first color; a second n-type semiconductor layer different than the first n-type semiconductor layer, wherein the first p-type semiconductor layer is interposed between the second n-type semiconductor layer and the multi-quantum wells layer of the first color; a second p-type semiconductor layer; a multi-quantum wells layer of a second color that is different than the first color that is interposed between the second n-type semiconductor layer and the second p-type semiconductor layer, wherein the second n-type semiconductor layer, the second p-type semiconductor layer, and the multi-quantum wells layer of the second color define a second plurality of light-emitting diodes of the second color; and a third n-type semiconductor layer different than the first and second n-type semiconductor layers.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Display systems with light-emitting diodes
- Patent number
- US12772644B2
- Application number
- 18180763
- Filed
- Mar 8, 2023
- Granted
- Oct 20, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 23
Classified under
H10H 29/142 Electricity & electronicsMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
- Apple patents glass chip base that uses light to move data Oct 8, 2026
- Apple patents radar that maps rooms using moving objects Sep 1, 2026
- Apple patents display method that reuses static images to save power Sep 1, 2026
- Apple patents stretchable OLED displays with sealed pixel islands Sep 8, 2026
- Apple patents method to fix color fringes in high-resolution displays Sep 8, 2026
Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.