ApplePatent applicationChips & hardwareInterest 6/10

Apple patents micro LED fix that borrows light from neighbors

Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a method for fixing dead pixels in micro LED displays by slightly altering the shape of the light guide above the broken spot. This change allows light from nearby working pixels to leak into the defective area, masking the failure.

Why it mattersThis technique could help maintain the uniform brightness of future high-resolution screens without needing to replace the entire display panel.

In the filing’s own words

Optoelectronic structures and methods of fabrication are described in which an array of micro LEDs is arranged in the array of pixels that includes a defective pixel. An array of optical elements is formed over the array of micro LEDs, where the array of optical elements includes a modified optical element with a local perturbation over the defective pixel, while all other optical elements of the array of optical elements have a common shape. In this manner the local perturbation may facilitate optical crosstalk for compensation of the defective pixel.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An optoelectronic structure comprising: an array of pixels; an array of micro LEDs arranged in the array of pixels, wherein the array of pixels includes a defective pixel; and an array of optical elements over the array of micro LEDs, wherein the array of optical elements includes a modified optical element including a local perturbation over the defective pixel, and all other optical elements of the array of optical elements have a common shape.

Facts

Company: Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title: Local Crosstalk Increase for Micro LED Defect Pixel Compensation
Publication number: US20260324170A1
Application number: 19454035
Filed: Jan 20, 2026
Published: Oct 15, 2026
Inventors: 8
Claims: 21

Classified under

H10H 29/855 Electricity & electronicsH10H 29/0363 Electricity & electronics

Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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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.