From Direct‐View OLED Panels to Optics‐Driven Near‐Eye OLEDoS Microdisplays: Luminance Regimes and Dominant Physical Mechanisms

ABSTRACT

The evolution of display technologies from conventional direct‐view displays to optics‐driven near‐eye systems has fundamentally altered panel‐level luminance requirements. In eXtended Reality (XR) platforms, OLED‐on‐Silicon (OLEDoS) microdisplays are widely adopted as light engines because of their high pixel density, compact form factor, and superior image quality. Unlike direct‐view displays, however, XR architectures inherently suffer substantial optical throughput losses induced by imaging optics and optical combiners, reducing display‐to‐eye efficiency and forcing OLEDs to operate at luminance levels far beyond conventional direct‐view displays to achieve adequate in‐eye brightness, outdoor visibility, and immersive performance. This study introduces a luminance‐regime‐based classification framework for OLED displays, organizing device operation into low, moderate, high, and extreme luminance regimes based on sustained operation rather than transient peak performance. The framework bridges practical luminance demands with the fundamental physical limitations and operational constraints, providing a structured perspective for evaluating OLED performance, efficiency, and long‐term stability across different application scenarios. It further highlights a shift from transient peaks toward sustained, stable high‐luminance operation in near‐eye displays. By linking OLED device physics with optical‐system efficiency and in‐eye visual perception, this study provides practical guidance for next‐generation OLEDoS development, where long‐term stability under ultra‐high luminance is becoming a critical performance criterion.