Multimodal transistors enable brighter display screens

As well as reducing cost, the new approach promises to reduce harmful waste, and deliver brighter, more energy-efficient screens for smartphones, smartwatches, and certain medical devices.

Many display screens use complex circuits made up of thin-film transistors (TFTs), which control when each pixel turns on or off and how bright it should be. Building these circuits requires a lot of time, energy, water and harsh chemicals, making the manufacturing process expensive and resource heavy.

At this year’s Display Week 2025 Technical Symposium in San Jose, California (11-16 May), Dr Radu Sporea and Dr Eva Bestelink will unveil their latest research, based on a multimodal transistor (MMT). Originally designed as a hardware AI computing element, the MMT has the ability to simplify display circuits while improving performance and sustainability.

In a statement, Dr Sporea, an associate professor in semiconductor devices at Surrey University, said: “Our invention challenges decades of industry practice by embracing properties usually seen as flaws. In most displays, engineers try to eliminate the energy barriers that form where metals meet semiconductors because they restrict current flow. But instead of working around them, we’ve made those barriers central to how our transistors operate.