A breakthrough in display technology from the University of Surrey could slash manufacturing costs, reduce environmental impact and extend battery life in everyday devices like smartphones and smartwatches.
Researchers Dr Radu Sporea and Dr Eva Bestelink will present their invention, the multimodal transistor (MMT), at the Technical Symposium in San Jose, California.
Originally designed as a hardware AI element, the MMT has proven particularly effective in simplifying thin-film transistor (TFT) circuits—used to control pixels in displays—while boosting efficiency.
“Using these effects deliberately, we’ve shown that the electronic circuits at the heart of display screens can be made with fewer components and processing steps – reducing waste, cutting costs and improving performance,” said Dr Sporea. “And because it works with existing materials and tools, it’s a smarter, more sustainable upgrade for the screens we use every day.”
Unlike traditional circuits, which avoid energy barriers where metals meet semiconductors, MMTs make these barriers central to their function.
The result is fewer materials, faster manufacturing and lower energy use—leading to reduced emissions across the production process.
The MMT supports compact, high-performance display systems, ideal for devices where energy and space efficiency are critical.
Dr Bestelink added: “The MMT lets us design circuits that perform better while also being cleaner and cheaper to make. That’s a win for manufacturers, a win for users and a win for the environment.”
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