As consumer devices such as smartphones and laptops become more integral to daily life, the demand for multifunctional displays continues to increase. Addressing this demand, CEA-Leti has reported the heterogeneous co-integration of gallium nitride (GaN) micro-LED technology and organic photodetectors, which the organization called a major step towards multifunctional displays. This co-integration allows displays that not only show content but also sense the environment — enabling smart interactions, biometrics, and real-time physiological monitoring, all within a single, compact device. Researchers from CEA-Leti have developed a method to co-integrated gallium nitride (GaN) micro-LED technology and organic photodetectors. The technology could enable displays capable of providing both display and sensing functions. Courtesy of MELTED/CEA. Micro-LED technology is a promising contender for future display applications, due to both its exceptionally high brightness as well as its minimal footprint, which leaves room to integrate additional functions. But achieving seamless co-integration between micro-LED and photodetectors has remained a technical challenge. One of the major hurdles in integrating micro-LEDs with photodetectors is the phenomenon of crosstalk coupling. Crosstalk occurs when the light emitted by the micro-LEDs reaches the photodetector directly before reflecting off the observed scene, leading to interference and diminished sensor performance. Exploring this challenge research — presented at SID Display Week 2025 — offers key insights into how the distance between the illumination source and the photodetector affects crosstalk, providing a deeper understanding of this bottleneck. Michaël Pelissier, lead author of the paper introducing the work, said, “Micro-LED's high radiance allows us to free up more space on the display panel to incorporate photodetectors, which not only enhances the display experience but also opens up new possibilities for smart, interactive screens.” The technology could enable applications such as fingerprint sensing across an entire mobile display, as well as the extraction of detailed images of veins; infrared sensing to perform near display gesture recognition to improve interactive capabilities; and the extraction of physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood oxygenation, and body temperature to support health monitoring.