Apple is reportedly testing the ALD process to add anti-reflective optical coatings to the next-generation iPhone Pro lenses

On April 16, news source yeux1122 recently broke the news on his Naver blog, saying that he learned from Apple's supply chain that Apple is testing a new anti-reflective optical coating technology that can reduce artifacts such as lens glare and ghosting, thereby improving photo quality.

Supply chain sources say Apple is considering introducing new atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment into the iPhone camera lens manufacturing process.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a thin film deposition technology based on the continuous use of gas phase chemical processes to deposit materials layer by layer on the substrate surface in the form of a single atomic film. ALD is a true nanotechnology that achieves nanoscale ultra-thin film deposition in a precisely controlled manner.

When it comes to camera lenses, the ALD process is mainly used to spray anti-reflective coatings, which helps reduce photographic artifacts. For example, when a strong light source such as the sun shines directly on the lens, streaks and halos may appear in the final image, and ALD can reduce these image distortions. IT Home attached a screenshot as follows:

Additionally, ALD-applied materials protect camera lens systems from environmental damage without affecting the sensor’s ability to effectively capture light.

The blog post stated that Apple plans to deploy the process in iPhone Pro models, which may be applied to the iPhone 16 Pro series or next year's iPhone 17 Pro series.