Production equipment

On September 24-26, the inaugural MicroLED-Connect event took place in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. It was an extremely successful event, with attendees, speakers and exhibitors from all over the world there to discuss the latest microLED innovations and updates. It is clear that there's much interest and driving force behind the microLED industry.

MicroLED-Connect hosted over 40 speakers and 8 masterclasses, providing a wealth of information by leading display makers and supply chain companies, researchers, material makers, market analysts, investors, application developers, and more. The agenda included speakers from Google, Meta, TCL CSoT, KAUST, JCDecaux, CEA/Leti, GlobalFoundries, Aixtron, Continental, Applied Materials, imec.Xpand, VueReal, ALLOS and many more.

This is a sponsored post by Coherent

Excimer-based laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a practical mass transfer process for today and tomorrow

MicroLEDs stand at the forefront of next generation display technologies because they offer superior brightness, efficiency, and longevity over other panel types. In fact, the advantages of microLEDs are so significant that they promise transformative applications ranging from advanced smartwatches to expansive AR/VR experiences.

However, the display industry faced a significant setback when tech giant Apple abandoned its ambitious microLED project after years of heavy investment (estimated at over US$3 billion since 2014). Apple hasn’t publicly announced their reasoning for this move.

Pyramidical GaN microLED develop Polar Light Technologies announce a partnership with die bonding solution developer Finetech, to co-develop microLED technologies. The two companies already started developing microLED microdisplay applications. 

Polar Light Technologies and Finetech developed a modified flip-chip cold bonding technique that ensures accurate alignment between the microLEDs and the electronics. The two companies say that in early trials, this method showed an impressive 85% success rate, proving its potential for large-scale manufacturing.

Israeli-based display inspection developer InZiv has recently expanded its management team, as the company reports increased interest in its microLED inspection systems. Dr. Tali Hurvitz has joined InZiv as its new R&D manager, bringing with her years of experience in the flat panel display industry and in the technology sector in general.

Dr. Tali Hurvitz earned her BSc, MSc, and PhD from Tel Aviv University, where she focused on physics and materials science. She has held significant positions, including her latest role as the Head of the Physics, Materials, and Innovation group at KLA, and has previously worked in various capacities within the technology sector. Dr. Tali will now lead InZiv’s R&D as the company matures and expands its solution portfolio.

Hello Dr. Tali, we first of all want to wish you the best of luck at InZiv. What drew you initially to the field of physics and materials science? 

As long as I remember myself, I preferred technical toys (like LEGO) to social ones (like dolls…). When in middle school I was directed to participate in cooking classes, while the boys went to study electronics - I rebelled and joined the boys! It was inspiring to learn how simple and straightforward electricity was. It is either zero or one. That led to my studying electronics in high school. My plan was to continue to higher education in that field as well. However, before starting my first year I took a preparation course in Physics - and I was hooked, till this day. Understanding the physical laws around us and forming these laws in simple equation - it's like magic!

In 2021, Visionox's Vistar announced that its full-process pilot microLED production line is now capable of producing displays, from driver backplane, through transfer process to full module production. The LED chips themselves are produced by a third party.

Today we understand that Vistar's Chenxian Optoelectronics (its JV that is in charge of the microLED line) has held a ceremony as it has moved in equipment to its mass production line. It is reported that the company will install more than 200 pieces of equipment in the next 2 weeks. It could be that Vistar is scaling up its line, or maybe it is also adding capabilities.

How XTPL's Ultra-Precise Dispensing System is Shaping the Future of OLED and MicroLED Displays Exploring the Future of Display Technology: OLED, QD-OLED, and MicroLED Compared

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), QD-OLED (Quantum Dot Organic Light-Emitting Diode), and MicroLED (Micro Light-Emitting Diode) share some common characteristics as emissive display technologies:

1. Emissive nature: They all emit light when an electric current is passed through them.
2. Active matrix: They use an active matrix to control the emission of each pixel.
3. Pixel structure: Each pixel typically consists of three sub-pixels (red, green, and blue) that can be controlled independently.
4. High contrast ratio: They are capable of producing high contrast ratios due to their ability to turn off or dim individual pixels.
5. Fast response time: They have fast response times, which enables them to display fast-moving content without blurring or ghosting.
6. Viewing angles: They can maintain good color accuracy and contrast even when viewed from the side, although MicroLEDs tend to have better viewing angles. 

Fig. 1 XTPL Ultra-Precise Dispensing System

Justin Brown is X Display's Executive Vice President for Operations & Equipment. Justin leads the company’s supply chain development, manufacturing partner relationships and also its Equipment division, which provides mass-transfer equipment for XDC’s partners and licensees. Justin was kind enough to answer a few questions we had for XDC.

Q: Hello Justin, thanks for your time. XDC has been a bit quiet in the last few years. Can you bring us up to date on your microLED technologies, processes and products?

Thank you for the opportunity to share the progress at XDC. We have been busier in the near past than ever before. As you know, we first announced our MicroIC technology, our mass transfer process, our manufacturing equipment and the uniqueness of our approach, the IP strength we possess and the experience of the team. This led to broad customer visibility and we narrowed down our efforts to a select set of partners that we are currently working with. We have deep engagements with customers that we anticipate will result in end product announcements in the future.

Aixtron reports strong results for its recent quarter, with both revenues and profit significantly higher than last year, driven by strong demand for SiC production systems for power electronics.

Aixtron reports revenues of 19.6 million Euro (up from 6.9 million last year) for LED and microLED systems. There's a strong new momentum for microLED production systems, which accounted for 37% of the equipment order intake. This development was boosted by the continued development activities of Micro LED customers, who are continuing to invest in development and pilot lines for the commercialization of Micro LED technology.