January 2023

We're happy to interview ClassOne Technology, as part of our series of interviews with MicroLED Industry Association members. ClassOne develops and sells high-performance electroplating and wet processing systems for the manufacture of advanced microelectronics, for both R&D and high-volume fab environments. For the microLED industry, ClassOne offers its Solstice single wafer electroplating and wet process platform, in addition to its reactor technology for the industry.

Q: Can you introduce your company and technology?

Joe Gaustad, Product Manager, ClassOne Technology: At ClassOne, our mission is to deliver the world’s highest performing and most elegantly designed electroplating and wet processing systems for the manufacture of advanced microelectronics. Engineered for maximum efficiency and flexibility on the manufacturing floor, our systems offer a comprehensive range of electroplating and wet process solutions validated, tested, fab proven, and designed for top performance in both high-volume and R&D fab environments.

Texas-based A/V retailer GridHiFi posted an unboxing video in which they open and install a 110" Samsung MicroLED TV in their showroom:

As you can see, this TV comes pre-assembled (even though it is made from different tiles) and easily installed.

Specialized Korea-based LED developer Lumens announced that it has developed a Monolithic RGB epitaxial wafers for micro-LED display production. The new technology stacks the three color LEDs on on top of the other on the wafer.

A comparison between Lumen's stacked RGB transfer process (bottom) and the standard process (top)

A stacked microLED architecture improves the performance, while also making the transfer process more productive. The company says that its design will offer a dramatic reduction in the production costs - especially the transfer process, which is reduced to a third (in terms of number of transfer steps), while also doing all the process from a single wafer.

Aixtron launched a new fully-automated production system, the G10-AsP, targeting the microLED and laser markets. The company says that the G10-AsP ,the first system to offer a fully automated process, enables the highest throughput of its class with uniformity and defect levels never seen before.

Aixtron says that this system will allow, for the first time, the mass production of 10um (or lower) microLED chips, with high performance. The G10-AsP offers a 200mm AsP Batch reactor and comes with In-Situ Cleaning and an automated cassette-to-cassette (C2C) wafer loading.

The MicroLED Industry Association announced two new topical webinars, private events for association members. This is in addition to the upcoming Perovskite webinar and AR webinar.

The first webinar is focused on quantum dots (QD) technologies. In this webinar, we hope to learn more about the state-of-the-art QD and color conversion R&D, with a focus of course on applications in the microLED industry. The event will take place on March 6^th, and here's the agenda:

• Prof. Dmitri V. Talapin: world-leading QD researcher from the University of Chicago, who will update on the latest QA research
• Nanosys: leading QD developer (speaker TBD)
• GE: "Phosphor converted miniLEDs and microLEDs based displays" (MicroLED Association member)
• QustomDot: "InP-based quantum dots for color conversion in microLED applications" (MicroLED Association member)

The MicroLED Industry Association published today its first white paper, an application note that discusses the feasibility of microLED wearable displays soon, focusing on an LED cost analysis to see if such a display actually makes sense for smartwatch makers by 2024.

The white paper can be downloaded over at the MicroLED Association's website.

We are happy to announce the new edition of The OLED Handbook, the most comprehensive resource on OLED technology, industry and market - now updated for 2023. OLED technologies have successfully been adopted in smartphones, wearables, TVs, AR/VR and more - and our new handbook covers all the information that you'll need to fully understand where the OLED industry (and the display industry in general) is going next.

Reading this book, you'll learn all about:

• OLED technology and materials and production processes
• How OLEDs compare to LCD displays
• OLED TVs, foldable, rollable and transparent OLEDs
• The OLED lighting industry
• The future of OLED displays and the challenges ahead

The book also provides:

• A history of OLED development
• A guide to OLED investment
• A comprehensive list of OLED companies
• A list of existing and planned AMOLED fabs
• An introduction to quantum dots, micro-LEDs and e-paper displays

The OLED handbook has been read by hundreds of display engineers, business developers, researchers, equipment vendors, OLED material companies, private investors and others who wished to learn more about OLEDs today and in the future. I truly believe that it is the best introduction to OLED displays and lighting!

Apple's involvement in the microLED display market is not a secret, and rumors over the years suggested that the company's first microLED display will be adopted in a smartwatch project.A couple of weeks ago we heard estimates that Apple is working to produce a 2.1" microLED display, to be adopted in the next Watch Ultra device, due in late 2023 or (more likely in 2024).
 

DSCC's Ross Young gives an update today, saying that according to his information, LG Display is building a small production line that will make microLED backplanes for Apple. The line will begin operation in the second half of 2024, which means that the watch device itself will be released in 2025. This timeline makes more sense than an early launch in 2023.

ETNews says that Samsung Display has launched a new project to develop microLED displays for smart watch applications. The company setup a new development team, with a goal to commercialize this technology and move it beyond its current R&D stage.

Samsung's plan, it seems, is to complete the development by the end of 2023, and then look into mass production, aiming to supply such displays to Tier-1 wearable makers such as Apple and Samsung Electronics.

There are reports from Korea that say that the Korean Government is considering designating microLED display technology as a "national strategic technology", which means that companies will be given tax benefits, to encourage further investments and R&D.

According to the reports, next week the government will unveil a new draft tax law next week that will also include OLEDs and quantum dot displays as strategic technologies.