January 2025

In September 2024, OTFT developer Smartkem, a MicroLED Industry Association member, announced that it has signed an agreement with Shanghai Chip Foundation Semiconductor Technology (Chip Foundation) to co-develop microLED-based backlight units for LCD displays. Smartkem now announced that it has completed the first sale of its TRUFLEX semiconductor materials to Chip Foundation. 

Smartkem prototype microLED display

Smartkem is supplying its proprietary organic dielectric single layer material, or Redistribution Layer (RDL), to Chip Foundation to combine with its own microLED devices, for the joint development of microLED based device structures. The resulting manufactured chip is expected to have the properties of high brightness coupled with high current efficiency, reducing power losses in driving backlights and improving uniformity of illumination.  Additional sales of RDL materials to Chip Foundation are expected to continue throughout 2025.

MicroLED-Connect is a hybrid event series, a year-long program of virtual and onsite events, all focused on the microLED industry. The 2nd flagship MicroLED Connect display conference will take place in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, on September 23-25, co-located with the 1st AR/VR-Connect conference.

Following a very successful 2024 event, MicroLED-Connect 2025 is set to be an even better event, with an expanded agenda. We already confirmed some early speakers (including Google, PlayNitride, The University of Michigan, Aegis Rider, Aledia, Ingantec, LAM Research, AIST, DELO, the Holst Centre, and more) and have posted a call-out to potential speakers for the event. Companies, research institutes, start-ups, analysts, and academics are all welcome to propose a talk. We encourage contributions from round the world. In general, we prefer talks which represent state-of-the-art technologies or real commercial and industrial impact.

RayNeo announced its latest AR headset, the RayNeo X3 Pro, powered by full color microLED displays. The company says that the optical engine is ultra compact - and is in fact the world's smallest mass-producible full-color micro-LED optical engine. It is based on three monochrome microLEDs and can deliver up to 2,500 nits of brightness. 

The RayNeo X3 Pro is based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform, and it features a dual-camera system, one for high-definition photography and AI applications, and the second, lower power and with a wide field of view, for perception (such as SLAM and hand tracking).

MicroLED-Info is happy to announce the 2025 edition of The MicroLED Handbook. This book is the industry's trusted and comprehensive guide to MicroLED display technology, industry and market. MicroLED displays are thin, efficient, bright and flexible and are on track to revolutionize the display industry. The handbook is now updated to January 2025 and lists recent developments and new companies, initiatives, products and research activities.

Reading this book, you'll learn all about:

• MicroLED technology, materials and production processes
• How MicroLEDs compare to LCDs and OLEDs
• What are the challenges towards commercial production
• LED technology and manufacturing processes
• MicroLED driving and full-color architectures
• The MicroLED displays currently on the market

The book also provides: an in-depth guide to MicroLED Microdisplays, potential applications of MicroLED displays, a comprehensive list of MicroLED companies, an introduction to other emerging display technologies (such as quantum dots and OLEDs), a current overview of the MicroLED market, market and industry forecasts and much more!

Plessey Semiconductors, together with Meta Platforms, announced that they have developed the a native red microLED microdisplay that achieves up to 6 million nits with a chip size of 5 um. Plessey says that this is world's brightest microLED device at this size.

In March 2020, Meta signed a deal with Plessey to dedicate all of Plessey's microLED manufacturing operations to support Meta with its own product development. Facebook pretty much acquired Plessey's microLED operations with this exclusive deal. 

AUO collaborated with Sony Honda Mobility and demonstrated a microLED "media bar" mounted on the exterior f Sony Honda's AFEELA 1 car, at CES 2025. AUO says that this is a groundbreaking application that connects the cockpit to the world outside the vehicle, inspiring innovative car designs. 

This is indeed the first application of Micro LED displays on a vehicle’s exterior. The two companies explain that the Media Bar can be used to show a diverse range of information, including charging status and vehicle details with unobstructed visibility. Vehicle occupants could engage with the outside world from within the cockpit by displaying personalized content on the media bar, such as videos, pictures, and unique messages.

Hisense has unveiled the 136MX MicroLED TV, a 136-inch tiled microLED TV that it said to be "consumer ready". This is a 4K 120Hz TV that offers high brightness (up to 10,000 nits) and is powered by Hisense's flagship Hi-View AI Engine X. Other features include Variable Refresh Rate, Auto Low Latency Mode, and support for FreeSync Premium Pro. The 136MX runs on Hisense's own VIDAA smart OS platform.

Hisense did not yet reveal whether it plans to release this TV anytime soon, and at what price. But we can expect this to be an ultra-premium product, like all other microLED TVs.

At CES 2025, Samsung is showing an interesting microLED application, a smart mirror device. The idea is to provide a mirror with a display on top, that can scan your face and recommend treatment solutions to tailor your skin. 

Samsung said that it employed a "aluminium and niobium micro-patterned mirror structure" to provide a 80% mirror-level reflectance. The mirror (and display) is 21-inch in size. It seems as if this is just a demonstration project, it is not likely to turn into a commercial product anytime soon.

Samsung is showing an interesting new TV prototype at CES 2025, a 98-inch 8K microLED-backlit LCD TV. Moving forward from miniLED backlighting to microLED backlighting enables even more dimming zones (at least 3X as many LEDs as its miniLED TVs) - and so increase energy efficiency and contrast.

Samsung calls the new TV an "RGB MicroLED", which continues the company tradition of unfortunate LED TV naming, although what samsung tries to say is that it uses RGB microLEDs as opposed to its miniLED platform which uses blue LEDs with QD color conversion. These new native RGB microLEDs are also supposed to be brighter than Samsung's miniLEDs, another advantage.

France-based microLED developer and MicroLED Association member Aledia announced that it has finished the construction of its $200 million microLED production line in Grenoble, and the company is now starting to produce AR microLED microdisplays based on its 3D Nanowire platform.

The new microLED microdisplays are full color displays, based on monolithically grown native red, green and blue devices. The company says that is 3D GaN Nanowire material platform is more efficient and bright than regular (2D) LEDs. The company grows the LED on 8-inch and 12-inch silicon wafers, and can currently ramp up to almost 20,000 monthly wafers.