Digitimes posted an interesting interview with Epistar's president, Jou Ming-Jiunn. Jou says that the most optimistic scenario is for micro-LED displays to enter production by the end of 2018, with real devices appearing in 2019. There are still challenges ahead though, and Epistar's customers have not yet committed to anything.
According to Jou, there are two main routes to the market for Micro-LED makers: VR/AR or wearable displays and large-area TV panels. It is not clear yet which will route will arrive first.
Jou also explains the advantages that Epistar has in this market, as one of the few companies that offer a complete RGB LED chip portfolio and the only company in Taiwan that produces green and blue LEDs on 6-inch wafers. For the micro-LED market Epistar focuses on the LED devices and also the mass transfer technologies.
It will be interesting to see how OLEDs compete with Micro-LEDs when these new displays arrive on the market. Jou says that OLED display prices will continue to fall, but it's not clear whether OLEDs will be lower in cost than Micro-LED displays or not.
