Market updates - Page 2

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.

We are happy to announce a new edition of our MicroLED Transfer Process Market Report, with all the latest information, new technologies and companies, and more. MicroLEDs are advancing quickly and the transfer process remains one of the key challenges. This report includes all the latest updates, including Apple's project cancellation (and its implications) and a new section on recent transfer related research activities.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• All known microLED transfer processes
• The current industry and market status
• Advantages and disadvantages of transfer technologies
• Future technologies and roadmaps

The report package also provides:

• An introduction to microLED production processes
• Over 25 presentations, brochures and technical papers
• MicroLED chip-level market estimates and forecasts
• Free updates for a year

This microLED display transfer process report provides a comprehensive look into current and future LED transfer technologies processes used for the production of microLED displays. The report covers everything you need to know about the current status of the industry.

Today we published a new edition of our Transparent MicroLED and OLED Market Report, with all the latest information and updates from this interesting upcoming industry and market, including the many new prototypes and displays recently unveiled by microLED developers.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• Transparent OLED and MicroLED properties and advantages
• The transparent OLED and MicroLED industry
• What kind of transparent OLEDs are currently on the market
• The transparent OLED lighting market

The report package also provides:

• Transparent OLED display product listing
• A guide into buying transparent OLEDs
• The main challenges towards transparent displays
• Free updates for a year

This transparent displays market report provides a great introduction to transparent OLED and MicroLED technologies and covers everything you need to know about the market and industry now and in the future. This is a great guide for anyone who's thinking about adopting transparent displays in their products or that wants to understand this industry and market throughout.

A few days ago, Apple decided to cancel its microLED project with ams-Osram, a development that took the display industry by surprise (or at least parts of the industry). MicroLED developers are now looking to understand how Apple's decision will shape the industry, and a couple of days ago two China-based developers, Tianma Microelectronics and Konka, said that they are continuing their own microLED developments projects, as the companies are still optimistic about the future of microLEDs.

Konka has vertically integrated its supply chain and is producing its own microLED chips using Aixtron's MOCVD systems. Back in 2019, Konka announced it is building a $365 million micro-LED R&D center in Chongqing, as the company believes that Micro-LED will become the leading technology for ultra-high quality consumer TVs. Earlier that year, Konka launched tiled large micro-LED displays called APHAEA brand. Konka demonstrated several possible configurations - including 118" 4K and 236" 8K. The price of a 118" 4K display was around $240,000 while the 236" 8K TV had a price tag of $1.25 million. Click here for more information on Konka's APHAEA micro-LED TVs. 

A few days ago, Apple decided to cancel its microLED project with ams-Osram, a development that took the display industry by surprise. It certainly surprised ams-Osram, which announced it will have to re-assess its microLED strategy and incur $650-900 million in impairment charges. It is currently unclear whether Apple's decision was to completely abandon microLED technologies, or if it still in the microLED race, perhaps with different technologies and suppliers. It is likely that Apple does not have any immediate plans to introduce microLED displays, though. In this article, we'll try to analyze the reasons which led to Apple's decision and the probable implications for the microLED industry. 

Summary:

• Apple cancels its microLED project with ams-Osram
• We estimate that the main reasons are Apple's technology choice and strategy
• MicroLED production will require next-gen technologies to succeed
• MicroLEDs still pose the best route for the future display technology, but companies will need to realign their strategies

Apple worked on microLED R&D since 2014, with a first target of producing microLED smart watch displays to replace the currently-used AMOLED displays. The Company had several partners, and decided to handle some of the process in-house. It seems as if even after almost 10 years of development and intensive R&D (estimates of Apple's total investment in microLED technology so far range between $1-3 billion USD), the technology was not ready for mass production - at least not at a price that Apple can accept.

Today we published a new edition of our MicroLED and OLED Microdisplays Market Report, with all the latest information. The new edition offers more that a dozen new updates, new companies, new brochures and catalogs, and more. It is a major release with over 30 updates. Global multinational companies are working hard to develop and deploy next-generation AR and VR devices, and these devices will all be based on OLED and microLED microdisplay engines.

Reading this report, you'll learn all about:

• The advantages of OLED and MicroLED microdisplays
• The microdisplays that are available on the market today
• Information on all companies involved in this market
• Future technologies and roadmaps

The report package also provides:

• A list of all OLED microdisplays on the market
• A list of all OLED and MicroLED microdisplays makers
• Microdisplays spreadsheet
• Over 25 datasheets, presentations
• Free updates for a year

This microdisplays market report provides a great introduction to MicroLED and OLED microdisplays, and covers everything you need to know about the current status of the market and industry. This is a great guide if you're considering to adopt OLED microdisplays in your product, if you're looking to learn more about next-generation micro-LEDs and if you want to understand this industry better.

Apple started developing microLED displays for wearable devices years ago, first aiming to launch the first product in 2023. The project was delayed several times, as the cost of production for microLED displays is still too high for Apple.

Last year TrendForce estimated that Apple will not be able to introduce its first microLED watch until 2026 - and now we hear some new reports that suggest that this won't happen until 2027 at the earliest. 

MicroLED-Info is happy to announce the 2024 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 2024 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!

NS Nanotech, based in the US, develops nanowire microLED technologies, branded as nanoLED, using MBE deposition. The company targets the microLED display market, and also the LEDs for pathogen-neutralizing far-UV. NS Nanotech's CEO, Seth Coe-Sullivan, will give a talk at the upcoming MicroLED-Connect startup showcase event on February 2024, and was kind enough to send us a short update on the company's technology and status, and his views on the microLED industry and market:

Seth Coe-Sullivan: NS Nanotech is a spin-off from McGill University and the University of Michigan, with offices in Ann Arbor and Montréal near both campuses. We have exclusive licenses to portfolios of patents for breakthroughs in sub-micron-scale vertical nanowire LEDs, and we have published peer-reviewed results showing world-class efficiency for red and green nano-LEDs. And now we are working to demonstrate how this technology can scale to commercially relevant processes and wafer sizes for both main displays and microdisplays.

Our go-to-market strategy involves partnering with larger companies that have the balance sheet to scale quickly, while we remain a technology provider. As we map a clear path to commercialization of our nanowire technology, we have started to fabricate demonstration wafers to make samples available to potential manufacturing partners.