LEDInside reports that Taiwan-based Gallant Precision Machining (GPM) has started to develop Micro-LED production equipment. GPM currently develops LED picking and transfer equipment, washing equipment and testing equipment.
GPM is targeting several markets, and its LCD equipment currently accounts to 50% of its revenues.
Japanese-based LED maker Nichia says that the company has been developing Micro-LED technologies for several years, and the company can produce micro-LED chips - but the company estimates that it will take at least four years for Micro-LED displays to reach real commercialization.
Nichia is not only developing Micro-LED chips, the company also develops transfer technology and related equipment.
Taiwan's PlayNitride demonstrates two Micro-LED prototypes at SID 2018. The first one is a small 0.89" 64x64 (105 PPI) panel with a brightness of 800 nits. All of the LED chips in this display were transferred in three shots (one shot per color). The pixel size in this display is 0.243 mm.
The second display is a larger panel - 3.12" 256x256 (116 PPI). Due to the larger number of LEDs (total of 786K LEDs) PlayNitride had to use 24 shots to transfer all three colored chips. The pixel size in this larger display is 0.219 mm.
Ireland-based micro-transfer printing developer X-Celeprint demonstrated a 5.1" Micro-LED display in a private demo room at SID Displayweek.
X-Celeprint's display has a low resolution - the pixel density is 70 PPI, which means the resolution is around 300x200. The display uses micro ICs to control and compensate each pixel (this is not a TFT display). X-Celeprint says it intends to spin off a new display-focused company within the next 12 months.
TrendForce's LEDinside published a new roadmap for Micro-LED technologies and applications. According to the company, mini-LED and micro-LED revenues could reach $1.38 billion by 2022, and $2.891 by 2025.
LEDinside sees Micro-LEDs restricted in the short and medium terms to niche and premium displays such as large format displays and microdisplays, which means that total display shipments will not be larger.
UK-based Optovate recently announced that it has developed a parallel aligned Micro-LED transfer process. Today the company revealed more details about its Micro-LED technology.
Optovate p-LLO transfer process
Since 2008, Optovate develops catadioptric micro-optic arrays to enhance the benefits of micro-LED, mini-LED and OLED displays. The company also developed a patterned laser lift-off (p-LLO) micro-LED transfer process.
UK-based Optovate announced that it has developed a technology that enables multiple microLEDs transferred in parallel from a wafer to a substrate to be aligned in one step with a precision optical array.
Optovate says that this technology is protected in a portfolio of 20 granted and pending patents dating from 2008. The company is now looking for display partners to commercialize its technology.
Micro-LED microdisplay developer VueReal announced the initial closing of its $10.5 million Series A funding round, led by the venture arm of a large Asian company and a leading North American vendor focused on startups with emerging technology.
VueReal says that its proprietary sub-10 micrometer, high-efficiency micro-LED technology and its patented mass transfer process enables high-performance super low-power displays, coupled with a significant cost reduction.
Researchers from Korea's KAIST developed flexible vertical micro-LEDs (f-VLEDs) using anisotropic conductive film (ACF)-based transfer and interconnection technology.
The researchers developed their own transfer equipment and used it to fabricate a 50x50 array of f-VLEDs using simultaneous transfer and interconnection through the precise alignment of ACF bonding process. The researchers report that the micro-LEDs achieved an optical power density of 30 mW/mm2 - which is three times higher than that of lateral micro LEDs. The LEDs offer improving thermal reliability and lifetime by reducing heat generation within the thin film LEDs.
Earlier this month we reported that Taiwan's Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSRL, part of ITRI) has launched a project that aims to develop Micro-LED displays for large-area signage indoor displays.
LGD VR prototype, March 2017
According to a new report from Taiwan, EOSRL's new line, which will begin operation in Q3 2018, will be also used to produce small displays for VR applications. EOSRL reveals that the pilot line is already able to handle 2500 (50x50) chips per transfer, and by the time it is ready it will be able to handle 100,000 chips (100x100).
