MicroLED-Info.com: the Micro-LED experts

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced a collaboration with EV Group (EVG), a wafer bonding and lithography equipment producer. As part of the agreement, Plessey purchased EVG's GEMINI production wafer bonding system to enable bonding and alignment at Plessey’s fabrication facility in Plymouth, UK.

Plessey says that the new system will enable it to bond its GaN-on-Si microLED arrays to the panel’s backplane at a wafer level. Plessey also says that EVG’s patented automated bond alignment system technology is suitable for Plessey’s requirements because it allows face-to-face alignment of the wafers with very high precision which will enable very small pixel sizes.

In November 2017 Veeco and ALLOS Semiconductors announced that the two companies have completed their micro-LED strategic initiative and demonstrated 200mm GaN-on-Si wafers for blue and green micro-LED production. ALLOS proprietary epitaxy technology was transferred onto Veeco's Propel Single-Wafer MOCVD System to enable micro-LED production on existing silicon production lines.

Yesterday ALLOS and Veeco announced the completion of another phase of their mutual effort to provide the industry with leading GaN-on-Silicon epiwafer technology for microLED production. The two companies now demonstrated the reproducibility of ALLOS’ 200 mm GaN-on-Si epiwafer technology on Veeco’s Propel MOCVD reactor when producing epiwafers for many prominent global consumer electronics companies.

Laser equipment maker Coherent says that its customer have expressed a "reasonable amount of interest " in its Micro-LED solutions. The company is taking orders for R&D tools, but it says that mass production of Micro-LED displays is "still years away".

Coherent offers several laser-based tools used to produce Micro-LED displays, including Laser Lift-Off equipment (LLO) used to separate micro-LEDs from the sapphire wafer and Laser Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) used to move micro-LEDs from the donor to substrate.

Japan-based UV LED producer Nitride Semiconductors has established a new 100%-owned subsidiary, called Micro Nitride, to develop micro UV LED chips for Micro-LED displays.

Nitride Semiconductors invested 100 million Yen (around $3.3 million USD) in the new company, that aims to develop its own μUV-LED+RGB phosphor technology - which uses UV micro-LEDs and RGB phosphors to create full color Micro-LED displays.

Micro-LED microdisplay developer VueReal announced that it has raised $8.5 million from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) that will be used to further develop its technology. VueReal will also build advanced nano technology fabrication center in Waterloo, Canada, in partnership with Angstrom - a Canadian-based PVD and CVD equipment maker.

VueReal says that its next step is to build an integrated pilot production system that will use the company's proprietary sub-10 micrometer, high-efficiency, Solid Printing process at commercial volumes. The company will also work to enhance the performance of its Micro-LED microdisplays.

Korea-based analog and mixed-signal semiconductor product maker MagnaChip says that it plans to develop drivers for micro-LED signage displays. The drivers will be based on the company's latest 36-Channel LED driver.

MagnaChip says its multi-channel LED driver features high efficiency, high contrast, low temperature heat and highly reliable surge voltage characteristics. The company is looking to expand its product line to the fast-growing digital signage market.

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced that it has placed an order for Aixtron's AIX G5+ C MOCVD reactor that will expand Plessey's production capacity for gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) wafers.

The new Aixtron reactor will be installed in the first quarter of 2019, at Plessey’s fabrication facility located in Plymouth, UK. The AIX G5+ C MOCVD system has two separate chambers, which enables to use either eight 6" wafers or five 8" ones. The system will be an addition to the company’s existing (and smaller) Aixtron MOCVD reactor

In July 2018 Samsung said it aims to launch its first "consumer" Micro-LED TV, based on its modular The Wall display in 2019. Yesterday Samsung launched a new home screen range in India - that could in fact be based on a Micro-LED display.

The new TVs are branded as Active LEDs (also "LED for Home") and are based on modular LED tiles. The TVs are offered in 4 sizes - 110-inch (Full-HD), 130" (Full-HD), 220-inch (UHD/4K) and 260-inch (UHD/4K). The prices range from 10 million Rs (around $137,000) for the 110" to 35 million Rs ($480,000) for the 260-inch TV. As Active-LED TVs are modular, consumers can choose different shapes (but only one of the available resolutions/sizes).

According to a new report from Taiwan, Samsung Electronics is planning to release a 75" consumer Micro-LED TV in 2019, using LED chips and technologies from Taiwan's PlayNitride. Samsung will also invest further in PlayNitride to help it increase its production capacity (Samsung's stake in PlayNitride will reach 30% following this investment).

In July 2018 Samsung Electronics video and display chief, Han Jong-hee, said that Samsung aims to release a Micro-LED consumer TV next year - The Wall Luxury that will be based on its Wall modular TV. It could be that this will be the 75" TV that will use PLayNitride's chips.

LEDs Inside reports that PlayNitride aims to release its first Micro-LED display products in 2019. In 2017 the company started to sample micro-LED panels and shipped samples to 10-20 potential customers. The company's chairman and CEO, Charles Li, said in June 2018 that 5-6 of these customers are continuing the developing of micro-LED modules based on these panels.

In May 2018 PlayNitride demonstrates two Micro-LED prototypes - a small 0.89" 64x64 (105 PPI) panel with a brightness of 800 nits and a larger 3.12" 256x256 (116 PPI) panel.