Mikro Mesa is a Taiwan-based startup established in 2014 that is developing Micro-LED technologies.
Mikro Mesa focuses on large area displays. In 2019 the company announced a breakthrough in its transfer process that can now move 4" RGB microLED arrays.
Oculus, owned by Meta, develops and markets virtual reality headsets and solutions. Oculus currently uses OLED displays (produced by Samsung Display) in its VR headsets.
In October 2016 Oculus acquired InfiniLED, a Micro-LED display developer based in Ireland.
Taiwan-based PlayNitride was established in June 2014 to research and develop Nitride related materials and applications. The fabless company is now focusing on GaN based MicroLEDs.
PlayNitride developed its own microLED epiwafer production process (using Aixtron's G5+ MOCVD systems), its own stamp-based transfer technology and also its own repair technology (SMAR.Tech).
PlayNitride started to sample micro-LED at the end of 2017, and in May 2018 PlayNitride demonstrated its first Micro-LED prototypes. PlayNitride has a pilot production facility at Hsinchu Science Park. In 2020 PlayNitride started constructing a second production line that will start mass producing in H2 2021.
UK-based Plessey Semiconductors is a design and manufacturing company focused on GaN-on-Silicon micro-LEDs.
Plessey developed unique monolithic micro-LED process technology that can be used to produce Micro-LED displays without a transfer process.
Over the years, the company demonstrated several prototypes and has also launched two product lines (for segmented microdisplays and full dot-matrix ones). In 2020, however, Plessey announced a partnership with Facebook under which Plessey will dedicated all of its manufacturing operations to support Facebook with its own product development. While not exactly an acquisition, this is pretty close.
In 2023, it was reported that the development based on Plessey's technology and processes did not progress as expected, and Meta did not manage to develop high brightness microLEDs or a process with satisfactory yields. This report was not confirmed.
UK-based PRP Optoelectronics was established in 1989 to provide LED display solutions. PRP provides complete in-house design, development and manufacturing capabilities for a range of LED light engine and display applications.
PRP also produces its own monolithic Micro-LED microdisplays - both standard and custom displays.
Germany-based QubeDot develops and manufactures microLEDs and microLED-displays based on the InGaN material system for particularly high optical performance and switching speeds. Based on the knowledge of several years of research, the company offers customized microLED solutions.
The company's SMILE (Structured Micro Illumination Light Engine) platform is a combination of its microLED-array product range with different pixel numbers, sizes, wavelengths, and intensities, controlled directly from a computer via USB.
US-based Raxium, established in 2017, develops microLED microdisplay technologies.
Raxium did not reveal much about its technology, beyond saying that it developed a monolithic approach to develop microLED microdisplays, with a pixel pitch of 3.5 um.
In early 2022 Google acquired Raxium.
Rayleigh Vision was established in 2023 in Hong Kong, to developed stacked microLED display technologies. The company's technology enables the stacking of LEDs on top of each other, to create high-density displays.
Rayleigh Vision says that a special advantage of its technology is that LED repairs can be easy as it enables the stacking of another LED to replace a defective one on top of the existing stack. The company is focused on microLED microdisplays, and has a roadmap to achieve 10,000 PPI for full-color microdisplays.
Hong Kong based Raysolve Optoelectronics, established in 2019, is a fabless microLED microdisplay producer. The company develops microdisplays based on its CoANODE architecture and innovative bonding technology.
Raysolve says that its innovative large size GaN-on-Silicon wafer-level integration technology enables the production of high quality microLED chips with high yields.
In December 2021, Raysolve raised $10 million USD from Gaorong Capital along with Glory Ventures. In September 2022, the company raised another round $10 million from Source Code Capital, Gaorong Capital and Glory Ventures.
Samsung is a multi-national company, based in South Korea, that produces and markets a wide range of consumer electronic products and components such as displays and memory chips.
Samsung has been developing microLED displays for many years, and has several active microLED projects. Samsung Display is developing tiled microLED panels, wearable microLED displays, and more. Samsung Electronics produces and markets large-area microLED TVs, and also develops microLED microdisplays via its Samsung Semiconductors subsidiary.
For the TV market, Samsung is marketing commercial tiled microLED TVs, under the The Wall brand, and consumer-level (high premium) TVs. As microLED technology is the strategic focus for Samsung's premium TV offerings, the company continues to broaden its selection of available microLED televisions.
US-based SiliconCore, established in 1997, develops driver chips for LED displays, and large scale indoor displays. SiliconCore says that its Common Cathode technology enables the highest performance, coolest operating and brightest direct-emission LED displays.
In recent years SiliconCore develops displays based on miniLEDs and microLEDs.
Sitan Technology, established in Shenzhen, China in 2018, develops and produces microLED chips and display modules, including microLED microdisplays. In addition, Sitan offers microLED drivers and inspection equipment. The company has a microLED pilot production line in Longhua, Shenzhen.
Sitan Technology has completed several round of financing, with investors including Xiaomi, Sequoia China, and others.
In May 2023, the company demonstrated its latest microLED microdisplays and transparent displays.
Sony, based in Japan, is a multinational consumer electronics company, a pioneer in the display industry for many years.
In 2012 Sony demonstrated the world's first micro-LED TV (55", Full-HD) which they termed Crystal-LED. Sony's 55" Crystal-LED never reached the market, but in 2016 the company unveiled its large-area outdoor micro-LED displays which Sony calls Canvas Display, or CLEDIS.
Over the years Sony released several generations of CLEDIS displays, and announced several large-area installations - see below for the latest news. In 2019 Sony started offering MicroLED Canvas displays for ultra-premium residential installations.
US-based Sundiode develops microLED microdisplays based on its stacked-RGB pixel structure.
In 2021, in collaboration with KOPTI and Jasper Display, Sundiode unveiled a microdisplay prototype that features 200 PPI and 100um pixels. The display is an array of stacked-RGB micro-LED pixels on a single chip bonded directly onto a Si CMOS backplane. In 2023 the company successfully grew a monolithic all-InGaN stacked-RGB LED structure.
TCL CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics Technology, also called Shenzhen Huaxing Photoelectric Technology) is a China based display producer (owned by TCL, and Samsung Display). The company is producing both LCDs and OLED displays, and researching microLED displays.
Over the years, TCL CSOT demonstrated several microLED display prototypes, including tiled TV displays, flexible and wearable displays, and more. TCL itself also announced several AR headsets based on microLEDs.
In 2020, CSoT launched a $43 million project with San'an Optoelectronics to co-develop micro LED materials and production processes and equipment.
Tianma Micro-Electronics is a China-based display producer that was established in 1983. Tianma is developing and producing both LCD and OLED displays.
In 2019 Tianma demonstrated its first Micro-LED display, a 7.56" highly transparent Micro-LED aimed towards automotive applications. Since then, the company showcased several prototype displays, including transparent displays, wearable displays, and more.
China-based Visionox was established by Tsinghua University and other investors in 2001 with an aim to develop and manufacture OLED display and lighting panels. Visionox is producing both PMOLED and AMOLED displays.
In May 2018 Visionox demonstrated its first Micro-LED display. The company operates a full-process microLED production line.
Canada-based VueReal is a startup company that develops Micro-LED display technologies. VueReal developed a cartridge-based microLED printing process that can produce high density displays at high production yields.
In 2017 VueReal demonstrated a 4K micro-LED microdisplay that achieves the world's highest density for an emissive display at 6,000 PPI, and in 2019 the company said it developed a 30,000 PPI MicroLED microdisplay.
In 2018 VueReal raised $10.5 million in its series-A funding round to construct an advanced nano technology fabrication center in Waterloo, Canada. In 2022, VueReal raised $14.4 million in its Series B funding round. We posted an interview with the company's CEO and Founder in early 2020.
US-based Q-Pixel is an early stage company that develops microLED microdisplays.