Ennostar Corporation

Ennostar is showcasing a microLED-based optical I/O solution, co-developed with AUO and Tyntek. The solution integrates Ennostar’s GaN-based microLED light source with Tyntek’s Micro Photodetector (Micro-PD), co-designed within AUO’s Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) module.

This solution targets ultra-short range high-speed interconnects (<10 meters), well-suited for applications such as Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and Active Optical Cables (AOC). Ennostar has successfully demonstrated microLED-based performance at 1.25 Gbps per channel and will continue to enhance modulation speed and reliability through ongoing co-development with system partners.

ALLOS Semiconductors announced a strategic partnership with Ennostar Corporation, to bring bring 200 mm GaN-on-Si microLED epiwafers into volume production. 

This partnership will enable ALLOS to offer its customers GaN-on-Si epiwafers at mass volume. This basically means that Ennostar has become ALLOS manufacturing partner, while ALLOS operates in a "fabless" model. In addition to manufacturing, Ennostar will also contribute its advanced LED-related technologies to further enhance the product performance.

Rugged computing systems and advanced display designer TRIPLTEK launched a new tablet, the TRIPLTEK X PRO, that utilizes a microLED-backlit LCD display. The company says that this is the world's first such tablet on the market, which could indeed be true. The X PRO is now shipping and can be bought on Amazon.com for $1599.

The TRIPLTEK X PRO display has a 8-inch 4K (set to FHD by default to conserve energy) LCD panel, powered by a microLED backlighting unit and it can deliver  a sustained brightness of 3000 nits. TRIPLTEK says that the display can operate continuously for up to 5 hours at maximum brightness on battery power. The microLED backlighting unit has been designed by TRIPLETEK, and has 1280 dimming zones - powered by Epistar (Ennostar) blue 10 micron LEDs. 

According to reports from Taiwan, Ennostar sold off its stake in microLED developer PlayNitride . The company sold the common shares in several deals on the open market, and the total shares value reached NT$ 450 million, or around $14.7 million USD. 

Ennostar still holds a large 7.76% stake (9.1 million shares, worth around NT$1.8 billion) via its Epistar Subsidiary. The company said it sold the shares mainly to improve its financial structure, as its losses are increasing due to weak customer demand, inventory adjustments and unfavorable exchange rates. The company is changing its priorities and aim to focus on two core technologies, optical communications and industrial sensing going forward, which may also explain why it reduced its stake in PlayNitirde.

Ennostar Inc, that recently announced a restructure to merge Epistar and Lextar into a single company, says that it has recently achieved several significant breakthroughs in its microLED technology. 

First of all, Ennostar said that it has managed to improve the blue and green microLED light efficiency by 10% to 15%, and dramatically improve its red light efficiency by 90%. 

Ennostar Inc, established in 2021 as a joint venture between Epistar and Lextar, announced that it has decided to restructure and merge Epistar and Lextar into a single company that will be called Ennostar Corp. The merger will formally happen in October 2025.

Ennostar hopes that this move will help to accelerate the company's growth in the high-value-added optoelectronics market, which includes microLED displays, as the company wishes to increase its product range beyond LED devices into high level systems and solutions.

We're happy to interview Yenrich, as part of our series of interviews with MicroLED Industry Association members. Yenrich, spun-off from Epistar and now part of the Ennostar group, develops mini-LED and micro-LED packaging. The company is focused on direct-view displays, both miniLED based and microLED based.

Hello! Can you introduce your company and technology?

Yenrich, a member of Ennostar, focuses on the development of Mini/Micro LED technology and products for fine pitch displays and provides customers with integrated solutions of front-end chips and back-end system applications.

Q: Can you say why you joined the microLED association and what it is you hope to achieve?
1.    Learn the latest Mini/Micro LED technology and information from the MIA and get more correct product roadmap in this field
2.    Understand the needs of Micro LED for AR/VR and automotive applications and technology

Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) has announced that it has developed a new microLED microdisplay, in collaboration with Ennostar and Unikorn Semiconductor (a part of Ennostar). The company is showcasing the display at Touch Taiwan 2023 - a monochrome blue 0.12" 6500 PPI 200,000 nits display.

Foxconn says that the companies have optimized the structure of the microLED chips in a join project, and developed a new thin film protection technology tat reduces surface defects, improves external quantum efficiency, and increases product reliability. Foxconn has also developed its own quantum dots based color conversion technology that enables it to convert the display to full-color (that achieved a PPI of 3,600).

AU Optronics released some very interesting information as the company gets ready to showcase its latest microLED displays and technologies at Touch Taiwan 2023.

So first of all, AUO announced that it has finalized the development of its wearable microLED display, and the company is now launching the 1.39" round smartwatch display commercially. AUO demonstrated the wearable microLED display back in 2021 - a 1.39-inch 472x472 full-circle panel, that was developed together with PlayNitride. It's not clear when AUO actually plans to start selling this display to its customers, and what will be its production capacity.

Digitimes reports that PlayNitride is starting to sample microLED panels for 5 or 6 potential automotive customers. The customers are interested in flexible and transparent panels, and they have engaged PlayNitride in custom R&D projects to develop the required displays.

PlayNitride's CEO, Charles Li, noted that the company expects its customers to launch several concept car models in early 2024, equipped with the new microLED displays.