Jasper Display

In June 2018, UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor and AR developer Vuzix announced a partnership to develop advanced Micro-LED display engines for Vuzix waveguide optics to enable next generation AR Smart Glasses by 2019. Today Plessey announced it has entered into a long-term micro-LED supply agreement with Vuzix.

The new agreement will support the development and production of next-generation AR products that utilize Plessey's micro-LED light source. Vuzix say that the agreement includes an exclusive display device design.

In 2018, UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced a strategic partnership with Taiwan's s Jasper Display Corp (JDC). Under the partnership, Plessey will use JDC's silicon backplane to drive its monolithic micro-LED displays.

Today JDC and Plessey demonstrated the world's first GaN-on-Silicon monolithic full-HD (1920x1080) microLED bonded display. Plessey says that it has succeeded in wafer level bonding of its GaN-on-Silicon monolithic microLED wafers with JDC’s eSP70 silicon patented backplane technology, resulting in microLED displays that contain addressable LEDs. The pixel pitch of this display is 8 microns and the JDC backplane provides independent 10-bit single color control of each pixel.

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor developed its proprietary 2D planar gallium nitride on silicon (GaN-on-Si) process to emit Green light without the need for color conversion techniques.

Plessey says that its native Green LEDs are formed inherently using its proprietary GaN-on-Si epitaxial growth process similar to the native Blue LEDs with the principal difference coming in the amount of indium that is incorporated in the quantum well structures of the LED. The native Green emission is orders of magnitude times brighter than color-converted process for micro-LEDs.

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced a partnership with Quantum Dots developer Nanoco. Plessey aims to integrate Nanoco's cadmium-free quantum dots into its micro-LED displays.

Using a quantum-dot coating, Plessey will be able to use only blue micro-LEDs in its microdisplays, and convert the blue light to red and green to create full-color displays (in a similar way to today's QD-enhanced LCD displays). Plessey says that this design will enable it reduce its pixel pitch from 30 μm to just 4 μm, a reduction of 87%. The QD-enhanced micro-LEDs will also have a wide color gamut and will be more energy efficient compared to Plessey's current phosphor-based architecture.

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced that it has been named a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree in the Embedded Technologies category for its monolithic microLED displays.

Plessey developed a unique monolithic micro-LED process technology that can be used to produce Micro-LED displays without a pick-and-place stage. Plessey develops two generations of micro-LED displays. The first-gen Quanta-Brite are either LCoS or DMR display that are lit by an array of micro-LEDs, which Plessey says provide a more efficient and uniform display compared to current larger-LED lit displays.

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.

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

UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor announced a strategic partnership with Taiwan's Jasper Display Corp (JDC). Under the new partnership, Plessey will use JDC's silicon backplane to drive its monolithic micro-LED displays produced on the company's proprietary GaN-on-Silicon (GaN-on-Si) wafers.

In May 2018 JDC demonstrated its latest JD27E2 8" wafer, and a 0.7" Full-HD monochrome (960x540 color) microLED microdisplay that is said to be the world's brightest at 100,000 nits (JDC later demonstrated a million nits micro display). JDC's backplane allows Plessey to fabricate highly efficient and ultra-bright micro-LEDs displays.

In early 2018 Taiwan's Jasper Display Corp (JDC) unveiled its new 8" silicon micro-LED backplane (the eSP70) in collaboration with glō.

At SID Displayweek 2018, JDC demonstrated a different JD27E2 8" wafer, and a 0.7" Full-HD monochrome (960x540 color) microLED microdisplay that is said to be the world's brightest at 100,000 nits (!).

Taiwan's Jasper Display Corp (JDC) unveiled its new silicon micro-LED backplane, the eSP70, which reportedly features high brightness and contrast possible. JDC's eSP70 is capable of FHD (1920x1080) resolution using a pixel pitch of 8 um and JDC says that it offers excellent current uniformity via a proprietary current source pixel (uniformity is better than 1% across the array).

JDC demonstrated the eSP70 using micro-LEDs provided by glō. The company says that this is the industry's first specialized micro-LED ready silicon. JDC's technology can be customized and it can be suitable for a wide range of applications, from AR headsets to automotive headlights. JDC's eSP70's 8" are now shipping.