Meta

A few months ago, we reported that Meta is in designing a new AR glasses product, that will be based on microLED panels, replacing the currently-used LCoS displays in the first-generation Meta Ray-Ban Display. Meta is said to aim to launch these microLED AR glasses towards the end of 2027.

Meta's First-Gen Ray Ban Display, LCoS based

Meta will not produce its own microLED, but the company is highly involved in the microLED display development. There's a new job opening at Meta (at Sunnyvale, CA), for an advanced manufacturing engineer to drive the ramp-up of RGB microLED chips at the company's key external partner. 

Reports from Korea suggests that Meta is in designing a new AR glasses product, that will be based on microLED panels, replacing the currently-used LCoS displays in the first-generation Meta Ray-Ban Display.

Meta's First-Gen Ray Ban Display, LCoS based

Meta is aiming to release the microLED based AR headset towards the end of 2027. The reports suggest that Meta will utilize microLED backplanes produced at GlobalFoundries.

According to information we have received, Meta started collaborating with ams OSRAM, and are codeveloping microLED technologies. This is an interesting development, if true, and may have implications to other players in the industry.

While we cannot verify this information, we do know that Meta's Reality Labs has setup a microLED R&D team in Regensburg - close by to ams OSRAM's main microLED R&D and production facility. Meta is currently recruiting microLED engineers for this facility. In addition, some key microLED engineers and business people have transitioned from ams OSRAM to Meta, which could further strengthen the ties between the two companies.

Meta introduced its first AI smart glasses product with a display, the Meta Ray-Ban Display. The device includes a display projected on the right lens, based on an 5,000 nits LCoS panel, provided by Omnivision, with a waveguide provided by Lumus.

Meta says that the battery life in "mixed use" will be around 6 hours. The glasses will ship on September 30 in the US, starting at $799.

Haylo Ventures, a VC founded by former WaveOptics CEO David Hayes that is focused on the AR industry, is set to acquire microLED developer (and MicroLED Industry Association member) Plessey Semiconductors. The news was announce by Goertek, that will provide a 5-year $100 million loan to Haylo for the acquisition.

If Plessey (or Haylo) will be acquired, or if it will IPO, during the period of the loan, Goertek will receive 25% of the acquisition (or IPO) value. Goertek had invested in WaveOptics (before it was acquired by Snap), and has worked with David Hayes closely before. It seems as if the AR developer is interested in Plessey's technology and does not consider this to be just a financial deal.

Plessey Semiconductors, together with Meta Platforms, announced that they have developed a native red microLED microdisplay that achieves up to 6 million nits with a chip size of 5 um. Plessey says that this is world's brightest microLED device at this size.

In March 2020, Meta signed a deal with Plessey to dedicate all of Plessey's microLED manufacturing operations to support Meta with its own product development. Facebook pretty much acquired Plessey's microLED operations with this exclusive deal. 

Meta announced a new AR headset, called Orion. The glasses, that Meta says costs $10,000 to produce (and will probably be sold to something like that as well) are powered by microLED microdisplays. Orion packs quite advanced technology, including Silicon Carbide lens and advanced AI, but this is of course actually a prototype device, that Meta will offer commercially to developers or (very) early adopters. The Orion glasses weigh 98 grams, which still way more than what people consider to be light weight glasses (usually under 30 grams).

It is very nice to see the adoption of microLED technology by Meta. While some speculate that these microLED displays are made in-house by Meta using the Plessey Semiconductor technology and production line, it is also known that the company gave up on that course, and others speculate that these displays are produced by JBD, and are made from 3 separate monochrome microLED panels.

MicroLED-Connect is the world's first dedicated MicroLED conference and exhibition. The event, organized by TechBlick and the MicroLED Association, will take place at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, also known as "the smartest square kilometer in all of Europe", and will include an excellent conference program, masterclasses, tours - with a special emphasis on social/professional gatherings and networking opportunities.

One of the themes to be highlighted at the event is AR/VR, which is perceived as one of the key markets for microLED display makers thanks to the high-brightness and efficiency of microLEDs - making them an excellent candidate to drive future AR and VR headsets and products.

In March 2020, Facebook (now Meta) signed a deal with UK-based MicroLED microdisplay developer Plessey Semiconductor to dedicate all of Plessey's microLED manufacturing operations to support Facebook with its own product development. Facebook pretty much acquired Plessey's microLED operations with this exclusive deal.

Facebook hoped to utilize microLED microdisplays in future AR headsets. According to a new report, the company has decided to use LCoS microdisplays for its first consumer AR device, codenamed Artemis, which will be released (if all goes according to plan) in 2027. It seems as if 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.

Meta announced that has entered into a research partnership with Ireland-based deep-tech research centre Tyndall National Institute. Tyndall launched a four-year project to help advance AR technologies.

Meta will invest €5 million in this project, which will focus on key AR technologies, including the investigation of the efficiency of microLED microdisplays based systems. The project will be led by Prof. Paul Hurley.