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.
PlayNitride is collaborating with many companies, including AU Optronics, TCL's CSoT, Samsung, RiTDisplay and Tianma. In November 2023, AUO announced that PlayNitride will build a 6-inch microLED production line at AUO's Longtan factory in a $21.5 million agreement. In September 2023 PlayNitride announced it is increasing its production capacity, and by the end of the year it will be able to produce 10,000 6" wafers per month up from about 2,000.
In 2022, the company went public and it now trades at the Taiwan Stock Exchange’s Taiwan Innovation Board.
No.13, Kezhong Rd.
Zhunan Township, Miaoli County 350401
Taiwan
PlayNitride to setup a $17 million Micro-LED production facility, reportedly in talks with Apple towards Micro-LED collaboration
Digitimes reports that Taiwan's Ministry of Science and Technology approved PlayNitride's application to setup a NT$500 million (US$17 million) production facility at Hsinchu Science Park.
PlayNitride aims to produce micro LEDs, display modules and panels at its new facility at Hsinchu. According to Digitimes, Apple is in preliminary talks with PlayNitride towards a possible Micro-LED technology cooperation.
PlayNitride starts to ship micro-LED panel samples, working with 5-6 customers
PlayNitride began sampling micro-LED panels, shipping these to 10-20 potential customers in Q4 2017. The company's chairman and CEO, Charles Li, says that 5-6 of these customers are continuing the developing of micro-LED modules based on these panels.
In September 2017 we reported that Charles Li said that Micro-LED displays are not as challenging as originally expected, and the company aims to start trial production of Micro-LED displays in the second half of 2017 - it's great to see the company progressing as planned. PlayNitride says that it achieved mass transfer and placement yield rates of over 99% in its lab.
Reports suggest that Samsung to soon finish the PlayNitride acquisition
In April 2017 it was rumored that Samsung Display is set to acquire PlayNitride for around $150 million, but the deal did not materialize. According to a new report from Taiwan's LEDsInside, the two companies are at the final stage of their talk.
In September 2017 PlayNitride's said that Micro-LED displays are not as challenging as originally expected, and the company now aims to start trial production of Micro-LED displays by the end of 2017. The company has mass transfer and placement yield rates of over 99% in its lab.
Taiwan's EOSRL aims to start large-area Micro-LED display production by the end of 2018
Digitimes reports that Taiwan's Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSRL, part of ITRI) has launched a project that brings together PlayNitride, LED driver IC designer Macroblock and PCB maker Unimicron. The project aims to develop high-density Micro-LED displays.
EOSRL plans to demonstrate first large-size signage display prototypes in H1 2018 with trial production to begin by the end of 2018.
PlayNitride aims to start trial production of Micro-LED displays by the end of 2017
PlayNitride's CEO, Charles Li, says that Micro-LED displays are not as challenging as originally expected, and the company now aims to start trial production of Micro-LED displays in the second half of 2017. The company has mass transfer and placement yield rates of over 99% in its lab.
In PlayNitride's R&D setup, it takes about 10 seconds to transfer and place 200,000 LEDs - which means that a 5" panel will take only 10 minutes to produce. However the cost for a single smartphone panel could reach about $300 - much higher than the cost of even the highest-end flexible OLED. Possible applications where Micro-LED displays could succeed commercially at this stage include smartwatches, VR / AR, automotive and transparent displays.
