Automotive

During Display Week 2023, Seoul Semiconductor demonstrated new prototype display modules that use its WICOP microPixel technology. WICOP Pixel is a full-color one-chip vertically-stacked microLED technology that does not require wire bonding, packaging, or lens, and enables easier microLED display production.

Seoul Semi updates that its latest WICOP Pixels reach a brightness of 10,000 nits (up from 4,000 in its previous generation technology).

AUO has demonstrated its latest microLED displays at Display Week 2023. Most of these displays have been shown before, but this was an impressive lineup for the Taiwanese display maker, and we'll detail the displays below.

So first up we have the 13.5" 1920x1080 (163 PPI) transparent microLEDs, which AUO says is the highest-resolution transparent microLED display ever demonstrated. The display offers a transparency of 55% and a high brightness of 5,000 nits. The microLEDs used in this display are 30 micron in size.

MicroLED developer VueReal says that it achieved a breakthrough in its MicroSolid Printing Platform, enabling it to go below 7um LED pitch (on the wafer) for full color microLED deposition. The company reports that its newest (and smallest) microLEDs show minimal impact on EQE, and this enables high-efficiency display production.

VueReal says that its new technology could soon compete on price with OLED displays while offering higher performance, and could be viable for many display segments - from wearables through smartphones to automotive and more. According to its current tests, its microLED displays will offer a brightness of 3,000 nits (and higher), while consuming around half the power compared to the latest AMOLED displays. In addition, its printing process is highly scalable and should not have a problem handling the demands of even the smartphone industry with hundreds of millions of displays per year.

A few days ago, 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, with mass production expected in the second half of 2023.

Yesterday AUO announced that it plans to convert its LCD 5A fab in Taiwan's Longtan District into a microLED production line. The new line will begin microLED production in 2025 or 2026, targeting wearable displays, automotive displays, TVs and signage displays. 

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.

The European Electronics Display Conference (edC), which takes place next week at Nuremberg, Germany, is a leading display conference, which takes part as part of the embedded world event. The conference focuses on industrial and automotive displays, and includes two days of keynote speeches and sessions.

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MicroLEDs are featured at the conference, as the organizers realize the importance of the next-generation display technology. We had a short talk with the conference charimen Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Blankenbach from Pforzheim University's Display Lab. 

Q: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Dr. Karlheinz. Can you tell us a bit about the Electronic Display Europe Conference?

AU Optronics revealed that the company plans to start mass producing microLED displays for wearable applications by the end of 2023. The company developed its own mass transfer technology that it says makes it possible to produce displays commercially. The company also plans to use microLED display technology to produce automotive displays, and TVs, later on.

AUO demonstrated a wearable microLED display back in 2021 - a a 1.39-inch 472x472 (338 PPI) full-circle panel, that was developed together with PlayNitride.

We're happy to interview ASMPT, as part of our new series of interviews with MicroLED Industry Association members. ASMPT (formerly ASM Pacific Technology Ltd.) was founded in 1975 and is a leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors and electronics. 

Q: Hello! Can you introduce your company and technology?

We are a leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors and electronics. ASMPT is the only company in the world that offers high-quality solutions for all major steps in the electronics manufacturing process: from equipment to multi-factory-level automation concepts for smart manufacturing. From carrier for chip interconnection, to chip assembly and packaging, to Surface Mount Technology (SMT), ASMPT’s offerings encompass wafer deposition and laser grooving, to the various solutions that shape, assemble and package delicate electronic and optical components into a vast range of end-user devices; these include electronics, mobile communications, computing, automotive, industrial, LED & displays.

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We have participated in Mini and Micro LED development since 2016. Our core technologies in Micro LED, mass transfer and mass bonding for Micro LED, have been well developed and successfully performing in customer sites worldwide.

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.

In 2021, Quantum Dots developer Nanosys acquired 3D Nanowire microLED display developer Glo. At Displayweek 2022, Nanosys showed Glo's latest new microLED microdisplay prototype. You can see a demonstration in the video below.

The display is 0.7-inch in size, with a resolution of 480x270, or 787 PPI. That is very low for a microdisplay. The microLED chip size is 7x7 um, and the brightness is 50,000 nits. The performance is underwhelming - however such a solution could find applications, depending on the price - and Nanosys suggests using it in an automotive HUD solution.