The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a new collaborative initiative to develop microLED microdisplays for AR applications.
The microPRO project, as it is known, includes ALLOS Semiconductors, Fraunhofer IPMS, Jabil Optics, Mimetik, Maintastic, and SUSS MicroTec.
China-based GaN epiwafer producer Enkris announced that it has developed 8 and 12-inch GaN on silicon microLED light-source products, achieving a 3dB bandwidth of 1.6GHz at a current density of 500A/cm2. The company says that the power consumption of its microLED light source can be below 1pJ/bit.
Enkris says it has optimized the epitaxial structures, material qualities, defects in the active region, and device design, to optimize its microLED epiwafer for optical I/O solutions. By effectively suppressing the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) in the quantum wells, the carrier recombination rate is significantly enhanced. In addition, the active region area has been reduced to lower device capacitance and minimize RC delay issues.
Westlake Smokey Mountain Technology (Yanshan Technology) has officially started operating its 8-inch GaN-on-Silicon microLED microdisplay production line, in Deqing, Zhejing, China. The company says this is the world's first 8-inch silicon microLED fab in operation.
The WSMT fab i s a full process line, that includes all steps from microLED epiwafer deposition to full display packaging. It currently operates on a small scale, but when fully operational it will have the annual capacity to produce 3 million microLED devices.
STRATACACHE announced that it is engaging customers to provide domestically produced GaN-on-Silicon microLED epiwafers, aimed at both display and photonics applications. The move is part of the company’s broader strategy to scale North American microLED production at the companies Eugene Photonics Foundry and reduce dependence on Asian supply chains.
According to CEO Chris Riegel, the Eugene, Oregon fab is now accepting orders for Q3-Q4 200mm wafer production and is actively engaging with foundry customers in the photonics and display sectors. Riegel notes the growing demand for uLED-based photonic interconnects and highlights that “besides our Eugene Photonics Foundry, there is no scale domestic (U.S.) Gan-on-Silicon microLED manufacturing.”
3D Nanowire MicroLED developer Aledia announced the commercial availability of FlexiNova, its patented high-voltage microLED platform designed to unlock scalable, energy-efficient Direct-View microLED displays for global markets.
15x30 µm² 6V FlexiNOVA microLEDs assembled on a 400 µm pitch backplane
The company says it is the first in the world to successfully manufacture 3D Nanowire based microLEDs operating at 6V, with an ultra-compact 15 µm × 30 µm single body chip size, manufactured on 200 mm silicon wafers. The company, together with its partner CEA-Leti, is continuing to develop the technology and is developing a full portfolio of 6V and 9V operation with a constant efficiency for chip sizes down to 3.5 µm.
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.
3D Nanowire microLED developer Aledia announced that it has validated its 9V microLEDs on a 200 mm silicon wafer. Specifically, it demonstrated 15x30 um blue microLEDs on the 9V 200 mm platform.
The company says that utilizing the higher 9V voltage, compared to their previous platform voltage, directly enables lower current and improved system efficiency for ultra small microLEDs. Aledia says that its blue 3D Nanowire LEDs offer high efficiency on any chip size.
China-based Star Key Semiconductor has officially inaugurated its microLED production line in Wuhan. This line is based on 8-inch GaN-on-Silicon microLED wafers, and will produce microLED microdisplays. The yearly capacity is around 12,000 wafers.
Star Key started building this new fab in October 2024, and managed to complete the fab construction and all equipment placement in eight months. The company produces the microLED wafers, and processes these to create AR microdisplays. The company's first products will be monochrome microLED displays, but it is also developing color microLED displays.
MicroLED microdisplay developer Mojo Vision, a MicroLED Industry Association member, announced that it has closed an oversubscribed Series B Prime investment round, raising $75 million.
The round was led by Vanedge Capital, with significant investments made by current shareholders, including Edge Venture Capital, New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Fusion Fund, Knollwood Capital, Dolby Family Ventures, and Khosla Ventures, and new shareholders, including imec.xpand, Keymaker, Ohio Innovation Fund, and Hyperlink Ventures.
MicroLED-Connect is the microLED industry's top event series, offering a combination of exciting online webinars and a flagship annual on-site event. Our next meeting is on 23-25 September 2025, at the High Tech Campus, Eindhoven, Netherlands. MicroLED-Connect is co-organised by TechBlick and the MicroLED Industry Association and offers the best way to connect with the global MicroLED and AR/VR display industries and markets.
In this article, we will share a few short videos from past events. First up, we have Continental's Kai Hohmann that discusses how the company looks at the four competing display technologies, and the opportunities for microLED technology in the automotive industry.
