Singapore-based electronics assembly solutions provider Kulicke & Soffa announced that it has acquired Uniqarta, a US-based developer of MicroLED placement technology.
Uniqarta developed a unique LED die transfer technology that uses ultra-fast lasers to enable contactless LED de-bonding and placement solution. Uniqarta's technology is branded as Laser-Enabled Advanced Placement, or LEAP).
Micro-LED and mini-LED developer Rohinni said that it developed a new placement technology for mini-LED that doubles the placement speed compared to its previous technology.
Rohinni developed a new bondhead which achieves a 100 Hz placement operation which effectively cuts in half the cost of placing mini LEDs. The technology will be deployed in the first part of 2021.
In 2020 Taiwan's LED developers Epistar and Lextar announced plans to establish a joint holding company, effectively merging the two companies. Last week the company, called Ennostar Incorporation was formally launched.
Ennostar will focus on rapid development of mini-LED and micro-LED technologies and displays. The company has three main areas, divided between its daughter companies: Epistar will focus on LED epitaxy and chip, Lextar will focus on packaging and module, and Unikorn Semiconductor Corp. (under Epistar) will develop advanced compound semiconductor foundry.
In 2019 San'an Optoelectronics announced that it aiming to build a $1.78 billion Mini-LED and Micro-LED production site in Hubei. The project will include a LED production plant, an R&D center and also a sales offices.
The plant construction was said to take up to 3 years, and production to begin a year later. According to a news report from China, construction was delayed due to the COVID pandemic, but Sanan now resumed construction the new facility.
US-based parallel microLED assembly technology developer VerLASE Technologies reports today that it has achieved substantial progress in its mass transfer process for micro-LED displays.
VerLASE now plans to develop the process flow for an assortment of dies sizes from 200 X 200 um (mini-LEDs) down to 10 X 10 um and eventually also 5x5 um. VerLASE plans to demonstrate the transfer of both flip-chip, and vertical thin film LED architectures.
Taiwan-based display maker Innolux has unveiled a new 55" rollable mini-LED display prototype. This is an emissive mini-LED display, it is not a mini-LED backlit LCD display:
Innolux did not disclose any specifications on this display (not even the resolution), but it did say that the display use a flexible PCB and features "high curvature, high brightness, high contrast, high saturation and high definition dynamic picture".
GE announced that it has been able to deposit its red phosphor (PFS-KSF) material using an inkjet printing process on a plastic substrate. This technology can be applied in future microLED and miniLED displays.
GE is also sampling a new green phosphor, that together with the red phosphor can attain 88% Rec. 2020. The company reveals that almost 40 billion LEDs with its PFS-KSF material were sold into commercial displays.
Epistar and Lextar announced plans to establish a joint holding company, effectively merging the two companies.
The plan is to delist both companies from Taiwan's stock exchange and list the new company by the end of October 2020. The two companies will continue to operate independently, but the holding company's main focus for its future revenue growth will be on mini LEDs and microLEDs products and technologies.