Mini-LEDs

China-based HC Semitek is embarking on a 5 billion Yuan project (almost $700 million USD) to produce microLED wafers in Jinwan District, Zhuhai, China. The project will have three phases, with the first one (estimated at $275 million) has officially started last month.

HC Semitek hopes to light up the new production line in September 2024, and to start production by December 2024. When all three phases are complete, the new production line will have a yearly capacity of 58,800 microLED wafers (we do not the wafer size at this project, but we estimate these are 8-inch wafers). It is not clear from the reports, but this production line may also produce mini LEDs, not just microLEDs.

We're happy to interview Yenrich, as part of our series of interviews with MicroLED Industry Association members. Yenrich, spun-off from Epistar and now part of the Ennostar group, develops mini-LED and micro-LED packaging. The company is focused on direct-view displays, both miniLED based and microLED based.

Hello! Can you introduce your company and technology?

Yenrich, a member of Ennostar, focuses on the development of Mini/Micro LED technology and products for fine pitch displays and provides customers with integrated solutions of front-end chips and back-end system applications.

Q: Can you say why you joined the microLED association and what it is you hope to achieve?
1.    Learn the latest Mini/Micro LED technology and information from the MIA and get more correct product roadmap in this field
2.    Understand the needs of Micro LED for AR/VR and automotive applications and technology

This is a sponsored post by STAr Technologies

With more and more mature technology for Mini- and Micro-LEDs fabrication, manufacturers are gearing up for the production phase and critically looking for more test efficiency and fast testing for the optical devices. STAr Technologies, as the leading Mini- and Micro-LEDs tester supplier continuously develops measurement technology to enhance optical testing capabilities and parallel test efficiency and to achieve cost-effective high-volume production.

Image: STAr Unicorn-LAIT II Tester Equipped EMI Shielded Test Environment

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BOE announced that it has developed a new high-transparency mini-LED directview display, that offers a transparency of 65% and a brightness of over 1,000 nits.

BOE says that it achieved this high performance by optimizing the pixel circuit and designing a new pixel structure. BOE also used a new innovative design for the transparent area (it achieved a transparency of 95% in the transparent areas) and an optimized wiring structure.

China-based LED producer Jucan Optoelectronics announced that it plans to raise 1.2 billion yuan ($178 million USD) to expand its mini-LED and micro-LED R&D and production projects.

We do not have more information on this project, and Jucan's exact plans to produce microLED chips.

Kulicke and Soffa Industries (K&S) announced that it has received two purchase orders, from two separate customers, for its LUMINEX, a disruptive laser-based mini and micro LED die-transfer solution.

K&S says that its highly flexible system is capable of single die transfer, multi-die transfer and mass transfer, supporting sorting, mixing, re-pitching and placement process steps. The broad flexibility of this system addresses the growing advanced display value chain and supports needs of LED, OSAT, panel and display suppliers.

China-based Nationstar Optoelectronics announced a new "cooperation agreement" with Huawei for the development of mini-LED and micro-LED display technologies.

The two companies will, it seems, conduct "in-depth innovation" in these fields, and will open a joint innovation center. The company did not disclose any more details regarding the microLED project.

Taiwan-based panel semiconductor provider PanelSemi Corporation launched the world's first flexible active-matrix Mini-LED display at CES.

The display, called Primary, is a 55-inch HD resolution (1.2 mm pitch) miniLED direct-emission that is highly flexible, light (1 Kg for the whole display) and thin (1 mm thickness). It can be flexed to a concave, convex, s-curve, cylinder, and rollable shapes and four displays can easily be joined to create a 110-inch display. PanelSemi says that Primary is highly efficiency, and 4 hours of use can be driven by a single 10 K-mAh power bank.

In September 2020 LG launched its MAGNIT MicroLED TV range. The company did not give many details about potential prices and size options, until now.

So LG's MAGNIT TVs now sit within LG's DVLED Home Cinema Displays. DVLEDs are available in sizes ranging from 108-inch HD (2K) resolution to 325-inch 8K settings. The pixel-pitch of LG's TVs is either 0.9 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm and 2.2 mm. This gives LG's customers a wide range of sizes and resolutions, as can be seen below.

Apple's latest iPad Pro tablets use a mini-LED backlit LCD (which Apple refers to as Liquid Retina XDR). While most reviews of the new display are quite positive, some users are complaining of "blooming" - the edges of bright objects on dark backgrounds tend to 'bleed' as the dimming zone is not small enough.

miniLEDs improve over LCD as they introduce thousands of dimming zones, which increases contrast and improves power consumption. The dimming zones, however, are sometimes not small enough, as some users find out, and cannot compete with an emissive technology such as OLED or microLED.