PCB

During the IFA 2023 tradeshow, China-based Konka is showing a 59" tiled microLED TV prototype screen. This is the smallest microLED TV shown to date - since Sony showed the world's first microLED display back in 2012.

It seems as if this display is an early-stage prototype. According to reports, the resolution is poor, the contrast is very low and the seam between the tiles is clearly visible. This is clearly not ready for commercialization. You can see the display in the video below, and indeed the seams are visible. The display is made by 16x9 modules, and it uses a PCB backplane.

Samsung is offering high-end microLED ultra-premium TVs, and has recently made plans to start producing smaller-size LTPS-based panels in an attempt to widen the market (even though prices are still extremely high and volume is very low).

According to a new report from Korea, however, not only that Samsung cannot really find customers for its TVs (which isn't a surprise given the price), the TVs are also suffering from high defect rates - even in units shown in retail or showcase events. The report suggests that the high level of defects in the TVs have caused Samsung Electronics to decide to currently not expand its microLED TV lineup, and has postponed the release of 80-inch and 90-inch products indefinitely.

Towards the end of 2020, Samsung announced it's first "consumer" 110-inch 4K MicroLED TV, and then in early 2021 it said it will release smaller microLED TVs, including 77" and 89" models. The smallest 77-inch model was scrapped later in 2021, and now we learn that Samsung is delaying its plans for the 89-inch and 101-inch models.

Samsung originally planned to start 101-inch and 89-inch TV production in May 2022, but this is now pushed back to Q3 2022 for the 89-inch model. The company did not decide yet when to launch the 101-inch model. Samsung does plan to start producing 99-inch microLED TVs in Q2 2022.

PlayNitride introduced several new display technologies at SID DisplayWeek 2020. First up we have the PixeLED Matrix, which is a tiled microLED display module based display, each produced on its own PCB.

Each PixeLED module is made from 16 pixels (4X4), and can reach pitches of 0.3-0.4 mm. PlayNitride says that this technology can compete with mini LED displays, and says that it achieves a superior contrast and can also be fitted on curved surfaces. PixeLED displays can be used for TV displays, for commercial signage displays and also for automotive lighting. The display can currently achieve a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits.

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) demonstrated a 16.7" microLED display "module" that was produced by directly mass transferring micro-LED chips onto a PCB backplane.

ITRI developed its own mass transfer tech, and uses microLEDs provided by PlayNitride, PCB backplanes provided by Unimicron and drivers and assembly by Macroblock. The 16.7" display is made by tiling 15 modules 6x10 cm each (45,000 LEDs). The microLEDs are

In November 2017 we reported 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 with an aim to develop production technologies for high-density Micro-LED displays.

Digitimes today reports that EOSRL has achieved a breakthrough in its mass transfer technology, and is now able to transfer 10,000 micro-LED chips from an sapphire-based epitaxial wafer onto a substrate within an hour. EOSRL demonstrated the process with PCB, Polyimide and glass substrates. Trial production runs will commence in Q4 2019.

Taiwan-based PCB developer Unimicron has started to develop specific PCBs for Micro-LED displays, with aims to start mass producing such PCBs in 2019. According to LEDsInside, Unimicron will start a small batch production in 2018.

Unimicron is collaborating with Epistar's and ITRI's micro-LED display alliance, hoping that this will speed up the commercialization of its technology. LedsInside also reports that other Taiwan-based PCB makers aim to also start developing specific solutions for Micro-LED displays.