MICLEDI, established in Belgium in 2019 as a spin-off from IMEC, announced that it raised €4.5 million to develop next-generation microLED microdisplays for AR applications.
MICLEDI says that it displays will be the smallest and possible on the market - enabled by its new integration technology for microLED on 300 mm wafers, developed in collaboration with imec.
Market analysts at Yole Developpement say that microLED shipments will reach over 125 million panels by 2027. In their aggressive scenario, shipments will reach almost 450 million.
Yole says that microLED technologies are advancing rapidly - and on all fronts, but there are still many challenges to overcome before mass production arrives. MicroLED makes a strong case for the AR, smartwatch and automotive market. For the smartphones and TV markets it is less clear whether MicroLEDs could succeed.
AU Optronics president, Paul Peng, says that he expects Micro-LED displays to enter the market within 1-2 years. The first displays will be large-area signage and small-sized VR displays. Micro-LEDs for the automotive market will take longer to commercialize - around 5 years.
AUO recently demonstrated a 12.1" LTPS micro-LED display prototype that features a resolution of 1920x720 (169 PPI). AUO discloses that this display was produced using the company's self-developed transfer process that can move 50,000 - 60,000 LEDs per transfer (AUO did not detail the time it takes to perform a single transfer, though). AUO is now developing repair technology to take care of damaged LEDs.
AR developer Mojo Vision announced that it developed a 14k sub-pixel PPI (1.8µm sub-pixel pitch) Micro-LED microdisplay, to power its upcoming AR platform. The microdisplay is a monochrome green one, that the company says is the smallest display ever developed at 0.48 mm diameter.
This prototype, according to Mojo Vision, demonstrates the capability that MicroLEDs have to create more seamless AR experiences. The company did not say how close it is to commercialize the display, but did say that it will release more details on its MicroLED displays and technology development at a "future date".
In June 2018, UK-based GaN-on-Si MicroLED developer Plessey Semiconductor and AR developer Vuzix announced a partnership to develop advanced Micro-LED display engines for Vuzix waveguide optics to enable next generation AR Smart Glasses by 2019. Today Plessey announced it has entered into a long-term micro-LED supply agreement with Vuzix.
The new agreement will support the development and production of next-generation AR products that utilize Plessey's micro-LED light source. Vuzix say that the agreement includes an exclusive display device design.
Fuji Chimera Research Institute says that the global microdisplay market reached $161 million in 2018, led by LCoS panels (59.7%) and OLED panels (27.8%).
While some analysts expect Micro-LED to take over the AR microdisplay market, Fuji Chimera says that the technology is not mature enough and there are some technology challenges to overcome still - including those in epitaxial wafer process, mass transfer, defect detection and current drive.
Market research firm Yole Développement has been following the Micro-LED market for some years with some very interesting insights and forecasts.
Yole's technology & market analyst Zine Bouhamri was kind enough to discuss Yole's Micro-LED views with us. Mr. Zine is is a member of the Photonics, Sensing & Display division at Yole and he's deeply involved in the business development of the Displays unit activities.
n-tech Research says that the Micro-LED market will emerge in 2019, with sales reaching $2.7 billion. The market will grow very quickly to reach over $70 billion in 2027.
n-Tech says that the immediate markets for Micro-LED displays will be near-eye displays (AR/VR), automotive HUDs and projectors - as these will benefit mostly from the small size, low weight, high brightness and high resolution of Micro-LED displays. Wearables (smartwatches) is another lucrative market (n-Tech sees $1.6 billion in smartwatch Micro-LED display sales in 2022).