The MicroLED-Info newsletter (April 25, 2023)

AUO Optronics released some very interesting information as the company gets ready to showcase its latest microLED displays and technologies at Touch Taiwan 2023.

So first of all, AUO announced that it has finalized the development of its wearable microLED display, and the company is now launching the 1.39" round smartwatch display commercially. AUO demonstrated the wearable microLED display back in 2021 - a 1.39-inch 472x472 full-circle panel, that was developed together with PlayNitride. It's not clear when AUO actually plans to start selling this display to its customers, and what will be its production capacity.

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Say hello to the future of electronics with Ultra-Precise Deposition (UPD) technology! This cutting-edge method allows us to create intricate, high-resolution electronic devices with greater flexibility and precision than ever before. UPD is set to revolutionize the world of additive manufacturing, offering a much-needed solution for printing conductive and insulating structures on complex substrates.

So, what is UPD, and why is it such a game-changer? It's a unique way of printing conductive and insulating materials onto various surfaces, both rigid and flexible. It helps fix defects in OLED displays and connects the tiny components in microLED arrays. The best part? It's versatile and adaptable to a wide range of applications, from flexible electronics to solar cells and MEMS devices.

The Atlantis The Royal resort in Dubai, installed a 146" Samsung Wall MicroLED display at its Royal Mansion suite. The display offers a 4K (3840x2160) resolution and (according to Samsung) offers a "one-of-a-kind, personal viewing experience unmatched by other displays as the slim, sleek finish of The Wall’s Infinity Design blends in naturally with the suite’s refined elegance".

The resort also installed several other smart signage solutions by Samsung, including LED signage, large touchscreens with smart signage solutions and outdoor signage displays.

Asus has launched several new products, including the company's first microLED display, the 135-inch 4K ProArt Cinema PQ07. The company targets applications such as broadcasting, virtual production - and home cinema. 

The display features a 0.7815 mm pixel pitch, 2000-nits peak brightness and a 95% DCI-P3 color gamut. 

The MicroLED Industry Association published today a new white paper, that is focused on Tiled MicroLED TVs. One of the advantages of microLED technology is the ability to create completely seamless tiled displays, offering unique cost and design advantages. Tiled microLED displays are already on the market, but available displays are extremely expensive, targeting the commercial and ultra-premium residential markets.

This whitepaper discusses tiled microLED displays, the current market and industry status, the technologies required to produce such displays, the roadmap ahead – and also a microLED tiled TV chip cost analysis and a discussion on how could such displays compete with premium OLED TV displays.

The white paper is published on the MicroLED Association's website, and is open to the public.

The MicroLED Industry Association will host its first annual meeting during Displayweek 2023. The annual meeting will take place on the 22nd of May, at 4:00PM, at the Los Angeles convention center.

During the meeting, we will update on past activities and plans for the new year, and give association members an excellent chance to network and connect with fellow microLED industry professionals.

Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) has announced that it has developed a new microLED microdisplay, in collaboration with Ennostar and Unikorn Semiconductor (a part of Ennostar). The company is showcasing the display at Touch Taiwan 2023 - a monochrome blue 0.12" 6500 PPI 200,000 nits display.

Foxconn says that the companies have optimized the structure of the microLED chips in a join project, and developed a new thin film protection technology tat reduces surface defects, improves external quantum efficiency, and increases product reliability. Foxconn has also developed its own quantum dots based color conversion technology that enables it to convert the display to full-color (that achieved a PPI of 3,600).

AU Optronics is demonstrating several display at Touch Taiwan 2023, including an interesting new laptop microLED display. The display is a 14.6" 1280x720 foldable panel, that can reach a brightness of 2,000. Some reports suggest that the display is also transparent (and can change from opaque-mode to 60% transparent mode) but this is not verified.

This is an interesting display, obviously an early prototype and a low resolution display, but still a very nice development from AUO. In addition to this display AUO is showing its 17.3" transparent microLED prototype.

A few days ago, AUO announced that it has finalized the development of its wearable microLED display, and the company is now launching the 1.39" round smartwatch display commercially, with mass production expected in the second half of 2023.

Yesterday AUO announced that it plans to convert its LCD 5A fab in Taiwan's Longtan District into a microLED production line. The new line will begin microLED production in 2025 or 2026, targeting wearable displays, automotive displays, TVs and signage displays. 

Taiwan's Innolux says that it is working with customers to jointly develop microLED displays. The company does not yet announce any commercialization plans, but it is considering converting one of its 5.5-Gen LCD fabs to microLED panel production.

A year ago Innolux demonstrated a 12.3" microLED tiled seamless display module prototype, based on an LTPS backplane. The display achieves a brightness of 700 nits and a resolution of 480x180 (40 PPI).

Here are some recent and popular microLED display industry news that you may find of interest:

• AUO to convert one of its LCD fabs to microLED production by 2025
• Foxconn, Ennostar and Unikorn Semiconductor jointly develop microLED microdisplays
• AUO launches commercial wearable microLED displays
• KAIST researchers create microLEDs that are not sensitive to sidewall defects
• JBD announces a 750,000 nits red emitter, updates on its latest microLED projects
• LG shows a 272" 8K microLED MAGNIT TV
• Aixtron launches a new fully-automated 200 mm system for microLED mass production
• DSCC: LGD to build a microLED backplane line for Apple by the end of 2024
• Samsung looks to commercialize smartwatch microLED displays by the end of 2023
• Samsung announces new microLED CX TVs for 2023
• Apple to release a microLED display powered Watch in 2024, according to rumors
• DSSC sees the microLED market growing to $1.3 billion in 2027
• PlayNitride is now a public company, trades at the Taiwan Stock Exchange
• The MicroLED Industry Association is launched
• Epistar to invest $122 million USD to build 150 mm microLED epiwafer capacity
• Google acquires microLED microdisplay developer Raxium
• STRATACACHE CEO's details the company's upcoming US microLED fab

MicroLED developer VueReal says that it achieved a breakthrough in its MicroSolid Printing Platform, enabling it to go below 7um LED pitch (on the wafer) for full color microLED deposition. The company reports that its newest (and smallest) microLEDs show minimal impact on EQE, and this enables high-efficiency display production.

VueReal says that its new technology could soon compete on price with OLED displays while offering higher performance, and could be viable for many display segments - from wearables through smartphones to automotive and more. According to its current tests, its microLED displays will offer a brightness of 3,000 nits (and higher), while consuming around half the power compared to the latest AMOLED displays. In addition, its printing process is highly scalable and should not have a problem handling the demands of even the smartphone industry with hundreds of millions of displays per year.

SID Display Week is the display industry's premier display show and this year's event, which will take place on May 21-26, should be an excellent one.

Display Week covers all aspects of the display industry and the whole spectrum of display technologies. MicroLEDs are seen by many to be the next generation display technology, and there will indeed be an increased focus on microLED technologies and displays at the upcoming Display Week.