According to the consulting report of Micros, MicroLED display is indeed a big hit, and Apple (Apple Inc.) is also actively conducting internal development. Apple has conducted intellectual property development and layout for all key components of this new display technology. It is expected that they will decide in the near future which company will be responsible for the design and production of microLEDs (possibly including Apple itself). Yole and its wholly-owned subsidiary KnowMade recently jointly released the "MicroLED Display Patent Panorama Analysis - 2018 Edition". From this we can learn more about the current state of development of microLED display technology, the status of patent applications by companies, and the actual status of Apple in this new industry.
Samsung's huge 146-inch microLED TV, demonstrated at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas in 2018, is undoubtedly one of the most eye-catching star products on the scene. Although strictly speaking, the actual It is not really based on the microLED technology, but the more traditional SMD LED package, similar to the already well-established small-pitch LED video wall. Anyway, this worth 300,000 US dollars display screen is eye-catching, so that the microLED in The technology circle has received great attention.
Although Apple has taken a lot of twists and turns since the acquisition of micro LED startup company Luxvue in 2014, Apple still very much looks at the technology and hopes to start mass production of microLED display in recent years.
Yole's "MicroLED Display Patent Panorama Analysis - 2018 Edition" report confirms that Apple has indeed been obsessed with microLED display technology and applied for a large number of related patents. Yole's report provides an in-depth analysis of the global microLED display industry. More than 1,500 patents, and Apple's more than 60 patent families in the field, occupy the top of the industry both in terms of patent volume and patent intensity and depth.
The ranking of the world's major patent applicants in the field of MicroLED display, followed by: Apple/Luxvue (United States), X-Celeprint (United Kingdom), Facebook-Oculus (United States), ITRI (Taiwan Institute of Technology), China Star Optoelec Tech (China Star Optoelec Tech) ), Mikro Mesa (Taiwan), BOE (BOE), Changchun Institute CIOMP (China Changchun Optical Machine), Sharp/Elux/Foxconn (Japan), Samsung (Korea), Vuereal (Canada), Goertek (China Gore Shares) ) And SONY (Japan)
Apple's patent portfolio covers a number of key technology areas related to micro-LED display, and is intended to solve all the major technical bottlenecks that affect the commercialization of the technology. From a patent analysis perspective, Apple's R&D investment mainly focuses on transfer, assembly and interconnection technologies. About these technologies applied for more than 40 patents. The focus of these, but also the core of the previous study of Luxvue, lies in its MEMS technology-based microchip transfer technology. Other core patents also cover many areas related to microLED technology, such as microLED The increase in chip efficiency, which is another challenge that microLED displays can provide but is also a headache for many developers. Other key technologies that Apple's patent portfolio addresses include color conversion, light management, pixel and display structures, and test and sensor integration. Wait.
The quantity and intensity of patents can reflect the advanced nature of the company's technology. However, even so, it is not enough to ensure that the company has absolute freedom in the market operation. A lot of research related to MicroLED display technology began around 2010, but The in-depth excavation of patents in this field reveals many important patents that were filed at the beginning of this century. Their applicants include Sony, Sharp, and many scientific research institutions.
To achieve a microLED display requires a combination of three levels of major expertise: LED, transistor backplane (glass or Si-CMOS), and chip transfer technology. Compared to traditional displays, the supply chain is very complex and long, and each step is critical , It is very challenging to manage every aspect very efficiently. At present, there is not a single company that can deal with all technical challenges individually and complete the vertical integration of all components. From this field of patent-pending applicants, it is possible to respond to these complex challenges.
At present, only a few companies, including Apple, have technical points covering a wide range of patent portfolios, but their number of patents in key technology areas is sufficient to bring complex licensing and patent litigation when the microLED display products are finally mass-marketed. .
In any case, patent applications in the field of microLED display have involved more than 120 companies and research institutes, and they have obtained sufficient development momentum in terms of technology. According to most industry observers' predictions, the first commercially available microLED display product is expected to be able to Going on the market in 2020. Which product will eventually come to the forefront will need to look at the maturity of technology, the development of competing technologies such as OLEDs and quantum dots, the company's strategy, and the specific requirements of each application on the supply chain. .
In the short to medium term, McMas Consulting believes that microLED display technology will be the first to be applied in AR/MR (Augmented Reality/Mixed Reality) and microdisplays for wearable display applications and in the wearable area. In the wearable area, Apple has taken over. Market leadership. Smartphones and TV applications are much more difficult, and technologies and supply chains will face more challenges. To assemble a single 4k or 8k display with 25 to 100 million independent microLEDs is extremely complex and demanding. Assembly accuracy also requires extremely high throughput. With the most advanced pickup and installation equipment currently available, completing an 8k TV assembly may take up to 150 days!
However, for most applications, microLEDs will be the most ideal display solution, an opportunity to achieve significant differentiation in the LCD Red Sea and the OLED industry about to enter the Red Sea. Recently from Facebook, Sharp/Foxconn, Google, Intel and Samsung The pen investment shows that these giants' affirmation of the microLED display indicates a beautiful future that is full of challenges and is worth looking forward to.