According to Mamms Consulting, for most of the key display Performance, microLED has been able to reach or exceed OLED However, microLED is also an inherently complex technology, if you make a 4K resolution micro LED display , which means that 25 million micro-bacterial-sized micros need to be assembled and connected without any mistakes. LED chip , and the installation accuracy needs to reach 1 um or less.
This challenge alone is daunting. In the early 2017, there are many other challenges that seem to be a potential obstacle. After 18 months, some assembly techniques have been able to provide close to 99.99% or 99.999. % yield, assembly efficiency of small size chips has approached or exceeded OLED. MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) reactor suppliers have also given a reliable planning roadmap to provide equipment that meets industry requirements for performance and cost. Other aspects such as conversion are also constantly evolving.
Micro LED display Technological development
More and more manufacturers are beginning to showcase their prototypes. Most are microdisplays on CMOS backplanes, but the number of 'large size' display prototypes is also increasing, whether they use discrete microdrives (such as X). - Celeprint) or TFT backplane (such as AUO and Playnitride).
Many vendors are still focused on building their first prototypes, but the most advanced vendors have realized that pushing the technology from functional demonstrations to consumer products may require more effort than expected. Among them, driving microLEDs than OLEDs To be more complicated, use standard low temperature polysilicon (LTPS Or the oxide TFT backplane may not be as simple as expected.
The main factors affecting the yield of microLED display
Apple is still the best able to bring high-volume consumer-grade microLEDs to market
The 55-inch full HD microLED TV that Sony (Sony) showed at CES 2012 six years ago is the first show of microLED display, which has really sensationalized the market. In 2014, after Apple acquired Luxvue, Facebook ( Facebook, Google (Google), Samsung (Samsung), LG (Lejin) and Intel (Intel) and other leading companies have invested in startups (such as glō or Aledia) through large-scale internal development, mergers and acquisitions (such as mLED and eLux) Enter the microLED market.
By analyzing Apple's patent application for microLED technology, it was found that the company basically stopped patent applications in this field around 2015. Given that the consumer electronics giant has formed a large project team and is developing microLED every year. The discovery of hundreds of millions of dollars is surprising. However, through further in-depth analysis, we found a shadow company that Apple may use to continue to submit patents, and indicated that the company is still advancing the development of key technologies for microLEDs.
Although it started late with microlight pioneers such as Sony or Sharp, Apple is already one of the most comprehensive manufacturers of technology, covering all the key technologies related to microLED. Apple's microLED technology is currently the most Advanced, will continue to be one of the best able to bring high-volume microLED products to market. However, it also faces unique challenges:
It cannot be introduced because the technology is highly differentiated and perfect, and it needs to be able to reach a certain scale, which makes building a related supply chain more challenging than any other company.
Mixed bonding process case
Apple has no experience in display manufacturing, and because of its confidentiality needs, other vendors can choose to outsource, and Apple has almost all in-house development, replication technology and infrastructure.
Apple's microLED patent portfolio analysis
Technological development paves the way for cost reduction and scale manufacturing, but it is not easy
There are dozens of techniques for microLED assembly and pixel structure. They have a wide range of cost and complexity. However, there are some basic factors that can anchor all processes. For example, alignment determines the assembly cycle time, and the chip size cannot be unlimited. Small, epitaxial costs have been on the cost reduction curve for more than 20 years. Therefore, cost analysis allows manufacturers to optimize process parameters to a more economical and realistic window and to determine effective cost reduction strategies.
MicroLED manufacturers must understand the cost objectives of each application and choose the process backwards, as well as each step of development to meet cost requirements. Processes that do not provide reasonable economics will be discarded. If no process technology can provide the right Economics, that opportunity will never land. MicroLED is entering the valley of death between technology development and industrialization and commercialization.
Direct transfer vs. intermediation
As technology advances, microLEDs have a reliable way to reduce costs in the high-end market for a variety of applications, such as TV, enhanced and virtual reality (AR/VR) and wearable devices. With the right assembly solution, or Make a certain contribution to reduce costs.
However, for smartphone apps, close OLED Cost means that the microLED may need to be pushed to the technical limit of the chip size. To be successful, the microLED must rely on a certain degree of price flexibility. It must be able to provide other Display technology Performance and functionality are not available, and consumers are required to recognize that their performance and functionality are highly differentiated.
Following the smart watch, AR and looking up display (HUD) Microdisplays will be the first commercial application. TV and smartphone applications may take another 3 to 5 years.
Micro LED display Technology: 99. 99% yield 75-inch 8K TV cost reduction path
