After Samsung released the 146-inch modular MicroLED TV product “The Wall” at the CES 2018 conference in January this year, many manufacturers have displayed MicroLED products at major exhibitions.
At the 2018 International Conference on Display Technology (ICDT 2018) held in April, Taiwanese manufacturers Playnitride and JDC exhibited Micro LED displays. In addition, at the 2018 International Display Conference (Display Week 2018), which just kicked off on May 20, Sweden’s leading μLED device manufacturer glō (invested by Google) and Helian Optoelectronics jointly demonstrated the world’s brightest Micro LED display panel .
The micro LED TV displayed by Samsung at CES 2018 is a micron (μm) LED self-luminous TV. Because it is arranged in a rectangle, it is closer than the traditional LED circle. In addition to the material relationship, it also improves the luminous efficiency. The life of the light source and reduce power consumption, but this solution is a marketed version. The on-site assembly is a 146-inch full-screen LED TV, which is by far the largest model in the home TV field.
The Micro LED display exhibited by Nitronics at ICDT 2018 amazed the visitors present. It is divided into three colors: white light, green and full-color display. Among them, the 0.89″ display is applied to the watch, with a ppi of about 169, and uses a blue LED chip + Phosphor color scheme; there is also a 0.8″ display, with a ppi increased to 230, and a monochrome scheme with a green LED chip; A full-color 0.89″ display, using RGB LED chip combination, about 103 ppi
What Helian Optoelectronics exhibited at ICDT 2018 is a Micro LED display with Silicon as the backplane. The current display technology has been developed to 0.7″, and the display size can reach 4K resolution. Although it is a monochrome display, the smallest Pixel Size can reach 3.74 μm, with high display effect
And this time at Display Week 2018, the Micro LED display panel displayed by glō and Helian Optoelectronics adopts the Micro LED (10μm) developed and integrated by glō, and cooperates with JDC’s new silicon-based backplane JD67E2, which can provide high brightness and contrast. Display, which is beneficial for applications in watches, mobile phones, tablets, displays (HUD) and augmented reality (AR) products
OLED may currently dominate, but Micro LED, which combines many advantages, has the potential to become the next generation of displays. Jeffrey Li, application director of JDC, believes that they have foreseen the rise of Micro LED and have the ability to help customers develop a variety of new products
He also said that JD67E2 proved our ability in the μLED field. We are excited to deliver what the industry has been waiting for – Silicon compliant for Micro LEDs. Our Micro LED backplane technology can be customized on a per-project basis, allowing us to manufacture special silicon for applications such as low-power AR headsets, automotive headlights, and more
The full-color JD67E2 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, a pixel pitch of 8um, and provides excellent current uniformity through proprietary current source pixels. Uniformity across the array is better than 1%
In addition to increasing brightness and contrast, JDC pixel-by-pixel pulse width modulation technology is ideal for Micro LEDs because digital led screen switching allows for precise and consistent coloring; a single on-state current will provide a single stable color. On the contrary, the analog driving scheme provides different current levels through the Micro LED, which will cause the wavelength to change, and thus the color shift
Although many manufacturers have exhibited Micro LED display products, there is still a long way to go before commercialization. According to LEDinside analysis, the cost of Micro LED display panels is still much higher than that of traditional LCD or OLED display panels. The current challenges include how to make LEDs into the micron level, and how to transfer micron-level LEDs to the backplane to make pixels in large quantities, all of which test the technical process and production capacity of the manufacturer
Because the price of mainstream 55-65-inch LCD TVs at this stage is too expensive. The cost of LCD and OLED can be reduced to a level acceptable to consumers. In the short term, the cost and selling price of Micro LED TV will be difficult to compete in this field. But the market above 100 inches is another matter
Due to the sharp increase in the production cost of LCD and OLED panels above 100 inches at the current stage, Micro LED TVs are given an opportunity to enter. When the technology and production process of Micro LED become more and more mature in the future, there will be an opportunity to cut into the mainstream size.