Following LCD and OLED, micro-LED is now one of the next-generation display technologies that are in the spotlight. Besides companies working in the global display supply chain, major technology brands including Apple and Sony are increasingly involved in the development of micro-LED as they are drawn to its possibilities. Currently, those that are engaged in this field aim to bring down the production cost. The latest research from LEDinside, a division of TrendForce, finds that the potential scale of the future micro-LED market – one that would replace the entire current LCD display chain including BLU, polarizer and other components – could reach US$30~40 billion.
Roger Chu, research director of LEDinside, said that it is still too early to determine the size of the micro-LED market because of differences among specification standards and manufacturing techniques. There are a lot uncertainties related to the size of micro-LED chips, driver solutions and the mass transfer processes. “At the same time, the scale of the micro-LED market is potentially enormous if this technology is going to replace LCD and all its related components,” Chu noted.
Looking at activities of major interested parties, Sony has made a significant step in the commercialization of the technology with its CLEDIS (Crystal LED Integrated Structure) displays. The latest CLEDIS display that was shown at this year’s CES performed impressively across all important indicators including resolution, brightness and contrast.
Still, the manufacturing cost of micro-LED-based products on average can be three to four times as much as products based on traditional display technologies, according to LEDinside’s analysis. Therefore, developers of micro-LED displays will have to devise effective cost-cutting (or yield-raising) solutions in chip production and mass transfer. At the same time, they also need to consider the additional values that can be extracted out this technology and the related manufacturing processes. Taking account of the various challenges, LEDinside believes that it will take around three to five years before micro-LED display products can replace the current generation of LCD counterparts.
Roger Chu pointed to mass transfer as the most difficult technology bottleneck that prevents the general production cost of micro-LEDs from going down. “Creating mass transfer solutions requires efforts across different industries including LED, semiconductor devices and the entire display supply chain,” said Chu. “Also, new solutions could lead to different specifications for processing equipment, testing equipment, chip products, raw materials and etc. New specification standards will raise the technology barrier for market entrants. The need for cross-industry collaboration will also prolong the R&D period for developers of micro-LED displays."
In addition to cost reduction efforts, entrants in the micro-LED display market will need to generate additional value for the technology. “Once established, mass transfer solutions may be used to pick and place LEDs or electronic components of similar sizes – take sensor chips for example,” said Chu. “Micro-LED itself has a lot of potentials and could one day shine in lots of applications including VR devices, AR projection, optical sensors and fingerprint recognition.”
1Q17 Micro LED Next Generation Display Industry Member Report- Outline
What is Micro LED?
Definition of Micro LED Display
Micro LED Display Manufacturing Process
LED Display Applications- Backlight and Pixel Light
LED Larger than Pixel-Backlight
Pixel Larger than LED-Micro LED
Combination of High Density Circuit and High Density Light Source
Future of Display Technology To Enter the Era of Self-Emitting
LCD v.s. OLED v.s. Micro LED Analysis
Micro LED to Open Up New Frontier of Display Technology
Micro LED Key Technology Development Map and Analysis
Micro LED Key Technology Development Map
Epi Wafer and Chip Technology
Transfer Technology
Transfer Technology- Pick Up
Transfer Technology- Selectivity
Transfer Technology- Placement
Color Conversion
Micro LED Value Chain and Transfer Manufacturer Analysis
Micro LED Value Chain- Micro LED / QD Phosphor / Transfer / Panel / Driver IC
Major Micro LED Supply Chain and the Focus of Patent Layout
Definition on Patent Classification
LuxVue- Electrostatic Adsorption Transfer Yet to Be a Perfect Solution
LuxVue- Patent Strengthens the Stability of Arrays of Micro Devices
X-Celeprint- Focuses on Transfer Technology, Followed By Display Technology
X-Celeprint- Problems in μTP Transfer Shall Be Settled One by One
X-Celeprint- Active v.s. Passive Matrix Technology Products Planning
Sony- Constantly Develops Micro LED Technology
Sony- Selects Specified Devices for Transfer through Laser Ablation Technology
ITRI- Actively Develops Transfer, Adopting Active Matrix Technology
ITRI- Pick up 1μm-100μm Micro Device through Transfer Technology
PlayNitride- Applies for Patents on PixeLED and Transfer Technology
PlayNitride- Specializes in LED Chip and Transfer Technologies
Mikro Mesa- Minimum Size of Chip is 3μm with Vertical LED Chip Structure
Mikro Mesa- Film Transfer Patent
Ostendo Technology Inc. USA- Qantum Photonic Imager For Holographic Displays
Ostendo Technology Inc. USA- QPI Patent Allows to Achieve RGB LED on Single LED Epi-wafer
Patent Analysis- Transfer & Bonding
Patent Analysis- Micro LED v.s. Substrate
If you would like to know more details, please contact:
Joanne Wu (Taipei)
joannewu@trendforce.com
+886-2-8978-6488 ext. 912