On May 14, the annual SID International Display Week officially opened in San Jose, California.
This year, companies such as BOE, Visionox, Tianma, Innolux, AUO, JBD, SiTan Tech, Saphlux, Mojo Vision, VueReal, RaySolve, Porotech, Fraunhofer IPMS, SIDTEK, and Lumicore showcased their latest products.
At the exhibition, Micro LED technology was the focal point of attention. Its applications are no longer confined to large-size displays but have expanded into medium and small-size displays. Micro display manufacturers continue to overcome challenges in Micro LED micro-display applications, presenting several high-performance full-color micro-displays. The scope of Micro LED applications continues to broaden.
Micro LED Expands into Medium and Small-Sized Innovative Applications
At SID, AUO, Tianma, BOE, Innolux, Saphlux, and VISTAR displayed Micro/Mini LED displays and monitor products.
Notably, there were more innovative application forms of Micro LED technology, such as foldable screens, and its footprint has expanded into monitors, smart wearables, and other fields. Meanwhile, the performance and quality of large-size Micro LED displays continue to improve.
AUO showcased its 17.3-inch Micro LED folding display for the first time, integrating tablet functions. It features Adobe 100% color gamut and 1000 nits brightness, suitable for outdoor use, catering to the needs of photography, design, and live-streaming industries.
Additionally, AUO exhibited the world’s largest single-panel Micro LED display, measuring 31 inches. The product features a frameless design for seamless splicing to achieve large-size displays, with applications in fields such as healthcare.
Tianma presented a 1.63-inch ultra-high PPI active Micro LED display with a PPI of 403 and a color gamut exceeding 110% NTSC. It offers ultra-low reflectivity and is applicable in various smart wearables and mobile devices.
BOE launched its MLED technology brand with the world’s first 16K 110-inch ultra-large naked-eye 3D display. It incorporates high-color-gamut Mini LED backlighting and is widely used in advertising, meetings, and education.
Furthermore, BOE introduced a Mini LED backlight display for gamers, a 16-inch Ultra-S gaming laptop display with a 2000:1 static contrast ratio and 240Hz refresh rate; and a 31.5-inch AB (Ambient Black) MNT product featuring ultra-high contrast, low-reflectance technology, and eco-friendly characteristics.
Amid the growing trend of AI technology, BOE proposed the “All-Scenario Smart AI Display” concept, showcasing several AI-enabled display solutions. For MLED COG (glass-based technology) direct display product quality improvement, BOE embedded industry-first AI image restoration technology into the display chip, supporting any splicing mode for MLED. This technology is currently implemented in MLED COG direct display splicing products.
Innolux displayed its Color-conversion 106-inch AM-Micro LED free-splicing display module, primarily for large spaces, offering customizable sizes from 26.4 inches to 220 inches.
Moreover, Innolux exhibited its infinitely splicable P1.25 COB Mini LED direct display, with a brightness of up to 1200 nits and a 20% reduction in power consumption at the same brightness level.
Saphlux showcased its P1.25 QD-mLED direct display cabinet. Utilizing NPQD® technology’s GaN-based quantum dot red light chip, Saphlux’s quantum dot direct display module achieves uniform three-color light sources, with a wide viewing angle, high color accuracy, and eco-friendly, arsenic-free characteristics.
Currently, Saphlux’s QD-mLED commercial display products, based on NPQD® quantum dot color conversion technology, have officially entered mass production and are available on the market.
Visionox’s affiliate VISTAR exhibited the world’s leading 88-inch P0.5 front-maintenance TFT-based Micro-LED splicing display. The product features dedicated hybrid driving IC technology, achieving a 99.995% high-yield massive transfer technology, the world’s first mixed bin technology, and TFT backplane technology. It is suitable for commercial displays, command and dispatch, high-end meetings, and other scenarios.
Micro LED Expands into Automotive Displays
Although the adoption of Micro LED technology in automotive displays is still limited, several companies are advancing the development of Micro LED automotive screen technology. They are applying Micro LED to central control screens, HUDs, rearview mirrors, and other products, creating diverse automotive display forms with high brightness, transparency, and high-definition features.
AUO demonstrated a car-use Micro LED Display HMI solution with a transparent, frameless design, featuring 163 PPI pixel density and maintaining up to 5000 nits brightness in sunlight.
Additionally, AUO exhibited the world’s first smart Micro LED display with an integrated camera for the front passenger seat. The screen enables bidirectional interaction, folds completely for storage, and reaches a maximum brightness of 5000 nits.
BOE introduced its P0.3 Micro LED product for automotive displays, frameless splicing commercial large screens, advertising displays, conference rooms, data centers, and more. At the exhibition, BOE presented a P0.3 Micro LED frameless curved sliding splicing automotive prototype, utilizing modular sliding splicing for seamless splicing and flexible screen and content layout.
BOE also showcased the world’s first 44.8-inch automotive ultra-large oxide smart cockpit, featuring glass-based MLED backlighting, achieving million-level contrast and 2000 nits high-brightness image quality.
Tianma presented an 8.07-inch high-PPI transparent irregular Micro LED display rearview mirror with an innovative pixel design and refined TFT stacking process; a 9.38-inch transparent Micro LED display with 70% transparency for the rear seat center armrest area.
Furthermore, Tianma’s 7.6-inch HUD display uses Micro LED technology to achieve 5000 nits brightness, with advantages such as a thinner structure, wider color gamut, and faster response.
Tianma also showcased a 12.3-inch, 2400-zone automotive backlight display solution with a high display contrast ratio of over 1,000,000:1, along with several hidden displays, also featuring Mini LED backlight technology.
Micro Displays: Competition Between Micro LED and Micro OLED
At SID, micro displays have become a key category of focus. Many micro displays at the exhibition featured Micro LED and Micro OLED technologies. Micro LED micro-display technology is no longer limited to monochrome green displays, as several companies showcased full-color Micro LED micro-displays, with Micro LED rapidly catching up with Micro OLED technology.
JBD introduced its new generation of Hummingbird Mini II light engine, with a size of only 0.15 cc, making it the smallest AR light engine in the industry while maintaining an ultra-high light flux of 8 lm, achieving a significant breakthrough in lm/cc efficiency.
JBD also unveiled its vertically stacked single-chip full-color “Phoenix” series prototypes, which offer improved performance in color and brightness.
SiTan Tech displayed its latest upgraded products: a 0.2-inch full-color Micro LED display chip, a 0.2-inch Micro LED white light projection lamp, and a 10000+ PPI Micro LED display driver chip.
SiTan Tech’s products were praised by Nobel Chemistry Laureate and quantum dot display technology pioneer Professor Moungi Bawendi for their excellent brightness and color performance, receiving recognition and encouragement for the development team.
SiTan Tech’s 0.2-inch full-color Micro LED display chip has reached a brightness of 150,000 nits and is expected to further increase to over 200,000 nits later this year.
Additionally, for automotive applications, SiTan Tech displayed the industry’s smallest 0.2-inch Micro LED white light projection lamp, combining projection display and lighting functions with a pixel count in the ten-thousand range and a brightness of 130 lumens. Several downstream automotive companies and Tier 1 manufacturers have expressed interest in this product.
SiTan Tech also showcased its self-developed high-density 10000+ PPI Micro LED display driver chip, claiming to offer the highest pixel density Micro LED display driver performance in the industry.
Saphlux exhibited its transitional T2-0.39-inch full-color micro display and mass-produced T1-0.12-inch single-green micro display.
Saphlux noted that, compared to last year’s 0.39-inch RGB monochrome mLED micro display, the company’s proprietary NPQD® (nano-pore quantum dot) color conversion technology has resolved the RGB integration issue at small sizes.
Saphlux also revealed that it will deliver the T3 version 0.26-inch single-chip full-color micro display with a white light brightness of 500,000 nits by the end of this year and will officially enter mass production.
Canadian Micro LED technology developer VueReal introduced its new AR micro display, ColourFusion, integrating full-color Micro LED technology, image quality enhancement algorithms, and LCOS (silicon-based liquid crystal) systems, providing higher pixel density and clearer visual effects in low-power mode.
RaySolve showcased its full-color Micro LED micro display products. RaySolve is a high-tech company focused on Micro LED micro display CMOS chip architecture design, processes, and single-chip full-color technology development.
At CES 2024 earlier this year, RaySolve presented 0.11-inch and 0.22-inch full-color Micro LED micro displays and demonstrated dual-eye full-color light guide modules. RaySolve achieved a significant enhancement in full-color brightness from 100,000 nits to 150,000 nits, while achieving a 7200 PPI ultra-high resolution.
Porotech exhibited results from the commercialization of its proprietary quantum dot red light chip and quantum dot material combination with Micro LED displays, and has achieved successful full-color applications.
Mojo Vision, a developer of Micro LED microdisplays, has unveiled a monolithic red, green, and blue (RGB) panel with 4μm pixels and a pixel density of 6,350 PPI. This was achieved through its proprietary quantum dot technology. The company also showcased a new technique that significantly increases the brightness of Micro LEDs while reducing power consumption by up to five times compared to conventional LED structures.
Earlier this year, Mojo Vision developed a monolithic full-color Micro LED microdisplay that integrates 1.3μm quantum dot red and green subpixels with native blue subpixels of the same size. This advancement supports high display performance for AR devices across various outdoor environments.
At the exhibition, Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (Fraunhofer IPMS) from Germany showcased its latest Micro OLED semi-transparent microdisplay, which boasts over 50% transparency. The display also integrates micro-optical components directly, making it lighter than traditional near-eye microdisplays while delivering high-resolution visuals.
SIDTEK presented its Micro OLED products and highlighted the capabilities of its upcoming 12-inch Micro OLED production line.
Specializing in the research and manufacturing of semiconductor-based microdisplays, SIDTEK is one of the first domestic companies to enter the silicon-based OLED field. Its current Micro OLED offerings include 1.03-inch, 0.49-inch, 0.39-inch, and 0.6-inch models.
At SID Display Week 2024, Lumicore unveiled its innovative digital-driven silicon-based microdisplay industrialization solution and integrated AR display optical solution.
Summary
Micro LED stole the spotlight at SID Display Week 2024, with its rapid progress revealing the true potential of this technology within the display industry.
Creatively, we’ve already seen Micro LED take various forms this year. For instance, Lenovo exhibited a 17.3-inch transparent Micro LED laptop earlier this year. At the exhibition, Micro LED found new applications in tablets, monitors, and other devices, further broadening its range of use.
In the large display sector, Micro LED screens continue to see performance improvements and cost reductions. In the automotive display space, Micro LED’s high brightness and transparency have introduced new display effects. Meanwhile, in the microdisplay arena, Micro LED is steadily overcoming challenges in full-color display, with new full-color products emerging at an increasing pace.
The application of Micro LED technology in 2024 appears to have reached a new milestone. What surprises lie ahead in this field? We’ll have to wait and see.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the original authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MiniMicroLED Insights . While we strive to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information provided, the content on this website may include translations, re-edited versions of second-hand information, or information derived from unverifiable sources. MiniMicroLED Insights makes no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of such content. The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, MiniMicroLED Insights disclaims all liability for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your use of, or reliance on, the information contained in this article.
Copyright Notice: This article may include translated and re-edited content derived from various online sources, including websites and social media platforms. While we strive to credit the original authors and sources to the best of our ability, we may not always be able to verify the original source of the content. All rights to the original content remain with the original author or source publication. Where applicable, this content is reproduced for educational and informational purposes under the fair use doctrine. If you believe any content on this site infringes upon your intellectual property rights, or if you are the copyright owner and believe we have not credited you correctly, please contact us at minimicroled.business@gmail.com. We will investigate and take corrective action, including removing or properly crediting the content if necessary.
Content sourced and adapted by MiniMicroLED Insights (Doris).