The market size for XR device is increasing annually. TrendForce’s Vice President of Research, Qiu Yubin, noted that with the growing diversity of metaverse applications and the improved functionality of AI, the global shipment of XR headsets is expected to reach 60 million units by 2030, driving more demand for near-eye displays.
In response to the growing XR device market, several Micro OLED and Micro LED microdisplay manufacturers, both domestic and international, have accelerated their development in June and July of this year.
Micro OLED
In the Micro OLED sector, Korean media recently reported that LG Display and Samsung Display have completed the development of Tandem OLEDoS technology. Prototype products have already been launched internally, with plans for commercial mass production at an appropriate time. The goal is to establish a technological advantage in the field of head-mounted display panels.
Tandem OLED technology involves a display system with at least two organic light-emitting material layers. It effectively addresses OLED panel shortcomings such as lower brightness and shorter lifespan, while also offering higher efficiency compared to traditional single-layer OLED. The combination of Tandem OLED and OLEDoS technologies can further enhance the display quality and battery life of head-mounted devices.
The Japan Semiconductor Energy Laboratory had previously demonstrated a 1.5-inch screen prototype with Tandem OLEDoS technology. This sample featured a pixel density of 3207 PPI, brightness of 15,000 nits, and a refresh rate of 90Hz.
While overseas companies advance Micro OLED technology, domestic companies are expanding their production capacities. In June, SIDTEK completed the full connection of its 12-inch Micro OLED panel production line, a project with a total investment of 6 billion yuan. The first phase is expected to reach a monthly capacity of 6,000 wafers, based on the Tandem OLED device structure, with mass production planned for August.
Following SIDTEK’s project launch, several other domestic Micro OLED projects also reported significant progress.
In June, SeeYA announced a 500-million-yuan investment to expand its existing Micro OLED production lines. The expansion will add a new array silicon substrate production line and a color film glass substrate production line, both with a monthly capacity of 6,000 wafers. The expansion also aims to produce 1.3X-inch silicon-based OLED microdisplays with an annual capacity of 1.4 million units and OLED module production lines with an annual capacity of 2.6 million units.
On July 27, the LakeSide Yixing project, with a total investment of 5 billion yuan and an initial investment of 3 billion yuan, began installing facilities such as MAU cooling ducts and fire pipes. Trial production is expected in the first half of next year, with mass production to follow in the second half. The project is expected to produce 9 million 1.31-inch silicon-based OLED microdisplays annually.
Micro LED
In the Micro LED field, the pace of microdisplay technology development is also accelerating.
Internationally, Micro LED display driver manufacturer Sapien Semiconductor signed CMOS backplane development contracts with microdisplay engine manufacturers worth 4.4 billion won and 3.939 billion won (approximately 23 million yuan and 20 million yuan) in June and July, respectively. Within just two months, Sapien Semiconductor secured orders totaling more than 8 billion won in the microdisplay sector.
To advance Micro LED technology for the consumer market, Canadian developer VueReal has been actively expanding. In July, VueReal announced plans to expand its proprietary MicroSolid Printing™ technology platform and deepened its cooperation with E Ink to meet the production needs of various customers for Micro LED microdisplays. This collaboration aims to accelerate the development and application of Micro LED technology.
VueReal also launched a new full-color, high-definition, low-power AR microdisplay called ColourFusion™ this year. Additionally, VueReal teamed up with Toray Engineering in Japan to improve the efficiency of Micro LED inspection.
Domestically, companies completed Micro LED mass production and implemented new applications in June.
On June 25, SiTan Tech‘s Xiamen Micro LED production line began mass production. The project, with a total investment of 1.2 billion yuan, has the capacity to produce nearly 10 million Micro LED display chips annually in three sizes—0.13 inches, 0.2 inches, and 0.45 inches. These chips primarily target the AR/XR and automotive display markets, with a projected yield rate of over 80% after mass production.
On June 20, Hongshi announced that its independently developed Micro LED microdisplay chips had achieved mass production and attracted nearly 400 million yuan in potential orders. Earlier this year, Hongshi launched a new microdisplay project in Huzhou, Zhejiang, with a total investment of 1.2 billion yuan. The new project will build a production base with an annual capacity of 10 million Micro LED chips for manufacturing and packaging.
JBD, specializing in the development and production of Micro LED microdisplays under 0.3 inches, completed a pre-B round of financing worth several hundred million yuan in June. The funds will be used to further invest in Micro LED microdisplay core technology research and development, product mass production, and the recruitment of top talent, as well as global market expansion.
Additionally, JBD’s Micro LED technology continues to be adopted in AR glasses products. Reports indicate that Even Realities’ lightweight, stylish AR glasses G1, which are equipped with dual JBD 0.13-inch VGA single green Micro LED microdisplays, will begin shipping in August. The glasses offer a resolution of 640×200, a 20° field of view, a maximum brightness of 1,000 nits, a refresh rate of 20Hz, and a transparency rate of 99%.
Conclusion
In the XR device sector, LCD remains the mainstream display technology due to its cost-effectiveness, and it continues to evolve in specifications. However, despite its high cost-performance ratio and wide field of view, LCD’s relatively low PPI limits its ability to deliver optimal near-eye display quality, particularly for VR devices that emphasize immersive experiences.
Other microdisplay technologies, such as DLP and LBS, also face limitations in power consumption, contrast, and product size. In contrast, Micro OLED and Micro LED offer significant advantages in PPI, power consumption, color accuracy, contrast, and optical engine size, making them highly promising for XR device applications. End products featuring these technologies have been gradually increasing in recent years.
As technology continues to improve, Micro OLED and Micro LED displays, which offer superior visual performance, are expected to gain market share in the XR field.
According to forecasts, Micro OLED is poised to gain a competitive edge in high-end VR/MR devices as supply increases and costs decrease. Meanwhile, Micro LED, with its small size and high brightness, is highly compatible with the demands of AR products. With breakthroughs in full-color technology and other challenges, Micro LED is set to become a technology with great growth potential in the near-eye display field.
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