Apple layout micro LED opportunities and challenges

The market is expected to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel will replace the LCD, the mainstream of the smart phone panel products, and driven by Apple, OLED market competition intensified. At the same time, the industry is also closely watching the layout of Apple's new generation of display technology, Micro LED, is expected to go beyond the OLED subvert the existing display technology, and will expand the application of a higher level of technology.

Acquisition of LuxVue Technology, patented technology layout

Micro light emitting diode (Micro) display technology has been developed for many years, until Apple's acquisition of the U.S. Micro LED display technology company LuxVue Technology, triggering market concern. LuxVue was founded in 2009, the main research and development of low power consumption for consumer electronics Micro LED display technology, and raised $43 million through three rounds of financing. The United States well-known Vc firms KPCB Silicon Valley for its investors of the company partner John Doerr said, LuxVue display technology with breakthrough and Taiwan; panel factory AUO, IC design factory MediaTek and HIMAX, have LuxVue shares held by LuxVue, after being acquired by apple and the early step holding sanctions.

Apple LuxVue owned by the Micro LED technology, in May 2014 confirmed the acquisition of LuxVue, made a number of MicroLED patent technology, since then also continue to layout related technology patents. By the integration of LuxVue technology, apple is expected to enhance its screen brightness for its wearable devices, mobile phones and other products, and reduce battery energy consumption, extend endurance, hardware devices to expand the possibility of innovation.

The Micro LED array structure diagram (source: USPTO)

However, for the acquisition of LuxVue apple a very low-key, but refused to disclose the relevant details, but also to the official statement consistent response, said Apple's acquisition of small start-up companies from time to time, usually not to buy purpose or plan to explain. At the end of 2015, the media news that Apple set up a laboratory in Taiwan Longtan Science Park, mainly for the development of MicroLED display technology, trying to snatch a new generation of display initiative, to reduce dependence on South Korea panel factory. However, the news seems to have become the industry can not say the secret, has yet to be confirmed.

Micro LED display technology has the advantage of integrated sensor development applications

Micro LED is a miniature LED array structure with luminous display characteristics, each row element (pixel) can address of separate drive light emitting, high brightness, advantages include low power consumption, small volume, high resolution and color saturation etc.. Compared with self luminous display OLED technology, Micro LED not only high efficiency, long service life, material is not easily affected by the environmental impact is relatively stable, can also avoid the blur phenomenon, but the softness and flexibility is less than OLED.

There is some wearable display device because the brightness is not high and the effect of clarity, efficiency improvement must be pulled, but the low efficiency of OLED because of the increased power consumption, MicroLED will be in the same power consumption, more than ten times brighter than OLED. ITRI micro assembly systems manager, Dr. Fang Yanxiang said, Taiwan based on related theory and through the measured after that, Micro LED is more suitable for wearable products than OLED for the former, the technology is mature, the price is relatively more competitive.

Wearable devices and Networking (IoT) relationship are inseparable, for future development, wearable devices will integrate more sensors (sensor), the space requirement is greater. Fang Yanxiang pointed out that in order to enhance the efficiency of OLED must be R, G, B sub pixels arranged closely, can be placed in the narrow spacing under sensor Co.; Micro LED space is enough to integrate multiple sensors, wearable device to maintain light saving.

Fang Yanxiang believes that Micro LED technology not only can be used in display, also to integrate diverse sensors for the direction of development, will play a key role in the wearable device, intelligent mobile phone applications, ITRI called "micro assembly" (micro assembly) technology, is expected within five years in Taiwan construction industry chain.

High technology development threshold, affecting the development of the industrial chain

Apple saw the potential of LED technology and Micro LuxVue will be under the nationalization, especially LuxVue has mastered the key technology transfer, which is the development of Micro LED is the most difficult to overcome the other links, including driving circuit, color conversion, detection wavelength, wafer uniformity, are yet to break through the technical bottleneck. LuxVue initially transferred from the layout of the patented technology, after one after another to drive, application and other patented technology development, three years have been distributed under the 65 patents.

The LuxVue transfer technology related patent map (source: Patent)

Fang Yanxiang said that due to the Micro LED in the IC, detection, transfer of technology and application of all aspects, are very different from the existing LED industry chain, so LED plant invested in R & D Micro LED technology, in fact, did not prevail. However, once the successful development of Micro LED, Taiwan semiconductor, LED industry is expected to benefit, especially to solve the problem of excess capacity.

At present not only apple actively developing Micro LED technology, the other also includes the United States Polytechnic University of Dezhou (Texas Tech University), the French Atomic Energy Department of electronic and Information Technology Laboratory (CEA-Leti), the British University of Strathclyde (University of Strathclyde) split the company mLED, and Taiwan semiconductor technology startups neptunium is one of the more with the development of technology and products research institute cooperation, recently also published the PixeLED patent display technology development is looking forward to the next.