Why is Micro LED widely optimistic?
Compared with LCD/OLED technology, Micro LED can independently control pixels and emit light independently, and has the characteristics of high brightness, low power consumption, ultra-high resolution and high color. When combined with nanowiring, Micro LED can even allow ultra-small LEDs to achieve the effect of bendable and flexible screens.
In terms of service life, because it is made of inorganic materials, its lifespan and stability are much stronger than the organic molecules of OLED screens, and the screen burn-in and aging phenomenon that are prone to occur on OLED screens are also much less. In addition, Micro LED has high resolution due to its micron-level pixel pitch.
Industry analysis company n-tech believes that Micro LED technology is currently making substantial progress and will provide a large number of opportunities for the industry. The global Micro LED market will grow from US$2.7 billion in 2019 to US$10.7 billion in 2022.
Micro LED has gradually matured
Micro LED may sound out of reach, but in fact, Micro-LED technology has gradually begun to mature in 2018. First, in 2018, companies such as Taiwan's PlayNitride and Epistar, South Korea's Samsung, LG, and Japan's Sony overcame the core issues that restricted the development of Micro-LED and transferred massive amounts of technology. Second, in terms of backplane, Si CMOS technology is relatively mature. Drivers are mainly divided into active drivers and passive drivers. Solutions have also been found for the problems of consistency and color stability in epitaxial growth.
It can be said that the prototype of a complete Micro-LED display industry chain has emerged. This also means that the display market is about to undergo a reshuffle in 2019.
International manufacturers accelerate R&D and domestic focus on cooperation
In recent years, major international manufacturers have joined in the development of Micro LED technology. Most of them develop Micro LED through mergers and acquisitions, the establishment of new internal business units or start-up companies, and seek vertical or horizontal development based on their existing areas of expertise. It can be roughly divided into LED epitaxy, transfer, panel and brand.
Micro LED display technology will enter the early stage of mass production from 2019, and the commercialization of various terminal applications will flourish.
Following the launch of large-size Micro/Mini LED displays by Sony and Samsung Electronics, Taiwanese large-size Micro LED displays are also expected to enter trial mass production in the fourth quarter of 2019. Companies such as AU Optronics and PlayNitride have in-depth cooperation with major international manufacturers.
In my country, compared with Taiwan, mainland manufacturers are developing at a slower pace in the Micro LED field. The main reason is that mainland manufacturers prefer technologies that can be quickly introduced into mass production. Currently, Micro LED technology is mostly in the research and evaluation stage. However, some manufacturers have quietly deployed and invested.
Conclusion: Micro LED display has the characteristics of seamless, high brightness and non-reflective images, relying on the product's advantages in clarity, image quality, thickness, response speed and other aspects. However, the Micro LED display market is still in the early stages of development. Due to cost reasons, the current market size is not very large, and it is expected that production capacity will be gradually released in the future. At present, Micro LED has gradually moved from commercial-level displays to consumer-level displays, and downstream application companies are also vigorously promoting it. Once applied on a large scale, the prospects will be very broad.
ANNA