MicroLED is the technology set to take LED display into the future. Smaller and more robust than traditional LED, MicroLED confers exponential advancements and improvements to LED display. As an innovation leader, well respected for its extensive R&D commitment, Absen has actively developed IMD and COB technologies since 2016 and recently launched its new MicroLED KLCOB V2 series globally.
Vishal Kanwal, Absen Industry Development Director of India Business, gives a rundown of MicroLED technology, how MicroLED holds the answers for the modern demands and requirements of end users, and Absen's development of MicroLED technology.
What is MicroLED? Which is better COB or SMD?
Here a slide I think once made by our CTO Stone, by which you can see that the definition of the chip size when micro do start still vary in the whole market:
The question if COB or SMD is better is first a totally different topic than MicroLED and can’t be simple answered. It is more a question about applications. Still SMD has a lot of advantages compared to other technologies as for example each single chip and therefore each single pixel can carefully be sorted and selected and repaired. But once we go to smaller pixel pitch screens SMD start to be very fragile, and we start to loosen contrast ratio. So therefore in a first step IMD is more stable and deliver also more contrast and again in a next step COB is even more stable and has higher contrast and is highly preferred the smaller the pixel pitch but somehow with the disadvantage of no simple repair anymore.
Why are display industry companies increasingly focusing on MicroLED?
The reason is somehow the same than mentioned above. By using MicroLED you can increase again the lost contrast ratio due to small pixel pitch. There are very small “light dots” which leave a lot of black around which therefore result in higher contrast ratio. For sure also the simple reason of limited size for very small pixel pitch require as well to make those “light dots” smaller.
What are the core strengths and challenges of MicroLED technology?
Strength is the protection like COB and the challenge is still the so called “mass-transfer” and according failure rate as a lot of red, green and blue dots need to be placed/transferred onto the board.
Is MicroLED the future?
Yes, beside other interesting technologies like flipChip.
Well, in such case I can also ask back if you can imagine that nobody would have interest in the kind of next generation of LEDs or at least in all the above-mentioned improvements and advantages.
Yes, a lot of companies in the market and our industry are keen to jump onto that train as well.
But it had been and is still difficult to find the right timing. I always would love to be the early and potentially first adapter of new technologies but for example first the production needs to get mature to enter the market.
If we consider about the market size to use and sell microLED technology in, it is huge. Beside LED displays and screens for business applications it is a reasonable step to enter the consumer market as well.
MicroLED technology allow to get into mass-production of smaller pixel pitch LED products to get smaller screen sizes by higher resolution following the needs of 4K and 8K.
What preparations has Absen made to develop MicroLED technology? Which of Absen's greatest strengths in MicroLED technology?
Beside that we opened our own COB / microLED factory building and production lines in our Absen Intelligent Manufacturing Centre in Huizhou, we continued to increase picture performance quality of microLED technology. So as one of the results, and consequence out of that, we do have a surface finish which is matte black, called Black Coating Technology. That again, like above mentioned and in addition, let us get a deeper black and higher contrast ratio. At the same time, it is reasonable to speak about richer colors but still with natural color reproduction which is an elemental part of HDR. But that isn’t all as just for this example I’ve not yet spoken about the matte surface for example for reduction of ambient lights to ensure the impressive picture performance getting negatively influenced.