With the introduction of Mini LED backlight technology by Apple, Samsung and other new products, the market heat has soared, and the industrial chain has also quietly changed. In this context, CCTV's "Punctual Finance" column has also recently launched a research activity on the Mini LED industry, and the player in the backlight field, Hongli Display, as the exclusive representative of packaging companies in the LED supply chain, has been paid close attention.
Mini LED backlight product introduction
CCTV's "Punctual Finance" column launched a research activity on the Mini LED industry
According to experts, Research understands that the commercialization process of the MiniLED backlight industry began in 2018, and 2019 is the first year of the MiniLED backlight application, and it is expected that 2021 will be a key time node for mass production.
In the past year or so, although Chinese mainland manufacturers have invested in the construction of the Mini LED backlight industry, due to technical and other reasons, it is still in the research and proofing stage, and Hongli Display has taken the lead in achieving mass production, becoming the first large-scale Mini LED backlight product in the LED display industry. In addition, the RGB direct display products displayed by Hongli have also been shipped in batches.
Behind the large-scale mass production is not only the development and strategy of Hongli Display, but also reflects the changes in the Mini LED industry.
Mini LED backlight scale on the amount of know-how
The gradual maturity of technology and the promotion of the whole industry chain have given enough confidence for the mass production of Mini LED. Compared with 2020, the Mini LED backlight industry has undergone tremendous changes this year, and Hongli has played an important role in it.
Tracing the development history of Hongli Display, it can be understood that Hongli Display was formed by Hongli Zhihui and industry experts in various fields. Because its technical team has been deeply engaged in the field of backlight for more than ten years, it is very familiar with the needs of modules and machine factories, so when designing Mini LED backlight products, it knows how to cooperate with modules and machine factories, which is convenient to apply, lower cost and better effect.
Recently, Li Jundong, president of Hongli Zhihui, mentioned the dynamics of Mini LED-related industries in 2020 in an interview. According to him, the entire Mini LED TV manufacturers in 2020 are basically based on proofing. Hongli shows that a customer has dozens of samples last year. However, since the first quarter of this year, the number of Mini LED backlight products on a single product has achieved an order of magnitude multiple growth.
Li Jundong, President of Hongli Zhihui
Hongli Display grasps the trend, opens another way in the layout and planning of Mini LED, and considers the four angles of the whole process, large size, high yield and multi-category, and exerts all-round strength.
Mini LED backlight trend has become more and more clear, it is expected that the number of mass production orders will be more and more, and the cost will gradually decrease with the expansion of mass production scale. The cost reduction depends on technological progress and the improvement of the industrial chain.
Chen Yongming, general manager of Hongli Display, said that at present, some manufacturers on the market usually improve yield by producing small-size Mini LED backlight products, which will increase the customer's splicing cost, splicing yield and splicing after the splicing effect. To this end, Hongli Display has customized the development of large-size solid crystal equipment, which can correspond to a full-page backlight substrate of less than 40 inches or a TV backlight substrate with less than 65/75 inches of less collage, and the solid crystal efficiency reaches 60K/Hrs, and the accuracy reaches ±20um.
Hongli Display General Manager Chen Yongming
This is also one of the advantages of Hongli Display Mini LED products towards mass production.
In addition, Hongli Display has designed an automated production line based on Mini LED, through which the yield of the entire product, especially the glass-based product, can be improved. Improving yield and efficiency is also one of the ways to reduce costs.
In terms of multiple categories, Hongli Display provides a variety of options for different needs. For example, the substrate type is optional such as glass-based, FPC-based, PCB-based, etc.; the package structure provides SMD, COB, AND COG three schemes.
President Li Jundong believes that in the future, with the maturity of technology, the problem solving of various manufacturers has gradually entered the end, and it is expected that in the next year, the market penetration rate of Mini LED backlight will be further improved.
Hongli Display is currently one of the few enterprises in the world that has been large-scale on the amount of Mini LED backlight products, in terms of products and production capacity, it is currently in the order of 10K, and the mass production application is mainly based on small and medium-sized sizes; and maintains close cooperation with first-line brands at home and abroad, bringing high-quality Mini LED backlight products to the market, and jointly promoting the scale commercial application of Mini LED backlight products.
Direct display and backlit doubles modes correspond to different market needs
In the field of Mini LED, Hongli Display not only lays out the Mini LED backlight market of consumer electronic products such as TV, tablet, laptop, etc., but also synchronizes the efforts of The Mini LED RGB direct display of the vast application field.
In the layout of Mini LED, Hongli Display has clearly defined the backlight and RGB doubles route according to market demand, as early as 2019, Hongli Display took the lead in the industry to exhibit P0.7 RGB Mini LED display. According to The Introduction of Hongli Display, Hongli displayed in the mini RGB display field, mainly positioning the high-end display market, and the packaging scheme was mainly based on upside-down COB. That is, the RGB LED chip is used as a direct display module, which can be applied in commercial display fields such as security, cinema, shopping malls, and smart cities.
In 2020, with the large-scale mass production of the company's Mini LED, Hongli Display launched the Mini LED Direct Display Hong screen - Xuancai Crystal COB P0.9 in the same year, in response to the pace of development of the Mini LED market, which is already in bulk shipment. According to reports, the next research and development focus is on the development of smaller pitch Micro LEDs.
Hongli Mini LED Hongping series P0.9 products
Relying on Hongli Zhihui's rich experience in the LED packaging industry and a strong supply chain system, Hongli Display has opened up the corresponding production line in the application of Mini direct display and backlight.
According to Chen Yongming, general manager of Hongli Display, Hongli Display focuses on the development of efficient and stable large-volume transfer technology and high-contrast, high-ink color consistency display module packaging technology, and has established a solid crystal packaging production line that can cope with oversized substrates. In addition, Hongli Display also has a complete and highly automated Mini LED backlight panel and display module production line.
It is worth noting that Hongli Zhihui and South China University of Technology have jointly built a joint laboratory to jointly explore Mini/Micro LED materials, solve the technical difficulties faced by the Mini/Micro LED process, and jointly improve the huge amount of transfer technology.
Running forward, capacity breakthrough:
75 sun 200,000 units, P0.9 10,000 m2
Nowadays, relevant manufacturers from upstream chips in the industrial chain, midstream packaging to downstream displays are scrambling to actively plan expansion plans. On the eve of Mini LED's upcoming mass production, Hongli Display has made production capacity planning to meet a new round of competition.
In terms of production capacity, Hongli Display has built a phase I plant of 12,600 square meters in 2020, and the first phase of the project has introduced 50 production lines to achieve full mass production of Mini LED backlight and direct display products, with an annual output value of up to 600 million yuan. With the continuous addition of orders from customers, it is expected to be fully produced by the end of this year, and the yield rate is currently at the forefront of the industry.
In addition, the company also launched the construction of the second phase of the industrial park, with a total construction area of nearly 180,000 square meters, is expected to be put into use in the first half of 2022, after full production can achieve a production capacity of 75 inches backlight products 200,000 units / month, P0.9 direct display products 10,000 square meters / month, the annual output value is expected to reach 4 billion yuan.
Hongli Mini/Micro LED Phase II Industrial Park project planning renderings
Waiting for the full sprint mini/Micro LED
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will formulate and implement the "14th Five-Year Plan" display industrial planning policy to promote the industry to leap to the middle and high end of the value chain. At the same time, we will focus on accelerating the process of basic research and industrialization in the fields of full flexible display, micro display, ultra-high definition and other fields, and enhance the core competitiveness of the industry.
Mini LED is an innovative technology in the fields of "micro display" and "ultra-high definition" to promote industrial upgrading and transformation. The core team of Hongli Display under Hongli Zhihui not only plays an important role in more than ten years of experience in this field and the preparation of research and development for many years in the early stage, but also promotes the mass production progress of the Mini LED backlight industry and the popularity of high-definition display with its comprehensive strength. We look forward to the joint efforts of Hongli Display and the industrial chain, so that mini/Micro LED products with a better visual experience can enter the lives of more consumers.