With the release of Apple's Vision Pro, its Micro OLED display technology has also entered the eyes of more people. In fact, global Micro OLED display manufacturers have been working for many years. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have made more frequent moves in this field.
So, how are the manufacturers progressing, what products have been launched, and what applications have been obtained? I believe that this article will be helpful for you to understand the basic situation of global Micro OLED manufacturers.
eMagin
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in New York, eMagin Corporation is a leader in Micro OLED microdisplay technology, serving world-class customers in the military, consumer, medical and industrial markets. Since 2001, eMagin's microdisplays have been used in AR/VR, aircraft cockpits, head-up display systems, thermal imagers, night vision goggles, future weapon systems, and a variety of other applications. eMagin's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility is located in Hopewell Junction, New York, with over 3,900 square meters of manufacturing space, including 1,580 square meters of Class 10 cleanroom. In 2022, eMagin's annual revenue reached US$30.5 million (approximately RMB 210 million) amid increased demand for commercial microdisplays.
In May 2023, eMagin announced a definitive merger agreement with Samsung Display, which will acquire eMagin for $218 million.
eMagin Micro OLED product list (data source: eMagin official website)
Ored
Yunnan North Alled Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2008, located in Kunming City, Yunnan Province, is an enterprise focusing on the production and sales of AMOLED microdisplays.
On May 14, 2009, Aored through the production line process, prepared the first full-color OLED microdisplay sample, and passed the technical appraisal, its product technical indicators reached the international leading level, in March 2010 the first qualified product rolled off the line, entered the small batch trial production stage, in 2014 for the first time to achieve a turnaround, in November 2015 listed on the new third board, in 2017 sales revenue exceeded 100 million yuan.
After continuous innovation and hard work, the company has become a professional manufacturer capable of mass production and sales of AMOLED microdisplays, making China the second country in the world to master AMOLED microdisplay research and development technology and mass production after the United States. At present, the company can provide WVGA/SVGA/SXGA resolution color, white light and high-brightness green AMOLED microdisplay series products and modules, which are widely used in observation, head configuration, monitoring, simulation training systems and industrial testing, medical equipment, AR/VR/MR, consumer electronics and other fields.
List of Orede Micro OLED products (Source: Aured official website)
Sony
Sony began developing the display technology that laid the foundation for what would become Micro OLED in 2009, with the aim of applying it to the camera's electronic viewfinder.
In June 2023, Apple released Vision Pro, equipped with two Sony Micro OLED displays, with a size of 1.42 inches, a resolution of 3648×3144, a pixel density of 3391ppi, and a module brightness of up to 6000 nits. According to reports, the high-spec Micro OLED screen is also sold for a very high price, with a single screen costing $350. In addition, Sony's production capacity is also limited, and it is reported that it can only supply 900,000 pieces per year.
Sony Micro OLED product list (Source: Sony Semiconductor Solutions official website)
MICROOLED
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Grenoble, France, MICROOLED is committed to the development and manufacture of high-resolution Micro OLED microdisplays. In January 2012, MICROOLED announced the first 0.61-inch microdisplay with 5.4 million pixels, and in August 2012, ST invested €6 million in MicroOLED, and the two companies began joint development efforts. IN 2015, MICROOLED ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAD SOLD MORE THAN 150,000 0.38-INCH WVGA MICRODISPLAYS. IN 2020, MICROOLED ANNOUNCED A FINANCING OF €8 MILLION TO ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF CONSUMER-GRADE AR SOLUTIONS.
KOPIN
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Westboro, Massachusetts, Kopin Corporation has been providing LCD, LCoS and OLED microdisplays for military, enterprise, industrial, medical, and consumer wearable products since 1990.
In March 2023, Kopin announced that it had made significant progress in the F-35 Dedicated Helmet Display System (HMDS) program and had completed performance testing of OLED microdisplays.
Kopin's figure also appeared in the establishment of China's Micro OLED manufacturers, Kunming BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd. (now known as "Yunnan Chuangvision Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd."), the establishment of Lakeside Optical Core have Kopin participation.
Kopin Micro OLED products (data source: Kopin official website)
BOE
On August 22, 2017, BOE issued an announcement announcing that it will cooperate with Aored, Yunnan Yunzhong Industrial Development Group and Gaoping Technology to jointly invest 1.15 billion yuan to build the first large-scale OLED microdisplay device production line project in Kunming, Yunnan Province, and establish Kunming BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd. (now known as "Yunnan Chuangvision Optoelectronic Technology Co., Ltd.") to engage in the production, sales and research and development of OLED microdisplay devices.
On December 26, 2019, BOE announced again that in order to meet the high-end market demand of AR/VR and enhance the competitiveness of the project company, BOE plans to invest 3.4 billion yuan for the construction of a 12-inch OLED microdisplay device production line. Design capacity: 12-inch wafers invest 10,000 pieces per month. Main products: 0.99 inch, 1.31 inch OLED microdisplay device.
In March 2021, BOE disclosed on the investor interactive platform: "Yunnan Chuangvision Optoelectronics 8-inch silicon-based Micro OLED production line achieved mass production in August 2019 and is currently ramping up production capacity; The newly established 12-inch Micro OLED production line will be completed in three phases and is expected to be completed in January 2024, with a designed annual production capacity of 5.23 million units. ”
In May 2023, BOE's 1.3-inch 4K (3552×3840) Micro OLED display debuted at SID Display Week.
Seeya
Founded in October 2016, in September 2017, the company established Hefei Shiya Display Technology Co., Ltd. in Hefei Xinzhan High-tech Zone, with a total investment of more than 2 billion yuan, of which the first phase investment is 1.28 billion yuan, covering an area of 55 acres, with a total construction area of 43,000 square meters, of which the investment in fixed assets exceeds 1 billion yuan. Focus on the R&D and production of 12-inch wafer silicon-based OLED micro display components. The monthly output of the first phase of the project can reach 9,000 pieces. On November 21, 2019, Hefei Shiya project was officially put into production.
In November 2020, Hefei Shiya Technology Co., Ltd. announced the completion of the delivery of its first bulk order.
List of Micro OLED products (data source: Seeya Technology official website)
On August 25, 2022, DJI released the world's first consumer FPV flight glasses Goggles 2 with Micro OLED screen, using a 0.49" 1920x1080 Micro OLED micro display developed and produced by Seeya.
Dream Electronics
Kunshan Mengxian Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2018 and is a subsidiary of Suzhou Qingyue Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. (formerly Kunshan Visionox). According to the public documents before the environmental impact assessment of the "Kunshan Mengxian Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. OLED microdisplay production project" in 2020, the project has a total investment of 360 million yuan to carry out OLED microdisplay production projects, and plans to purchase large evaporation equipment, cleaning machines and other equipment. The project is expected to start production in June 2020. After the completion of the project, it is expected to produce 60,000 large pieces of OLED microdisplays per year. Qingyue Technology's 2022 annual report shows that the 8-inch wafer mass production line of Mengxian Electronics' silicon-based OLED microdisplay has begun to ship to customers in bulk in 2022, with revenue of 18 million yuan in 2022.
Guanyu Technology
Taizhou Guanyu Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2020, and public information shows that Guanyu Technology is the construction unit of the uNEED headquarters base project of Chuangwang Company in Taizhou Bay New Area. Chuangwang Optoelectronics uNEED headquarters base project with a total investment of about 10 billion yuan, a planned land area of about 660 mu, implemented in two phases, the first phase of investment of about 1 billion yuan, the project conforms to the needs of the 5G era, after completion, it will provide ultra-high pixel density AMOLED microdisplay products for AR/VR devices. On August 10, 2021, Guanyu Technology officially lit up the module components and put them into production.
According to the official website, Guanyu uNEEDXRTM technology gets rid of the white light and color film architecture of traditional OLED micro-display module components, and adopts independent innovative RGB self-luminous silicon-based OLED micro-display technology, bringing the market RGB self-emissive silicon-based OLED micro-display module components that can simultaneously meet ultra-high pixel density (3147 PPI), high brightness (>5000 nits), high color saturation (>NTSC 100%), high contrast ratio (> 2,000,000:1), and low power consumption (<500mW@5000nits).
Xitai Technology
Anhui Xitai Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2016, located in Wuhu City, Anhui Province, committed to providing global users with high-quality silicon-based Micro OLED microdisplay products and technical support.
On November 14, 2022, the topping out ceremony of the 12-inch silicon-based OLED microdisplay module project of Wuhu Microdisplay Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xitai Technology, was held. The Wuhu microdisplay project is designed to have a monthly production capacity of 18,000 large 12-inch wafers, including Micro OLED microdisplay production and module manufacturing, and is expected to achieve the first product lighting by the end of 2023. The capping of the project marks that Xitai Technology will become a micro-display manufacturing enterprise with both "8+12" inch micro display screen and supporting module production lines.
In May 2023, Xitai Technology launched a number of Micro OLED micro displays at SID Display Week. The latest 1.03-inch micro-display with a resolution of 2560×2560, MIPI standard video interface, brightness of more than 2500nit, power consumption is reduced by more than 40% compared with products of the same size and brightness.
In addition, Micro OLED displays such as 0.49 inches (1920×1080), 0.39 inches, and 0.6 inches were also displayed. High-performance 0.49-inch, 4K 1.2-inch, 1.42-inch, and 1.7-inch products are under continuous development and are expected to be released from the second half of 2023 to 2024.
List of Micro OLED products of Xitai Technology (data source: Xitai Technology official website)
Guozhao Optoelectronics
Nanjing Guozhao Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2019, the company's core products are silicon-based OLED micro display and its modules. According to the "Nanjing Guozhao Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd. Annual Output of 500,000 Silicon-based OLED Microdisplay Device Project Completion Environmental Protection Acceptance Monitoring Report" released in 2021, the project invested 260 million yuan to build a silicon-based OLED microdisplay device production line. After the completion of the project, it will form an annual output capacity of 500,000 silicon-based OLED microdisplay devices.
List of Guozhao Optoelectronics Micro OLED products (data source: Guozhao Optoelectronics official website)
ACI Technology
Zhejiang Hongxi Technology Co., Ltd. was established in 2019, specializing in the research and development, design and manufacture of silicon-based Micro OLED micro display devices and modules, located in Yiwu Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is a national science and technology small and medium-sized enterprise, a demonstration major industrial project in Zhejiang Province, and a comprehensive circuit cultivation and development project in Jinhua City.
On February 7, 2023, ACI Technology announced the completion of a 12-inch silicon-based Micro OLED microdisplay production line, which entered the commercial mass production stage. Based on its own IC design capabilities, ACI Technology has designed a variety of silicon-based Micro OLED microdisplay products, including 0.6-inch products in mass production, followed by Full HD products and 4K level products that will soon follow.
List of Micro OLED products of ACI Technology (data source: ACI Technology official website)
Ruixian Technology
Nanjing Ruixian Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. was established in March 2019, specializing in the research and development of OLED micro display chips; Guangxi Free Trade Zone Ruixian Technology Co., Ltd. was established in August 2021, is a holding subsidiary of Nanjing Ruixian Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., has a product design and research institute in North America/Shanghai/Shenzhen, and the production line is located in Zhongma Industrial Park, Qinzhou, Guangxi, focusing on the research and development, manufacturing and sales of OLED micro display chips.
In April 2022, Guangxi Free Trade Zone Ruixian Technology Co., Ltd. started construction in Qinzhou Port Area. Ruixian Technology micro display chip industrialization project covers an area of about 8,000 square meters, with a total investment of 300 million yuan, to build an 8-inch OLED micro display chip production line, with an annual production capacity of 400,000 chips. The project was officially put into production on March 30, 2023.
List of Micro OLED products (data source: Ruixian Technology official website)
Lakeside photovoltaics
Lakeside Optoelectronics Technology (Jiangsu) Co., Ltd. was established in April 2017. On May 24, 2023, the groundbreaking ceremony of the lakeside photoelectric ultra-high-definition, high-brightness silicon-based OLED microdisplay 12-inch production line project was held in Yixing Environmental Protection Science and Technology Industrial Park, China. The total investment of the project is 5 billion yuan. The first phase of investment of 3 billion yuan, new land of 119 mu, a total construction area of about 100,000 square meters, mainly including ultra-clean intelligent manufacturing workshop, production auxiliary facilities and comprehensive office buildings, etc., two new 12-inch silicon-based OLED display production lines and 1 research and development line. It is expected to complete the infrastructure construction by the end of 2023, complete the decoration of the ultra-clean intelligent manufacturing workshop at the end of June 2024, and move in equipment one after another, and trial production is expected in the fourth quarter of 24.
The project mainly produces low-power, high-resolution 1.31-inch silicon-based microdisplay products, and plans to form an annual output of no less than 9 million 1.31-inch silicon-based OLED microdisplays within 3 years.
On May 16, 2023, Lakeside Optics (a subsidiary of Lakeside Optoelectronics) announced a partnership with Panasonic. Previously, Lakeside Optical Core has established a long-term strategic cooperative relationship with Panasonic and the American lighting silicon company, Panasonic's new generation of smart VR glasses product MeganeX has been equipped with Lakeside Optical Core's third-generation Micro OLED display, the product is expected to be launched in 2023.
Lakeside Optoelectronics Micro OLED products list (data source: Lakeside Optoelectronics official website)
Xinshi Jia
Founded in 2020, Shenzhen Xinshiga Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd. is an innovative technology enterprise focusing on silicon-based OLED IC design and silicon-based OLED microdisplay R&D and manufacturing.
In September 2022, the Micro OLED module project officially started construction in Huainan, Anhui Province, with a total investment of 100 million yuan, will build a clean workshop of about 3,000 square meters, mainly producing silicon-based OLED micro displays, flexible OLED mobile phone screens, and vehicle display modules, with an annual output value of more than 200 million yuan after completion. The project is now in production.
On June 17, 2023, the 12-inch silicon-based OLED industrial park project of Xinshiga officially started construction in Huainan High-tech Zone, Anhui Province. The total investment of the project is 6.5 billion yuan, of which the first phase investment is 1.5 billion yuan, and the project covers an area of 198.7 mu. The planned monthly production capacity is 4,000 wafers, mainly producing silicon-based OLED microdisplays, which are used in AR/VR and other fields, with an estimated annual output value of 3.5 billion yuan. After the completion of the two phases of production, the output value is expected to reach more than 10 billion yuan. The project is scheduled to move into the equipment in July 2024, light up the product in December, and officially enter the mass production stage in 2025.
List of Micro OLED products (data source: Chipview official website)
Yunguang Technology
Founded in 2019, Nanjing Yunguang Technology Co., Ltd. has a complete R&D and manufacturing system from display driver chip design and development to OLED microdisplay production and testing. At present, 2.5K ×2.5K ultra-high-definition resolution silicon-based OLED microdisplays have been developed.
Veritas
According to the information in the EIA documents, the silicon-based OLED microdisplay project built by Guangzhou Huarui Optoelectronic Materials Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of TCL Huaxing, mainly produces AR, VR and other products related display devices, with an annual production of 24,000 wafers and 600,000 dies of AR, VR and other products.
Ziyang Sheng photoelectricity
Ziyang Sheng Optoelectronics Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. was established in 2020. In December 2020, the Administrative Committee of Zibo High-tech Zone in Shandong Province and Ziyang Sheng Optoelectronics held a signing ceremony for the silicon-based OLED microdisplay project, with a total investment of 1.45 billion yuan and three phases of construction.
Silicon Vision
Nanjing Xinshiyuan Electronics Co., Ltd. was established in 2017, and the team was established in 2012. The company's products mainly include silicon-based LCoS micro-display chips, silicon-based OLED micro-display chips, silicon-based Micro LED micro-display chips, and spatial light modulators.
Samsung display
At the beginning of 2022, Samsung Display said that the company was developing Micro OLED displays, the project is in the early development stage, the company will start building the first production line in 2023, mass production Micro OLED displays in 2024, and expand production capacity in 2025 to achieve full commercialization in 2026.
In December 2022, Korean media reported that Samsung had begun ordering equipment for the 300mm pilot line, which was intended to be SFA Engineering and AP Systems, and the production line would be located at Samsung's A2 plant in Asan, South Korea. Samsung expects the production line to receive its first device in the first quarter of 2023 and will start mass production by the end of 2023 with a monthly capacity of 6,400 wafers, with the line starting full production in 2024.
In May 2023, eMagin announced a definitive merger agreement with Samsung Display, which will acquire eMagin for $218 million.
LG Display
In February 2023, Korean media reported that Meta will cooperate with SK Hynix and LG Display to develop Micro OLED for AR/VR headsets, Meta is mainly responsible for semiconductor design, SK Hynix is responsible for wafer production, and LG Display completes the final step of depositing OLED on the wafer and cutting it into Micro OLED panels.
According to the news, SK Hynix's Gyeonggi-do Icheon headquarters has a total of three DRAM production lines, namely M10, M14 and M16. The line planned to produce wafers for Micro OLED is the M10 line, which is based on 12-inch wafers and can produce 100,000 wafers per month. If product development goes well, 30,000 pieces per month will be produced from 2025-2026. In addition, the team is expected to utilize 28nm or 45nm process nodes to produce Micro OLED wafers.
Epson
Epson has nearly 20 years of research on OLED-related technology and has launched a number of smart glasses equipped with Epson Micro OLED. Epson's VM-40 AR optical module is equipped with a 0.453-inch 1920 x 1080 Micro OLED screen.
Fraunhofer FEP
The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology (Fraunhofer FEP) is a leading international research institute dedicated to the development of electron beam and plasma technology as well as processes and technologies in the field of organic electronics and optoelectronics.
OLED microdisplay with a resolution of 1440*1080 and a pixel size of 2.5μm
In 2021, Fraunhofer FEP announced a two-color Micro OLED screen with a resolution of QVGA 320×240 levels. At SID Display Week 2023, Fraunhofer FEP showcased several miniature display products, including the latest OLED microdisplay, which claims to be the world's smallest pixel size (2.5μm).
Note: The information in the Micro OLED product table in the text is from the official website of each manufacturer, and the latest products are subject to the latest actual situation of each manufacturer.
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