French research institute, Leti of CEA Tech, announced a new technology development based on CMOS for GaN Micro LED displays manufacture. Researchers said the new process is capable of producing high performance Micro LED displays for a wide range of applications from smart watches to TVs. The approach fabricates elementary units of all-in-one red, green, blue (RGB) Micro LEDs on a CMOS driving circuit, and transfers the devices to a simple receiving substrate. The units are fabricated with a full semiconductor, wafer-scale approach. (Image: CEA...

Cree announced that it has been selected as the exclusive silicon carbide partner for the Volkswagen Group’s “Future Automotive Supply Tracks” Initiative (FAST). The aim of FAST is to implement technical innovations more efficiently and effectively to realize global vehicle projects. As the Volkswagen Group aims to increase its electric vehicle production, the automobile manufacturer is seeking for effective network. “Our FAST partners are our strategic partners, each of them outstanding in their respective field. We want to shape the auto...

Plessey announced that it has achieved a significant milestone in the development of its monolithic Micro LED displays with its backplane partner, Jasper Display Corp (JDC). The two companies announced their strategic partnership in September 2018. Though intensive collaboration, Plessey has succeeded in wafer level bonding of its GaN-on-Silicon monolithic Micro LED wafers with JDC’s eSP70 silicon patented backplane technology, resulting in Micro LED displays that contain addressable LEDs. Wafer level bonding poses significant technical challenges ...

Rumors about when Apple will start adopting Micro LED in its products have been going on since it acquired Micro LED startup LuxVue in 2014. Many believed that Apple Watch would be the first Apple product using Micro LED display featuring its high brightness and low power consumption. However, it is also likely that the technology will be seen in augmented reality (AR) devices based on Apple’s recent plans. Reuters reported that Apple has teamed up with German software developer SAP to help business develop applications based on Apple’s machine-l...

Smart glasses and AR technology provider Vuzix and optoelectronic technologies developer Plessey announced an exclusive display device design and long-term supply agreement. With the agreement, the two companies will work together on AR products development and productions combining Micro LED light source from Plessey and smart glasses expertise of Vuzix. Vuzix has developed a Smart Glasses portfolio including Vuzix Blade, which won the CES 2019 Innovation Award. The glasses are equipped with a smart display, offering a see-through viewing experience via its waveg...

Micro LED technology startup VueReal reported that it has developed a solution to offer required yield for high-volume production of Micro LED displays. Right after unveiling its ability to produce Micro LED display with 30,000 ppi with product sample available for order, VueReal announced its development of a Micro LED display mass production solution. Low transfer yield and the need for expensive redundancy or repair solutions have been major limiting factors preventing Micro LED displays from being used in mainstream applications. In order to tackle the issue...

MIT researchers have unveiled a study in 2016 that exposure to LED flickering light with a specific frequency could reduce the amyloid plaques seen in mice with Alzheimer’s disease. The team recently published a new study which explains the effect of the light therapy at cell level. The new study, published in Neuron on May 7, found that this light treatment has widespread effects at the cellular level, helping not just neurons but also immune cells called microglia. Overall, these effects reduce inflammation, enhance synaptic function, and protect against cell death, in ...

VueReal, the Canada-based Micro LED developer, announced its achievement in Micro LED display production. With its self-aligned technology, VueReal has reached a high yield in Micro LED display production. VueReal will start accepting orders for Micro LED display samples by June 2019. According to VueReal, its self-aligned integration process is able to meet the alignment accuracy requirement without compromising Micro LED performance. Based on the technique and adaptive patterning technologies from VueReal, Reza Chaji, CEO of VueReal, noted that ...

The Tianma Group from China announced that it will exhibit a 7.56-inch Micro LED display, a Mini LED backlit HDR LCD, and a Flexible AMOLED display at Display Week 2019. Tianma will showcase a Micro LED display with over 60 percent transparency and a resolution of 720*480 (114ppi), along with a thin border of less than 0.8mm. With the transparent Micro LED display, Tianma targets automotive applications such as HUD or car window display. (Image: Tianma) The company is also presenting a LTPS Mini LED backlight-based HDR display f...

Advancement of IoT technology enables integration of lighting and other application to improve efficiency of energy usage and save electricity cost. Commercial real estate owners are therefore actively seeking the benefits of data-driven, real-time applications that will modernize a business or learning space. Osram continues to deepen its involvement in smart application development with several strategic partners. The company has recently completed a pilot program with a Canadian university for space optimization. Osram Digital Systems and its growing ecosystem of partners are...

The Society of Information Display (SID) announced the winners of its Display Industry Awards. Winners of Display of the year include Samsung’s “The Wall,” Sony’s Crystal LED Display and Apple’s OLED display for Apple Watch Series 4. Two out of the three winners went to Micro LED displays. Samsung revealed “The Wall,” a 146-inch display at CES 2018 for the first time. In 2019, the Korean company released a 75-inch Micro LED display with the “real” Micro LED chips which is only 1/15 of t...

Australian semiconductor technology developer, BluGlass, announced that its Remote Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition (RPCVD) p-GaN technology has been adopted by X-Celeprint, a micro-transfer printing company, to develop Micro LED display prototypes. By implementing BluGlass’s RPCVD p-GaN technology, X-Celeprint’s active matrix Micro LED displays demonstrated good luminance with color uniformity, quantum efficiency and forward voltage that equal current high-performance commercial applications of 2000 nits. (Image: X-Celeprint/BluG...

After releasing few warnings in February and March, Osram finally unveiled the financial results of the second quarter of its fiscal 2019 ending March 31. The results went in line with what the company has expected with revenues decreased by 13.5% YoY to EUR862 million (US$965.14 million). The adjusted EBITDA fell by 56% YoY to EUR70 million (US$78.38 million) with an adjusted EBITDA margin dropped from 16.9% to 8.1%. The net loss came to EUR90 million (US$100.78 million). Continuous weak growth in China along with ongoing trade conflicts have led ...

EDM International, a US-based sustainable solutions provider for the utility industry, created a system which can prevent birds from crashing into power lines by using UV lights. The system can cut crane collisions with power lines by 98%. James Dwyer and his colleagues from EDM International created what they dubbed the Avian Collision Avoidance System, or ACAS, by mounting UV lights on power lines' supporting structures and shining them on the lines at night. They tested its effectiveness in 2018 at Nebraska's Iain Nicolson Audubon Center, where a ...

Cree announced it will invest up to US$1 billion in the expansion of its silicon carbide capacity with the development of an automated 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility and a materials mega factory at its U.S. campus headquarters in Durham, N.C. Cree said that the decision marks the company’s largest investment to date in fueling its Wolfspeed silicon carbide and GaN on silicon carbide business. Upon completion in 2024, the facilities will substantially increase the company’s silicon carbide materials capability and wafer fabrication capacity, allowing wi...

The rising market of autonomous vehicle has driven developments of LiDAR sensor and other sensing technology. LiDAR providers are also actively building up connections with industry partners for speeding up their market expansion and technology improvement. Quanergy Systems, LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions provider announced its partnership with NIT, a distributor of IP surveillance and physical security solutions in the META region (Middle East, Turkey, Africa). Through the partnership, Quanergy aims to expand the market for its LiDAR-based sec...

Equipment provider Veeco Instruments announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019. Veeco posted revenues of US$99.4 million, down by 37.33% compared to 1Q18. The company reported a net loss of US$18.5 million on GAAP base and a net loss of US$6.4 million on Non-GAAP base. The company has been challenged by China’s MOCVD equipment manufacturers since the fourth quarter of 2018. Its blue LED business in China had shrunk drastically after the 2Q18. Veeco said that it has been transforming its business structure, putting mo...

Taiwan-based LED manufacturers Lextar and Epistar announced their financial reports for the first quarter of 2019. Both companies posted an on-year degrease for 1Q19; however, Lextar managed to stay profitable while Epistar had a loss in the past two quarters with impacts from the US-China dispute. Lextar registered revenues of NT$2.167 billion (US$70.13 million) for 1Q19 with an on-year decrease of 18.15% and an on-quarter decrease of 10%. Net profit came to NT$113 million (US$3.66 million). The company also posted a revenue of NT$815 million (US$26.38 millio...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods will be raised to 25 percent from 10 percent on Friday, May 10, 2019. The Chinese LED chip manufacturers have reached a record high inventory level due to increased capacity and tepid demand, as well as the trade disputes starting 2018. If the tariffs come to effect, the sluggish LED industry might encounter even greater challenges. The LED industry has suffered from low price competition thanks to over supply as Chinese LED makers continued their capacity expansion...

Epiwafer producer IQE and optoelectronic components maker II-VI have report orders and growth driven by demands for sensing and communication technology. UK-based wafer product supplier IQE announced that has received the first mass production order for its recently constructed Newport Mega Foundry from its VCSEL customer. Optical components manufacturer II-VI reported its Fiscal 3Q19 results with strong demands for communications products. IQE reported that it has achieved full product qualification with its existing VCSEL client and is processing furt...

As more Asian players demonstrate their progress in Micro LED, LED technology providers and researchers from Europe and North America also synchronize their advances through deepening collaboration with various solution providers. Europe: Plessey presents Micro LED AR/VR glasses; Osram joins in on Micro LED automotive display research After Plessey unveiled its GaN-on-Si monolithic Micro LED in 2018, the UK-based company has cooperated with several partners including Vuzix, JDC, Nanoco Technologies, Aixtron, Mojo Vision and others. In col...

Researchers at West Virginia University found that exposure to white light at night could impact recovery of cardiac patients and dimming the light can reduce the damages. With the results published in Experimental Neurology, the research team, led by Randy Nelson, who chairs the Department of Neuroscience in the WVU School of Medicine, linked white light at night to inflammation, brain-cell death and higher mortality risk in cardiac patients. (Image: Pixaby) The researchers re-created cardiac arrest in animal models and divided the models into three groups that w...

The development of Micro LED display technology has further materialized in 2019 in the form of more solid applications presented in big trade shows. Micro LED products demonstrations marked the intensified collaboration between industry players in the supply chain across the world. Researchers, chip makers, panel producers, equipment providers and application device developers have intensified their cooperation to accelerate Micro LED technology progress. Since the beginning of 2019, many companies have announced their Micro LED progresses and plans. Follow the update...

Osram announced the completion of the acquisition of Ring Automotive, a British aftermarket specialist. The acquisition was revealed in the end of January 2019. The acquisition will allow Osram to expand its product range in the automotive sector to include more automotive electronics and accessories. After approval by the British Competitors and Market Authority (CMA) for the takeover of Ring Automotive by Osram, the partnership between the companies will officially start in May. The common goal is to respond faster and better to new trends and challenges in the cons...

The development of agricultural innovation has become more and more urgent than ever given the factors of increasing world population and global warming. As a result, vertical farming, which serves as a feasible solution to mass produce healthy and safe food, is getting increasingly popular across the world. Samsung Electronics has launched full-spectrum white-based horticulture LEDs to keep up with the trend of agriculture innovation and underline the advantages of applying LEDs for smart farming approaches such as vertical farm. (Image: Samsung) Smart farming refers t...

Cree announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal 2019, ended March 31, 2019. Revenue from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$274 million, which represents a 22% on-year increase. GAAP net loss from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$22 million, or US$0.22 per diluted share. On a non-GAAP basis, net income from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$20 million, compared to non-GAAP net income from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 of US$17...

AIXTRON, the Germany-based semiconductor equipment provider, announced its financial report for the first quarter of 2019 with an expected performance. The revenue of 1Q19 increased by 10% YoY to EUR 68.7 million (US$ 77 million). Although the gross margin decreased slightly to 39% YoY due to a change in the product mix, the gross profit of EUR 26.7 million (US$29.92 million) in the first quarter of 2019 was on a par with the previous year. According to AIXTRON, the first quarter of 2019 was mainly influenced by the expected reluctance of customers to inve...

Samsung and LG have both released their financial results for the first quarter of 2019 with profit loss in their display business resulting from the sluggish market. Samsung registered a revenue of KRW 6.12 trillion (US$ 5.24 billion) for its Display Panel Business in 1Q19 with an operating loss of KRW 0.56 trillion (US$ 479 million). The company said that the operating loss came from weaker profitability in both mobile and large displays. Mobile displays suffered slower demand and intensifying competition with LTPS LCDs. Large displays also took a hit from a ...

Advanced LED technologies are bringing increasing smart applications for automobile makers, especially for the rising market of new energy car. Tesla has recently applied a patent for its newly designed sunroof which integrated LED lighting and electrical tinting. The patent, titled “Advanced Sunroof Lighting System,” describes a sunroof consisting of multiple transparent layers including an electronic tint layer and a transparent lighting layer. By controlling the tint layer and lighting layer electronically, Tesla aims to monitor the light source inside the ca...

Seoul Semiconductor announced consolidated first quarter revenues of KRW 282 billion (US$ 242.52 million), down by 0.4% YoY compared to 1Q18 but within the range of company’s guided KRW 280 billion to KRW 300 billion. The company reported KRW 17 billion (US$ 14.62 million) of operating profit, recording an on year decline of 0.8%. According to Seoul Semiconductor, the modest decline of profits was a result from lower utilization. Due to equipment relocation among factories, the utilization rate of the company in 1Q19 dropped to 60% from 74% from the same p...