MICLEDI Microdisplays, a spin-off of Belgium-based research institute imec, announced that it has raised EUR 4.5 million (US$ 5 million) seed capital from imec.xpand, with participation of PMV and FIDIMEC. The funding will be used to develop Micro LED displays for next generation Augmented Reality (AR) glasses.
MICLEDI’s vision is to make AR smart glasses available for everyday personal use, featuring small, lightweight, long battery life, and reasonable cost. To achieve its goal, MICLEDI is developing the world smallest and brightest displays, based on the integration technology for Micro LED on 300mm wafers developed in collaboration with imec.
MICLEDI Microdisplays was founded by Dr. Soeren Steudel and Dr. Alexander Mityashin, both researchers from imec with a deep know-how in the R&D field and display development. They are joined by Sean Lord, an experienced executive in the semiconductor industry, as CEO.
MICLEDI team: Dr. Soeren Steudel, co-founder en CTO; Dr. Alexander Mityashin, co-founder en COO; Sean Lord, CEO
(Image: Micledi)
“AR glasses may replace our smartphones in the future and display technology is a key enabler for such a transition. Today’s display technologies cannot fulfil the specifications needed for next generation AR glasses. At MICLEDI we are tackling this challenge and have developed displays that are 100x brighter than commercial alternatives,” explained Soeren Steudel, co-founder of MICLEDI.
MICLEDI’s will develop its Micro LED technology and first prototypes on imec’s 300mm pilot-line infrastructure.