The Electronic & Optoelectronic System Research Lab (EOSRL) under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is co-developing ultra fine-pitch Micro LED displays with PlayNitride, LED Driver IC expert Macroblock, and PCB maker Unimicron Techology, sources from the industry have revealed.

(Image: Micro LED Adafruit Industries via Flickr CC2.0)

The team plans to launch ultra fine-pitch display modules and integrate them into a large-scale indoor video wall in 1H18, followed by a potential pilot run in 2H18, according to a source from Macroblock.

In terms of coalition, Macroblock is responsible for the development of Micro LED driver IC, PlayNitride for that of sapphire-less wafers for Micro LEDs, and EOSRL for the mass transfer of Micro LED chips onto PCBs manufactured by Unimicron. 

PlayNitride is said to have already developed Micro LED wafers of a color and to complete the wafer development of another color by the end of 2017. Challenges to be overcome include the mass transfer, realization of high chip uniformity, and precise integration of chips and PCBs.

Macroblock developed driver IC MB15359 intended to drive Micro LED display modules and enable a pixel pitch of 0.9375mm. The driver IC is able to control 512 pixels under circumstance of low power consumption with an average minimum current of 15μA and a 16-bit grayscale. It can also detect mislocation of Micro LED chips in the mass transfer process, which facilitates early repair and quality improvement.