One megatrend feature in mobile communications is to unlock smartphones by 3D face recognition instead of fingerprint or PIN. Making authentication more convenient and more secure, it may soon become indispensable for mobile payment applications and mobile ID. With the 3D image sensor chip from Infineon Technologies the unlock-with-your-face feature becomes smarter, faster and more reliable.

Whether you are at CES 2018 at the moment, you’ve probably already learnt that Samsung is exhibiting its gigantic Micro LED TV ‘the Wall’ at its First Look event.

Samsung Electronics today introduced “The Wall” – the world’s first consumer modular MicroLED 146-inch TV – at its annual First Look CES event. The modular, self-emitting MicroLED 146” TV display was featured alongside Samsung’s latest innovations in display technology, demonstrating how television is evolving to offer consumers an outstanding viewing experience, while acting as a centralized connected smart hub to enhance everyday life.

Heliospectra AB announces an order from a value-added reseller for a customer building a high-performance medicinal cannabis cultivation facility in Eastern Canada. The order for the Heliospectra LX60 intelligent LED lighting solution is valued at SEK 5,488,411 (USD $651,200).

Taiwan-based LED epi-wafer and chip manufacturer Epileds finished moving factories at the end of 2017. The installation of its newly purchased production equipment has begun. Because most of the equipment is used, the capacity growth is limited. In 1H18, newly added capacity from these machines is predicted to be gradually used for mass production. 

Plessey Semiconductor announces its commitment to being the first to market with a monolithic Micro LED based display based on GaN-on-Silicon.

In recent years, the "plant factory" concept has been getting popular. Supporting Horticultural lighting has also been gaining attention. Chinese and international LED enterprises are both eager to participate in this lighting segment.

The iPhone X has sparked a heated discussion of 3D sensing technology in 2017, and Apple will continue to develop 3D sensing. On the other hand, vendors of Android smartphones will also follow the trend, pushing up the demand for Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL), a key component for 3D sensing technology. Therefore, VCSEL manufacturers now race to lay the foundation in this segment. 

Apple has introduced 3D sensing modules in iPhone X for the first time, together with neural network embedded in its A11 chip. 3D sensing modules record three-dimensional data while A11 chip processes large amounts of data, allowing iPhone X to learn and identify a variety of facial details and expressions. The modules also ensure that users can be correctly identified even when their appearances change, making it more difficult to counterfeit.

2018 just began but we already knew before that new technologies such as 3D sensing are going to be huge this year after the launch of Apple’s iPhone X last September. Using faces to unlock phones and personalize expressive Animojis are probably the two most memorable features that make 3D sensing widely known of among consumers. Surely, other phone makers will not let go of a chance to sport their products with similar capabilities, hence we learn the projection that the total value of the global market of mobile 3D Sensing is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 209% from USD 1.5 billion in 2017 to USD 14 billion by 2020.

LG Display announced that it has developed the world’s first 88-inch 8K OLED display. This industry-leading product will be showcased at LG Display’s booth at CES 2018 in Las Vegas this month.

3D facial recognition has come into the spotlight after Apple’s introduction of Face ID in the iPhone X. Companies in the supply chain have also become the new focuses of inestors. In fact, 3D sensing technology has been around for years, but did not have commercial applications of facial recognition in smartphones until 2017. The reasons why it happened in 2017 can be explained in terms of components, modules andsubsystems, computing and systems, end-devices and applications.

JBD, a Hong Kong based technology startup company, reports the realization of monochromatic red, green and blue active matrix micro-LED (AMµLED) micro-displays with >5,000 dpi pixel density using wafer scale monolithic hybrid integration process. 

Major smartphone vendors like Samsung and Apple have been making improvements regarding unlocking devices beyond password-based methods, resulting in the rapid development of biometrics recognition in smartphones. In addition to smartphones, biometrics authentication methods will also be used in tablets and wearable devices.

VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) technology has been at the center stage in the tech world of late, in the wake of the debut of the new iPhone X, which contains a 3D sensing module with VCSELs as its core components. Their importance even made Apple fork over quite an amount of money to secure some of the VCSEL shipment from Finisar, a laser chip producer.

In retrospect, companies had already realized the only way to earn themselves new opportunities in such a mature market is to redevelop their technologies and gear up for niche markets with higher margins. LEDinside picks five trends that drove the LED industry this year and gives a quick analysis on what they will lead the industry to in 2018.

Seeing a future with IoT Technology gradually maturing, Lite-On Technology is making a big push into automotive IoT and smart traffic systems and will showcase its products in January at CES 2018. It has comprehensive 802.11P solutions and is developing solutions that meet the LTE-Vehicular mobile standard.

LITE-ON Technology reported November consolidated revenue of NT$18.53 billion, up 5% M-o-M and decreased 13% Y-o-Y. Cumulative sales for January and November totaled NT$ 196.55 billion supported by stable end-demand from core businesses.

On December 21st, the 5th Summit of China Intelligent Manufacturing and LED Industry Development was successfully held at Ji’an City, Jiangxi Province.

IQE plc announces its pre-close trading update for the full year ending 31 December 2017. The Group announces that it expects full year revenues to be ahead of market expectations, and to be not less than £150m for the year ending 31 December 2017. Wafer sales are on track to deliver strong double-digit growth in 2017 and to continue to diversify. The three primary markets are Photonics, InfraRed and Wireless.

Heliospectra AB, an expert in intelligent LED lighting technology for greenhouse and controlled plant growth environments, announces an order from Revered of Aurora, Colorado. A respected leader in Colorado's medicinal and adult use cannabis market since 2014, Revered will install Heliospectra LX60 intelligent LED grow lights as the company continues to expand its cultivation, operations and branded product portfolio. The order is valued at 741,740 SEK ($88,130 USD).

IQE plc, the Welsh supplier of advanced wafer products and wafer services to the semiconductor industry, announces that its wholly ownedsubsidiary, NanoGaN Limited, has secured the purchase and assignment of a portfolio of patents from Taiwan based Luxtaltek Corporation.

A group of Japan's researchers, legislators, and businessmen hope to use rare earth metals in the deep sea near coastal area of Japan to make LED products. They aim to use them for the Olympics and Paralympic Games in Japan in 2020, reported the Yomiuri Shimbun.  

Appearing to be strapped for cash, smartphone screen manufacturer Japan Display (JDI) is currently in talks with Chinese panel makers, including BOE, Tianma, and CSOT, over an investment more than  USD 1.8 billion. The Japanese company hopes to seal the deal by the end of March 2018, reported Kyodo News.

Universal Display Corporation announced an OLED evaluation agreement with Royole Corporation, a developer of advanced flexible OLED displays, flexible sensors, and smart device electronics. 

Mixed-reality solution specialist Realfiction will introduce the world’s largest OLED-based mixed-reality display, DeepFrame, during CES 2018.

Innovusion, a privately held company based in Silicon Valley, emerged today out of stealth mode and is introducing its ground-breaking LiDAR technology with industry leading features and functionality.

At CES 2018, TriLumina will demonstrate multiple use cases for its innovative 940 nm VCSEL illumination modules, including a novel solid-state 3D LiDAR system powered by its illumination modules, which will be showcased at the company's Suite at the Westgate Hotel as well as in the Leddar Ecosystem Pavilion.

Among lots of companies developing Micro/ Mini LED, an Idaho-based startup is looking to use its products in a totally different segment. Rohinni, first exposed in 2014, has been developing Micro LED for keyboard backlighting and automotive lighting.

Samsung (SDC) currently dominates the small-sized OLED panel supply globally. As for the large-sized TV panel segment, SDC decides to focus on QLED, a quantum dot display technology. SDC used to promote curved TVs, but now it decides to change its course.