Successfully obtaining technologies able to mass produce Micro LED products, Korean mid-sized LED maker Lumens begins to produce both small- and large-sized Micro LED display prototypes planned to be showcased at CES 2018.

(Image: Lumens)

The company alleges it has been granted technologies facilitating the mass production of Micro LED and makes public its official entry to the Micro LED market. It now has Micro LED product lines and is currently producing samples.

Lumens will target the markets of automotive head-up display (HUD) and digital signage display.

Jung Tae-hong, President of Lumens, said during an interview with the Korea Herald that Lumens plans to launch the world’s first high-definition, automotive head-up display using Micro-LED technology by the end of 2017.

HUD refers to a transparent display used to present information in front of drivers so that they can be aware of both road conditions and statuses of their vehicles. It can be either integrated into a vehicle’s windshield or made as a small independent plastic plate, also known as a combiner.

Lumens plans to manufacture two types of Micro LED products—a 0.57-inch mini display and a large, over 100-inch, digital signage display. They are both comprised of Micro LEDs even if used differently. The 0.57-inch mini display adopts chips in a size of 8μm, while the large signage display consists of chips that are 300μm long and 100μm wide.

Lumens will first unveil the combiner type of HUD for the automotive aftermarket this year and expand into the windshield or built-in type in cars in two to three years, said Jung.

He added that it is now in talks with both Korean and overseas automakers to provide the windshield type of HUD and that its products can be possibly seen built in some vehicles within three years, which may create a turnaround for the firm.

Lumens reveals the 0.57-inch display uses 921,600 Micro LED chips and how to process such a large amount of chips is very crucial. It developed technologies that are able to take selected chips from the wafers and transfer them all at a time.

The company is also partnering with the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), which invented the roll-to-plate transfer technology for Micro LED production. It was licensed to use the transfer technology to move thick Micro LEDs (100μm in thickness) to target substrates.

Lumens is a long-term partner of Samsung, supplying LED backlight modules for the display giant’s TVs.

Lumens’ Micro LED technology is expected to be used for a major manufacturer’s digital signage displays possibly in 2018, according to a source in the industry. The company refused to comment on the speculation.  

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KIMM Advances Roll Transfer Technology to Expedite Mass Production of Micro LED