CEO David Lewis was recently interviewed by Korean outlet ETNEWS about the state of microLED, specifically in the Korean ecosystem. We are happy to provide this translation below for our English-speaking readers.
“Micro light emitting diodes (LEDs) have a bright future in vehicle displays, TVs, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR). The industry will develop with Korea and Taiwan as hubs. In the long run, many players will appear in China, the U.S. and Europe, but in the short term, Korea and Taiwan will become leaders in the micro LED industry,” said David Lewis, CEO of InZiv.
InZiv is an Israeli company that emerged as a leader in microLED inspection with its establishment in 2018. It has attracted attention for its electroluminescent (EL) testing capabilities developed based on nanotechnology. It currently has branches in Korea and Taiwan. MicroLEDs refer to LEDs with a size of 100 micrometers (1 μm = 1 millionth of a meter) or less. MicroLED displays are red (R), green (G), and blue (B) microLEDs that emit light on their own to form pixels. In terms of color implementation, contrast ratio, and response speed, microLED is attracting attention as a next-generation product to succeed OLED.
CEO Lewis evaluated that the growth potential of the Korean microLED industry is promising. He explained that they have already invested a lot in microLEDs and have sufficient infrastructure. He shook his head at the public perception that Korea’s investment in microLED was slower than that of Taiwan or China. “Korea is the country that knows best the importance of leading the market as a leader in display technology innovation for decades,” he said. The micro LED industry is expected to develop around three industries: vehicle displays, TVs, and AR/VR. Since vehicle displays are sensitive to external temperature and must be applied to curved shapes, it is advantageous to apply microLEDs. MicroLEDs are more heat-resistant and free in shape than OLEDs, which are organic materials. The TV sector was also cited as a promising industry. There is no limit to size, and companies such as Samsung and LG are already mass-producing them. If the limitation of high costs is overcome, demand will increase significantly.
“Since the AR and VR industries have high LED density on wafers, industrial development will also lead to the development of inspection equipment technology,” CEO Lewis said. MicroLEDs are considered obstacles to commercialization due to their low yield and high cost due to their very small chip size and high process difficulty such as transfer and bonding. InZiv unveiled equipment that can inspect 6 million LEDs per hour this year. The differentiation point is that the final functionality can be simulated by directly loading current on the LED chip, so it can work quickly while having high accuracy. “Display manufacturers require high throughput and damage-free LED inspection to be profitable,” CEO Lewis said. “We will contribute to industrial development by providing quick feedback on microLED quality.”
