Samsung Display Push LEDoS Microdisplay Tech for AR Devices

Samsung Display is focusing on developing LED on silicon (LEDoS) microdisplay technology to meet the increasing demand for augmented reality (AR) devices. Gong Min Kim, vice president and head of the technology strategy team at Samsung Display, believes that LEDoS will surpass OLED on silicon (OLEDoS) as the dominant display technology for AR devices in the near future.

Samsung Display is actively working on developing LEDoS using LEDs smaller than 10 micrometers, and even as small as 5 micrometers. One of the major challenges in this endeavor is the silicon wafer technology. Previous attempts to shrink LEDs using semiconductor processes resulted in LED chips with significantly different characteristics compared to those used in lamps.

Efforts to reduce LED size to 20 micrometers and 10 micrometers in the past led to unsatisfactory performance and significant deviations in characteristics. It emphasized that such LEDs are actually MicroLED, while the ones used in TVs and LED chips should be classified as MiniLED.

AR and other near-eye display technologies necessitate a different approach than bigger screens. Microdisplay prioritize pixels per degree (PPD) above pixels per inch (PPI) in traditional flat panels. People with 0.8 to 1 vision require 30 to 40 PPD, whereas those with 1.5 to 2.0 vision require 50 to 60 PPD.

It’s important to note that while Samsung Display is actively working on LEDoS, Apple currently utilizes OLEDoS technology in its Vision Pro reality device.

Regarding augmented reality (AR) products, Samsung Display expects a number of significant benefits from LED on silicon (LEDoS) technology over current OLED on silicon (OLEDoS), according to the sources. As the leading display technology for augmented reality, LEDoS will ultimately overtake OLEDoS.

Benefits from LEDoS

Brightness

It recognised that the brightness of OLEDoS in AR applications is limited. With LEDoS, Samsung Display expects to provide better brightness capabilities.

Factor of form

Another drawback that LEDoS seeks to overcome is OLEDoS’s form factor. This implies that LEDoS will enable smaller and maybe more adaptable designs for augmented reality gadgets, according to Samsung Display.

Life Expectancy

Regarding AR applications, OLEDoS technology has longevity restrictions as well, which Samsung Display thinks LEDoS can overcome. Accordingly, LEDoS is anticipated to provide a longer operating lifespan than OLEDoS in AR products.

The source highlights the difficulty of downsizing LEDs without compromising features, but it indirectly suggests that addressing these problems will make LEDoS a superior display technology than OLEDoS. The ambition to shrink LEDs to less than 10 micrometres or even 5 micrometres suggests a drive to exceed present technologies in features.

It’s crucial to remember that Apple now uses OLEDoS technology in its Vision Pro reality gadget, whilst Samsung Display is actively developing it. This shows that OLEDoS is a technology that is now feasible, but Samsung Display is placing a wager that LEDoS will provide notable advancements in important areas for AR applications in the future.

Challenge in the creation of LEDoS microdisplays

Drawing from the sources cited, shrinking the size of the LEDs without sacrificing their key features is a major challenge in the development of LEDoS microdisplays.

“One of the major challenges in this endeavour is the silicon wafer technology,” according to the source, which goes into additional detail about this difficulty. The LED chips produced by earlier attempts to reduce the size of LEDs using semiconductor technologies differed greatly from those used in lamps or bigger screens.

Additionally, they noted that previous attempts to shrink the size of LEDs to 20 micrometers and subsequently 10 micrometers resulted in “unsatisfactory performance and significant deviations in characteristics.” In contrast to the MiniLED seen in televisions, he explained, these tiny LEDs used for microdisplays should be categorized as MicroLED. The challenge of reducing LED technology to the micro-level needed for AR displays without sacrificing performance is highlighted by this.

The main challenge is essentially the complex technical process of using silicon wafer technology to reduce LEDs to the micrometer scale (less than 10 micrometers, with a target of 5 micrometers), while making sure these tiny LEDs have the brightness, efficiency, and reliable performance needed for premium AR microdisplays.

Conclusion

Samsung Display is committed to advancing display technology by developing LED on silicon (LEDoS) microdisplays for AR devices. LEDoS aims to overcome the limitations of previous technologies and achieve improved performance and characteristics. LEDoS is expected to become the leading display technology for augmented reality applications as the industry progresses.