A Comprehensive Overview of Global Micro OLED Manufacturers

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With the release of Apple’s Vision Pro, its Micro OLED display technology has caught the attention of more people. In fact, global Micro OLED display manufacturers have been working in this field for many years. In recent years, Chinese manufacturers have been particularly active in this area. TrendForce has compiled the recent global manufacturers’ product and technological advancements in this article.

eMagin

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in New York, eMagin Corporation is a leading enterprise in Micro OLED display technology, serving world-class clients in the military, consumer, medical, and industrial markets. Since 2001, eMagin’s micro-displays have been used in AR/VR, aircraft cockpits, heads-up display systems, thermal imagers, night vision goggles, future weapon systems, and various other applications. In May 2023, eMagin announced its final merger agreement with Samsung Display, with Samsung acquiring eMagin for $218 million.

Sony

Sony began developing the foundational display technology for Micro OLED in 2009, with the aim of applying it to electronic viewfinders for cameras.

In June 2023, Apple released the Vision Pro, featuring two Sony Micro OLED displays with a size of 1.42 inches, a resolution of 3648×3144, a pixel density of 3391ppi, and a module brightness of up to 6000 nits. It has been reported that this high-spec Micro OLED screen is also priced high, with a single screen costing $350, and its production capacity is limited.

MICROOLED

MICROOLED was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Grenoble, France. The company is dedicated to the development and manufacturing of high-resolution Micro OLED micro-displays. In January 2012, MICROOLED introduced its first 0.61-inch micro-display with 5.4 million pixels. In August 2012, STMicroelectronics invested 6 million euros in MICROOLED, and the two companies initiated collaborative development work. In 2015, MICROOLED announced that it had sold over 150,000 0.38-inch WVGA micro-displays. In 2020, MICROOLED announced a funding of 8 million euros to accelerate the development of consumer-grade AR solutions.

Kopin

Kopin Corporation was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts. Since 1990, the company has been providing LCD, LCoS, and OLED micro-displays for military, enterprise, industrial, medical, and consumer wearable products. In March 2023, Kopin announced significant progress in the Helmet-Mounted Display System (HMDS) project for the F-35 fighter jet, completing performance tests for OLED micro-displays.

Kopin has also been involved in the establishment of Chinese Micro OLED manufacturers, such as Kunming O-Film (now renamed “Yunnan Visionox Opto-Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.”) and Lakefield Optoelectronics.

BOE

In August 2017, BOE announced a joint investment of 1.15 billion RMB to establish Kunming BOE Display Technology Co., Ltd. (now renamed “Yunnan Invensight Optoelectronics Technology”). The company is engaged in the production, sales, and research and development of OLED micro-displays.

BOE announced further investment of 3.4 billion RMB for the construction of a 12-inch OLED micro-display production line to meet the demand of the high-end AR/VR market in December 2019. The designed capacity is 10k wafers per month, with main products including 0.99-inch and 1.31-inch OLED micro-displays.

In March 2021, BOE disclosed on the investor interaction platform that the 8-inch silicon-based Micro OLED production line of Yunnan Invensight Optoelectronics Technology had achieved mass production in August 2019 and is currently ramping up production. The newly established 12-inch Micro OLED production line will be completed in three phases and is expected to be fully completed in January 2024, with a designed annual capacity of 5.23 million wafers.

In May 2023, BOE unveiled its 1.3-inch 4K (3552×3840) Micro OLED display at SID Display Week.

Seeya Technology

Seeya Technology was founded in October 2016 and focuses on the research and production of 12-inch silicon-based OLED micro-display. In 2022, DJI released the Goggles 2, the world’s first consumer-grade FPV goggles utilizing Micro OLED screens, which features Seeya’s 0.49-inch 1920×1080 Micro OLED micro-display.

Lakeside Optoelectronics

Lakeside Optoelectronics was established in April 2017. In May 2023, Lakeside Optoelectronics announced a partnership with Panasonic. Prior to this, Lakeside Optoelectronics had established long-term strategic partnerships with Panasonic and US-based Lighting Silicon Corporation. Panasonic’s next-generation smart VR glasses, MeganeX, will incorporate Lakeside Optoelectronics’ third-generation Micro OLED display. The product is expected to be launched in 2023.

Samsung Display

In early 2022, Samsung Display announced that it was developing Micro OLED displays, with the project in its early development stage. The company planned to start building its first production line in 2023, begin mass production of Micro OLED displays in 2024, and expand capacity in 2025 for full commercialization by 2026.

In December 2022, South Korean media reported that Samsung had started ordering equipment for a 300mm pilot production line, with SFA Engineering and AP Systems as the equipment suppliers. The production line will be located in Samsung’s A2 factory in Asan, South Korea. Samsung aims to receive the first equipment in the first quarter of 2023 and start volume production by the end of 2023, with a monthly capacity of 6,400 wafers. The production line is expected to be fully operational in 2024.

In May 2023, eMagin announced the final merger agreement with Samsung Display. Samsung Display will acquire eMagin for a price of $218 million.

LG Display

In February 2023, it was reported by South Korean media that Meta would collaborate with SK Hynix and LG Display to develop Micro OLEDs for AR/VR headsets. Meta would primarily handle semiconductor design, SK Hynix would be responsible for wafer production, and LG Display would complete the OLED deposition on wafers and perform the final step of cutting them into Micro OLED panels.

It was mentioned that SK Hynix’s Icheon headquarters in Gyeonggi Province has three DRAM production lines: M10, M14, and M16. The production line designated for Micro OLED wafer production is the M10 line, which uses 12-inch wafers as the standard and has a monthly production capacity of 100,000 wafers. If product development proceeds smoothly, they plan to start producing 30,000 wafers per month from 2025-2026. Additionally, the team is expected to utilize 28nm or 45nm nodes for Micro OLED wafer production.

Epson

Epson has been conducting research on OLED-related technologies for nearly 20 years and has released several smart glasses equipped with Epson Micro OLEDs. Epson’s VM-40 AR optical module features a 0.453-inch 1920 x 1080 Micro OLED display.

(Photo credit: Apple)