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From Technologies to Markets
© 2020
From Technologies to Markets
© 2020
MicroLED Displays -Intellectual Property Status & Landscape
2020
Market and Technology
Report 2020
Sample
22
Glossary 6
Scope of the report 7
Objectives and key features of the report 9
Companies cited in this report 11
About the authors 12
Methodology and terminology 13
Executive summary 26
o The 3 page summary
o Executive summary
Introduction to microLED displays 56
o MiniLED vs microLED
o What is a microLED displays?
o Assembly
o Potential benefits
o MicroLED versus OLED and LCD
o MicroLED display SWOT
o MicroLED industry dashboard
o Technology: Recent progress and remaining roadblocks
o Tentative roadmap: Where are we?
o Manufacturing technology building blocks
o Major technical paths and leading proponents
Intellectual Property in China 71o Trends in patent applications per country
o 2018 snapshot (last full year data available)
o What is happening?
o Quality and strength of Chinese Intellectual Property
o Discussion
MicroLED IP landscape overview 80o Time evolution of patent applications & publications
o By country of filing
o By company Headquarters
o Breakdown by filing country and country of origin
o Leading players by region (company Headquarters)
o Leading patent applicant ranking
o Breakdown by company type
o Time evolution of patent filing by company type
o Panel makers
o MicroLED demos from panel makers
o Start-ups
o Prototypes by various start-ups
o OEM and consumer electronics
o R&D organizations - Academics
o LED makers
o Equipment makers
o Components and materials
o Semiconductor companies and others
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 1/4
33
Company analysis 111o What’s at stake?
o Time evolution of patent filing for top 25 companies
o Other players
o Top 25 companies portfolios - Technology segmentation
o Detailed breakdown for companies with 4 families or more
o Main applicant ranking and legal status
o IP leadership
o Patent portfolio strength index
o IP blocking potential
o Average age of leading players’ patent portfolios
o IP transfers, co-owned IP, collaboration network
Leading companies 137o BOE
o LG
o Apple/LuxVue
o AU Optronics
o PlayNitride
o X-Celeprint
o China Star (CSOT)
o Samsung
o Quantum Nano Emitting Diodes (QNED)
o Quantum Nano Emitting Diodes: Timeline
o QD-OLED and QNED
o Sony
o Facebook/Oculus
o eLux / Sharp
o Hon Hai – Foxconn Group
o Tianma
o Lumens
o Intel
o Goertek
o Mikro-Mesa
o VueReal
Technology segmentation 168o Overview of patent families by technology node
o Top 25 companies portfolios - Technology segmentation
Transfer and interconnect 172o Time evolution
o Portfolio size versus strength index
o E.g.: Apple/LuxVue , Sony, X-Celeprint…
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o Strength of patent portfolio
o Classifications of transfer processes
o MEMS-based process
o Laser assisted processes
o Direct transfer: Glo
o Laser attach: Ultra Display
o Indirect transfer: Uniqarta, KOPTI, Veeco, Taiflex
o Elastomer
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 2/4
44
o Illustration: CSOT, LG Chem, AUO
o Fluidic self-assembly: Sharp/eLux
o Directed self-assembly: PARC
o Mechanical vibration: BOE
o Ultrasonic: Guangdong U. Of Tech, Fuzhou University
o Fluid + magnetic fields: LG Electronics, IBM, Innolux
o Other self assembly: Goertek
o Vacuum or fluid/gas micro-displacement
o Examples: SusTech, Facebook, Sharp, Guangdong U of Tech, Zhaochi
o New concepts examples: Century display
o Optical tweezers: BOE, Sunwell
o Die attach: Mikro Mesa, Facebook, VueReal
o Discussion
Pixel and display architecture 219
o Strength index
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o Three types of hybrids
o Hybrid panels: CSOT, BOE, eLUX, Nanjing University
o Other inorganic Micro-Emitters
o Light emitting transistor: LG Display
o Antennas and RF coupling
Monolithic microdisplays 243
o Timeline
o Strength index
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o Monolithic integration of LTPS TFT: Columbia University/Lumiode
o Monolithic integration of metal oxide TFT: eMagin
o Monolithic integration of GaN TFT: OSRAM and Nth Degree
o Jade bird display (JB-display): Illustration
o New entrants
o Architectures for full color microLED microdisplays
o Coplanar, staggered multiplane, stacked multiplane, stacked vertical
o Conclusion
Chip structure and manufacturing 267
o Timeline
o Portfolio strength index
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o High efficiency (internal/external)
o Examples of current confinement structures
o RGB chips
o Stacked vertical RGB: Changelight
o Coplanar RGB: Light share
o Staggered multiplane RGB: Seoul Viosys, Lumileds
o Coplanar RGB with nanowires : Intel, U. Of Michigan
o Chip structure for transfer & assembly optimization, others
o QNED
o Conclusions
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 3/4
55
Light extraction and shaping 285
o Timeline
o Portfolio strength index
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o Pixel and array level light management
o Distributed bragg reflectors: Hisense, PlayNitride
o Die level and other light management
o DBR and die shaping: Apple
o Die shaping:Apple, Glo
o Liquid crystal: Hisense, AU Optronics
o Conclusion
Backplanes and driving 303
o Portfolio strength index
o IP leadership and blocking potential
o Thin film transistors versus microdriver ICs
o Microdrivers, smart pixels and alternative driving schemes
o Conclusions
Defect management & repair, testing 318
o Timeline
o Portfolio strength index
o IP leadership
o Redundancy
o Other repair strategies
o Testing
o Illustrations: Tesoro, Facebook, AUO
o Conclusion
Color conversion 336
o Color Generation, Conversion and Management
o Portfolio Strength Index and IP Leadership
o Discussion
Tiling 341
o Timeline
o Portfolio Strength and IP Leadership
o Discussion: Signal Routing
o Examples: LG, Samsung
Sensors and Others In Display Components and Functions 348
o Timeline
o Portfolio Strength and IP Leadership
o Touch and fingerprint Sensors
o Illustrations: BOE, Keycore
o Other Functions
Miscellaneous 356
Company Profiles 360
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part 4/4
66
Eric Virey, PhD
Eric Virey, PhD. serves as a Principal Display Market and Technologies Analyst within the Photonics, Sensing & Display division at Yole Développement
(Yole).
Eric has spoken in more than 50 industry conferences over the last 10 years and has been interviewed or quoted in multiple media including: The Wall
Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, CNBC, Bloomberg, Financial Review, Forbes, Technology Review, etc.
Prior to joining Yole, Eric held R&D, engineering, manufacturing and marketing positions with Fortune 500 Company Saint-Gobain in France and the
United States. Eric received a PhD in Optoelectronics from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble. He is based in Portland, OR.
Contact: [email protected]
Nicolas Baron, PhD
Nicolas Baron, PhD. is CEO and co-Founder of Knowmade. He manages the company’s development and strategic direction, and personally leads the Electronics & Telecom department. He holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis and a master’s degree in Intellectual Property Strategies and Innovation from the European Institute for Enterprise and Intellectual Property (IEEPI Strasbourg), France.
Contact: [email protected]
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
Biographies & contacts
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
77
Acer; Aledia; Apple / Luxvue; Applied Materials; AU Optronics ; BOE ; CEA ; CEC Panda ; Century Display; Changelight; HKC;
CIOMP; Cooledge ; Corning; Cree; CSOT; Dai Nippon Printing; Epistar; Facebook / Oculus; Foxconn; Fuzhou University; Global
Interface Solution; Glo; Globalfoundries; Goertek; Google / X Development; Guangdong U. Of Technology; Gwangju Inst. Of
Science & Tech.; HC Semitek; Himax; Hisense; Huawei; Huazhong U. Of Science & Tech.; IBM; Innolux; Intel; ITRI; Jade Bird Display;
Japan Display; Junwan Microelectronic; KAIST; KIMM; Konka; Kookmin University; KOPTI; Korea Advanced Nano Fab Center;
Kyocera; LG; Lightizer; Lumens; Lumileds; Mikro Mesa; Nanchang University; Nanjing University; Nationstar; Nth Degree;
Optovate; Osram; Ostendo; Playnitride; Point Engineering; Prilit Optronics; Psi Corp; Qisda; QMC; Rohinni; Samsung; Sanan; Seoul
Semiconductor; Seoul Viosys; Elux; MTC; Shenzhen Sitan Technology; ShineOn; Sony; Sun Yat-Sen University; Sustech; Syndiant;
Tianma; Toray Engineering; Tsinghua University; Ultra Display Technology; Unimicron; U. Of Hong Kong; V Technology; Visionox;
Vitrolight; Vuereal; X-Celeprint/X-Display, and more.
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
COMPANIES CITED IN THIS REPORT
More than 350 companies or research organizations have been identified in this study including:
88
SCOPE OF THE REPORT
This report provides a detailed review of the µLED display intellectual property landscape as of January 2020.
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
Smartwatches and
wearables
Virtual reality
Large video
displays
TV
Smartphones
Laptops and
convertibles
Automotive HUD
Augmented/Mixed
Reality
Sony
LG
Samsung
HP
BMW
Microsoft
Oculus
Apple
Tablets
Acer
• non-display
applications of µLED:
AC-LEDs, LiFi,
optogenetics, lithography,
lighting…
MicroLED TV prototype (Sony, CES 2012)
The report does
not cover:
• miniLED applications:
LCD Backlight; LED
Video-walls with chips >
50 µm size
99
This report focuses exclusively on patents aimed at solving issues specific to microLED displays.
The table below provides some examples of types of patents that are included or excluded from our corpus:
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
SCOPE OF THE REPORT
Example Included Excluded
MicroLED used in LCD backlight X
MiniLED used in LED videowalls X
MicroLED used in LED videowall X
Generic blue LED color conversion with phosphors or Quantum Dots X
Color conversion specifically for microLED displays X
Generic bonding and hybridization of semiconductor wafers X
Hybridization of microLED wafers onto CMOS backplanes X
Nano/micro wire/columnar LEDs , non-specific to microLED display applications X
Micro/nano wire/columnar LEDs in microLED displays X
Driving and compensation schemes for emissive displays X
Driving and compensation schemes specific to microLED displays X
MicroLED in series to make a larger high voltage AC driven LED for lighting
applications.X
Use of microLED displays in a device but without any inventive activity pertinent
to solving specific microLED challengesX
Yours needs are
out of scope of this
report?Contact us for a custom report:
1010MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
METHODOLOGIES & DEFINITIONS
Market
Volume (in Munits)
ASP (in $)
Revenue (in $M)
Yole’s market forecast model is based on the matching of several sources:
Information
Aggregation
Preexisting
information
1111
• The data is extracted from the FamPat worldwide database (Questel-ORBIT) which provides 100+ million patent documentsfrom 95 offices.
• The search for patents was completed mid-January 2020, hence patents published after this date are not available in this report[1].
• The patents are grouped by patent family. A patent family is a set of patents filed in multiple countries to protect a single inventionby a common inventor(s). A first application is made in one country – the priority country – and is then extended to othercountries.
• The selection of the patents is performed both automatically and manually (next page)
• The patents are manually categorized in technical/application segments by manual analysis of each patent title, abstract, description,illustrations and claims, combined with patent classes ( CPC) and in conjunction with expert review of the subject matter ofinventions.
• Data analysis is performed using the Questel Orbit IP Business Intelligence analytics platform combined with Excel based dataprocessing and supplemented by expert analysis.
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
METHODOLOGY
Number of selected patents related to MicroLED displays:
5448 patents and patent applications grouped in 2453 patent families
[1]: There is typically a 12 to 18 month delay between patent filing and the moment when it becomes “visible”, i.e. published.
1212
• Time evolution of patent filings and countries of patent filings
• Which technology nodes are generating the most activity (chip design, transfer, defect management, etc.)
• Detailed analysis of key patents and emerging trends for each technology node:
• Chip structure and manufacturing
• Transfer and assembly, monolithic microLED microdisplays
• Pixel and display architecture, tiling, narrow bezel
• Backplane and driving
• Color conversion, beam shaping and light management, sensors in display, testing, repair and yield management…
• Which organizations are filing patents in microLED displays?
o Types of companies (display makers, consumer electronic OEMs, start-ups, research institutions..)
o Geographic areas by headquarters
o Which technology node(s) are they focusing on?
o Which companies are missing? Why?
• Detailed analysis of key company portfolios (Apple, Samsung, LG, BOE, Mikro Mesa, PlayNitride, Foxconn,Vuereal…)
o Scope of their portfolio by technology node
o Strength, relevance
• Identify IP collaboration networks between players
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
OBJECTIVES AND KEY FEATURES OF THE REPORT
This report provides a detailed analysis of the microLED display intellectual property landscape:
Identifies key patents, analyzes the key technology nodes, identifies the key players and emerging technology trends.
1313
The report also provides an extensive Excel database with all patents analyzed in the report.
This database allows multi-criteria searches:
Patent information
- Patent publication number
- Hyperlinks to the original documents
- Priority date
- Title
- Abstract
- Patent assignees
- Segmentation
- Legal status for each member of the patent family
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
OBJECTIVES AND KEY FEATURES OF THE REPORT
This report does not provide any insight analyses or counsel regarding legal
aspects or the validity of any individual patent: KnowMade and Yole
Développement are research firms that provide market and technical analysis
and opinions. The research, technical analysis and/or work contained herein is
not a legal opinion and should not be construed as such.
1414MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
OVERVIEW
Keywords and term-set definition
Search equations / Search strategy
Manual screening of the results
Patent classification
Relevant Non relevant
Refine search using
IPC classes and
citation analysis
Patent
segmentation
Patent
analysisSegmentation improved
during patent analysis
Landscape
Overview
In-depth analysis of
Key Technology Segments
and Key Players
Ranking of Key
Players, analysis of Key
Patents…
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Refine
Technical terms, devices sizes, applications,
company names, inventors…
Worldwide patent database (Questel-ORBIT) Provides 100+ million patent documents from 100 offices (USA, Japan, Europe, China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.)
IP analysts (PhD level) combining technical and patent expertise + Senior display/MicroLED Industry Analyst.
Patents grouped by patent familyA patent family is a set of patents filed in multiple countries to protect a single invention by a common inventor(s). A first application is made in one country – the propriety country –and is then extended to other countries.
IP analysts and display analyst with proprietary analytics tools and proprietary methodologies for IP business intelligence.
1515
A two-step methodology is used for establishing the microLED display patent corpus:
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
OVERVIEW
1. A complex (>150 Booleans) search equation[1] is used to extract a raw corpus from the FamPat worldwide database(Questel-ORBIT) which provides 100+ million patent documents from 95 offices.
2. Manual screening of the corpus returned by the search equation eliminates those considered irrelevant to the field. Onaverage about 50% of the patents are eliminated through this manual screening.
1. Explicitly discusses led chips that are < 50 µm in size.
2. Each chip is independently controlled/addressed (for example, AC LEDs or high voltage LEDs which describe the microLEDschained to obtain AC and/or high voltage LEDs are eliminated from the corpus).
3. The application self-emissive display is clearly stated or least reasonably obvious.
The purpose of the analysis is to ensure that the corpus:
1. Accurately represents the increase in efforts specifically aimed at solving issues related to the development and manufactureof microLED displays (excludes all non-display applications).
2. Clearly identifies which companies have a strong focus on microLED and which specific problems they are attempting toaddress (chip structure, transfer and assembly, color conversion, display architecture, driving, etc.).
Therefore, a patent is considered relevant to the field of “MicroLED Display”
only if it meets all 3 of the following conditions:
[1]: Technical terms, keywords, companies and research organizations, inventors, etc.
1616
• Some generic LED or display inventions developed without microLED displays in mind are excluded even if they could be applied andbenefit microLED display performance and manufacturing processes (e.g. certain LED structures).
• This can lead to some companies being under-represented in our corpus. This is, however, necessary to eliminate some noise andbetter extract from this noise inventions that are specifically aimed at solving microLED display performance and manufacturingissues [1].
• This bias will disappear in future studies as the number and proportion of patents specific to microLED display increases, helping therelevant signals emerge from the noise of legacy LED and display technologies in our patent analysis.
• It is also important to keep in mind that large companies have the resources to multiply the patents and file on many concepts thatwill never go to market: quantity ≠ quality.
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
LIMITATIONS
[1]: For example, many LED structures or manufacturing techniques developed by LED companies for lighting applications could also be considered relevant to microLED displays
(buffer layers, etching techniques, mesa structure, p-contact doping, etc.). Including those patents would create excessive noise and pull most of the established LED companies toward
the top of the rankings, relegating more recent companies with a 100% focus on microLED but a smaller overall portfolio toward the bottom of the list.
Grey area: noise from patents applicable to, but not specific
to microLED displays
(arbitrary level for illustration purpose)
1717MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
GENERAL DYNAMIC
1818MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
TIME EVOLUTION OF PATENT FILING FOR TOP 25 COMPANIES (BY FILING DATES)
1919MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
MICROLED PATENT FAMILIES: GEOGRAPHIC STATISTICS
Where do the applications come from ?
US:
XXX (XX%)
CN:
XXX(XX%)
TW:
XXX(XX%)
KR:
XXX(XX%)
PCT:
XXX(XX%)
EU*:
XXX(XX%)
*: includes UKJP:
XXX(XX%)ROW:
XXX
(XX%)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Note: total numbers of patents =5109 (5065 unique
patents but some assigned to more than 1 company)
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Colors, legends and
comments removed
for this sample
2020MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
LEADING PATENT APPLICANT RANKING
2121
747
503
338
336
235
96
9265
121
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
BREAKDOWN BY COMPANY TYPE
OEM & Consumer
Electronic
: 29%Display
Makers
: 13%
: 20%
R&D Organizations
:13%
LED Makers
:9%
Semiconductors
:3% :5%
…
Hiphoton
…
JBD
…
Equipment Makers
:4%
Components & Materials
:4%
CIOMP
University
Of Hong Kong
2533Patent
Families**:total number of unique families is
2453 but some patents are co-
assigned to more than one
organization.
…
2222MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
PANEL MAKERS’ STRATEGIESOverview MicroLED Strategy
LG Displays
• Smartphone: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• TV: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Samsung
Display
• Smartphone: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• TV: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• .
BOE
• Smartphone: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• TV: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2323MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
TOP 25 COMPANIES PORTFOLIOS -TECHNOLOGY SEGMENTATION
2424MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
TECHNOLOGY LANDSCAPE: MAJOR TRENDS & THRUST AREAS
Transfer and Assembly
Monolithic DisplaysPixel and Display Architectures
Chip Structure and Manufacture
2525MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
DEFINITIONS: MINILED VS MICROLED
>1 mm 1 mm 200 µm
Traditional LEDs
Packaged: SMD, through hole
Lumileds
Ch
ips
(to
sc
ale
)
Pa
ck
ag
es
&
Te
ch
no
log
y
(No
t to
sca
le)
Ap
pli
ca
tio
ns
General and specialty lighting, LCD
backlight units, LED videowalls
100 µm
“Mini LEDs”
Limit:
~150-200µm
Rohinni
LCD and keyboard backlights
Narrow Pixel Pitch LED videowalls,
RohinniSamsung
SMD or Chip on Board Assembly
Limit:
~30-50µm
50 µm 2 µm10 µm30 µm
Package-free: “Chip On Board” only
PlayNitrideX-CeleprintSony
Consumer MicroLED self-emissive
displays
X-Celeprint VueRealSony
MicroLED
150 µm
2626MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
PANEL MAKERS
0 50 100 150 200 250
Display MakersNo of patent families
xx
xx
xx
xx
xx
2727MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
BEYOND SIZE: OTHER METRICS
Assignee Patent families Granted patents Pending patentsForward citations
(excl. self-citations)
Number of
different citing
assignees
Geographic
coverage of IP
portfolio
IP portfolio
strength index
(PSI)
Patent family
strength index
(FSI)
A C D E F G H = C+E+(G*B) I = H/A
BOE 195 20 213 29 16 2 437 2.2
LG 98 42 153 112 69 5 644 6.6
APPLE / LUXVUE 95 295 88 2554 337 6 3407 35.9
AU OPTRONICS 93 104 100 130 41 3 507 5.5
PLAYNITRIDE 87 77 71 22 18 3 360 4.1
X-CELEPRINT 77 153 78 753 205 6 1368 17.8
CSOT 76 47 81 72 32 3 338 4.4
SAMSUNG 74 49 143 134 62 4 479 6.5
SONY 69 104 16 1870 527 5 2144 31.1
INNOLUX 66 40 103 84 39 4 388 5.9
FACEBOOK / OCULUS 64 67 113 189 110 6 622 9.7
SHARP / ELUX 58 54 60 93 53 5 417 7.2
TIANMA 56 11 55 14 13 2 137 2.4
LUMENS 47 32 81 18 14 4 238 5.1
INTEL 40 20 43 50 30 3 181 4.5
GOERTEK 39 36 57 146 44 5 377 9.7
MIKRO MESA 39 44 28 96 41 3 254 6.5
POINT ENGINEERING 37 0 67 0 0 4 148 4.0
VUEREAL / IGNIS 36 6 62 26 20 5 167 4.6
ITRI 33 41 11 254 113 3 385 11.7
OSRAM 28 15 63 16 16 5 156 5.6
VISIONOX 28 8 31 0 0 4 116 4.1
SUSTECH 26 7 21 4 4 2 63 2.4
GLO 24 21 58 80 52 6 239 10.0
CIOMP 24 14 7 36 35 1 71 3.0
SANAN 23 24 41 119 104 4 235 10.2
KOPTI 22 17 5 27 15 1 64 2.9
NTHDEGREE 21 48 6 390 126 5 523 24.9
CEA 19 18 44 28 20 7 172 9.1
FUZHOU UNIVERSITY 19 4 15 17 11 1 40 2.1
JADE BIRD DISPLAY 18 12 55 55 38 8 211 11.7
ALEDIA 15 18 42 60 20 7 183 12.2
CORNING 15 4 39 13 13 6 107 7.1
PRILIT OPTRONICS 15 12 20 1 1 4 73 4.9
FOXCONN 15 11 29 0 0 4 71 4.7
OSTENDO 14 26 43 114 75 8 244 17.4
SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR 14 8 28 46 20 6 138 9.9
SEOUL VIOSYS 14 0 35 0 0 3 42 3.0
CENTURY DISPLAY 13 2 19 0 0 3 41 3.2
GOOGLE / X DEV. 13 8 11 5 5 2 37 2.8
2828MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
IP LEADERSHIP
• Bubble size represent the number of patent families.
• Actors on the right side of the horizontal axis are
typically new entrants but are very active potential
to become leader in the mid term.
• Actors high along the vertical axis already have strong
established portfolios.
The number of granted patents is one way to gauge the strength of a patent portfolio. Beyond size, other metrics can be used.
2929
• The portfolio strength index (PSI)shows XXX, XXX and XXX asstrong leaders.
• XXX strongly dominates thanks tothe highest number of forwardcitations + highest number of granted+ broadest geographic coverage.
• XXX comes second also driven by ahigh number of citations (1870) andbroad geographic coverage.
• XXX owes its 3rd place to highnumber of citations (753), broadgeographic coverage and number oflive families.
• Despite ranking XXX in total numberof families, XXX comes only in XXth
position due the low number ofgranted patents, poor geographiccoverage and still low number ofcitations (only 29 as of Jan 2020).
MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
PATENT PORTFOLIO STRENGTH INDEX
APPLE / LUXVUE
SONY
X-CELEPRINT
U. OF ILLINOIS
LG
FACEBOOK / OCULUS
CREE
NTHDEGREE
AU OPTRONICS
SAMSUNG
SEMPRIUS
BOE
SHARP / ELUX
INNOLUX
ITRI
GOERTEK
PLAYNITRIDE
CSOT
MIKRO MESA
OSTENDO
GLO
LUMENS
SANAN
JADE BIRD DISPLAY
MIT
ALEDIA
INTEL
CEA
VUEREAL / IGNIS
OSRAM
NANO & ADV. MAT. INSTITUTE
POINT ENGINEERING
SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR
TIANMA
Patent Families
APPLE / LUXVUE
SONY
X-CELEPRINT
U. OF ILLINOIS
LG
FACEBOOK / OCULUS
CREE
NTHDEGREE
AU OPTRONICS
SAMSUNG
SEMPRIUS
BOE
SHARP / ELUX
INNOLUX
ITRI
GOERTEK
PLAYNITRIDE
CSOT
MIKRO MESA
OSTENDO
GLO
LUMENS
SANAN
JADE BIRD DISPLAY
MIT
ALEDIA
INTEL
CEA
VUEREAL / IGNIS
OSRAM
NANO & ADV. MAT. INSTITUTE
POINT ENGINEERING
SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR
TIANMA
IP Portfolio Strength Index
Note: this index is just an additional
metric to gauge the strength of a
company’s IP portfolio. It doesn’t
replace detailed examination of
each patent, history and outcome of
litigation, etc.
3030MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
AVERAGE AGE OF LEADING PLAYERS’ PATENT PORTFOLIOS
3131
COMPANY PROFILE: XXX
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MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
3232MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 | Sample | www.yole.fr | ©2020
QUANTUM NANO EMITTING DIODES: TIMELINE
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
EPXXXX
WOXXXXX
Filed by XXX.
Acquired by Samsung in XXX
WOXXXX
Filed by XXX
WOXXX
WOXXX
Filed by XXX
Acquired by Samsung in XXX
Acquired by Samsung in XXX
USXXX
USXXX
Filed by XXX
Acquired by Samsung in XXX
USXXX
EPXXX
USXXX
Filed independently by Samsung
USXXX
USXXX
USXXX
USXXX
Filed independently by Samsung
USXXX
USXXX
Filed by XXX
Acquired by Samsung in XXX
KRXXX
USXXX
Filed independently by Samsung
KRXXX
USXXX
Filed independently by Samsung
3333
TRANSFER AND ASSEMBLYTIME EVOLUTION
Transfer and interconnect is the largest and still one of the fastest growing categories of microLED patents.
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3434
XXX has the largest portfolio of transfer technologies, covering virtually any mass transfer already known in the industry:electrostatic MEMS, transfer printing, multiple laser + adhesive layer schemes (UV or heat curable), push pins, flexographic semi-continuous process, multiple fluidic self-assembly processes, magnetic self-assembly, etc.
The company also has some more creative and original solutions, however, that could become credible alternatives to moreestablished processes. Some of these unusual solutions involve XXX, XXX or various self-assembly schemes, etc.
The company also has patents in other areas showing that some real work has been done in yield management and repair, dualcolor chip structures, driving compensation schemes to account for some unique characteristics of LED and microLED(wavelength shift), etc.
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COMPANY PROFILE: XXX
Patent XXXX
“xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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xxx”
Assembly via XXXX Assembly via XXX MicroLED wavelength shift
compensationBi-color MicroLED chip structure
Patent XXXX
“xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxx”
Patent XXXX
“xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Patent XXXX
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3535
Abstract:
A micro device transfer head and head array are disclosed. In anembodiment, the micro device transfer head includes a base substrate, amesa structure with sidewalls, an electrode formed over the mesastructure, and a dielectric layer covering the electrode. A voltage can beapplied to the micro device transfer head and head array to pick up amicro device from a carrier substrate and release the micro device onto areceiving substrate
1st claim:
A method of transferring a micro device comprising: positioning a transferhead over a micro device of 1 to 100 mu m scale connected to a carriersubstrate, the transfer head comprising: a mesa structure;an electrode over the mesa structure; anda dielectric layer covering the electrode;contacting the micro device with the transfer head;applying a voltage to the electrode to create a grip pressure on the micro
device;picking up the micro device with the transfer head; andreleasing the micro device onto a receiving substrate.
Description:
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APPLE/LUXVUE - US8333860
Micro device transfer head (priority date: 2012-02-13)
In some embodiments, arrays of micro LED devices which are poised for pick up are described as having a 10 mu m by 10 mu m pitch, or 5 mu m by 5 mu m pitch. At these
densities a 6 inch substrate, for example, can accommodate approximately 165 million micro LED devices with a 10 mu m by 10 mu m pitch, or approximately 660 million
micro LED devices with a 5 mu m by 5 mu m pitch. A transfer tool including an array of transfer heads matching the pitch of the corresponding array of micro LED devices can
be used to pick up and transfer the array of micro LED devices to a receiving substrate. In this manner, it is possible to integrate and assemble micro LED devices into
heterogeneously integrated systems, including substrates of any size ranging from micro displays to large area displays, and at high transfer rates. For example, a 1 cm by 1 cm
array of micro device transfer heads can pick up and transfer more than 100,000 micro devices, with larger arrays of micro device transfer heads being capable of transferring
more micro devices. Each transfer head in the array of transfer heads may also be independently controllable, which enables selective pick up and release of the micro devices.
3636
MEMS-BASED PROCESS
XXX has the broadest and strongest portfolio covering electrostatic MEMS transfer process. However, various other companies have filed for patents based around similar (electrostatic) or different MEMS concepts. Some add functionalities or claim improved performance.
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Electrostatic MEMS Electromagnetic MEMS [1] Others
• Apple: US10276419 US20160094160,
US20150364424, WO2015/006000,
EP3003967, US20140340900, EP2973715,
WO2014/008110, WO2014/008111,
US20140159324, US20140158415,
US20140064904, US8569115, US8415767,
US8415768, US8383506, WO2013/176964,
EP2834840, EP2847789, EP2780933,
EP2780936 and many more describing the
transfer equipment, die architecture for
transfer, etc).
• Acer: CN110062573
• BOE: CN109545731, CN109920754
• Mikro Mesa: US20190267271,
US20170054390
• CN110660717: CN109994417
• LG Electronics: WO2017034379
• Raysent/Nationstar:US20200020825
• ITRI: CN107305915, US20180301265
• AUO: CN106941090
• Century Display: CN110416122,
CN110379760
• CSOT: CN107808835
• Huazhong University Of Science
& Technology: CN110349902
• Hewlett Packard: WO2019/017924
• LG Innotek: KR20170124282
• Suzhou Feisida Precision
Machinery: CN110379739
• Changelight: CN107680983
• Goertek: in WO2018/082102, the MEMS
transfer head can apply current to the
LED to obtain an I(V) curve and perform
electrical testing of the die.The transfer
process (pick/up release) is realized by
electrostatic force or by using conductive
adhesive layers or photoresists that are
cured or eliminated after the dies are
bonded on the destination substrates. In
WO201741253 a conductive transfer
head heats up an adhesive material to
release the die and melt a solder layer.
• Sharp: in US20190273177,
US20190270638, the MEMS features
deformable membranes (discussed later
in this section)
• Shenzhen MTC: in CN110660717, the
MEMS features memory shaped
microscopic mechanical tweezer that pick
up the die from the edges.
Example of MEMS-based transfer patent families (non-exhaustive)
[1]: Many non-MEMS based processes use magnetic forces and materials. We consider the process MEMS based when the transfer head is energized to turn on and off the force in
individual transfer posts.
3737
WOXXX (XXX)
Transfer head and ….
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EXAMPLES
Electrostatic MEMS transfer head
Abstract
USXXX (XXX)
Micro light emitting diode
Abstract
3838
ELASTOMER, PDMS
XXX and XXXX pioneered and still dominates the field of elastomeric transfer stamps. The company is still actively improving the process.
• XXXpioneered the use of Van Der Waals molecular adhesion between posts on an elastomer stamp (PDMS) andthe die surface. The technology was licensed to XXX which continued the development and owns the mostcomplete IP portfolio around the concept (see animation here).
• The company is still perfecting the technology, for example:• Improved anchor and tethers (e.g.: XXX, XXX, XXX, etc.);• Roll transfer stamps (XXX);• Volatile adhesive layer: XXX• Lateral transfer printing: XXX
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USXXX (XXX)
Multi-layer tethers for micro-transfer printing
Abstract
A micro-device structure comprises a source substrate comprising
sacrificial portions laterally spaced apart by anchors. Each sacrificial
portion is exposed through an opening. A micro-device is disposed on
each sacrificial portion and laterally attached to an anchor by a multi-
layer tether. In certain embodiments, a micro-device structure is
constructed by providing the source substrate, disposing micro-devices
on each sacrificial portion, depositing a first tether layer over at least a
portion of the source substrate and the micro-device, depositing a
second tether layer over the first tether layer, and patterning the first
tether layer and the second tether layer to form (i) a multi-layer tether
for each of the micro-devices such that the multi-layer tether laterally
attaches the micro-device to one of the anchors, and (ii) an opening
exposing each of the sacrificial portions.
39
Contact our
Sales Team
for more
information
39
Contact our
Sales Team
for more
information
Next Generation TV Panels: New Technologies, Features and Market
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Displays and optics for AR & VR 2020 (available in April 2020)
Next Generation 3D Displays 2019
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