According to the newspaper ETNews, Samsung Display plans to set up a pilot production line for Micro OLED displays in Asan (South Korea). This should deliver small quantities in the second half of 2023. At the same time, The Electric reports that LG Display will collaborate with Meta and SK Hynix to develop and produce Micro Oled displays, likely starting in 2025 or 2026.
Micro Oled screens are an alternative to Micro Leds for small, ultra-high resolution screens, capable of reaching a density of several thousand pixels per inch (ppi). They are initially intended for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets, but could also be used in other products, such as cameras or digital binoculars.
Micro Oled screens are produced by depositing organic diodes on a silicon wafer, instead of using a glass or plastic substrate. This process requires manufacturers to have a partner specialized in semiconductors. Samsung — whose semiconductor division makes mobile processors — has the necessary facilities, but not LG. This is why the latter called on SK Hynix for the production of silicon wafers. According The ElectricSK Hynix plans to use existing 28nm or 45nm process nodes on its M10 wafer manufacturing line in South Korea.
Reports claim that Samsung Display’s Micro Oled screens are for headsets made by Samsung Electronics, Qualcomm and Google, while LG Display’s are for future headsets from Meta (Facebook). Apple has also been mentioned as a potential customer, although the California-based company expects to use Japanese Sony’s Micro Oled displays for its first headset.
Remember that the Grenoble-based company MicroOled already manufactures Micro Oled screens for the army, the health sector and even consumer products. Its monochrome versions are indeed present on the Julbo Evad-1 glasses that we had taken in hand in September 2020, or even the Eyewear Engo-2 glasses, the brand created by MicroOled.