Micro-LED displays face critical lifetime challenges due to their microscale architecture, with individual LED elements measuring just 1-10 microns. Operating temperatures can reach 85°C during normal use, while moisture ingress and mechanical stress from thermal cycling can lead to delamination, color shift, and eventual device failure within 10,000-30,000 hours of operation.

The fundamental challenge lies in protecting these microscale elements from environmental and operational stresses while maintaining the optical and electrical performance that makes micro-LEDs attractive for high-brightness displays.

This page brings together solutions from recent research—including advanced passivation layers for moisture resistance, stress-absorbing encapsulation techniques, thermal management through micro-cap structures, and redundancy architectures for failed LED compensation. These and other approaches focus on practical manufacturing integration while addressing both immediate reliability concerns and long-term stability requirements.

1. Micro LED Chips with N-Sided Polygonal Shape and Rounded Corners

SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, KOREA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH AND BUSINESS FOUNDATION, 2025

Micro LED displays with improved yield and durability by using micro LED chips with rounded corners. The micro LED chips have an n-sided polygonal shape with rounded corners instead of sharp corners. The rounded corners have a radius of curvature of 0.5 microns or more. This reduces the risk of damage during transfer and handling of the tiny LEDs.

US2025221099A1-patent-drawing

2. Display Device with High Aspect Ratio Conductive Particle Bonding Pattern for Micro LED Connection

LG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Display device with improved connection reliability for micro LEDs, and a fabrication method. The display has electrodes, a bonding pattern with high aspect ratio conductive particles, and micro LEDs on the bonding pattern. The high aspect ratio conductive particles provide dense electrical connection between the micro LEDs and electrodes, improving reliability. The bonding pattern is formed by selectively removing vertical aligned conductive particles from a layer on the electrode using photolithography without a separate photoresist.

US2025221119A1-patent-drawing

3. Display Device with Liquid Metal Flow Paths in Heat Dissipation Sheet Between Panel and Circuit Substrates

LG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Display device with improved heat dissipation between the display panel and circuit substrates using a heat dissipation sheet with liquid metal flow paths. The sheet is sandwiched between the display panel and circuit substrates. The liquid metal flows through the path patterns to dissipate heat generated by the circuitry. The density and flow control of the liquid metal paths can be adjusted to optimize heat dissipation based on the location of high temperature areas. This prevents trapped heat in the gap between substrates and improves display reliability and lifespan.

4. Display Device with Bank Layer Tip-Contacting Encapsulation Sub-Layer for Contaminant Sealing

SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Display device design with improved encapsulation for preventing contaminant penetration between the display layers. The display has a bank layer with tips extending over the electrode openings. An encapsulation layer covers the display areas, but leaves cavities between the bank layer tips and encapsulation. These cavities provide a penetration path for contaminants. To prevent this, the encapsulation layer has a sub-layer that contacts the bank layer below the tips, sealing off the cavities. This prevents impurities from entering the display stack through the openings.

5. Display Panel with Separate Line Electrode for Cathode Common and Touch Electrodes

LG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Reducing current density and heat generation in display panels with integrated touch screens to prevent melting or ignition of polarization layers. The solution involves a unique electrode design for the cathode common electrode and touch electrodes. Instead of a single cathode common electrode connecting to the display and non-display areas, a separate line electrode is added in between. This line electrode has a larger area and connects the cathode common electrode in the non-display region to the touch electrodes. This distributes the current more evenly and reduces the current density and heat generation at the bottleneck between the display and non-display areas.

US2025221210A1-patent-drawing

6. Display Device with Encapsulation Substrate Protrusion for Lateral Moisture Barrier

LG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Display device with reduced lateral moisture penetration to improve reliability and display quality. The display has a protruding portion on the encapsulation substrate that extends into the non-display area around the main display area. This protruding portion blocks moisture penetration through the side surfaces of the display. The bonding layer between the substrate and encapsulation substrate is excluded around the protruding portion to minimize moisture trapping. This prevents moisture from being sandwiched between the substrates and propagating to the display area.

US2025221253A1-patent-drawing

7. Flexible Display Device with Rigid Sections and Elastic Interconnecting Portions Featuring Curved Surfaces with Protrusions and Recesses

LG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025

Flexible display device with improved durability and bendability. The display has a support substrate beneath the display panel with rigid sections spaced apart by an elastic portion. The rigid sections have curved surfaces with protrusions and recesses. This disperses bending forces to prevent damage to the display components. The curved sections reduce stress concentrations when flexing the display. The protrusions and recesses on the rigid sections allow the elastic portion to fill gaps between them.

US2025221290A1-patent-drawing

8. MicroLED Display with Triangular Wave-Controlled Current Modulation Circuitry

SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO LTD, 2025

Display and electronic device with reduced power consumption for still images while maintaining consistent color. The display uses a microLED with a control circuit that includes a triangular wave generator, comparator, switches, and transistors. When displaying a still image, the first transistor retains the data potential. A triangular wave is output to the pixels. The comparator generates an output signal based on the retained potential and triangular wave. Switches control the microLED current based on the output signal. This allows the microLED to continue emitting at reduced brightness without PWM when the display is static.

9. Display Device with Intrinsic Oxide Semiconductor Thin Film Transistor and Capacitor-Free Pixel Circuitry

SEMICONDUCTOR ENERGY LABORATORY CO LTD, 2025

Display device with low power consumption and long-term use in dark environments. It uses a thin film transistor with a highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor channel layer. This oxide semiconductor has very low impurity concentration and defect density, allowing stable transistor operation with very low off-state current. This enables pixel circuits without capacitors, increasing aperture ratio and reducing power consumption. In self-luminous displays, the low off-state current allows driving the pixel light source with reduced voltage. The display can also stop signal output during still images to further lower power consumption. The highly purified oxide semiconductor also enables long-term use in dark environments by reducing light storage requirements.

10. LED Screen Display Correction System with Dynamic Temperature Adjustment of Light Condensing Elements

SHENZHEN HIGHCOLOR PHOTOELECTRICITY CO LTD, 2024

LED screen display correction method and system to improve display brightness and extend screen life. The method involves dynamically adjusting the temperature of the LED screen's light condensing elements instead of increasing luminous power when brightness decreases. This prevents high power consumption that shortens screen life. The method obtains the LED element parameters, calculates brightness attenuation and initial floating values, then corrects the floating value based on environmental factors. If brightness is still below target, the screen temperature is adjusted to compensate.

11. LED Chips with Passivation Layer Encapsulating Mesa Sidewalls

CreeLED, Inc., 2023

LED chips with improved reliability, moisture resistance, and flexibility for additional features by using a passivation layer around the mesa sidewalls of the LED structure. The passivation layer, made of materials like silicon nitride, seals the LED mesa perimeter to prevent undercutting during etching and reduce moisture ingress. This allows for better reliability, reduced risk of damage, and the ability to add features like dielectric reflective layers and DBR reflectors to the chip.

12. Pixel Luminance Adjustment Method Based on Decay Rate Determination for Individually Controlled Displays

HEWLETT PACKARD DEV COMPANY L P, HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LP, 2023

A method to improve display quality and reduce power consumption in electronic devices with displays that have pixels that can be individually controlled. The method involves determining decay rates for the pixels based on their luminance values. The luminance values for the pixels are adjusted based on their decay rates to compensate for aging and variability. This prevents image sticking, extends display life, and reduces power consumption.

WO2023211453A1-patent-drawing

13. MicroLED Display Power Supply Voltage Drop Compensation System with Digital and Analog Control Mechanisms

HEFEI SHENGXIAN MICRO ELECTRONICS CO LTD, 2023

Compensating power supply voltage drop in MicroLED displays to improve brightness and color accuracy. The compensation involves detecting the voltage drop caused by current through off-chip resistors when the display is lit. This drop is compensated by adding an equal voltage to the control signal for the LEDs. The compensation can be done digitally using an algorithm or analog circuits. The algorithm involves establishing a model of the display and power supply to calculate the required compensation.

14. LED Display Junction Temperature Compensation via Surface Temperature and Current Monitoring with Dynamic Control Signal Adjustment

SHENZHEN YONGWEIDA MACHINERY EQUIPMENT CO LTD, 2023

Compensating the display junction temperature of LED digital tubes in electronic displays to prevent red shift and improve display quality. The method involves monitoring the surface temperature and current of the LEDs in the tubes. Based on the measured values, it calculates the junction temperature of the LEDs. If the junction temperature is too high, it adjusts the delay time of the display control signal to reduce switching losses and lower the junction temperature. This prevents redshift. It also extends the display control signal to avoid multiple simultaneous LED switches. This increases flux but risks afterglow. The extension time is calculated to balance these effects.

CN116504164A-patent-drawing

15. Micro-LED Display Panel with Series and Parallel Redundancy in Sub-Pixels

PlayNitride Inc., 2023

Micro-LED display panel with redundancy to improve yield and reliability. The display has micro-LEDs arranged in sub-pixels on a driving substrate, with some sub-pixels containing two series-connected micro-LEDs of the same color. In normal sub-pixels, both LEDs emit light, but if one LED fails, only the working LED emits light. Redundancy positions allow extra LEDs to parallel connect if both originals fail. This compensates for failed LEDs and maintains full sub-pixel brightness. The redundancy prevents single LED failures from affecting display quality.

16. Display Panel with Pixel Units Incorporating Thin-Film Transistor and Metal Structure for Heat Dissipation Path in Micro-LED Arrays

Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd., 2023

Display panel with improved heat dissipation for micro-LEDs to avoid efficiency loss and extend lifespan. The panel has pixel units with driving circuits between the substrate and light-emitting components. For units with micro-LEDs, the circuit includes a thin-film transistor connected to a metal structure. This forms a heat dissipation path from the micro-LED to the metal layer away from the substrate.

17. Micro-LED Display with Micro-Capsulated Thermal Insulation and Integrated Color Material Layers

Acer Incorporated, 2022

A micro-LED display that can sustain high brightness without overheating, which can lead to color degradation and reduced lifetime, is used. The display uses micro-caps to thermally insulate the tiny LEDs from the substrate. The micro-caps create sealed chambers around each LED that can be filled with gas or vacuum. This prevents heat buildup and protects the color conversion layers. The display also has color material layers on the micro-caps to enhance color performance.

US11469353B2-patent-drawing

18. Display Panel with Stacked Inorganic Packaging Layer Comprising Three Sublayers with Specific Refractive Index Order

BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., 2022

Display panel with improved luminous efficiency and longer device life without using lithium fluoride. The panel has a stacked inorganic packaging layer above the light-emitting device. The stack has three sublayers with refractive indices in specific order and difference. The middle sublayer has higher index than top and bottom layers. This enhances light reflection inside the microcavity to increase luminous intensity. It improves efficiency compared to two sublayer stacks. The three sublayer stack also better protects the device from water and oxygen compared to single or double stacks.

19. Display Panel with Micro-LED Redundancy Scheme Using Dual-Electrode Configuration and Integrated Fault Detection

Apple Inc., 2022

Display panel with redundancy scheme incorporating micro-LEDs to enable high-resolution micro-LED displays with high yield and longer lifetime. The display panel includes an array of micro-LED devices in each pixel and multiple top electrodes to provide redundancy and repair capability for faulty micro-LEDs. This allows the detection and bypassing of defective micro-LEDs during panel manufacturing. The bottom electrodes are bonded to pairs of micro-LEDs that emit the same color. The top electrodes connect one micro-LED in each pair to the ground line. If a micro-LED is faulty, the other micro-LED in the pair compensates for it. The display also uses an integrated test method where imaging after transfer detects faulty micro-LEDs for replacement before passivation and top electrode formation.

US20220293876A1-patent-drawing

20. LED Display Brightness Stabilization Method with Initial Overdrive and Aging Compensation

NAGOYA ELECTRIC WORKS CO LTD, 2022

A method to prevent display brightness from decreasing below a target level as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) age. The method involves initially setting the LED output higher than the target brightness when the LEDs are turned on. This compensates for luminance loss due to aging. Subsequent brightness corrections account for both aging and initial overdrive. By starting higher, the LEDs can be replaced at the target lifetime even if they degrade faster from initial overdrive. This prevents brightness from dropping below the target.

21. Dynamic Voltage Adjustment System for MicroLED Arrays Based on Operating Conditions

22. Multi-Display System with LED Brightness Compensation Using Cumulative Usage and Temperature Data

23. LED Module with Temperature-Compensated Point-by-Point Brightness and Chromaticity Correction System

24. LED Display Device with Cumulative Time-Based Brightness Correction for Uniformity Maintenance

25. LED Display with Pre-Heating System Using Calculated Temperature Compensation for Brightness-Induced Thermal Stress Prevention

Extending the micro-LED service life of display and performing better boils down to two key things: keeping them cool and making the panels stronger. Sol-gel glass and micro-caps are two innovative techniques and energy-saving instruments that help achieve this goal. These advancements open the door for much tougher and more energy-efficient micro-LED screens.

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