10 patents in this list

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In the rapidly evolving world of display technology, low power consumption is a critical factor, especially for micro-LED displays. These displays promise vibrant colors and high efficiency but managing power without sacrificing performance is a delicate balance. As devices become more compact and portable, the demand for energy-efficient displays grows, challenging engineers to innovate continuously.

Key challenges include integrating driver circuitry within the tiny confines of each pixel and ensuring uniform brightness across the display. Additionally, aligning electrical connections and maintaining color accuracy while minimizing power usage requires precise engineering. These hurdles are compounded by the need to produce displays that are both cost-effective and scalable.

This page explores a range of solutions developed through recent research, such as integrated driver circuitry for each pixel and segmented micro-LED chips. Other approaches include advanced backplane designs and monolithic wafer integration, all aimed at enhancing display performance while reducing power consumption. These strategies promise to improve display efficiency and reliability, meeting the needs of cutting-edge applications.

1. Micro-LED Display Panel with Integrated Driver Circuitry for Each Pixel

Hong Kong Beida Jade Bird Display Limited, 2022

A display panel that uses micro-LEDs and integrated driver circuitry to reduce power consumption compared to conventional display technologies like LCD and OLED. The display panel has an array of micro-LED pixels, each containing a micro-LED and an integrated driver circuit. This allows each pixel to control its own LED brightness and color directly without additional driver circuitry. The integrated driver circuitry reduces power consumption by eliminating the need for separate driver components for each pixel. The micro-LED pixels can be densely packed to achieve high-resolution displays with improved brightness and energy efficiency.

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2. Segmented Micro-LED Chip with Series Electrical Connection Configuration

SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., 2022

Micro-LED display technology with reduced power consumption. The display uses a segmented micro-LED chip, separating each segment and electrically connecting in series. When driven, this increases the voltage across the chip, reducing power consumption versus a single-segment chip. It solves micro-LED displays' high power consumption and low drive efficiency problems.

3. Micro-LED Display Backplane with Conductive Protection Layer Formed in Single Mask Step

Ordos Yuansheng Optoelectronics Co., Ltd., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., 2021

Micro-LED display backplane with a simplified manufacturing process and reduced power consumption compared to existing designs. The backplane has a bonding layer to connect to the micro-LEDs. The bonding layer has a conductive protection layer on top of the bonding metal layer, both formed in a single mask step. The protection layer prevents shorts between the metal and the LEDs. The backplane also has other layers like TFTs and traces.

4. Micro LED Display with Individually Controllable Subpixels for Independent Duty Cycle and Emission Time

VueReal Inc., 2021

Micro LED display with improved color accuracy, power consumption, and gamma correction. The display has individually controllable subpixels in each pixel. Each subpixel can have independent duty cycle and emission time. This allows optimizing power and color without affecting gamma. The display drives each subpixel independently to adjust brightness and duration for better color mixing and overall efficiency.

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5. Monolithic Wafer-Integrated Microdisplay with Micro-LEDs and Thin-Film Transistors

INTEL CORPORATION, 2021

Monolithic microdisplays with LEDs and TFTs on the same wafer for applications like AR/VR headsets. The displays use micro-LEDs and TFTs to achieve high pixel density, brightness, contrast, and power efficiency. The LEDs emit light, and the TFTs control the LED pixels. By integrating the LEDs and TFTs on the same wafer, monolithic microdisplays can be made with high pixel density and performance in a compact size.

6. Monolithic Nanowire LED Pair Growth and Transfer for Micro-LED Display Fabrication

Intel Corporation, 2021

Micro-LED display manufacturing technique using monolithic growth and transfer to reduce cost and power consumption. The technique involves growing pairs of nanowire LEDs on a wafer and transferring them to form pixels on the display backplane, eliminating the need for individual LED transfers. For example, growing blue and green nanowire LEDs are transferred as a pair for one pixel. Other pairs, like green and red, are also grown and transferred.

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7. Matrix-Arranged LED Micro-Display with Integrated Electronic Backplane and Color Converter Layer

Facebook Technologies, LLC, 2020

A low power consumption high brightness display with integrated LED micro-display. The display is made by fabricating an array of red, green, and blue LEDs directly on a substrate, with each LED emitting a primary color. The LEDs are arranged in a matrix to form a high-resolution display. The LEDs are driven by an electronic backplane layer underneath. A color converter layer on top of the LEDs absorbs the primary colors and emits the desired secondary colors.

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8. Monolithic Multi-Color Micro-LED Growth and Transfer on Single Wafer Substrate

Intel Corporation, 2020

Micro-LED display technology has reduced power consumption and manufacturing complexity compared to conventional micro-LED displays. The improvement is achieved by growing different-colored micro-LEDs monolithically on a single wafer and transferring them together to form a pixel. This eliminates the need for separate growth and transfer steps for each color micro-LED. For example, a blue and green micro-LED can be grown together and transferred as a unit. The monolithic growth of micro-LEDs of different colors on a single substrate enables simplified manufacturing without losing color performance.

9. Stacked Multi-Layer Micro-LED Arrays with Integrated Pixel Driver Circuitry

HONG KONG BEIDA JADE BIRD DISPLAY LIMITED, 2020

Fabricating integrated multi-color LED display panels using techniques that enable high-resolution displays with low power consumption. The method involves stacking multiple layers of micro-LEDs on top of each other, with each layer bonded and patterned to form micro-LED arrays. This allows the integration of pixel driver circuitry with the micro-LEDs. The stacking enables dense pixel packing with one micro-LED layer per color.

10. Integrated LED Micro-Display with Substrate-Embedded Electronic Driving Circuitry and Color Conversion Layers

Oculus VR, LLC, 2018

A low power consumption high brightness display with an integrated LED micro-display that provides efficient light generation and color conversion. The display features an array of red, green, and blue LEDs with color conversion layers to create a full-color display. The LEDs are directly integrated into a substrate with electronic driving circuitry. This eliminates the need for external light sources and components, reducing power consumption compared to displays using separate LEDs and pattern generators. The integrated design also allows precise matching of LED emission wavelengths for optimal color quality.

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Although lowering micro-LED power consumption is necessary for mainstream adoption, micro-LED technology presents prospects for environmentally friendly displays and lighting in a variety of industries. Appropriate solutions are provided by the most recent developments covered. However, further progress is also needed in other important domains.