Epistar chairman Lee Biing-jye predicts that mini LED will be a major growth driver in 2018, according to a report by Digitimes.
The article also states that chipmaker Epistar will soon begin production of mini LED chips for smartphones and TV backlighting, and has entered into discussions with LCD panelmarkers Innolux and AU Optronics about adopting mini LEDs into their products, while Chinese smartphone manufacturers will also be targeted. Lee reportedly anticipates that mini LED-backlit LCD TVs would begin launching in 2018.
Chairman Lee also addressed concerns around increased thickness when using mini LEDs, saying it won’t be a major problem for TV makers, but acknowledged it would be more of an issue for smartphone and tablet manufacturers. He went on to say that the company will enter into discussions with vendors, indicating that a solution could be found before the end of the year.
Lee also suggested that the price differential between OLED and mini LED backlighting—around 40% cheaper—could help Taiwan-based panel-makers to compete with OLED market leader LG Display.
Analyst Comment
In the article, Lee is quoted as saying that only around 200 of the 5,000 MOCVD sets used to make LEDs around the world are able to make miniLEDs, although he didn’t clarify why. (BR)
