Epistar showcased 25-micron mini LEDs for RGB fine-pixel-pitch (FPP) displays at Touch Taiwan 2018, shaving off over half from the 60-micron chips currently in use.
A 40-micron chip made by the company is currently going through the validation process at Chinese and South Korean FPP panel-makers. Production is scheduled for the third quarter of the year.
Epistar is using pick-and-place mass transfer technology in an attempt to overcome technological bottlenecks involved in the volume-production of 25-micron mini LEDs, but says the production costs are still very high. Industry sources told Digitimes that the company hopes to commence mass-production during the fourth quarter of 2018.
Smaller-sized chips can significantly reduce pixel-pitch but also increase panel production costs, as a much larger number of chips need to be used overall.
The sources also indicate that the company will begin the production of mini LED backlighting technology for 27″ gaming monitors in the second half of the year, as well as for panels in sizes above 100″.
