Plessey, an embedded technologies developer at the forefront of microLED technology for augmented and mixed reality (AR/MR) display applications has introduced a microLED Direct-Drive display platform and development kit, based on its proprietary monolithic GaN-on-Silicon technology.
Plessey’s Direct-Drive displays provide OEM’s and product developers with a solution to retrofit current products or develop new concept designs, around a compact, flexible and highly efficient microLED display.
Direct-Drive targets specialised applications that require symbolic content, instead of individually addressed pixelized content. Due to the small form factor of the Direct-Drive display, it can be easily integrated into smart glasses, and head-mounted displays for navigation, sport & leisure, and optical instruments.
The symbolic content is fully customizable using monochrome or fully colourised segments with pixel capabilities down to 2-micron, allowing for ultra-fine, ultra-high-resolution detail. The display is self-emissive, and it can be driven directly from an external source, requiring no backplane which simplifies the manufacturing process and improves power consumption.
The Direct-Drive development kit is a starter package designed to be a fast, easy and scalable platform allowing developers to explore, evaluate and interact with small-form factor microLED displays.
Direct-Drive will come ready to plug and play, and will include:
- Direct-Drive display (Less than 5x5mm);
- Embedded driver with open-source firmware;
- The driver allows the die to be driven at up to 2A;
- ATMEGA processor;
- Rechargeable (USB), ultra-small battery;
- Integrated Bluetooth connection;
- Available protocols: I2C/UART/SDI/USB;
- Technical documentation to support integration.
Dr Samir Mezouari, Optical Engineering Manager at Plessey said:
With a total input power of 250 mW, Plessey’s native green segments can emit 2 million nits of brightness. For AR applications, the Direct-Drive displays can achieve a much higher brightness than OLED with a power consumption as low as 50 mW, allowing daytime viewing and a longer battery life.
The Direct-Drive development kits will be available to order at CES 2020 and are targeted toward keen display technology enthusiasts and system engineers looking for a microLED display solution to enhance their products.
Plessey will be discussing their innovative microLED display solutions and demonstrating their Active-Matrix and Direct-Drive solutions at CES 2020 on booth 21861, South Hall 1, LVCC. The company is currently progressing with their technology roadmap and delivering on customer projects for a range of consumer and enterprise applications.
About Plessey
Plessey is an award-winning provider of full-field emissive microLED displays that combine very high-density RGB pixel arrays with high-performance CMOS backplanes to produce very high-brightness, low-power and high-frame-rate image sources for head-mounted displays (HMDs), and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems. Plessey operates leading-edge 150mm and 200mm wafer processing facilities to undertake design, test and assembly of LED products, and a comprehensive suite of photonic characterization and applications laboratories. For more information, visit Plessey’s website, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
