In May last year, the "14th Five-Year Plan for the High-quality Development of Manufacturing Industry in Chengdu" was issued, and "ultra-high-definition display" was listed as one of the key development areas of Chengdu's emerging industries.
Micro-LED technology is a new track in the field of display, and it happens that a company in Chengdu completed the groundbreaking ceremony of the world's first TFT-based Micro-LED production line in September this year. Recently, 36Kr went to the high-tech west district of ChengduChengdu Chenxian Optoelectronics***(hereinafter referred to as "Chenxian Optoelectronics"), understand the company's technical base and marketization process.
Chenxian Optoelectronics landed in Chengdu in August 2020, and currently has a factory area covering an area of about 26 acres in Chengdu High-tech West Zone. The relevant person in charge of Chenxian Optoelectronics introduced to 36Kr that the Chenxian Optoelectronics team was incubated from the first OLED product ** supplier in Chinese mainlandVisionox.
We began to study next-generation display technology as early as 2016, and formally established a micro-LED project team in 2017 to carry out basic research work. By 2020, with the strong support of Sichuan Province and Chengdu City, Chenxian Optoelectronics was established in Chengdu, specializing in the pilot test and industrialization of micro-LED. Although we have not been established for a long time, we have a wealth of experience and technology heritage in the display industry. The whole team is unswervingly running on the industrialization route of China's new display technology, namelyGuided by industrialization, the development logic from basic research to pilot test and then to mass production, which provides an important demonstration of the success of next-generation display technology. ”
After landing in Chengdu in August 2020, it took less than ten months for Chenxian Optoelectronics to build the first micro-LED pilot line in China, and in May 2021, the tape-out was lit, and the lighting frequency of new products since then is considerable. In succession to light up the first domestic 14After 5-inch, 29-inch, and 58-inch TFT-based micro-LED splicing screens, in September 2023Successfully released the world's first 102-inch P05 (pixel pitch 0.)5mm) TFT-based micro-LED splicing screen.
Chenxian Optoelectronics 102 inch P05TFT-based micro-LED splicing screen.
Micro-LED, or miniature light-emitting diode, is a solid-state display technology with self-illuminating characteristics. It is composed of LED light-emitting chips below tens of microns, which can directly present RGB trichromatic light sources on the screen in the form of pixels. Micro-LED is also known as the "rising star" in the field of display technology due to its high brightness, high color saturation, high reliability and other characteristics, as well as its ability to achieve flexible, transparent, free splicing, sensor integration and other functional characteristics.
At present, subject to production capacity and cost, it will take time for Micro-LED to complete commercialization, at present, only South Korea's Samsung has launched a small number of products, Chen Xian Optoelectronics currently has technical capabilities, TFT-based Micro-LED display production line is under construction, and is sprinting towards next year's standardized mass production stage.
According to relevant personnel, Chenxian Optoelectronics has three core technologies, a strategic resource, more than 1,000 patent applications and more than 400 authorized patents, and is confident to compete with internationally renowned manufacturers such as Samsung in South Korea on the same track.
Three core technologies, one strategic resource: mass transfer, drive architecture, seamless splicing and TFT-based backplane (glass substrate).
Mass transfersA large number of micron-sized LED chips are accurately and efficiently moved to the target substrate with high-precision equipment. The diameter of human hair is about 60 to 100 microns, while the micro-LED chip is only about 25 microns. Today, the "one-time transfer yield" of Chenxian Optoelectronics has reached 99995%。
Drive architectureBecause the luminous characteristics of LED chips are different from those of LCD and OLED, the existing driver architecture cannot be directly used to realize the micro-LED display. Limited by the luminous characteristics of current small-size LED chips, the analog driving method will bring the problems of gray scale cannot be deployed and the power consumption is too high. In contrast, digital drivers can use a fixed large drive current to adjust the display brightness through different display durations, and the combination of the two can develop a driver architecture suitable for micro-LED displays. According to reports, Chenxian Optoelectronics has developed the first TFT-based Micro-LED special hybrid driver IC in China.
Seamless splicingHowever, LED is a single pixel package and does not have the problem of screen bezel, so Micro-LED seamless splicing display technology has become an ideal choice for both large-size display and image quality requirements. Chenxian Optoelectronics independent research and development of double-sided process technology, side technology, so that the seam spacing is less than 150 microns, almost invisible to the naked eye, to achieve seamless splicing in the true sense, the splicing effect and the whole machine display is no difference.
TFT backplaneCompared with printed circuit substrates (PCB), glass substrates (TFTs) have obvious advantages in micro-LED display technology: excellent optical properties, good flatness, low thermal expansion coefficient, flame retardant performance and high-precision performance under micro-pitch, which can meet different display needs (such as large screens, curved screens, transparent screens, flexible screens, etc.) and use scenarios (such as command and dispatch, exhibition display, security monitoring, conference display, etc.). 36Kr understands that TFT backplane is also an important strategic resource, and having this resource is the confidence of Chenxian Optoelectronics to go to market.
"Industry veterans" take the lead, mass production, sales, talent reserves, financing and other aspects are ready to meet the era of 100 billion yuan in the display industry.
From the perspective of enterprise development, as a young company, it is very important to be able to achieve several milestones in a few years, and it is important to have the leadership of Dr. Huang Xiuqi, an "industry veteran". Chen Xian Optoelectronics General Manager Huang XiuqiHe holds a doctorate from the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, a postdoctoral fellow from the Department of Chemistry of Tsinghua University, and a senior engineer, and has been deeply engaged in the field of display technology for 17 years.
Chen Xian Optoelectronics General Manager Huang Xiuqi
After graduating with a Ph.D., Huang worked as a senior engineer in Samsung Electronics and Samsung Mobile Display in South Korea, engaged in the research and development of LCD and AMOLED technologies. With the ambition to serve the motherland, Dr. Huang joined Visionox in 2009 after returning to China. At Visionox, Dr. Huang presided over the completion of the construction of the first AMOLED pilot production line in China, led the team to develop the first 12-inch AMOLED TV prototype and the first flexible AMOLED full-color display in China, and successively planned and participated in 5The construction and operation of the 5th and 6th generation AMOLED mass production lines, and the formation of a team to move towards the Micro-LED industry in 2017.
The relevant person in charge of Chenxian Optoelectronics introduced to 36 Krypton: "Dr. Huang Xiuqi has been engaged in the display industry for a long time, and has experienced different roles in many departments in Visionox Group, he has served as a national key special expert of science and technology of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the chief expert of the 863 project, participated in the preparation of the guide, and presided over a number of projects of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Therefore, under the leadership of Dr. Huang Xiuqi and many 'veterans' in the team, we have avoided many detours, and the members have grown rapidly and the company has developed rapidly. ”
In terms of mass production, Chenxian Optoelectronics TFT-based micro-LED display production line is expected to achieve mass production in the second half of next year. On the sales side, Chenxian Optoelectronics revealed that it has carried out relevant work with partners.
Chenxian Optoelectronics pilot line.
According to data from research institutions, by 2030, the micro-LED display industry is expected to reach a market value of 100 billion"Big commercial display" is the primary goal of Chenxian Optoelectronics, such as giant screen display, command and dispatch screen, high-end conference screen, etc. In the era of rapid development of the digital economy, commercial displays will be more widely used in the future.
The follow-up will be extended to the field of consumer electronics, such as car screens, wearable devices, etc., and now there are screens everywhere in the interior of concept cars, and even the body is a screen, which we estimate is the direction that the micro-LED display industry can make efforts in the future. ”
If you want to gain a firm foothold in the field of micro-LED, innovation is an indispensable keyword, so investment in research and development is indispensable. It is reported that Chenxian Optoelectronics has invested more than 500 million in research and development, and more than 600 million in research and development equipment. Nowadays, in addition to research and development, more resources must be invested in mass production and commercialization, and one will be presented in the futureA pattern that attaches equal importance to market and R&D
In September this year, at the World Display Industry Conference, Chenxian Optoelectronics and the Liquid Crystal Branch of China Optics and Optoelectronics Industry Association, SID China, China Electronic Materials Association, Peking University, Sichuan University, Xiamen University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, etc. jointly launched an initiative to establish the Micro-LED Development Promotion Alliance, aiming to connect university talents and jointly promote the high-quality development of the micro-LED display industry. Chen Xian Optoelectronics said, "We hope that the establishment of the alliance can unite industry, academia and research to cope with changes in the display industry, strengthen the collaborative innovation and development of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, become a bridge of communication between institutions and enterprises, give full play to the functions of policy supply and information exchange, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the micro-LED display industry." ”
Recently, Chengdu's local investment institution Sichuan Hongxin Equity Investment Management publicly stated that Chenxian Optoelectronics has significant investment value. Talking about the company's plans in terms of investment and financing, 36Kr learned that the A round of financing of Chenxian Optoelectronics is already in the processIt is expected that the Series B financing will be used to expand production in 2025In the future, the IPO will be launched as planned, and we look forward to collaborative innovation and common progress with industrial investors and upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain.
Text**: 36 Krypton.