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MicroLED displays have emerged as a promising technology for the future. These displays offer all the advantages of OLED panels such as high contrast and wide viewing angles but can be bright without the risk of overheating. These are characterized by long life and low energy consumption. All major television brands have introduced MicroLED TVs that are also surprisingly affordable. Even Apple is said to be working on bringing a disruptive MicroLED display to the Apple Watch in 2024.
So, is MicroLED technology something you should look forward to? How does MicroLED display better than OLED, QD-OLED or small LED TVs? Let’s try to answer all the questions below!
What is a MicroLED display? How is it different from an OLED or QD-OLED display?
The basic theoretical difference between an OLED and a MicroLED display is that OLED displays use a living things An LED emitter for each subpixel, and MicroLED panels use the in organic emitter that is more stable. The organic emitter used in OLEDs is prone to decay leading to issues such as internal burning and dimming of brightness over time. In-organic LEDs, on the other hand, don’t suffer from those limitations.
Both MicroLED and OLED displays are self-extinguishing. This means that every small pixel is a small light source that can be individually controlled. In contrast, LCD-based displays receive white light from a backlight that can be classified as LED, mini-LED, or QLED. This light passes through the LCD’s pixels (which act as tiny keys) and then through a color filter.
MicroLED vs OLED vs QD-OLED
A color filter is also available on many modern OLED TVs. Producing a true RGB OLED or an OLED with different red, green and blue subpixels (as in our smartphones) is very difficult on a screen the size of a TV. The way it works is that all the self-illuminating pixels in OLED TVs emit only white light. The blue, green, and red colors of the subpixels are obtained by passing the light through a color filter layer that is added to the user’s end.
When white light passes through a color filter, there is a loss in depth. For example, a red pixel with a red color filter will block blue and green and pass only one component – Red light. To counteract the resulting loss of efficiency and to improve light intensity, a white pixel is also added, resulting in White, Red, Green, Yellow or White or WRGB. That’s why the OLED panels used in almost all TVs from LG and Sony are called White OLEDs. Adding a white pixel is not an ideal solution as it reduces the display’s ability to reproduce a wide range of bright colors.
Source: Nanosys
The loss of quantum efficiency due to the use of color filters and the loss of color volume due to the white pixel are referred to QD-OLED displays used in TVs such as Sony A95K and Samsung S95B. In QD-OLED TVs, all active LEDs emit blue light and instead of a color filter, a Quantum Dot Color Conversion film is used in front of them. Quantum converters convert green light into red and green without loss in efficiency. So, the resulting display is almost as good as the real RGB OLED used in today’s smartphones.
Mirco LED displays have independent red, blue and green pixels and do not require a color filter. Basically, by replacing organic LED with in-organic LED, these TVs offer the best of both worlds. They promise OLED-level contrast and dynamic range while minimizing the longevity concerns associated with OLED technology (especially when driven very hard).
It is not unusual for microLED prototype displays to advertise up to 10x more brightness compared to the best OLED panels and that too while being more powerful.
Source: Yole Development
Many manufacturers are also working on QD-OLED-like MicroLED displays, where all MicroLEDs are blue and color conversion is achieved using Quantum Dot Color Conversion films. Such panels are easy to make compared to panels with green, red and green LEDs.
Advantages of MicroLED over OLED displays
source: LG Displays
As mentioned above, MicroLED displays perform like OLED displays and retain all the benefits of OLED such as wide viewing angle, high contrast, and fast pixel response time. But there are some additional benefits of MicroLED displays:
- MicroLED displays can be brighter than OLED displays because the LEDs can be driven hard without the risk of internal combustion. This makes them very profitable for use in AR and VR devices that need the ability to flash to replicate real-world experiences.
- MicroLED displays also use less power than OLED, making them good contenders for use in wearables such as smartwatches.
- It is also possible to produce flexible MicroLED displays as LG recently demonstrated. These can be attached to clothing and even used for wearable patches that stick to your skin.
- MicroLED displays are also more durable and can operate over a wider range of temperatures than OLED. This property may make them more suitable for use in automobiles. In fact, adoption across the automotive segment is expected to be a key driver.
- Since the miro of the LED displays is rugged, it does not require the technique of encapsulation like OLED and therefore it is possible to create infinite modules. A number of these modules can be linked together to create very large displays. This is a huge advantage over LCD and OLED screens.
- It is possible to integrate sensors like a fingerprint reader or a temperature sensor on the front plane while making MicroLED displays.
Challenges and the MicroLED display
OLED TVs can be produced by adding organic material directly to the backplane which is an array of transistors and switches that drive each pixel. This is not possible with MicroLEDs.
MicroLEDs must be fabricated as semiconductors on wafers and then these MicroLEDs must be identified and transferred to the backplane of the TFT which includes an array of circuits to drive the pixels. This is a very difficult process and in order for the MicroLED panels to be possible, it must be accomplished in a few minutes.
That is why instead of transferring the red, green and blue MicroLEDs to the backplane, it may be more economical to transfer all the blue MicroLEDs to the backplane and then achieve color conversion using the Quantum Dot layer as is done in QD-OLED displays.
The complexity of the transmission process is also why MicroLED displays are so expensive and don’t always go beyond 4k resolution.
Currently, most MicroLED displays are in the concept and prototype stages and many challenges are involved in bringing the technology to consumers. For example, due to the limitations of the manufacturing process, the brightness of MicroLEDs decreases as their size becomes smaller. Other challenges include astronomical cost reduction, yield and defect control, and difficulty in increasing product quality. There is still some time before we see MicroLED displays making their way into consumer devices.
Also Read: QD-OLED vs OLED Ex vs OLED WBE vs OLED WBC TV panels: What’s the difference?
What is the difference between a MicroLED and a small LED display?
To put it straight: MicroLED displays are self-dischargeable while small LED displays are not and work just like regular LED LCD televisions.
LEDs have been used in TVs for years and their sizes have gradually decreased. With MicroLED technology, these LEDs go from backlighting to being a tiny pixel itself.
In Mini LED displays, these LEDs are small but not pixel-level small. Small LED TVs use small LED spots in the backlight. The small LEDs are here as part of the backlight and the light from one small LED is shared by more than one pixel.
Sometimes the marketing teams of TV manufacturers find tolerance and call a small LED TV MicroLED, but as a standard chosen by the industry, the size of the die of these LEDs must be less than 100 micrometers to be called MicroLEDs.
Apple’s approach to MicroLED display technology
The glō microLED display on the side of the Apple Watch | Source: glō
Apple acquired the MicroLED startup Luxvue in 2014 and since then all the major players have shown interest in the technology.
Apple’s approach to MicroLED technology is highly disruptive. The company is working to replace the conventional TFT backplane or array of complex electronic circuits that turn on, turn off or drive all the pixels – with tiny driver ICs. These ICs can be directly integrated into the front plane and drive a bunch of pixels and sensors.
By moving away from the common TFT driver, Apple can reduce its reliance on major manufacturers. The Apple Watch with a MicroLED display is expected to debut in 2024.
The best MicroLED displays you can buy
MicroLED TV options are fairly limited today, but we expect a few interesting announcements at CES 2022. In the meantime, here are a few options available, mostly in the commercial market:
- Samsung Wall (2022)
- The magnitude of Lg
- Sony Crystal LED
More and more technology news, product reviewsci-tech features and updates, read on Digit.in or our head Google News Page.
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