MARKETPLACE

What Intellectual
Property Tells Us
About the MicroLED
Landscape
MicroLED technologies are in a Cambrian Explosion phase,
but a thorough examination of recent shifts in intellectual property
filings offers a clearer picture of their prospects.
by Eric H. Virey

FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES THAT HAVE YET TO
find their way into mass manufacturing, a good proxy to
gauge the level of activity around them and identify major
technological roadblocks is to study the intellectual property
(IP) landscape. Yole Développement, in collaboration with the
IP expert KnowMade, conducts a regular analysis of the
IP field for microLED displays. The process starts with
a complex search equation used to extract a raw corpus from
FamPat, an international database with more than 100 million
patent documents from 95 offices.
The returned results, which include thousands of patents,
are screened manually to eliminate irrelevant documents cate-
gorized by technology nodes and companies. What do the IP
prospects for microLED displays tell us about the industry?
Here, we detail our findings from a recent study.
WHAT’S DRIVING THE INCREASED INTEREST IN
MICROLED DISPLAYS
MicroLED is an emissive display technology in which each indi-
vidual red, green, and blue (RGB) subpixel is an independently
controllable light source. Although accepted definitions can vary,
we consider microLEDs to be devices based on extremely small
chips assembled using non-standard mass transfer techniques.
For more than a decade, traditionally packaged or chip-scale

Fig. 1.
Traditional LED
video walls. The
video wall image
is courtesy of
Absen.com. All im-
ages are courtesy
of Yole Dévelop-
pement unless
otherwise noted.

informationdisplay.org | 2020 July/August 43

 2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Q U I C K TA K E
Over the last two years,
we have entered what can
be seen as either a virtuous
cycle or a bubble. Display package (CSP) used as the direct emissive element (pixel) in small-pitch consumer
makers, although initially dis- LEDs have displays because of cost and manufacturability. Yet the idea of
missive, dominated microLED’s been used as using microLEDs at submillimetric pixel pitches to realize a display
the illumination is almost as old as the invention and commercialization of LEDs
IP activity in 2019, and now
source in LCD themselves.1 Over the last few years, interest in this concept has
nearly every display company

panel backlights.
is accelerating its efforts Packaged LEDs
in this area, for fear of are also used in the
being left out. large video billboards
in stadiums, malls, and
video facades. In those displays,
discrete, packaged LEDs containing RGB chips form the individ-
ual pixels with pitches typically ranging from 1 to 40 millimeters
(mm), depending on display size and resolution (Fig. 1).
More recently, however, some LED video wall manufacturers
have started to forego the package and are assembling the LED
die directly onto the printed circuit board. This so-called “chip-
on-board” architecture lets manufacturers produce displays with
narrow pixel pitch (“NPP”). Those companies also are attempting
to decrease the LED die size to improve contrast and reduce chip
cost. In February 2020, Daktronics invested in X-display, a display-
focused spin-off of the pioneering micro-transfer printing company
X-Celeprint. The start-up was one of the first to show microLED
display prototypes. This investment confirms the growing interest
of LED video wall makers for miniLED and microLED companies.
Still, traditional LED packaging companies have shown that
they are not ready to let themselves be squeezed out of the
supply chain. They reacted swiftly, developing packaged miniLED
“4 in 1,” or an Integrated Matrix Device (IMD), which enables the
construction of a display with a pixel pitch as small as 0.5 to
0.7 mm using the standard surface-mounted device (SMD) LED
assembled tool to which their
customers are accustomed. Fig. 2.
Despite such progress in the An overview of miniLED and
direct-view LED video walls microLED technology and
market, LEDs have never been applications.
Fig. 2-7 and 9-10: Source: MicroLED Displays - Intellectual Property Status & Landscape 2020 report, Yole Développement, 2020. Fig. 8: Courtesy of VueReal patent US20190148321
increased dramatically.
As with OLED, microLEDs offer high-contrast, high-speed, and
wide-viewing angles. They also can deliver a wider color gamut,
orders of magnitude higher brightness, significantly reduced
power consumption, improved lifetime, ruggedness, and envi-
ronmental stability. Finally, microLEDs can allow the integration
of sensors and circuits, enabling thin displays with embedded
sensing capabilities, such as fingerprint identification, in-display
camera, touch function, and gesture control (Fig. 2).
UNDERSTANDING OUR PARAMETERS FOR ANALYSIS
In our study, we considered a patent relevant to the field
of microLED displays only if it met all three of the following
conditions:
• the led chips are < 50 micrometers (µm) in size;
• each chip is independently controlled or addressed by a tran-
sistor-based circuit; and
• the application to self-emissive display is clearly stated or
at least reasonably obvious.
Many generic LED or display inventions therefore are excluded
even if they could be applied and benefit microLED displays. This
includes, for example, certain epitaxial processes or LED struc-
tures applicable to any type of LED. We also excluded patents
that describe the use of microLED displays in an application
but don’t provide any inventive activity aimed at solving the
challenges associated with the manufacturing and performance
of microLED panels. Those restrictions can lead to some compa-

44 July/August 2020 | informationdisplay.org


Fig. 4.
▲Evolution over time of microLED display patent publication (list-
ed by the location of each company’s headquarters).
nies being underrepresented in our corpus, but are necessary
to extract better from the noise inventions specifically aimed at
solving microLED display performance and manufacturing issues
(we discuss these more later).
Our analysis shows that as of January 10, 2020, roughly 350
companies or research organizations filed for nearly 5,500
microLED patents in 2,453 patent families.2 Fig. 3 displays
dramatic increases within the past few years. More than 40
2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
MARKETPLACE
Fig. 3. percent of the patents were filed in 2019
alone. Although historic leaders such as
◀Time evolution
of microLED pat- Apple/LuxVue, X-Celeprint, and Sony are
ent publications still quite active, this dramatic increase
as of mid-January since 2018 was driven by Chinese
2020. companies and display makers. The
growth in China (Fig. 4) mirrors a more
general trend in the country as it transitions from a manufactur-
ing- to innovation-driven economy. This also reflects the display
industry’s circumstances, where Chinese companies already hold
more than half of worldwide display capacity in 2020.3
Display makers dominated microLED IP activity in 2019.
Indeed, although most were dismissive of microLEDs initially,
now they have accelerated their efforts in this area. Among
panel makers, BOE strongly dominated IP activity in 2019
and currently ranks first among patent assignees, with almost
double the amount of patent families compared to the second
highest-ranking company, LG (Fig. 5). Other active panel makers
include AUO, Samsung, CSOT, Tianma, Innolux, CEC Panda, and
the OLED specialist Visionox. Overall, panel makers now hold
nearly 30 percent of the total number of patent families (Fig. 6).
Apple, however, still leads in terms of granted patents and the
total amount of citations. The latter is important because large
numbers of citations give a portfolio more strength in possible
litigations and help to identify seminal patents. In that regard,
Sony and X-Celeprint also have strong portfolios.
Many other companies have accelerated their efforts, includ-
ing start-ups such as PlayNitride, VueReal, Glo, and Aledia and
newcomers such as Ultra Display. On the microdisplay front,
Lumens and Jade Bird Display have been showing devices since
2017. Plessey shifted its focus from lighting applications to
microLED microdisplays later that same year after recapitaliza-
tion by new investors. It has progressed rapidly thanks to a fully
integrated in-house gallium nitride on silicon fabrication plant
(GaN-on-Si fab) that enables fast prototype turnaround. As of
March 30, 2020, Plessey’s technology is licensed exclusively to
Facebook, and its development and manufacturing capacities
are 100 percent dedicated to the social media giant.
Activity at Sony has stalled even though the company is commer-
Fig. 5.
Top 15 patent
assignees ranked
by their number
of patent families.
informationdisplay.org | 2020 July/August 45
 2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
MARKETPLACE

cializing a microLED-based public information display (PID). More Fig. 6.

surprisingly, activity at Apple also has slowed down significantly
MicroLED IP breakdown per company type.
since 2017. However, the patents it has since published show
the high level of maturity and development that it has reached in
microLED display technologies. The reduced activity also could be and assembly for display applications. More than 150 companies
a sign of confidence in its already robust portfolio. Furthermore, now have some IP describing mass transfer processes, though.
the company is pursuing patenting activity specifically aimed at The level of creativity in transfer and assembly is impressive.
addressing challenges for the high-pixel density microLED micro- Some patents plagiarize, while others build upon established
display on complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) methods, such as elastomeric microprinting stamps or electro-
backplanes for augmented reality (AR) applications. static MEMS. Nonetheless, new concepts are being introduced on
a regular basis. Moreover, an increasing number use laser detach
mechanisms. Lasers enable die selectivity, potentially useful
in some yield-management strategies. There is also a renewed
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES AND EMERGING CONCEPTS interest in self-assembly processes. Those have the potential
An 8K display (7,680 × 4,320) requires close to 100 million for high throughput and cost efficiency. They could also enable
individual microLEDs. To ensure proper interconnection and to yield-management strategies impossible with deterministic trans-
eliminate certain image artifacts, the required placement accu- fer processes.4 Processes based on vacuum or micro-displacement
racy is typically ± 1 micrometer (µm). Today’s best die bonders of membranes activated by fluid or gas contraction and expansion
can’t manipulate the small die (3 to 15 µm) required to enable are also on the rise. Finally, new concepts are emerging, such as
high-volume consumer applications.4 In addition, they typically the use of optical tweezers. Many large display companies such
have throughputs in the range of 1,000 die per hour. At this
pace, it would take more than 11 years for such equipment to
manufacture a single 8K TV. There is, therefore, a need for a STANDARD MICROLED DISPLAY
REQUIREMENT DIE BONDER MASS TRANSFER
paradigm change: the development of mass transfer technolo- (LED, others) REQUIREMENTS
gies that can manipulate and assemble much smaller die than
the current industry standards, and to do so at throughput of Die size
> 70 micrometers
3 to 15 µm
at least 5 orders of magnitude faster (Table 1). (µm)
With such requirements, it is no surprise that mass transfer Placement accuracy ± 1 µm ± 1 µm
and assembly are still seen as key enablers and remain the major
thrust area in microLED display R&D and patenting activity (Fig.
Throughput < 1,000 die / hour > 300 m die /hour
7). Although they are built on previous work from companies and
academic researchers such as Alien Technology, Innovative Micro
Technology of Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (IMT MEMS),
Table 1.
and the University of Illinois, still yet Sony, Sharp/eLux, Apple, and
X-Celeprint are considered pioneers in microLED mass transfer Requirement for microLED consumer display assembly.

46 July/August 2020 | informationdisplay.org


as Samsung and LG are hedging their bets and developing multi-
ple processes. Others appear to be systematically filing copycat
patents each time their competitors come up with a new idea.
Initially overlooked, the challenge of bonding the microLED
die and delivering proper interconnects to the backplane with
very small bonding pads is now getting more attention. Face-
book, VueReal, Mikro Mesa, and others are developing enhanced
low-pressure and low-temperature solutions that involve, for
example, interlocking nanoporous materials (Fig. 8).
Another significant thrust area is microLED chip structures.
Major axes of research revolve around improving efficiency,
devising structures suitable for mass transfer, or creating RGB
monolithic chips, which could simplify display assembly. The
dramatic drop in LED efficiency at small sizes is now well-doc-
umented, and its causes are better understood.5,6 Many patents
describe improved manufacturing technologies and structures
such as current confinement layers to reduce non-radiative
carrier recombination because of sidewall damages. Initially
overlooked, but equally important, are light extraction and beam
shaping, which are critical to ensuring that the highest possible
2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
MARKETPLACE
Fig. 7.
A breakdown of patent families per tech-
nology node. (Note: one patent family can
belong to multiple technology nodes.)
number of photons created at the diode
junctions actually escape the structure
and are directed toward the viewer. The
patents incorporate multiple technolo-
gies: die shaping (hexagonal die seem
to be in vogue at Apple, Plessey, Jade
Bird Display, Glo, and others), mirrors,
and more complex structures such as
photonic crystals (at the Industrial Tech-
nology Research Institute [ITRI] and Face-
book) and distributed Bragg reflectors
used as spectral and/or angular filters
by Hisense, PlayNitride, and China Star
Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT), for starters. More exotic is
the use of various liquid crystal layers to improve light extraction
and adjust the emission angle.
Many patents describe thin-film transistor (TFT) structures,
compensation, and driving schemes adapted to the specific-
ities of microLED, such as external quantum efficiency (EQE)
variations and wavelength shift with current density. However,
some companies, including Apple, are looking at disruptive archi-
tectures based on microdrivers, or so-called smart pixels, where
transistors and capacitors are integrated directly with a single
LED die or a full RGB pixel before singulation and assembly on
a simplified backplane.7 Other innovative concepts are emerging,
such as hybrid OLED + microLED displays, as well as pixel-level
antennas for wireless data transfer between pixels and drivers,
or even radio frequency coupling to energize the microLED dies.
Monolithic microdisplays are built by bonding a full array of
microLED directly on a silicon (Si)-CMOS backplane. No technol-
ogy currently exists that allows for the growth of RGB microLED
emitters on the same wafer with satisfactory performance. As
Fig. 9 shows, many companies are working on resolving this issue.
Many companies also are looking to take advantage of unique
and distinctive microLED features such as high aperture (trans-
parent displays or sensor in displays) and the ability to design
borderless modules that open the door for arbitrarily large
displays assembled from individual tiles.
Thus, over the last two years, we have entered what can be seen
as either a virtuous cycle or a bubble. Display makers, although
initially dismissive, dominated microLED’s IP activity in 2019, and
now nearly every display company is accelerating its efforts in this
area, for fear of being left out. Korean companies are investing
massively in OLED, but microLED could be a credible alternative
for high-end TVs. Indeed, because Chinese makers are at least
three years behind Korea in OLED, microLED could be a differ-
Fig. 8.
VueReal’s US20190148321 patent describes various low-tempera-
ture microLED die attach and electrical interconnect methods
using two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures and 3D scaffolds to
create interlocking structures.
informationdisplay.org | 2020 July/August 47

MARKETPLACE
entiating play. Moreover, for companies such as AUO, Innolux,
Sharp, and JDI that haven’t invested in OLED, microLED could be
critical for long-term survival and offer an option to remain viable
in some high-end market segments without requiring OLED-like
multibillion dollar capital expenditures (capex).
To compete with LG’s white OLED and maintain its leadership
in the high TV market segment, Samsung Display announced an
$11 billion investment to develop and manufacture quantum dot
(QD)-OLED by 2021–2022. But Samsung is hedging its bets:
Its visual display group is developing microLED using in-house
mass transfer and chips developed by PlayNitride. The company
showed impressive 75- to 150-inch microLED TV prototypes
at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show. Samsung Display,
however, has a separate microLED development track: Since
2016, it has focused its efforts on nanorod microLED, which is
referred to as “QNED” and was initially developed by PSI and
Kookmin University. QNED can be dispersed into an “ink” and
assembled by fluidic self-assembly with inkjet printing tools. The
technology, therefore, mostly will be compatible with the manu-
facturing infrastructure currently being deployed for QD-OLED
while solving some of its major issues: blue OLED emitters’ low
efficiency and lifetime. Between the two extreme scenarios of
broad microLED success or anecdotal success in various niche
markets, QNED could open a third path by blending microLED
48 July/August 2020 | informationdisplay.org
2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Fig. 9.
Architectures for full-color monolithic
microLED microdisplays. (Note: the list of
companies is nonexhaustive.)
into more established display technolo-
gies (Fig. 10).
To date, more than 20 companies have
demonstrated microLED display proto-
types. As confidence increases that
the mass transfer and chip efficiency
conundrums can be resolved, there is
an increased push to address topics that
previously were seen as second-order
issues: light extraction and shaping, driving, and display designs,
as well as any concepts that would increase manufacturability
and yields and reduce cost. Efficient yield management and repair
strategies are as critical as mass transfer to enable microLED
displays. Still, efforts in those areas are limited and appear insuf-
ficient, although in many cases, companies are advancing on the
topic but not filing IPs to protect trade secrets.
Quantity doesn’t always mean quality. Not all patents present
realistic solutions or differentiating innovations. While their
patent portfolio might be of inconsistent quality, established
players shouldn’t underestimate the threat posed by Chinese
competitors: Some of their patents show world-class innovation
and demonstrate a firm resolve to close the gap with established
rivals. Additionally, in high volumes, even low-quality patents can
be used as bargaining tools to fend off infringement lawsuits and
negotiate cross-licensing agreements.
The proliferation of subpar patents, however, may hinder
innovation as it increases barriers to entry. Companies need
increasing resources to conduct freedom-to-operate analysis,
monitor patent activities, invalidate wrongly granted patents,
and respond to infringement lawsuits.
Many companies now have broad portfolios addressing multi-
ple technology nodes. Licensing and legal battles probably will
arise if microLED displays enter volume manufacturing. Except
Fig. 10.
Samsung Dis-
play’s nanorod
(also known as
“QNED”) process
and integration
into a quantum
dot (QD)-OLED-
like architecture,
where the blue
OLED emitters are
replaced by na-
norod microLED
“ink.”

in the field of microdisplays, where the most capex-intensive
manufacturing steps easily can be outsourced, start-ups and
small companies are not planning to become display makers.
Rather, most will focus on their core expertise and attempt to
license their technology to established display makers and OEMs.
Overall, microLED technologies are progressing quickly. Multi-
ple manufacturing and technology issues require solutions, though,
before bulk production of consumer display products can begin.
There is still a risk that microLED might never materialize or remain
confined into various higher-added value markets (for example,
automotive or luxury TV) or applications where they are highly
differentiating or enabling (such as AR). The road to commercial
products may be far. However, there is a proliferation of players—
especially display makers with large resources—who can shop
around to acquire licenses for the most suitable technologies
developed by various pioneering start-up companies, and fill in
the blanks with their own technology and patent portfolios. This
could create an exciting environment and brighter prospects for
microLED and accelerate commercialization. ID
References
1 Jin, SX et al. GaN microdisk light emitting diodes. Applied Physics
Letters. 2000;76:631.
2 Virey E, Baron N. MicroLED Displays – Intellectual Property Status &
Measuring DISPLAY WEEK
AUGUST 3-7 2020
colour in
a world
of light!
test and measurement devices for colour
and light measurements in development and
production processes
contact us!
- • USB and RS232 communication interfaces
info@admesy.com
admesy.com
2637496x, 2020, 4, Downloaded from https://sid.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/msid.1135 by Cochrane Poland, Wiley Online Library on [24/07/2023]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
MARKETPLACE
Landscape 2020 report, Yole Développement, 2020.
3 Virey E, Bouhamri Z. Next generation TV panels: new technologies,
features and market impact report, Yole Développement, 2019.
4 Virey E, Bouhamri Z. MicroLED displays report, Yole Développement,
2019.
5 Daami A et al. Electro‐optical size‐dependence investigation in GaN
micro‐LED devices. In: Society for Information Display 2017 Annual Sym-
posium Digest of Technical Papers. 2018;49(1):790-793.
6 Wong, MS et al. Improved performance of AlGaInP red mi-
cro-light-emitting diodes with sidewall treatments. Optics Express.
2020;28(4);5787-5793.
7 Templier F, Bernard J. A new approach for fabricating high‐perfor-
mance MicroLED displays. In: Society for Information Display 2017 Annu-
al Symposium Digest of Technical Papers. 2019;50(1):240-243.
Eric H. Virey, Ph.D., is a principal display
market and technologies analyst in the
Photonics, Sensing & Display division
at Yole Développement (Yole). Prior to
joining the company, he held research
and design, engineering, manufactur-
ing, and marketing positions with Saint-
Gobain in France and the United States. Virey received a
Ph.D. in optoelectronics from the National Polytechnic
Institute of Grenoble. He can be reached at virey@yole.fr.
Hyperion
colorimeter
series
• Nearly perfect CIE1931 filter characteristics
• High sensitivity & high dynamic range
• High speed flicker & colour measurements
• All calculations done inside
• Colour measurement in XYZ, Yxy, Yu’v’
informationdisplay.org | 2020 July/August 49