Porotech claims ‘world first’ in micro-LED dynamic pixel tuning

05 May 2022

Fully tunable color on a single pixel achieves a new industry milestone, says UK-based firm.

Porotech, a developer of micro-LED and GaN-based semiconductor material technology, is to present its DynamicPixelTuning on its PoroGaN microdisplay platform at Display Week in San Jose, California, next week.

The Cambridge, UK-based company says that this “breakthrough makes it possible to create full-color or tunable-color displays using identical pixels from a single wafer – achieving color uniformity while eliminating complex fabrication processes.”

It added that the achievement will “accelerate the commercialization of micro-LEDs, mini-LEDs and LEDs to deliver next-generation display products for AR/MR/VR applications, smart wearable devices, smart displays and large-scale direct view displays.”

Porotech is the first company in the world to unlock dynamic color tuning of LED chips and pixels. Its PoroGaN platform makes it possible for each individual tiny LED on an epiwafer to emit all colors of the visible spectrum.

At this stage, the Porotech proof-of-concept displays are tunable monocolor, with uniform brightness and color for display products in the micro (µm) and nano (nm) pixel space. But the company’s proprietary PoroGaN platform and Dynamic Pixel technology are paving the way to a monolithic full-color RGB display “very soon”, the company stated.

One-step wafer-to-wafer bonding

The PoroGaN platform also enables a one-step wafer-to-wafer bonding process – removing key manufacturing barriers for full and tuneable color microdisplay fabrication, thereby increasing yields and reducing production costs and time to market.

“We have revolutionised GaN-based semiconductor materials and structures, which underpins our breakthrough of realising all colors on a single pixel across the full spectrum,” said Porotech CEO and co-founder Dr Tongtong Zhu. “PoroGaN’s wavelength-agnostic optoelectronic properties also simplify electronic and optoelectronic system design integration.”

Micro-LED and mini-LED display fabrication remains challenging due to the multi-phase processes currently required to manipulate elements at the micro and nano scale. “With Porotech’s porous GaN technology and scalable architectures, the PoroGaN platform significantly simplifies the mass-transfer or pick-and-place process,” said Dr Zhu.

“In the case of microdisplays, it eliminates the need for transfer by allowing wafer-scale bonding of epiwafer to backplane in a single step. The simplification of the process delivers high efficiency and high yield solutions, leapfrogging full-color micro-LED and mini-LED displays as viable mass-market products for next-generation display applications,” he added.

The PoroGaN platform is configurable to LED epiwafers for both micro-LED and mini-LED chip processing. Other configurations include chip-on-wafer, chip-on-tape and tuneable material platforms.