News: LEDs
11 August 2021
Porotech teams with micro-LED panel firm Jade Bird Display
Gallium nitride (GaN) material technology developer Porotech (a spin-out from the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride at the UK’s University of Cambridge) has announced its first partnership, in which it will provide active-matrix micro-LED panel firm Jade Bird Display (JBD) of Shanghai, China with its porous GaN technology.
Porotech says that its display technology enables brighter, sharper, more vivid micro-displays for even the smallest devices. Micro-LEDs represent next-generation technology for displays in products such as smartphones, smartwatches and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) headsets. They are particularly useful in outdoor settings, where sunlight can often make existing displays difficult to see clearly. However, the performance of existing micro-LED technologies deteriorates as the device size decreases.
Porotech has created a new class of porous GaN semiconductor material that is said to offer performance improvements suitable for mass production and can be customized for individual customers’ needs.
Last November, Porotech launched the first commercial native red indium gallium nitride (InGaN) LED epiwafer for micro-LED applications. JBD now plans to use Porotech’s porous GaN templates to manufacture InGaN-based red micro-LED displays for use in applications such as VR/AR headsets, AR smart sports goggles and head-up displays.
“This partnership will enable both JBD and Porotech to meet the demands of micro-LED displays in the future,” reckons Porotech’s CEO & co-founder Dr Tongtong Zhu. “Micro-LED displays using GaN-based material technology are widely seen as the only technology that can deliver displays bright and efficient enough to meet the requirements of VR and AR. Our proprietary technology is robust but also flexible enough to be tailored to the needs of different applications,” he adds.
“JBD can see the enormous potential of Porotech’s breakthrough – and we are keen to work with this revolutionary technology to create a new generation of microdisplays,” says JBD’s founder & CEO Qiming Li.
In June, to fund the next stage of development of its unique micro-LED production technique, Porotech raised £3m in a funding round led by European venture capital fund Speedinvest, joined by previous investors IQ Capital, Cambridge Enterprise, Martlet and Cambridge Angels.
Porotech raises £3m to fund development of micro-LED production technique
Porotech launches first native red InGaN LED epiwafer for micro-LEDs
Porous GaN firm Porotech completes £1.5m seed round
