Seoul Viosys Launches Rare-Earth-Free Micro-LED Technology
South Korean opto-semiconductor manufacturer Seoul Viosys has announced the mass production of a new white light emitter that eliminates the need for rare-earth materials. For the past thirty years, the white LED industry has relied heavily on coatings like yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) applied to blue LED chips. By utilizing its proprietary WICOP (Wafer Integrated Chip on PCB) architecture, Seoul Viosys has successfully bypassed these traditional components, moving to a production model that relies entirely on gallium nitride (GaN).
The new technology, branded as WICOP 3, allows for the creation of white light micro-LEDs smaller than 100µm. This is a significant milestone for the industry, as previous methods for producing white light required packaging and rare-earth elements, which effectively prevented the production of chips smaller than 1000µm. By removing these constraints, the company has created a product that is not only environmentally cleaner by avoiding synthetic silicone resins, plastics, and lead frames, but also significantly more affordable, with production costs estimated at half that of conventional white LEDs.
Beyond its environmental and cost benefits, WICOP 3 is designed for long-term durability, as the absence of synthetic organic materials allows the chips to last for decades. Seoul Viosys suggests that this technology could revolutionize interior lighting by enabling the integration of nearly invisible micro-emitters directly into window glass or wallpaper, potentially eliminating the need for traditional light fixtures.
Technically, the initial mass-produced chips measure 25µm by 10µm and achieve a luminous efficacy of approximately 100lm/W, with a company target of reaching 200lm/W within the next two years. These micro-emitters also offer high-speed data transmission capabilities suitable for the AI era. By arranging 1,000 chips in a dense grid, the technology can transmit data ten times faster than copper wiring while consuming one-tenth of the power.
The Seoul Group, which includes Seoul Semiconductor and Seoul Viosys, plans to begin shipping WICOP 3 products in the fourth quarter of 2026. The company intends to prioritize supply to customers who have historically supported its intellectual property. Industry analysts project that the combination of this micro-LED technology and augmented reality applications could generate a new market worth $60 billion within the next five years.
Sources: Hacker News
Aggregated summary. Original: Hacker News