News: LEDs
8 January 2025
Aledia makes available micro-LED technology for immersive AR
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2025) in Las Vegas (7–11 January), Aledia S.A of Echirolles, near Grenoble, France (a developer and manufacturer of 3D micro-LEDs for display applications based on its large-area gallium nitride nanowires-on-silicon platform) has announced the availability of its micro-LED technology for augmented reality applications and next-generation displays for vision applications.
Tech giants are releasing prototypes and targeting commercial launches of micro-LED-based smart glasses as early as 2027. While AI-powered use cases for AR have emerged over the last year, critical hardware challenges — power consumption, bulkiness and manufacturing costs — remain significant barriers to mass adoption, notes Aledia.
After 12 years of R&D, a portfolio of nearly 300 patents and $600m in investment, Aledia reckons that its micro-LED-based micro-display – with red, green and blue micro-LEDs grown monolithically on the same substrate –can solve the toughest hardware challenges, paving the way for immersive, AI-powered AR vision.
“Immersive technologies such as AR haven’t reached their full potential as the industry has yet to design screens that are both slick and highly functional,” says president & CEO Pierre Laboisse. “We’ve created a nanowire technology that makes micro-LED displays thinner, more power efficient and easier to produce for mass adoption. By next CES, OLED and LCOS will already be phased out in favor of our superior micro-LED technology,” he reckons.
Aledia’s micro-LED platform for AR
Aledia says that its micro-LED technology based on 3D gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon nanowires opens the way to next-generation smart displays:
- The technology is said to deliver enhanced brightness and energy efficiency compared with 2D LEDs, along with superior pixel density and resolution. The 3D structure allows precise and directive light emission, making Aledia’s displays highly efficient and suited to advanced applications such as AR. During R&D testing, the nanowires improved directivity and light efficiency in real-world settings, which are crucial for immersive AR experiences.
- Aledia’s hybrid bonding technology combines micro-LED and driver electronics into what is claimed to be the smallest chip on the market, resulting in thinner displays and superior power efficiency for longer battery life.
- Aledia’s $200m in-house pilot production line in Europe’s ‘Display Valley’ enables faster iteration without initial volume constraint. By utilizing semiconductor-grade silicon in 8-inch and 12-inch formats, it lowers production costs for large-scale production of micro-LEDs, accelerating widespread adoption in a wide range of displays. Aledia is able to support customer demand ramp up to nearly 5000 wafer starts per week.
“Our Champagnier factory is a key milestone for European innovation, and we are proud to represent it at the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes Pavilion at CES,” says Laboisse. “We are redefining global standards of display technology with our efficient and high-performing chips, positioning Grenoble as the global center of micro-LED production.”
At CES 2025, Aledia is exhibiting its technology in booth 60711-04 (Hall G) at Eureka Park in the Venetian Expo.
Aledia exceeds 32% EQE for sub-1.5µm micro-LEDs
Aledia produces first micro-LED chips on 300mm silicon wafers
