Taiwan-based INT Tech announced that it has produced new AMOLED microdisplay samples at its $143 million fab in Taizhou in Zhejiang province, China, and the company is still on track for mass production in Q4 2021.

The new 0.7-inch INT Tech uNEEDXR display is a direct-emission display that features a brightness of over 5,000 nits, 3147 PPI and a low power consumption (less than 500mW@5000nits).

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin has been developing direct-emission OLED microdisplay (also called directly-patterned, or dPd) for many years, and is considered to be the leading company - the closest one to commercialize such a display. A dPd will enable much higher efficiency/brightness compared to current designs based on color filters.

In the past eMagin reported of several leading companies that have licensed the technology and/or are working with the company towards the design of custom dPd OLED displays for future AR/VR products. In 2017 for example eMagin reported of a Tier-1 CE company that licensed its dPd tech, and in 2020 the company said it started a new consumer-related AR development project for a next-generation display for a Tier-1 customer.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin reported mixed quarter results for Q2 2021. Production issues and unexpected manufacturing tool downtime reduced revenues, but the company says it increased shipments to military, medical and other customers. Revenues in the quarter were $6.3 million (down from $7.7 million in Q2 2020). Net loss in the quarter was $0.3 million (but this includes a $2.6 million non-cash profit due to change in value of a warrant liability).

eMagin says it continued to make steady progress on the direct-emission microdisplay project, and remains on schedule to produce full-color prototypes this year. eMagin also reports it is ramping up production of its latest XLE technology (which still uses color filters) and has closed a major design win with a military customers for XLE OLED microdisplays.

OLED microdisplay developer Seeya Information Technology was established in 2016, and in 2017 it started building a $300 million OLED 300 mm microdisplay production line. Seeya's fab is now in operation, with a yearly capacity of around 20 million displays (monthly capacity of 9,000 300 mm wafers).

Seeya quickly became a prominent display maker, who's currently producing high performance displays to global customers. The company says it's currently the world's largest OLED microdisplay maker by volume. Seeya's current standard displays include:

The Korean government launched a new project that aims to develop technologies for the production of OLED microdisplays for AR applications.

The new project, organized by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is led by AP Systems (APS). The project aims to produce a direct emission OLED microdisplay with a resolution of 4,000 PPI by 2024.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin posted its financial results for Q4 2020. Revenues for the quarter were $7.7 million (up from $7.3 million in Q3 2019) with contract revenue of $1.5 million reflecting continued work for a Tier-1 consumer company.

Net loss for Q4 2020 was $3.7 million. For the full year 2020, eMagin reports revenues of $29.4 million, up from $26.7 million in 2019. The net loss in 2020 was $11.5 million.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin announced reported its financial results for Q2 2020. Revenues reached $7.7 million, an increase of 44% from Q2 2019. Operating loss was $1.3 million (down from $2.8 million in Q2 2019).

eMagin says it continues to see strong demand for its microdisplays in the military market, and also in the medical market. At the end of the quarter eMagin's backlog was $13.3 million of products to be shipped in the next 12 months. Cash and equivalents at the end of the quarter were $11.5 million.

In 2012, we first heard that eMagin is developing direct emission (or direct patterning, as the company calls it) OLED microdisplays. Fast forward into 2020, and the company is aiming to soon start producing such displays (it already launched its first such panel, see more below). In this article we'll look into the technology and the latest updates from eMagin.

All current OLED microdisplays on the market from all producers use a white OLED with color filter. This is a simple design, but it is wasteful in energy, as the filters block around 80% of the light, and in addition to achieve the white color one needs to use a blue OLED emitter (in addition to a yellow one, or red and green ones) - and blue is the least efficient color for OLED emission.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin announced that the company received a $5.5 million award from the US Department of Defense to improve eMagin’s OLED microdisplay manufacturing capabilities.

The award was granted under the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program for OLED Supply Chain Assurance. These funds will be used for procurement and installation of capital equipment in eMagin’s NY-based manufacturing facility.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin reported its financial results for Q4 2019. Revenues were $7.3 million (up 35% from Q4 2018), and the net loss was $0.2 million (down from $2.4 million in Q4 2018).

The company's booking in Q4 2019 were a record for eMagin, exceeding $15 million. The company received 80 orders and it has started a new consumer-related AR development project for a next-generation display for a Tier-1 customer.