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Seoul Viosys Begins Mass Production of Rare-Earth-Free White Micro-LEDs
Key points
- Seoul Viosys mass produces WICOP 3, a rare-earth-free white micro-LED.
- Chips are as small as 10µm, replacing traditional YAG-based white LEDs.
- WICOP 3 uses no rare earths, plastics, silicone, or lead frames.
- Production cost is about half that of conventional white LEDs.
Rare-Earth-Free White LED Technology
Seoul Viosys Co Ltd (SVC) has announced the mass production of a new white light-emitting chip, WICOP 3, which operates without the use of rare-earth materials. For three decades, white LEDs have relied on rare-earth compounds like yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) layered onto blue LED chips. WICOP 3 breaks this dependency, offering a new approach to white light generation.
WICOP 3 Architecture and Miniaturization
WICOP 3 is the third generation of the Wafer Integrated Chip on PCB (WICOP) architecture, developed by Seoul Viosys and Seoul Semiconductor. This architecture eliminates the need for a package, allowing for smaller chip sizes. WICOP 3 extends this capability to white light, with chips as small as 10µm. Previous WICOP generations produced ultraviolet, blue, green, red, and infrared LEDs under 100µm.
Environmental and Cost Advantages
The new WICOP 3 technology addresses environmental concerns associated with rare-earth mining and processing. It also avoids synthetic silicone resins, plastics, and lead frames found in conventional LEDs. This results in a product that is more environmentally friendly and costs approximately half as much to manufacture compared to traditional white LEDs. The company states that WICOP 3 is the first white opto-semiconductor to achieve white light in a micro-LED smaller than 100µm.
Market Impact and Future Applications
White LEDs constitute about $10 billion of the $15 billion global packaged LED market. Seoul Viosys believes WICOP 3 can replace existing white LED technologies. The company anticipates that these miniaturized, durable micro-emitters, which generate white light solely from gallium nitride (GaN), could enable new applications such as embedding lighting directly into wallpaper or window glass, potentially creating new markets significantly larger than the current white LED market. A 25µm x 10µm chip produced 0.015lm of white light in initial mass production.
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Reporting from
Seoul Viosys has started mass production of WICOP 3, a white light-emitting micro-LED chip that does not use rare-earth materials. This development eliminates dependence on rare earths for white LEDs and offers a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to conventional white LEDs.