Jingyuan Optoelectronics: Mini LED backlight will increase in volume next year, Micro LED will be postponed for one or two years

Epistar (2448-TW) held a shareholder meeting today (20) to talk about the progress of Mini LED and VCSEL business. General Manager Fan Jinyong said that VCSEL sensing orders have been obtained this year and shipments have begun, but it will take time to increase the volume; this year is a "very good year" for Epistar's Mini LED. There are many projects in progress, and end customers have already used Epistar's Mini LED. products and developed the world's smallest pitch display screen. It is estimated that Mini LED will account for about 20% to 30% of Epistar's blue LED production capacity next year.

In terms of the VCSEL business, Fan Jinyong said that some VCSEL sensing orders have been obtained this year and shipments have begun, but it will take some time to ramp up the volume. Currently, it has a certain market share in advanced switches. However, it is still working hard on higher-end ToF (time of flight) applications, and it is expected to be officially launched in another year.

At present, Epistar's VCSEL business is handled by its wholly-owned subsidiary Jingcheng Semiconductor. The company signed a strategic cooperation agreement with gallium arsenide factory Huanyu-KY (4991-TW) in January this year. Jingcheng Semiconductor will provide Huanyu's 6-inch wafer foundry services, while Huanyu and its subsidiaries will provide III-V compound semiconductor process technology support.

Regarding the progress of cooperation between the two parties, Fan Jinyong said that both parties are currently reviewing their respective technologies and what needs to be adjusted. It is expected that the relevant inventory will be completed this year, and the benefits of strategic cooperation will be more obvious next year.

In terms of Mini LED progress, Fan Jinyong said that this year is a "very good year" for Epistar's Mini LED. There are many projects in progress, and end customers have used Epistar's Mini LED products to develop the world's smallest pitch display screens. It is expected that from the second half of this year, Mini LED terminal products will begin to test the water temperature in the market. He is optimistic that Mini LED backlight and display applications are expected to increase simultaneously in the second half of next year. Next year, Mini LED It will account for about 20% to 30% of Jingdian's blue LED production capacity.

Li Bingjie, Chairman of Epistar, believes that the application of Mini LED will undergo significant changes from 2020 to 2022. Large-scale backlight Mini LED is expected to appear from next year to 2021. As for the promotion of Micro LED, it may have to be delayed by another 1 to 2 years.