Plessey has introduced a microLED Direct-Drive display platform and development kit
Plessey has introduced a microLED Direct-Drive display platform and development kit based on its proprietary monolithic GaN-on-Silicon technology.
Plessey’s direct-drive displays provide OEMs and product developers with a solution to retrofit current products or develop new concept designs, around a compact, flexible and efficient microLED display.
Direct-drive targets specialised applications that require symbolic content, instead of individually addressed pixelised content. A small form factor of the Direct-Drive Display means it can be easily integrated into smart glasses, and head-mounted displays for navigation, sport and leisure, and optical instruments.
The symbolic content is fully customisable using monochrome or fully colourised segments with pixel capabilities down to 2-micron, allowing for ultra-fine, ultra-high-resolution detail.
The display is self-emissive, and it can be driven directly from an external source, requiring no backplane, which helps both simplify the manufacturing process and improve power consumption.
Direct-Drive will come ready to plug and play and includes Direct-Drive display (less than 5x5mm) and embedded driver with open-source firmware –the driver allows the die to be driven at up to 2A.
Also included is ATMEGA processor, rechargeable (USB), ultra-small battery, integrated Bluetooth connection, and technical documentation to support integration.
Available protocols are I2C/UART/SDI/USB.
Dr Samir Mezouari, optical engineering manager at Plessey, said: “With a total input power of 250 mW, Plessey’s native green segments can emit 2 million nits of brightness. For AR applications, the Direct-Drive displays can achieve a much higher brightness than OLED with a power consumption as low as 50 mW, allowing daytime viewing and a longer battery life.”
The Direct-Drive development kit is a starter package designed to be a fast, easy and scalable platform allowing developers to explore, evaluate and interact with small-form factor microLED displays.
These kits will be available to order at CES 2020.
Plessey operates 150mm and 200mm wafer processing facilities to undertake design, test and assembly of LED products, and a suite of photonic characterisation and applications laboratories.
