MIT Engineers Pioneer Vertical microLEDs for Extended Reality Devices

MIT engineers have made a groundbreaking discovery in the world of displays by creating vertical full-color microLEDs. These microscopic LEDs are set to revolutionize how we experience augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) devices.

The age-old challenge with LEDs was their size – the smaller they got, the less effective they became. This challenge is especially noticeable in AR/VR devices where limited pixel density creates a noticeable “screen door effect.” But with the development of vertical microLEDs, the days of this unpleasant visual experience are numbered.

The team at MIT has found a solution to the size problem by stacking red, green, and blue LEDs vertically to form multicolored pixels instead of the traditional horizontal arrangement.

MIT Pioneers Miniature Micro-LEDs

MIT engineers have created the tiniest micro-LED pixels yet. Each pixel produces a full range of colors and is 4 micrometres wide – thinner than a human hair. With 5,000 per inch, the high-density pixels are the key to sharper, higher-resolution displays in compact sizes.

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Jeehwan Kim, says that they’ve proven that vertical pixelation is the future of small, high-resolution displays.

@MIT engineers invent vertically stacked #microLEDs; achieving greater pixel density vs placing them side by side could enable fully immersive #VR displays and higher-res digital screens https://t.co/D9mSxDmwm8 #microLED #VerticalLED pic.twitter.com/M9DeXDco1N

— Open Sky Communications (@OpenSky_PR) February 3, 2023

MIT Leads the Way with Inorganic Micro-LEDs

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are the leading digital display technology. However, they have limitations. Over time, OLEDs degrade and can result in permanent burn-in on screens. Additionally, the size limit of OLEDs limits their sharpness and resolution.

To overcome these limitations, researchers at MIT are exploring inorganic micro-LEDs. These diodes are made from single-crystalline semiconducting materials 100 times smaller than conventional LEDs. According to MIT, micro-LEDs have the potential to outperform OLEDs, consume less energy, and have a longer lifespan.

However, the challenge of fabricating micro-LEDs lies in their microscopic size and the need for precise alignment of each pixel. If a pixel is misaligned, the entire device is rendered useless.

The MIT team has solved this by developing a new, vertical LED approach for micro-LED fabrication. This method promises to be more efficient and less wasteful than the conventional horizontal pixel arrangement, as it does not require the same microscopic precision.

The featured image was gotten from news.mit.edu