Apple vs Meta, the Side That Solves the 'Red Color Issue' First Wins [Tech Talk]

VR·AR·MR, OLED Still Dominates
Next-Gen Display mLED Commercialization is Key
'Red Light Issue' Obstacle, Even Big Tech Faces Setbacks

Apple's mixed reality (MR) goggles, 'Vision Pro,' were recently released and have been praised by many media outlets as the most refined spatial computing device to date. However, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta and the biggest competitor in the goggle field at present, seems to welcome the competition with Apple.

In fact, CEO Zuckerberg reportedly said at an employee meeting last June that the Vision Pro did not introduce any new technology that they had not already encountered. His evaluation likely referred to the biggest challenge in the virtual reality (VR) goggle category: the 'display.'

Until now, OLED has dominated VR displays

Apple's new product Vision Pro
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Currently, VR, MR, and AR (augmented reality) goggles from Meta, Apple, and others use displays based on organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. In particular, Vision Pro enhances immersion by using 'micro OLED,' which reduces pixels compared to conventional OLEDs to increase screen resolution.

However, OLED alone has limitations in creating displays for virtual reality. To function properly, goggles and 'smart glasses' form factors require smaller and more efficient devices. This is the so-called 'micro LED (mLED).'

CEO Zuckerberg has poured astronomical amounts of money into mLED technology development for the past three years, but there has been little progress so far. Apple and other competitors currently have to settle for OLED.

Next-generation display technology mLED... 'Red light issue' is a stumbling block

Large micro LED display unveiled by Samsung Electronics at CES 2024. Due to yield issues, only a very limited number of large TVs are currently being produced.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

mLED is a miniature device that shrinks conventional LEDs by more than 100 times. By densely arranging mLEDs on a substrate to form a module, various display form factors (watches, glasses, goggles, etc.) can be built. Additionally, mLEDs generally have higher luminance than OLEDs, delivering more vivid images, consume much less power, and have longer lifespans.

These characteristics make mLEDs suitable for goggles and glasses-type displays. They are ideal for creating form factors that surround both eyes and reduce power consumption, which will also solve battery drain issues.

In fact, mLEDs are already being produced. South Korea's Samsung and LG Display sell large TVs equipped with mLEDs to enterprises. However, unlike OLEDs, mLEDs are currently very difficult to mass-produce.

The biggest obstacle lies in the characteristics of the LEDs themselves. Typically, LEDs consist of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) devices that form the smallest unit of a display, the 'pixel.' However, as LED sizes shrink, efficiency drastically drops depending on the color of each device.

For example, blue LEDs shrink to 5 micrometers (㎛) see efficiency fall from 90% to 40%. This level is manageable considering the advantages of mLED. The problem is with red LEDs. Their efficiency plummets from 60% to around 1%, making them almost incapable of emitting light.

Because of this, red LEDs are currently produced separately on specially made substrates. This means two different substrates must be used to make a single pixel, which significantly increases mass production costs and lowers yield. Ultimately, the 'red light issue' is blocking the commercialization of mLED.

Meta and Apple continue to face setbacks... but interest remains high

Meta has acquired mLED specialist developer 'Plessey' and has been conducting research for several years. The current goal is commercialization by 2027. [Image source=Plessey homepage]

Many companies are focused on solving the red device problem. Especially Meta and Apple, which could dominate the virtual reality market by adopting mLED, are moving most diligently. Meta acquired the mLED specialist research company 'PlayNitride' in 2020 and supported it with a massive research budget to develop smart glasses using mLED.

However, around June last year, the project was postponed. The issue again was the inability to solve the sharp efficiency drop of red devices. Instead, Meta has set a goal to release mLED-based smart glasses by 2027.

Apple has also shown great interest in mLED for a long time and, like Meta, has frequently faced setbacks. Over about ten years, Apple has invested more than $1 billion (approximately 1.3 trillion KRW) in mLED projects and partnered with German lighting specialist AMS Osram. However, Apple's mLED displays remain silent, and the recent Vision Pro also chose OLED instead of mLED.

Nonetheless, despite these challenges, industry interest in mLED remains strong. Foxconn, the Taiwanese company famous for manufacturing Apple iPhones, recently partnered with UK-based mLED manufacturing startup 'Porotech.' Porotech is developing technology that can maintain the brightness of red mLED devices without special equipment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.