Seoul Biosys Begins Production of Rare Earth-Free White Micro LEDs

Seoul Biosys has begun mass production of white micro LEDs using its third-generation WICOP technology, which produces white light without rare-earth phosphors, separate packaging, or conventional packaging components. Traditional white LEDs typically combine blue chips with phosphors such as yttrium aluminum garnet. The first WICOP product measures just 25 by 10 micrometers and delivers 0.015 lumens in the white region of international color coordinates, with efficiency of about 100 lumens per watt. The company aims to double that efficiency to 200 lumens per watt within two years. It says eliminating rare-earth materials and materials such as silicone resin, plastic, and lead frames could cut production costs by half while reducing environmental impact.

WICOP mounts LED chips directly onto substrates without wires or separate packaging. The technology has already been applied to ultraviolet, blue, green, red, and infrared micro LEDs, and the addition of white light broadens its potential uses. Seoul Biosys and Seoul Semiconductor plan to prioritize deliveries to existing major customers from the fourth quarter while developing new markets, including augmented-reality displays and optical communication for AI data transmission. They are also investigating data transmission using densely arranged LEDs around 10 micrometers in size. The opportunity is substantial: Omdia forecasts that micro LED display revenue could rise from $10.54 million in 2026 to about $6.8 billion by 2032, driven in part by smart glasses and other very small displays.