Based in France, Aledia plans to manufacture three-color pixels for high-performance video displays using disruptive technology.
Aledia is a key partner in the Nanoelec Displed program, whose goal is to bring back high-performance video screen production to Europe. In 2022, the company completed the installation of its pilot line in Echirolles. It is continuing the construction of its production facility in Champagnier, with the first equipment being installed in 2023. The initial building spans 5,000 square meters, and several hundred jobs will be created.
By leveraging the expertise developed in collaboration with CEA, SET, and EVGroup through Nanoelec, Aledia aims to develop three-color smart pixels (red-green-blue) on the same CMOS wafer to achieve a more advanced technology for improved image quality. The process has been demonstrated on standard 200 mm diameter silicon wafers, but the goal is to transition to the 300 mm standard to ensure cost-competitive production volumes.
The very first results on nanowire technology implanted on a gallium nitride substrate were presented by Philippe Gilet, Aledia’s technical director, at the Display Week in May 2022 in the USA. “The international market for consumer displays is estimated at $120 billion annually, and industry players are in search of next-generation technology,” explained Philippe Gilet, highlighting the promising advantages of MicroLEDs compared to current LCD and OLED technologies. He added that “3D MicroLED chips, with low current density, small size, and lower cost, can be more efficient than 2D MicroLEDs manufactured on a sapphire substrate. This technology is expected to enable brighter, more energy-efficient screens, a new architecture for electronic integration, and native RGB (red-green-blue) monolithic integration on a single chip.”
Aledia is building its new facility at Champagnier, in the Grenoble area © Aledia