r/augmentedreality • u/AR_MR_XR • 6h ago
6 Million Nits! Plessey and Meta Develop World’s Brightest Red microLED Display for AR Glasses Hardware Components
Plessey Semiconductors and Meta Platforms, Inc. announced the development of the world’s brightest red microLED display suitable for augmented reality (AR) glasses. The new red microLED display offers unparalleled brightness up to 6,000,000 nits at high resolution (<5um) with ultra-low power consumption–overcoming critical technical challenges that will help pave the way for the next computing platform.
This achievement follows Meta’s recent announcement of Orion, its true AR glasses prototype and the result of breakthrough inventions in virtually every field of modern computing. Orion combines the look and feel of a regular pair of glasses with the immersive capabilities of AR due to its industry-leading 70-degree field of view, silicon carbide high-performance waveguides, custom silicon, microLED projectors, integrated input system, and more.
As part of its long-term commercial agreement, Plessey is continuing to work with Meta by dedicating its manufacturing operations to support the development of prototypes and new technologies for potential use in the XR category.
Jason Hartlove, Vice President of Display and Optics, Meta’s Reality Labs, said: “We are building the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible. These types of breakthroughs are crucial to build AR glasses that help people stay more present and empowered in the world with a form factor people actually feel comfortable wearing. Our work with Plessey has pushed the boundaries of what’s previously been possible, and it’s only the beginning–the future is starting to look up.”
Dr Keith Strickland, CEO of Plessey added: “Plessey is proud to be working alongside Meta to drive the development of microLED display technology. Our combined expertise and resources have enabled us to achieve something truly remarkable. The collaboration between Meta and Plessey has delivered a major breakthrough in the development of AR technology, and we are excited to see the impact that this innovation will have on the industry. With the world’s brightest red microLED display, we are one major step closer to making AR glasses a mainstream reality.”
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u/saji8k 5h ago
This is good as red is the hardest MicroLED to make.
Too bad that press release from 2019 didn't give any indication of brightness back then. We could see how far they have come along in 6 years.
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u/GrimTuck 3h ago
Interesting that it's the opposite in difficulty compared to regular LED where red was easiest and blue/white the hardest.
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u/AR_MR_XR 5h ago
Plessey Achieves Native Red InGaN LEDs on Silicon for Full Color Micro LED Displays
https://www.ledinside.com/news/2019/12/plessey_ingan_red_led_microled
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u/ICantBeliveUDoneThis 4h ago
This is actually huge because it's direct GaN-on-Si red microLEDs. Red has always been the problem and this is the holy grail. No quantum dots. No need for a second material system (AlInGaP), which drives up production costs a lot. Now they can be fabricated identically to blue and green if it's true. This is the most direct, cleanest, and cheapest solution. The problem is it is extremely difficult to grow red GaN-on-Si compared to blue or green. Hope they give some more details on the performance numbers or a paper.