Transparent displays , a brighter way of showing

You may already have crossed a transparent display, in the real world or in some science fiction movies. The futurist aspect appeals to the public and professional. This preference drives the growth of the transparent display market. The numbers are HUGE if I quote the report of Emergen Research: 1.26 billion in 2021 with a revenue CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 45% during the forecast period!!!

But not all the transparent screens are the SAME.

There are OLED, transparent LED, micro-LED. So how do they differ?and who is the leading producer of each category?

OLED?: organic light-emitting diode

LG Display launched a series of OLED in 2019. Right after, Xiaomi revealed the MTV Lux Transparent in 2020, set to become the world’s first mass-produced transparent TV. The impression was fantastic, but…a little odd to have a transparent TV in your salon and it wasn’t really priced for household uses.

However, it does an excellent job at museums, public transportation and other indoor environment. LG, the leader of OLED, has designed giant transparent OLED for airplanes, installed on the VVIP Boeing 767, so that the passengers can admire the view during their journey. According to LG, the transparent screen helps “to create a sense of openness and freedom in small cabins”. The company has also equipped subway windows in Beijing and Shenzhen, quite a modern scene.?

This technology is more wildly used in games, for example Nintendo Switch OLED at 319 USD. The price is indeed an advantage of OLED display. Unlike LCD, OLED doesn’t need a backlight to be transparent. The sector registers a CAGR of 45.9 and the market was valued at 1.26 billion USD in 2021!!

Micro LED

Compared to OLED, the transparency has been improved by Micro LED, which can attain 80% for segment displays and 70% transparency for matrix. The major difference between Micro LED and OLED is the material of their manufacture. Micro LED uses the GaN to replace the carbon in the OLED. Since GaN is a stable component, Micro LED provides a longer working lifespan. As to brightness, Micro LED can have 2000 nits to 100 000 nits, while OLED is always limited to 900-950 nits.

But actually, this technology is far way too expensive, mostly because of the expensive chips. “The market for micro-LED chips alone is expected to reach $2.7 billion by 2026, a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 241%”. A Japanese company Kyocera invented a technology in novembre 2022. They use Si to replace GaN or sapphire thus reduce greatly costs of manufacture.

The Playnitride from Taiwan is also a leading company in the field of Micro LED technology. It demonstrates the application of flexible Micro LED in automotive, turning windshields and windows into displays.

Transparent LED

Nexnovo announces to be the inventor of transparent LED display. Their first transparent LED dated 2009. Their special product, NB series of glass LED, can replace the glass structure and achieve 92% transparency. But with a pixel pitch 15.62× 45?mm (NB16), it’s designed for a long viewing distance. Then there is a holographic led screen, invented by Muxwave who provides 3.91?mm pixel pitch, much better.

Another option of transparent LED turns out to be transparent LED film screen. This display has the softness of a flexible screen and the high permeability of a transparent screen. More interesting, it is self-adhesive so the screen can stick on a shop window like wallpaper.?