Already a leader in OLED display technology, the South Korean government will invest 484 billion won ($346 million) by 2032 to develop various LED display technologies.
According to South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Yonhap news agency, the money will be invested in developing technologies like microLED and QD-LED (nanoLED) and in cultivating the industrial ecosystem in South Korea.
The ministry refers to these technologies collectively as 'iLED' (inorganic light-emitting diodes), which should be understood as an umbrella term rather than a specific type of LED display.
Could challenge OLED
The ministry said that while South Korea maintains a lead in the OLED market and technology, it is lagging behind in 'iLED' technology. It currently depends on LED chips and materials mainly from China.
MicroLED is a type of light-emitting diode small enough to act as individual (sub)-pixels, negating the need for LCD panels, as seen in super-expensive and large-sized "microLED TVs".
Also read: First look: Samsung's 110" microLED TV
Samsung's 'The Wall' microLED TV at CES 2019
Meanwhile, QD-LED (nanoLED) is a method to apply electricity directly to quantum dots to make them light up in color – no separate LEDs are needed. This technology was originally known as QLED before the term was hijacked for LCD TVs.
Also read: Samsung EL-QD (NanoLED) TVs could arrive 'within a few years'
The global "iLED" market is projected to grow from $1 billion in 2026 to $32 billion by 2035.
- Source: Yonhap
