Seoul Semiconductor has entered Samsung Electronics' Mini LED supply chain

CINNO Research Industry News: Seoul Semiconductor has entered Samsung Electronics' Mini LED supply chain. Although the supply is not large, it is expected to be of great significance in expanding cooperation with Samsung Electronics on Mini LED and Micro LED.

According to a report by Korean media thelec on the 20th, Seoul Semiconductor has entered the supply chain of Samsung Electronics' new Mini LED TV product Neo QLED and has already supplied some Mini LEDs. Seoul Semiconductor has become Samsung Electronics' second source of Mini LEDs after Sanan Optoelectronics, the main supplier of Samsung Electronics' Mini LEDs, and Sanan's supply accounts for a large proportion.

Previously, in addition to Sanan, Taiwan's Epistar and PlayNitride were also rumored to be expected to enter Samsung Electronics' Mini LED supply chain, but they ultimately decided to focus their efforts on other client companies such as Apple. It is reported that Sanan has a competitive advantage in Mini LED prices.

It is speculated that Seoul Semiconductor entered Samsung Electronics' Mini LED supply chain at the end of the first quarter of this year. After introducing Seoul Semiconductor, Samsung Electronics can cope with the abnormal supply of Mini LED from Sanan and the unexpected demand for Mini LED.

Seoul Semiconductor can expect to increase the supply of Mini LED as Samsung Electronics' Neo QLED sales grow. Samsung Electronics' Mini LED TV Neo QLED is a strategic product targeting this year's high-end TV market. However, the continuous rise in the price of Mini LED TV LCD panels since the second half of last year may become a stumbling block.

In the long run, Seoul Semiconductor will also aim to supply Micro LED to Samsung Electronics. The Wicop technology developed by Seoul Semiconductor is different from the traditional chip CSP. It can be assembled directly on the ordinary assembly line without the need for packaging process. Seoul Semiconductor said that both Mini LED and Micro LED can use Wicop technology.

Samsung Electronics plans to introduce the RGB One Chip transfer technology in the first half of this year, which can reduce the number of core processes. The RGB One Chip method does not require the transfer of RGB chips to the substrate one by one, but can integrate RGB into one chip.

If RGB is integrated into one chip, the chip size will be larger than the existing RGB pixel chip, so the transfer difficulty will be relatively reduced. The number of times the chip is transferred to the printed circuit board is reduced to one-third, and the shortened process can improve production efficiency. It can also reduce the number of repair processes, thereby reducing the unit price of the product.

Currently, the price of Mini LED TV products far exceeds 100 million won (about 580,000 RMB). Samsung Electronics is expected to ship less than 1,000 Mini LED units this year, and it is difficult to gain a share in the TV market this year. It is reported that the Mini LED suppliers of Samsung Electronics' Mini LED product The Wall are PlayNitride and Sanan.