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Display Repair: The Future of LED Display Production

According to MarketsandMarkets the global display market size is expected to reach around USD 174 billion in 2029 growing at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2024 to 2029.  The increased demand for displays in various industries especially the IT and healthcare industries, the increased demand of interactive displays such as wearable devices, AR/VR products in addition to the adoption of flexible displays are the major factors driving this market growth. OLED panels have been capturing market share and revenue that traditionally belonged to LCDs. They achieve this by offering advanced technological features like thin-film encapsulation and introducing innovative design possibilities, such as flexible and foldable displays, which were previously unavailable to product designers.  For instance, OLED displays are finding their way into many automobiles due to its use of bright colors with less power consumption than LCDs. 

In this article,  Display Daily addresses how OLED technology offers key benefits such as exceptional contrast ratios, rapid response times, and broad viewing angles. However, these strengths are offset by certain drawbacks, primarily higher production costs and a shorter operational lifespan. Production processes for displays face significant challenges, as many screens are rendered defective. These defects often manifest as non-functioning black pixels or pixels displaying incorrect colors, typically caused by faulty LEDs or malfunctioning circuit boards. Despite meticulous manufacturing practices, such errors are nearly inevitable, resulting in rejected displays that hinder productivity, increasing cost and waste. Current OLED production lines achieve a yield rate of around 70%, yet manufacturers still incur annual losses of $58 billion due to wastage. 

The defects in these displays are increasingly microscopic, often below 5 micrometers, making traditional repair methods insufficient. LED defects can also vary widely, from line breaks and particle contamination to pixel malfunctions, requiring versatile and precise repair solutions. HPCaP (High Precision Capillary Printing) by Hummink is currently the only technology capable of printing at micron and submicron scales and thus repairing micronic defects. 

 

HPCaP Technology: Transforming LED Display Repair

Hummink’s HPCaP printhead introduces a groundbreaking approach to addressing production defects in OLED displays, enhancing production yield for next-generation technologies. HPCaP’s printhead enables the correction of  high resolution defects that existing repair solutions cannot address  

  • Unmatched Resolution & Precision: HPCaP enables material deposition with resolutions down to one hundred nanometer, seamlessly repairing defects without compromising display performance. 
  • Conductivity: The repair lines created by HPCaP perfectly align with the original, maintaining the electrical and optical properties required for displays.
  • Adaptability: HPCaP can repair a range of defects, from fine lines and open circuits to encapsulation layers, making it an all-in-one solution for manufacturers.
  • Ease of Use: HPCaP simplifies the repair process with automated adjustments of process parameters, drastically reducing the complexity and effort compared to traditional methods. 
  • Scalability: Designed for integration into system integrator platforms, multiple HPCaP printheads can work together, making the technology ideal for mass repair of displays.

With HPCaP repair capabilities, a large number of the previously discarded displays can be used again without any losses and meeting the high-quality requirements. Figure 1 illustrates the repair process, highlighting how HPCaP printing can be effectively deployed after defect inspection to restore functionality. Figure 2 is a direct output from the NAZCA, Hummink’s advanced microprinter, illustrating the precise repair of silver lines by printing microconnections over the open defective areas. To watch the video clip demonstrating the precision of the NAZCA microprinter in action click on this link. 

Conclusion

As OLED technology advances, defects in displays are becoming smaller and more diverse, increasing the need for precise, scalable, and reliable repair solutions. HPCaP’s innovative printing technology offers a transformative approach to repairing LED displays, ensuring minimal waste and optimal production efficiency. Hummink is also currently working to expand this sustainable strategy to other industries, such as semiconductor packaging.  

Figure 1. HPCaP printing integration into the defect repair process.

Figure 2: Camera image from Hummink’s NAZCA printer, Illustrating the precise repair of silver lines by HPCaP technology

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The future is driven by nano-electronic objects, designed with growing complexity and continual miniaturization. But the thing is: no one can assemble them

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