Seoul Viosys Co. Ltd has begun mass production of WICOP 3, a white LED chip that eliminates the need for rare-earth materials and conventional packaging. The technology produces white light using gallium nitride (GaN) and supports chip dimensions below 100µm. White LEDs traditionally use a blue LED chip coated with a phosphor material, commonly yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG), to generate white light. Seoul Viosys said WICOP 3 removes this requirement, extending its package-free WICOP architecture to white LEDs. The company’s first mass-produced WICOP 3 chip measures 25µm by 10µm and produces 0.015 lumens. Its chromaticity falls within the CIE standard white region, while luminous efficacy is approaching 100 lumens per watt. Seoul Viosys aims to increase this to 200lm/W within two years. The technology also eliminates the silicone resins, plastics and lead frames used in conventional packaged LEDs. According to the company, manufacturing costs are approximately half those of conventional white LEDs. Seoul Viosys and parent company Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd developed the WICOP architecture to remove LED packaging, which has traditionally protected semiconductor devices from moisture and contamination. The first-generation technology entered mass production in 2018 and was subsequently extended to ultraviolet, blue, green, red and infrared devices smaller than 100µm. WICOP 2 added lens-free light direction and operation at 12V and 24V. The company said the technology is used in electric and hybrid vehicles, including products supplied to Tesla, where high-voltage opto-semiconductors can reduce power consumption by 20%. WICOP 3 addresses another limitation of the architecture: producing white light without rare-earth-based phosphors. Seoul Semiconductor founder Chung Hoon Lee said the company has begun mass production and plans to start supplying customers in the fourth quarter, prioritizing those that have respected its intellectual property. Beyond lighting, the group is targeting micro-LED applications in augmented reality (AR) displays and AI optical communications. For data transmission, Seoul Viosys is developing arrays containing about 1,000 WICOP chips, each approximately 10µm in size, within an area of 1mm² or less. The company claims these optical links can deliver 10 times the data transmission speed of copper connections while consuming one-tenth the power. Seoul Viosys is seeking upstream and downstream supply chain partners for micro-LED-based AR displays and AI optical transmitters. The company cited market forecasts from research firms including Omdia that project a potential $60 billion market for these technologies and AR within five years. The group said it plans to develop these applications with key customers rather than compete directly with them, following its stated policy of maintaining customer relationships. The post Seoul Semiconductor Begins Mass Production of Rare-earth-free White Micro LEDs appeared first on EE Times Asia .