Ingantec reports 20%+ EQE in 5-micron red InGaN microLEDs

Ingantec says it has demonstrated more than 20% peak external quantum efficiency in 5-µm-class red InGaN microLEDs built on conventional c-plane structures, a step the company says could help simplify monolithic RGB microdisplay manufacturing. The results were presented at TechBlick’s MicroLED Connect in Eindhoven and include stable red emission near 620–625 nm at elevated current densities.

Why it matters: - Ingantec says the work advances native red InGaN emitters, one of the hardest problems in microLED display development. - A practical red InGaN platform could reduce reliance on heterogeneous red-emitter assembly and mass-transfer workflows. - Stable red emission from a common III-nitride platform could make monolithic RGB microdisplays easier to build and calibrate.

What happened: - Ingantec announced more than 20% peak external quantum efficiency in 5-µm-class red InGaN microLEDs fabricated on conventional c-plane epitaxial structures. - Alan Yeung, Ingantec co-founder and CEO, presented the results at TechBlick’s MicroLED Connect in Eindhoven. - The devices emit near 620–625 nm, with peak EQE at 4–5 A/cm². - The devices were shown on planar InGaN architectures rather than quantum dots, nanowires, nanopyramids or photonic-crystal structures.

The details: - The devices reach their reddest emission at the same operating region where peak EQE occurs. - EQE remains in the roughly 5% to 8% range at current densities from 40 to 140 A/cm². - Ingantec says the results show current-density robustness along with spectral control in micron-scale pixels. - The optical measurements were taken at UC Santa Barbara using integrating-sphere measurements on planar InGaN devices. - Ingantec says the measurements confirm true bulk efficiency. - The company links the progress to its proprietary Spectrally Stable Red technology and epitaxial and strain-engineering work developed with UC Santa Barbara. - Ingantec says the technology is being developed for augmented- and mixed-reality displays, automotive head-up displays, mobile devices, high-brightness microdisplays, medical diagnostics devices and advanced photonic systems.

Between the lines: - Red InGaN has long faced material and performance barriers, including strain, defects, carrier localization, quantum-confined Stark effect, efficiency loss and wavelength shifts. - The reported combination of efficiency, spectral stability and small pixel size suggests a path toward more display-friendly native red emitters. - The emphasis on conventional planar InGaN matters because it points to wafer-scale manufacturing instead of more exotic device geometries. - The company is positioning the technology as a platform play for both display and photonics markets, not just a single product demo.

What's next: - Ingantec is pushing the technology toward wafer-scale manufacturing and commercial foundry integration. - The company says its development platform includes 4-inch InGaN-on-sapphire wafers with hundreds of millions of potential red emitters. - Ingantec is inviting display manufacturers, semiconductor foundries, backplane developers, optical technology companies and advanced-packaging partners to collaborate. - Key collaboration areas include microLED displays, medical diagnostics sensing, automotive HUDs, high-energy photonic systems, CMOS backplane integration, wafer manufacturing and advanced packaging.

The bottom line: - Ingantec says it has crossed a key threshold for native red InGaN microLEDs: high efficiency, stable color behavior and 5-µm-scale operation on a conventional platform.