Epistar has a comprehensive patent portfolio to enter into the supply chains of mini LED chip

It is reported that Epistar has partnered with TG to provide Mini LED chips for a major customer based in the US. Mini LEDs are simply LED chips that have been much smaller in size.Basically speaking, Mini LEDs and conventional LEDs have the same structural design and manufacturing process. For this reason, most of the key technologies behind Mini LEDs are protected under the existing patents for conventional LED chips. However, it is very difficult to clearly define which patents belong to which product type exactly.

As LED chips have been a very long period of development, five dominant LED manufacturers such as CREE, Epistar, Osram,etc loosens control the market through cross-licensing deals because of step by step expiration of some key patents. Especially in the Mini LED segment, entrants will have to focus on raising the efficiency of their products and optimizing their costs .

Epistar has strongly entered into the supply chains of both American and Korean brands because the efficiency of its Mini LED chips is well recognized in the market. While Epistar is facing fierce competition from LED chip manufacturers in Mainland China, bigger market share really depends on satisfying the needs of individual customers. Different customers or applications have their own specification requirements. For example, tablet displays have very high standards for power consumption, optical distance, etc. 

To meet these requirements, a LED chip manufacturer will have to adopt its technologies to solve the issues such as improving heat dissipation through current ventilation and coating an insulating layer to enhance reliability. For the above-mentioned issue, Epistar already has a mature encapsulation process and a comprehensive patent portfolio. The company has the capability to target customers that pay more attention to efficiency of products.