On September 30, the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park officially commenced production, with multiple MLED production lines and testing centers put into operation. This marks a milestone in KONKA’s semiconductor industry development, indicating that KONKA has taken a lead in the domestic MLED industrialization.
After three years, KONKA’s semiconductor optoelectronic industry has developed from scratch, forming a complete integrated industrial chain of research, production, and sales. This is a reflection of KONKA Group’s technological transformation and innovation-driven approach, laying a solid foundation for KONKA’s future expansion in the new display industry.
KONKA Semiconductor Industry “Bears Fruit”
In 2018, KONKA Group announced a strategic transformation, officially entering the semiconductor technology field. On September 30, 2019, the KONKA Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute was established in Chongqing Bishan; just a month later, on October 31, the KONKA Chongqing Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park broke ground 400 meters away.
After three years, KONKA has initially completed its industrial layout and technological leadership, now transitioning towards scale leadership and ecological leadership.
As of September 2022, the KONKA Research Institute has applied for over 1,400 patents, with the number of accepted patents accounting for 20% of Chongqing; the number of Micro LED patent applications ranks fourth globally; and rankings in various subfields such as LED chips, epitaxy, mass transfer, and display technology are also among the top.
In terms of core technology breakthroughs, KONKA has achieved industry leadership in several areas through original technological innovation in the MLED field, domestic substitution, and strong chain reinforcement:
—— Developed 4-inch and 6-inch red, green, and blue epitaxial wafers, with RGB full-color epitaxial wafers performing excellently in optical performance indicators such as high yield, high luminous efficiency, uniformity, and wavelength consistency, ranking among the industry leaders;
—— Developed several mainstream flip-chip MLED chips and vertical chips, with optical performance reaching industry standards, completing the full process capability;
—— The self-made hybrid mass transfer technology has achieved a yield of 99.99% after three years of technological iteration; special chip structure weakening and mass repair technology have realized original technological patent innovation and the localization of key equipment materials;
—— Independently developed a series of COB direct display products from P0.68 to P1.56, and progressed towards the Mini LED cinema screen market, even launching the industry’s first P0.12 Micro LED watch microcrystal screen in 2020, causing a sensation in the industry.
When KONKA announced its entry into the semiconductor industry four years ago, the outside world was skeptical. Now, with the continuous announcement of KONKA’s semiconductor optoelectronic innovative technological achievements and the official production of the KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park, KONKA has proven with solid facts that its development in the semiconductor industry is “serious,” and has paved a unique and advanced path for MLED industrialization.
The Chongqing KONKA Model: “Three Years to Forge a Sword”
In 2019, the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute and the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park were established in Bishan, becoming the strategic focus of KONKA’s layout in the optoelectronic technology industry. In August 2020, the research institute project commenced production.
In addition to establishing the research institute and industrial park in Bishan, KONKA also signed a contract in December 2020 to set up the Chongqing KX Semiconductor Equity Fund, mainly for investments in optoelectronic semiconductor new materials, semiconductor equipment, chips, IC design, packaging, and testing.
In Bishan, KONKA’s semiconductor optoelectronic industry has constructed a business model of “technology + industry + park + fund.” In March 2021, when the leaders of the Chongqing municipal government inspected the KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Research Institute, they summarized it as the “Chongqing KONKA Model.”
In the Chongqing KONKA Model, KONKA’s initial investment focuses on the research institute. The research institute helps KONKA maintain its technological forefront through continuous incubation and iteration, promoting KONKA to achieve large-scale industrialization goals while becoming the source of original technology in the industry. In the future, Bishan District will rely on the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute to build a trillion-level optoelectronic industry cluster.
On September 30, 2022, on the third anniversary of the establishment of the Chongqing KONKA Optoelectronic Technology Research Institute, the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park officially commenced production, completing the last link of the “research institute + industry + park + fund” Chongqing KONKA Model. Now, KONKA has full industrial chain technology and full process capability in Mini/Micro LED epitaxy, chips, mass transfer, and small pitch.
This production commencement has realized multiple project implementations at the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park: first, a complete process mass transfer pilot line has been established; second, an MLED testing center with comprehensive testing capabilities has been built; third, MLED direct display production lines and Mini LED backlight production lines have been established; fourth, an MLED chip production line has been built.
The successful production commencement of the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park marks KONKA’s breakthrough in the challenges of MLED mass production, enabling KONKA to seize market opportunities amid favorable policies and surging market demand, forming advantages in the international new display industry competition, accelerating KONKA’s efforts to establish a source of original technology and industrial ecological chain for new displays, and further promoting the industrialization and scaling development of semiconductor optoelectronics.
From the establishment of the research institute to the production commencement of the industrial park, the Chongqing KONKA Model has “forged a sword in three years,” promoting the process of research, incubation, and industrialization of technological achievements. On one hand, through the independent technological innovation of the research institute, it addresses the core pain points of MLED industry development; on the other hand, it has built the KONKA optoelectronic industrial park project, relying on the research institute’s technological achievements and core patents to incubate industries within the park, constructing a high-quality new display industry chain; while also guiding social capital participation, focusing on the industry, and leveraging the fund to accelerate the development of KONKA’s MLED industry, creating a high-quality new display industry ecological chain locally.
“Walking on Two Legs” Forms a Positive Cycle
The current Mini LED market is booming, and Micro LED is poised for takeoff. Based on this industry situation and KONKA’s MLED industrialization process, the Chongqing KONKA Optoelectronic Research Institute has formulated a clear strategy of “dual-wheel drive, two wings flying together,” achieving a “two-legged” approach for Mini LED and Micro LED businesses, forming a positive cycle of mutual empowerment and promotion.
Chongqing KONKA is driving the industrialization of Mini LED chips and direct displays through Micro LED technological innovation, while using Mini LED industrialization experience to promote various technological innovations in Micro LED. At the same time, further deepening MLED technology core, reserving next-generation chip technology, continuously promoting efficient mass transfer technology, and using advanced and solid technical foundations to drive the industrialization and scaling of chips + terminals, MLED display devices, accelerating the transition to “scale leadership and ecological leadership,” actively building a source of original technology, and becoming a national MLED leading enterprise.
After three years of effort, KONKA’s self-made Mini LED chips have been integrated into self-made MLED direct display product verification, and self-designed MLED backlight solutions have been introduced to KONKA televisions for the market… Through the industrial development path of “forging long boards and making up for short boards,” KONKA Optoelectronics Semiconductor has embarked on a high-quality development track, growing towards an ecological leading enterprise with industry chain control.
Li Hongtao, Chairman of the Chongqing KONKA Optoelectronic Research Institute, stated that the production commencement of the industrial park is a new starting point. In the future, the Chongqing KONKA Semiconductor Optoelectronic Industrial Park will strive to build an international first-class new display industry ecological chain and a characteristic intelligent park integrating optoelectronics and third-generation semiconductor research and development, manufacturing, and comprehensive support.
KONKA Group seizes the historic opportunity of China’s semiconductor development, having broken through the challenges of MLED industrialization in just four years, successfully commencing production at the industrial park, and leading the industry development. In the future, KONKA Group will focus on technological innovation as the core driver, actively collaborating and integrating resources from key upstream and downstream partners in the industry chain, promoting industrial incubation, cultivating an independent industrial chain, striving to form advantages in the international new display industry competition, and achieving a high level of technological self-reliance and strength.
