The company said the it will use the funds to complete its product development and create the first-of-its-kind, high-volume 3D microLED manufacturing facility in the Grenoble area for an estimated capex of €40 million (excluding equipment).
Spun out of CEA-Leti in 2012, Aledia uses its proprietary technology to develop LED chips for next-generation displays for laptops, tablets, smartphones, smartwatches, augmented-reality glasses and large TVs.
“There is a major turning point coming in the $120 billion per year display market as microLED technology starts to replace the traditional LCD and OLED technologies,’’ said Giorgio Anania, Aledia CEO and cofounder. “In addition to being more efficient and brighter than current alternatives, with better colours, and a faster refresh rate, these new displays will be competitively priced.”
According to Anania, Aledia is the only company targeting this market with a nanocrystal technology that uses very large-size silicon wafers (200-300mm in diameter) and with processes developed by the microelectronics industry, as opposed to the traditional technology of planar, 2D LEDs built on smaller, layered sapphire substrates of 100-150mm diameter.
Aledia’s technology is protected by 197 patent families, making Aledia the leading French start-up company in France in filed patents.
“Clearly there is significant competition in this market, and this investment allows Aledia to accelerate substantially its development and establish world-class manufacturing capabilities,” Anania said.’
“The display industry is a large strategic market of the future, and Aledia is making a very ambitious play to become a leader in this space,” said Magali Joëssel, SPI fund director at Bpifrance, a leading investor in this round of funding.
"In a world where mobile computing has become essential, the need has never been greater for displays which are energy efficient, high definition and readable in all settings - indoor and outdoor. Aledia’s nanowire MicroLEDs are a key enabling technology for this next-generation of mobile consumer devices," said Marshall Smith, senior director materials management Intel at Intel Capital.
