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Snap to acquire Micro LED/LCOS microdisplay supplier Compound Photonics

Recently, some media reported that Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, has acquired Compound Photonics, a US Micro LED/LCOS solution provider, and speculated that Snap plans to use LCOS technology in its AR glasses.

It is reported that Compound Photonics, founded in 2007, is a supplier of compact high-resolution microdisplay solutions for AR and MR, providing Micro LED displays, LCOS displays, optical engine reference designs and microdisplay development kits, etc. Serve.

In terms of LCOS, Compound Photonics has released the 0.34-inch LCOS microdisplay CP2K234 series, with 3.015μm pixels, 2048×2048 resolution, 1:1 aspect ratio, and can achieve retinal resolution (60 pixels) when combined with a 50-degree wide waveguide /Spend).

On the Micro LED side, Compound Photonics has collaborated with microdisplay technology developer Plessey Semiconductors and announced in February 2020 that it has lit the first 0.26-inch fully addressable Micro LED display module. However, a month later, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, acquired the licenses of all Micro LED products of Plessey, so there is no related news about the products.

Karl Guttag believes that the main reason behind the acquisition is Snap's interest in Compound Photonics' LCOS technology. Karl Guttag believes that it will take a few years for Micro LED solutions combined with waveguide technology to enter the consumer market, but in the long run, Micro LED is still one of Snap's development goals.

In addition, Karl Guttag believes that Facebook, which is also a leading social software company with Snap, has also launched a comprehensive layout in the field of VR/AR devices in recent years, which has greatly accelerated Snap's actions in the field of AR devices.

In addition to this acquisition of Compound Photonics, in May last year, Snap acquired AR waveguide display maker WaveOptics for more than $500 million (the company’s largest transaction in history), and released the third-generation Spectacles AR glasses, Equipped with a 3D waveguide display provided by WaveOptics, with a 26.3-degree field of view, the display can dynamically adjust the brightness to 2000 nits. In addition, Snap has also developed a series of applications for the new generation of AR glasses, including AR Mario games, AR concerts, AR dance tutorials, AR painting creation tools, etc.

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