Seoul Viosys Announces Rare-Earth-Free WICOP 3 White Micro-LED Production

Highlights

• Seoul Viosys has begun mass-producing WICOP 3, a white micro-LED that eliminates rare earth phosphors like yttrium and cerium used in conventional LEDs.
• The 25-by-10-micrometer chip achieves 0.015 lumens with efficacy near 100 lumens per watt; a 200 lm/W target within two years remains unverified.
• Claims of roughly half the manufacturing cost and decades of operational life lack independent cost and reliability data in the company's announcement.
• WICOP 3 retains gallium nitride, keeping exposure to gallium supply risk, and does not address rare earth demand in magnets or other applications.
• Commercial success depends on color quality, fixture-level efficiency, manufacturing yield, and qualified customer orders at competitive margins.