Kopin wins another full-color MicroLED development contract for military use

On March 19, Kopin, a supplier of microdisplay technology and optical systems, announced that it had been awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract by the U.S. government to promote the research and development of new full-color, small-size Micro LED display technology to meet the needs of a series of man-portable applications.

According to Kopin, the company received a US$15.4 million IBAS contract in September last year. This contract is an additional project on this basis and will further accelerate the company's Micro LED design and manufacturing capabilities.

It is worth noting that this is also the second time in the past six months that Kopin has received a special Micro LED contract for an army project. This project supports the development of the second full-color Micro LED display specifically designed for individual soldiers. It aims to improve brightness and visual performance through the key Micro LED architecture, while reducing power consumption in near-eye defense applications, providing soldiers with clear information display and situational awareness advantages.

In addition to this SBIR contract, Kopin is expected to receive a follow-up development contract from the U.S. Army to ensure that Micro LED products and technology keep pace with the needs of the Army. Kopin said that these projects will enhance the Micro LED design and production capabilities in the United States, strengthen the supply chain in the United States, and support the Army’s goal of manufacturing Micro LED displays in the United States.

It is reported that the Micro LED technology being developed by Kopin is expected to play a key role in future weapon targeting system programs, providing warfighters with brighter, more durable and more efficient visual solutions.

Iwan Dodd, senior vice president of business development at Kopin, said that as the U.S. Army moves toward more advanced weapon sights and vision enhancement platforms, locally designed Micro LED displays will play a core role in brightness, durability and energy efficiency, ensuring warfighters have an advantage on the battlefield.

As a micro-display company, Kopin masters a variety of micro-display technologies, including active matrix liquid crystal (AMLCD), ferroelectric liquid crystal on silicon (FLCoS), Micro LED and organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and provides supporting optical components and low-power application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC).

Looking back at Kopin's development process in recent years, it can be seen that it has continuously accelerated the introduction of Micro LED micro-display technology in the field of defense applications, and has received multiple military Micro LED micro-display orders, including fighter HUD, army XR head-up display and other applications.