The complexity of this bench was linked to the particularities of the components to be tested, resulting in tight technological constraints. The design and installation of such a bench calls for in-depth knowledge in several fields including physical interactions between light and matter, optical technologies and manipulation of precision optical components and laser technologies.

This customer, not having the skills in optical test bench engineering, called on PISÉO to make one. The project was segmented into three parts: specification, design, and construction and validation.

Laser light has very specific properties, such as a precise wavelength and coherent and directed light emission. The components to be tested, due to their structure, respond differently to light stimuli depending on these properties. The measurement bench must therefore be able to control quantities such as power, beam direction, polarization, modulation and time profile.

Design and assembly of the laser test bench

From the specification and the architecture, designing the bench involved sizing all the structures and electro-optical components necessary in detail while ensuring a guarantee of performance, robustness, and reliability. This guarantee is highly dependent on the experience of the designers and the depth of their work. PISÉO’s optical bench experts can assess the critical parameters of optical, opto-mechanical, and electro-optical components affecting performance or conditions of use. Several technical details of optical components available from specialized manufacturers have been verified by a direct approach to suppliers, reinforced where necessary by optical calculations and simulations. This approach justifies the choices made as well as discarding components that had otherwise seemed to be suitable.

PISÉO also ensured that the laser measurement bench meets the appropriate safety standards, particularly regarding laser risk. As specialists in optical risk induced by artificial light sources, PISÉO engineers and technicians are trained in controlling the laser risk and able to define the protocols for handling the bench in safe conditions, both during the design phase and when used over time.

Performance characterization in the laboratory

This laser test bench has been validated on the basis of three levels of tests and performance characterization:

– Characterization of the beam produced at the different stages of its shaping. This approach is based on PISÉO’s precise and flexible measuring instruments including spectroradiometers, profile projectors, calibrated reference sensors, power meters, transimpedance amplifiers and high frequency oscilloscope. They make it possible to appreciate the multiple characteristics of the beam, such as the power, pulse timing, polarization, and direction of the beam.

– Calculation of uncertainties by analytical methods, justifying the measurement precision of the various parameters.

– Practical statistical methods including Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility applied to the different conditions of use of the test bench.

The characterization stage thus made it possible to optimize the settings and guarantee the required alignment of the optical part of the bench, to define the parameters for acquiring the signals measured, to perfect the test procedures, and to specify the checklist for verifying the proper functioning of the test bench prior to a test campaign.

Uncertainty calculations ultimately make it possible to give confidence to the measured values produced during production tests.

Practical validations show the level of robustness of the measurements carried out under laboratory conditions.

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Report objectives

After several years and many announcements, Mini-LED backlights are coming to the market. According to manufacturers’ claims, they will allow LCD displays to offer a contrast similar to OLEDs, while providing high brightness. All this while offering reduced power consumption, a very thin form factor (thickness), and cost/price competitiveness with OLED.

With its MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9, Samsung announces a brighter image for better contrast – all in 8K.

To evaluate the benefits of this new type of backlight, DXOMARK and PISÉO – leaders in the assessment of consumer electronics quality and photonic system architecture, respectively – have teamed up to produce this report.

To evaluate the display quality of the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9, DXOMARK carried out visual performance measurements. This report presents the test results and the performance comparison.

In order to understand the technology of the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9 backlight, PISÉO analyzed the optical architecture of the unit. This report includes a description of the height of the optical films integrated between the MiniLED array and the LCD panel.

Based on their own analyses, DXOMARK and PISÉO carried out a cross-analysis to show the links between the user experience and backlight optical construction.

Approach to analysis

Tests and quality analysis of the performance of the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9, based on DXOMARK protocol and covering:

• Still content and video at high and standard dynamic range (HDR and SDR): brightness, contrast, EOTF, color, angular performance, halo
• Artifacts: flicker, reflectance

To understand the technology of the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9 backlight, PISÉO analyzed the optical architecture of the unit by:

• Disassembling the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9 to access the backlight unit
• Delayering the optical stack
• Analyzing the material and the mechanical structure of each layer
• Analyzing the optical properties of each layer
• Analyzing the LED emission characteristics and the local dimming features at LED board level

Main conclusions

MiniLED displays, and the future microLED displays, are clearly a disruption for the display industry. This is both in terms of performance, as analyzed in this report, and also in terms of supply chain. All the major consumer electronics manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, TCL and Skyworth, and display device manufacturers, are testing the market with new products and adapting their supply chains. They are also trying to find differentiation in terms of design and choices of the right display architecture, as well as choice of the right components and modules.

This revolution is revealed by the YOLE Group’s different analysis capabilities. Teardown, supply chain, and reverse costing is done by YOLE System Plus. Performance analysis is done by PISÉO (e.g. measurement and analysis of the colorimetric deviation over the full screen, as illustrated in fig. 3). YOLE Intelligence studies company strategies and market evolution. Meanwhile, DXOMARK analyzes the visual performance of the display. Together, we have decided to launch a series of performance analysis reports to cover the most important MiniLED displays available on the market. Besides the Samsung Monitor MiniLED Odyssey Neo G9V, this year we have released studies of the following tablet and TVs:

• Apple iPad Pro Mini-LED 12.9” – visual performance and optical construction analysis
• Samsung TV MiniLED NEO QLED 65QN900A – visual performance and optical construction analysis
• TCL 85X925 Pro 85” MiniLED 8K TV – visual performance and optical construction analysis

These reports are available and reveal the design differences of these displays, the supply chain choices, the key suppliers, and new technologies implemented.

Based on these reports, next year we will release an overview report with performance comparison and analysis of the four products.

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This analysis is part of the latest lighting report, proposed by Yole today: Lighting for Automotive 2022.

In late March, this year, Plastic Omnium, sealed a deal to buy AMS-OSRAM AG’s automotive lighting business, AMLS, for €65 million. With the acquisition, the France-based supplier of body modules and fuel systems hopes to drive its smart bumper and tailgate strategy forward.

As CEO, Laurent Favre, said at the time: “[The acquisition provides] a unique opportunity to take an important step into the growing innovative lighting systems segment.”

“It will allow Plastic Omnium to accelerate its ambitious strategy to meet grown OEM customer demand for smart body parts and opens up the potential to enter new market segments,” he added.

This latest move is not a surprise. In August last year, Plastic Omnium was a key bidder for Germany’s automotive lighting supplier, Hella. Plastic Omnium lost to France-based rival, Faurecia of France, which took a $7.9 billion stake in Hella.

What’s more, the AMLS acquisition follows in the footsteps of many other mergers and acquisitions from automotive lighting industry players, looking to boost their value chains and gain market share. For example, in July 2018, Canadian automotive lighting company, Magna, bought automotive exterior lighting supplier, OLSA of Italy, while Japan auto-firm, Calsonic Kansei, bought Fiat Chrysler’s high-tech lighting arm, Magneti Marelli, later that year. Then in 2019, Japan-based automotive lighting provider, KOITO, bought Israeli start-up, BrightWay Vision, a developer of camera-based Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, in 2019. And of course, this all comes at a time when France’s tier 1 auto-supplier, Valeos has been pushing back boundaries in the implementation of LiDAR in high-end cars.

Critically for Plastic Omnium, AMLS hails from Germany, a nation known to be leading the way in automotive lighting and often the first to implement the latest technologies into high-end vehicles. This is important as automakers worldwide begin to integrate more and more LEDs and sensors into their vehicles.

Industry signs

In 2021, the automotive lighting market reached a mighty $31 billion, with more than 90% of revenues coming from products based on LED light sources. The market evolution from the traditional halogen lamp to bright LED has been swift, with lighting itself also evolving from a passive feature, helping drivers to see in the dark, to an active function for detecting oncoming traffic, and more. The automotive lighting report, Lighting for Automotive from Yole details all market figures for each segment.

Right now, headlamp lighting occupies around two-thirds of the entire automotive lighting market, with rear lighting capturing nearly one third market-share while other exterior lights as well as interior lighting share the remaining market. This spells good news for a manufacturers of front modules, such as Plastic Omnium, that are integrating LED-based headlamps and sensors to front-end modules and bumpers to enhance functionality.

One key trend for front automotive lighting is for headlamps to take on a horizontal form-factor. Back in 2016, US electric car firm, Lucid, first revealed its Air sedan with a, then, unique, horizontal lighting arrangement, and since this time, other manufacturers have followed, albeit slowly.

Given this, the horizontal headlamp market is still emerging, but in time will present auto-makers with a host of opportunities to integrate LEDs and sensors for communications and other functionalities. Clearly, Plastic Omnium’s acquisition of AMLS opens a door for the company to enter this segment, and we can expect to see its first products here within the next few years.

Meanwhile, as car manufacturers continue to differentiate themselves via lighting design and other functionalities, more and more LEDs are being integrated to a vehicle’s logo and grille. For example, Mercedes Benz has been offering illuminated badges as standard for a few years while BMW has also deployed a distinctive grille motif.  Citroen of France has also been quick to integrate LED strips to its grille to serve as daytime running lights.

The advance of vehicle electrification is fuelling this trend further. Electric vehicles do not require grilles for engine-cooling, leaving room for car manufacturers to integrate even more LEDs and sensors here.

For example, the grilles of the future may glow to ‘welcome’ the driver, display messages to other road users or project words and signals onto the road. And with extra sensors, these parts could also integrate LiDAR and other sensors for advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and  automated / autonomous driving functionalities.

A case in point is the ‘lighting and moving grille’ developed by Hyundai Mobis. Here, the South Korea autonomous driving auto-parts supplier’s entire front car grille is a lighting device that can indicate when the vehicle is charging, provide emergency lights and communicate with other drivers and pedestrians.

This Hyundai Mobis grille provides a glimpse of what could come soon. And with AMLS, Plastic Omnium can now track these kinds of trends while developing its own front panel LED and sensor solutions alongside many of the industry’s Tier 1 parts suppliers.

About the authors

Pierrick Boulay is a Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Lighting and Display in the Photonics and Sensing Division at Yole Développement (Yole).

Pierrick works in the fields of Solid-State Lighting and Lighting Systems, carrying out technical, economic, and marketing analyses. In addition, he leads the automotive activities within the company.

Pierrick has authored several reports and custom analyses on topics such as automotive lighting, LiDAR, sensing for ADAS vehicles, and VCSELs.

Prior to Yole, Pierrick has worked in several companies where he developed his knowledge of lighting and automotive. In the past, he has mostly worked in R&D departments on LED lighting applications.

Pierrick holds a master’s degree in Electronics (ESEO – Angers, France).

Joël Thomé is CEO of PISEO. He drives a team of highly skilled engineers dedicated to the integration of photonic technologies (LEDs, lasers, photodiods, imagers…) for any application. With a Master’s Degree in mechanical engineering,

Joel has been working previously at Philips Lighting for more 20 years where he lately held international management positions in the fields of innovation and general management for LED-based and control systems.

Together with YOLE’s analysts and supported by his team he performs technical and market analyses and consulting activities focusing on Photonics issues.

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