Seoul Viosys makes rare-earth-free white LED
The gist
Seoul Viosys began mass producing WICOP3, a white LED chip as small as 10µm that uses no rare earths.
The claim could halve manufacturing costs in a roughly $10bn white-LED market.
How it unfolded
- Oct 28, 2026Seoul Viosys said it jointly developed WICOP3 with Seoul Semiconductor and would begin mass production in the fourth quarter; it also said mass production had begun.
- Oct 29, 2026Seoul Viosys shares hit the upper price limit, trading at 8,580 won, up 30.00%; parent Seoul Semiconductor also hit the upper limit.
- Oct 29, 2026The company announced it had broken white LEDs' three-decade dependence on rare earths, with a chip emitting white light without rare earths as small as 10µm.