MIP and Flip-Chip COB: Understanding two approaches to fine-pitch Micro LED

As LED pixel pitches become finer, the way the LED chips are packaged becomes an increasingly important part of how the display is designed and manufactured.

Flip-Chip COB and MIP are two approaches used in fine-pitch Micro LED. They share many of the same objectives, but the way the LED chips are packaged and mounted is different. This gives each technology its own strengths.

With Flip-Chip COB, the LED chips are mounted directly onto the PCB using flip-chip bonding. The surface is then encapsulated, creating a protective layer across the module.

MIP, or Micro LED in Package, packages the Micro LED chips before they are mounted onto the PCB. The individual packages can be tested and sorted before final assembly and are then mounted using surface-mount processes.

For the person specifying or using the display, the manufacturing process itself is less important than what those differences mean in practice.

Where the Strengths Differ

Flip-Chip COB is already a mature fine-pitch technology. Its encapsulated surface provides a high level of physical protection, while its maturity brings confidence in long-term stability and continuous operation.

These are important considerations in 24/7 mission-critical environments. A control room display may operate continuously for years, so reliability over time carries as much weight as image performance. This is an area where Flip-Chip COB remains a strong choice and why it continues to be a key technology within Aura Vision's COMET-C range.

MIP brings different strengths. Packaging the Micro LED devices individually allows them to be tested and sorted before they are assembled onto the module, supporting high colour accuracy and consistency across the display. The technology also offers advantages in contrast, which can be particularly valuable at close viewing distances.

There is also a longer-term reason for the industry's interest in MIP. As pixel pitches continue to reduce, producing increasingly small pitches using COB becomes more challenging. MIP provides another route towards smaller pixel structures and has the potential to move beyond the pitches commonly achieved with COB today.

Why Develop Both?

Packaging technology is only one part of an LED display. Processing, drive electronics, thermal management, calibration and mechanical design all contribute to how the finished system performs. Choosing between them means looking beyond the packaging technology to the complete display and the environment in which it will operate.

For Aura Vision, adding MIP to the portfolio is not a move away from Flip-Chip COB. COMET-C remains our established COB platform, while COMET-M gives us a second route for developing fine-pitch Micro LED.

Available in 0.7 mm and 0.9 mm pixel pitches, COMET-M brings MIP into the Aura Vision range today, while providing a platform for future development as smaller pixel pitches become possible.

Developing both means we are not tied to a single approach as Micro LED continues to evolve.

The choice starts with the application, not the packaging technology.