Micro-LEDs Illuminate Visible Light Communication

Visible light communication (VLC), as an interdisciplinary paradigm, spans various technologies from basic device sciences to system engineering. Micro-size light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), because of their excellent spatio-temporal capability, are promising candidates for use as transmitters in versatile high-capacity VLC systems. Novel luminous material, fabrication process, and optical structure were successively employed for further increasing the electrical-to-optical (E-O) bandwidth of these micro-LED devices. In addition, multi-color and multi-structured micro-LEDs are enabling multi-modal and heterogeneous VLC systems with clear advantages over previously-studied point-to-point architectures. Herein, we discuss solutions for >1-GHz micro-LEDs. With the deployment of the next-generation VLC system in mind, we then provide perspectives into how micro-LEDs can assist the VLC evolution beyond the fifth-generation/sixth-generation (B5G/6G) era.