Prospect of developing III-nitride microLED technologies for micro-displays, visible light communications and artificial intelligence

III-nitride based micro light-emitting diodes (microLEDs or μLEDs) have rapidly emerged as a leading platform for next-generation photonic technologies, spanning micro-displays, visible light communications and data-centric computing. By scaling spontaneous-emission devices to micrometre dimensions, microLEDs enable high brightness, fast modulation and dense integration, translating fundamental principles of optical confinement, carrier recombination and light–matter interaction into practical, electrically injected emitters. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current status of developing III-nitride microLED technologies, while examining the fundamental physics that governs their operation and scaling behaviour. This article also summarises recent advances in materials, device architectures and fabrication, and assess emerging applications in ultra-high-resolution micro-displays, high-speed visible light communication and optical interconnects for artificial intelligence systems. Critical challenges for further developing microLED technologies and strategies based on materials engineering, device innovation and system co-design are discussed to enable scalable, high-performance microLED technologies.