Editorial:
When it comes to LEDs, Korea wants it and Taiwan gets it
... After a whirlwind 6 weeks that included Light Fair in New York, and trips to both Korea for their annual LED Expo, and Taiwan for our own Blue 2009, it's fair to say that the solid state lighting revolution is underway, but in different ways in different places. We'll... Read the editorial...
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June 25, 2009...Electronics.ca, a market research and knowledge firm, predicts that LED revenues from notebooks will more than quadruple from $200 million in 2008 to more than an estimated $800 million in 2010. The forecast comes from the company's new research report according to a new research report that is available at Electronics.ca, entitled "World Market for Optoelectronic Components".
Jamie Fox, a market analyst for the company, says that LED backlit notebooks made up about 10 percent of all notebook sales in 2008. He predicts that in 2010 LED-backlit notebooks will make up 50 percent of all notebooks sold worldwide.
The company points out that although LED solutions are more expensive than cold cathode fluorescent lamp backlighting, they have better power efficiency, offer better color saturation, are thinner, and do not use mercury.
The company indicated that notebook and desktop computer producer Dell, has already publicly committed to using LEDs in all their notebooks by 2010, and other manufacturers apparently have similar plans to at least increase the percentage of their notebooks sold with LED notebook backlighting in 2009 and 2010.
The company predicts that the market for LED Driver ICs in notebooks will reach over $50 million in 2010. Company News Release,
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Future Lighting Solutions Adds an SSL Design Tool to its Online Tools LIGHTimes News Staff
June 25, 2009...Future Lighting Solutions, a certified solution provider of Philips Lumileds' Luxeon LEDs, has created an online SSL design tool. The company says the new design software helps users set and optimize design parameters based upon target specifications. Additionally the company says that it can estimate system costs and payback schedules.
Future Lighting Solutions’ SSL Designer Accelerates LED System Development
Dr. Isamu Akasaki to Receive Inamori Foundation’s 25th Annual Kyoto Prize LIGHTimes News Staff
June 23, 2009... Dr. Isamu Akasaki, a contributor to the commercialization of the blue LED, will reportedly receive the Kyoto Prize from the Inamori foundation for his significant contribution to the betterment of mankind. The $500,000 award will be given to Dr. Akasaki on November 10, 2009.
The 2009 Kyoto prize marks the 25th anniversary of the prize which is given each year in three categories.
Dr. Akasaki won in the "Advanced Technology" category for lifetime achievement and having developed GaN-based positive-negative (p-n) junctions in 1989 after a decade of research. This development contributed to the commercialization of blue LEDs in the 1990s.
An 80-year-old semiconductor scientist, Dr. Akasaki serves both as a university professor at Nagoya University and professor at Meijo University in Japan. Inamori Foundation News Release,
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DisplaySearch Predicts 300% Increase in LED Units for Backlighting from 2008 to 2012 LIGHTimes News Staff
June 23, 2009...Market research firm, DisplaySearch predicts that in 2012, 34 billion LEDs will be used in TFT LCD backlights, in sizes ranging from 1” to more than 70”. This is up more than 300% from 8 billion in 2008, according to the new DisplaySearch report, "Display LEDs: Lighting Up the Display World".
DisplaySearch says that a total of 70.8 billion LEDs were shipped in 2008. The company breaks down its statistics into two categories of LEDs used in display applications; active outdoor displays, which used 11 billion LEDs or 15% of the total in 2008, and LCD backlights, which consumed 8 billion or 11% of the total. The company further separates LCD backlight applications into five key types which it says are adopting LEDs: small/medium, notebook PC, desktop monitors, industrial applications, and most notably TV.
DisplaySearch says that in 2012, LED lighting for displays will make up the largest market segment for all LEDs at 34.7 percent. According to the company, this includes 34 billion LED backlights and 24 billion for active outdoor displays.
DisplaySearch forecasts that low-current LEDs will be the mainstream type used in large-area LCD backlights, due to cost, thermal management and luminance efficiency requirements. High-power LEDs, with a driving current higher than 350 mA (more than 1W), are not well-suited for LCD backlights due to thermal issues, and will mainly be used in general lighting applications that require high brightness.
Company News Release,
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Magnalight.com Offers Class 1 Flashing LED Beacon Hazard Light LIGHTimes News Staff
June 23, 2009...Larson Electronics of Dallas, Texas USA has released its new Class 1 Flashing LED Beacon Hazard light, the company's newest addition to the Magnalight.com lineup of LED lights. The CL1B LED flashing beacon is a SAE Class 1 rated beacon, indicating that it creates the maximum visibility appropriate for emergency vehicles, first responder applications, airfield site construction, etc. It comes in amber, red, blue, green, and white, and measures 4.5 inches tall and 6.5 inches in diameter.
According to the company it provides simulated LED patterns ranging from traditional quad flash strobes to old school rotator light functionality. The operator can control the light output, restricting it to 360 degree strobe light functionality or upward flashing projection only.
One version of the CL1B has a magnetic mount base encapsulated in a rubber suction cup mount, which enables the operator to take advantage of the 200 pound grip magnetic base without incurring damage to the vehicle's surface.
"This is a true 360 degree flashing hazard beacon light," said Rob Bresnahan, with Larson Electronics. "The configuration of LED's within this beacon enables projection all the way around the beacon as well as straight upwards. Particularly, in the green Led color, this flashing beacon has become popular with airfield operations, both for airport type construction and for military air bases, where identifying vehicles and building placement is important for aircraft landing and taking off."Company News Release
LED Replacement Lamp Market to More than Double Each Year Through 2013, Strategies Unlimited Says SSLDesign News Staff
June 18, 2009...Research firm, Strategies Unlimited, has released a new report about the LED replacement lamp market. It forecasts that the LED replacement lamp market will grow rapidly in the next few years. The company points out that vastly improved performance of LEDs and much lower costs have made it possible to produce LED-based lamps to replace established lighting technology such as incandescent bulbs. According to Strategies Unlimited, these LED-based replacements can now compete with other lighting technologies on the cost of ownership.
SU points out that while customers are looking for lighting solutions that save energy, customers are also being educated about how LEDs have a lower overall cost of ownership. Company News Release
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iSuppli Predicts Use of LED-Backlit TVs to Explode LIGHTimes News Staff
June 18, 2009...iSuppli predicts that as prices of LCD TV panels using LED backlights fall in the coming years, their use in TVs is set to explode.
iSuppli forecasts that the shipments of LCD TV panels with LED backlighting will rise to 90 million units in 2013, up from just 438,000 LED TV panels in 2008.
This is roughly a 20 fold increase in just five years. Likewise, the company estimates that the proportion of LED backlight technology in LCD TV panels will increase to 39 percent in 2013, up from 3 percent in 2009, or about a 13 fold increase.
"The price gap between LEDs and the CCFLs traditionally used for LCD backlighting has narrowed due to the higher yield rate of LEDs, as well as the oversupply that resulted in a drastic price reduction for LEDs in the second half of 2008," said Sweta Dash, senior director, LCD research at iSuppli. "And with the advent of green technology, power savings and thinner form factors, more branded manufacturers are looking at LED-backlit LCD TVs in 2009. These factors are spurring brand-name television manufacturers to adopt LED backlighting."
iSuppli points to the renewed interest in LED backlighting with white LEDs. The company says that LED-backlit LCD TV manufacturers are now focusing on thinner form factors and lower power consumption with edge-type LED backlight solutions. According to the company, this has replaced the previous focus of the industry on color gamut, picture quality, and high-end RGB solutions.
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Cree Introduces Water Resistant Tri-Color LED for Full-Color Displays LIGHTimes News Staff
June 18, 2009...Cree of Durham, North Carolina USA, has announced what it claims is the first water-resistant, surface-mount, high-brightness LEDs for outdoor video screens. This RGB (red-green-blue) LED has an IPx5 rating, indicating that the LED is protected against low-pressure jets of water from all directions.
“We’ve developed a water-resistant, red-green-blue LED that can be used in indoor and outdoor video screen applications,” said Paul Thieken, Cree director of marketing, LED components. “Previously, LEDs had to be encapsulated to protect them from water. By incorporating encapsulation at the LED level, we can help our customers save time and money.”
“Displ’aire, working with Cree, is changing the rules for LED displays,” said Leo Stearns, Displ’aire’s CEO. “Cree’s involvement started with us early in our development cycle, and they provided the support we needed to rapidly deploy our new technologies. Displ’aire portable, daylight-visible displays and the new water-resistant Cree LEDs are a perfect technology match for creating brighter, more efficient displays that can better stand up to the elements.”
The ScreenMaster CLV6A-FKB has a black face for improved contrast in full-color video screens, decorative lighting, and amusement applications. It features what the company says is a unique encapsulation resin with UV-inhibitors that minimize the effects of long-term exposure to direct sunlight thereby improving the stability of the light-output over the life of the LED. It also offers a matched horizontal radiation pattern that enhances color mixing and pixel-to-pixel color consistency.
The CLV6A-FKB is commercially available now, and samples can be requested through a Cree representative. Cree News Release
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Commentary & Perspective...
When it comes to LEDs, Korea wants it and Taiwan gets it Tom Griffiths - Publisher
June 18, 2009...After a whirlwind 6 weeks that included Light Fair in New York, and trips to
both Korea for their annual LED Expo, and Taiwan for our own Blue 2009, it's
fair to say that the solid state lighting revolution is underway, but in different
ways in different places. We'll all grant that the "brass ring" that
everyone on the LED merry-go-round is grabbing for is the general lighting market,
but the volume is being driven by other applications, and in visibly different
ways in the US, Korea and Taiwan.
In Korea, the LED expo is held concurrently with the flat panel display expo,
and that pretty much tells the story of what's driving things there. The big
guys in FPDs, LG and Samsung, have taken the downturn as a market-share buying
opportunity, both to move their product lines rapidly towards LED-based backlighting
as well as to build out LED manufacturing capacity of their own. Backlighting
has been a consistent winner in market performance the last few years, driven
by marked increases in sales of LED-enabled mobile appliances, notebook computers
and displays. According to Bob Steele of Strategies Unlimited, who provided
a mid-year update at Blue 2009 in Taiwan, mobile appliances and signage/displays
accounted for 60% of the US$5.1 billion packaged LED worldwide market numbers.
While standard handsets remained the volume king despite a slight decline, the
"other" category, which included smart phones/PDAs, media players
and notebook displays turned in an astounding 93% growth from 2007 to 2008.
Korea sees that as an opportunity to leverage up their domestic LED production
and has reportedly been heavily investing in the fabrication equipment, including
MOCVD reactors, which they need to make it come true. One speaker, from the
Ministry of Knowledge Economy, stated that it was Korea's goal to place itself
in the top 3 of LED producing countries in the world. "The competition"
in his view, was not a series of companies, but a series of countries, and I
suspect that neither the US, Japanese, or Taiwanese LED manufacturers plan to
step aside and let it happen. (China wouldn't seem to be sitting on the sidelines
either, based on the continuing series of news releases from epi-reactor maker
Aixtron, regarding their China wins, including their largest single order ever
coming out of that country from a company just entering the HB-LED market).
As one element of that "grand plan", in April of this year, Samsung
formed a dedicated LED company, equally capitalized by both Samsung Electronics
and Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO).
The ministry speaker also made it clear that he felt that the recent resolution
of several major pieces of IP litigation involving Seoul Semiconductor effectively
cleared the path for the continuing growth plan, as well as shaped the Korean
government's resolve to involve itself in future litigation that other of the
country's producers may encounter. In one curt exchange, the ministry official
made it clear that he felt that smaller companies should look towards sharing
IP to keep from diffusing the country's efforts, and that anyone who felt differently
was "carrying forward a myopic view of the future". As we heard from
Prof. Moo-Whan Shin of Myong Ji University in his "Korea country report"
at Blue, the government is putting its money where its mouth is in other areas,
including a big push for LED lighting in government facilities. The plan is
to begin by moving Korea's post offices to all LED lighting starting immediately,
and ban any incandescent lights in government offices starting this year (fluorescents
are still allowed... for now). Another 300,000 "projects" are ready
to be undertaken at the state and local level, and the goal is that 30% of the
government's indoor lighting is generated by LEDs by 2012. They are serious,
but LEDs manufacturing isn't new to either LG or Samsung, and as one senior
exec at Blue noted, "They haven't managed to consistently use internal
sources for LEDs in the majority of their products so far, so do we need to
worry?"
Taiwan is providing a contrast of "quiet action" in some respects.
Having typically been limited to Taipei and the LED heartland of Hsinchu, we
decided to undertake a bit of a broader "eyeball survey" of where
LEDs are showing up in Taiwan. To that end, after completing Blue in Taiwan,
we rented a car to tour around the eastern side of the island, with a return
trip through the mountains, and up one or two major expressways that connect
the north and central parts of the country. And yes, for those familiar with
the driving style in Taiwan, we really did drive it ourselves, making use of
every bit of "shoot for the hole" snap that our rental VW Passat Turbo
had to offer. Decoding street signs was a small challenge (Jhung, Chung and
Joung are just some of the different English spellings for just one Chinese
character), not clipping the scooters in Hualien and Hsinchu were a bigger challenge,
and shooting through a few hundred kilometers of winding, wet, tunnel-laden,
landsliding 1 or 2-lane roads in a path from sea level to 3300m (11,000 feet)
pretty much defined insanity. The car didn't get returned clean, but it was
undamaged and passed more cars and trucks than passed it (although we were memorably
humbled by one amazing truck driver who navigated his rig down a mountainside
with the skill of a Formula One driver, leaving the Passat in the dust... well,
actually in the mud spray, since the road was wet and I will stick with that
as my excuse).
Of note in the trip from the LED standpoint? Well, Taiwan "gets it".
There was not a city strip that wasn't featuring a substantial number of LEDs
beckoning you to stop in to buy something. The department stores almost exclusively
used LEDs in the jewelry display cases, and notably for a portion of the overhead
lighting in the more difficult to maintain or high liability areas, including
the escalators. Outdoor LED signs and displays were prevalent (I think we have
something like 10 here in Austin), and interestingly, LEDs were used for direct
illumination of a number of advisory, caution and exit-type signs on the main
expressways. What a good idea. Why use fairly expensive lighting-quality LEDs
to shine at a road sign, when you can use multiple colors of lower lumen devices
to make up the outline and information on the road sign? And the LED presence
wasn't limited to the expressways and big towns. Once we came down off the mountain,
we were greeted by LEDs in front of shops and in road signs in the surrounding
smaller resort towns. LED heaven itself appeared when we needed to grab some
fuel at one of the freeway service centers. It seems you don't need to just
expect gas and some fast food, but 24-hour mechanic services, and a shopping
megaplex, including entertainment and restaurants. All without ever touching
a side street.
We haven't been to Japan yet, but clearly Taiwan and Korea (as well as mainland
China) are ready and willing to adopt LED technology everywhere it can fit,
whether that is in a fancy jewelry display case, or to replace the oversized
CFLs that filled the portable generator-powered "night markets". With
a manufacturing ramp-up benefiting from the big backlight producers, both in
Korea and Taiwan, who will likely produce LEDs for both internal use and external
sale, the pricing curve will continue its move in the right direction to support
that adoption. If there is a missing link in those markets, we expect that it
will be in understanding how to address the quality issues in general lighting,
both in terms of design reliabilty as well as in the quality of the light produced.
There is no lack of ability to produce quality when its the need is understood,
such as in backlighting (how many loyal customers do you develop if you are
Samsung and customers start to report the need to replace their 60-inch TV because
the LEDs start dying in a year?). Understanding what quality is, and then designing
it in to a general lighting product, is a substantial challenge those regions
will face, which is one reason we're making that a principal goal for the 2009
SSLdesign
Summit Taiwan this November. (For the September NY
Summit, as well as October's LA
Summit, the spotlight will only be shining on the manufacturers and enabling
technology providers that are demonstrating quality in their products,
but that is more to indicate where and how quality can be found, and
less on what defines quality in the worldwide lighting market). From
what we see, things remain bright and will continue to get brighter.
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the solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or
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