The light of hope in the LED world

According to the Science and Technology News, the LED industry has adjusted its organization and strategic direction in recent years in response to the rapid changes in the market. While continuously improving luminous efficiency, cutting prices and lowering costs, it has tried to break into niche markets to increase profits. At present, mainstream LED applications, including mobile phones, large-size backlights, lighting and automotive applications, are slowing down. More and more LED manufacturers are investing in niche market applications such as UV LED and IR LED, which are expected to boost market demand.

The LED industry is sluggish, and the application of invisible light is rising

Yu Chao, research associate of the Green Energy Business Division of Trendforce, a global research organization, expressed emotion at the 'LEDforum' meeting a few days ago that the annual global LED market output value is estimated to be about US$100 million. ) Fell to %, but due to the rapid and fierce decline in LED prices, it is not ruled out that negative growth may occur during the settlement in the fourth quarter.

Chu Yuchao pointed out that the LED industry has entered a plateau. It is estimated that the annual compound growth rate (CAGR) of the global LED market in the next five years may only be about ％, and the problem of LED supply and demand imbalance will continue. However, the overall situation of the LED industry is determined. Should be able to accelerate the elimination of ineffective production capacity, forcing some manufacturers to withdraw from the market. As for LED niche market applications, such as infrared (IR) LED and ultraviolet (Ultraviolet, UV) LED, which are divided into UVA, UVB, and UVC according to their different wavelengths, there is a relatively chance to drive demand growth. Taiwan Epistar, Yanjing Optoelectronics, and Nikkiso also expressed their views on the development of UV LED and IR LED fields at the conference.

IR LED: High demand for night vision system and biosensing

Xie Mingxun, vice president of Jingdian Ru0026D Center, pointed out that UV LED and IR LED are niche markets. Although the current demand is not large, the profit is better. For IR LED, the price of a single blue LED is about the same as that of blue LEDs of the same size. Times. Epistar has a full spectrum of LED chips from UV to IR, of which IR LEDs are mainly used in two areas: Security and Sensors.

In the field of security monitoring, applications include network surveillance cameras using IR nm and nm LEDs, as well as a Night Vision system installed in car headlights. The driving field of view can reach up to a meter and also clearer. Xie Mingxun further stated that the demand for IR LEDs for night vision systems should be the largest.

Sensors are widely used in the field. In addition to Proximity Sensor modules and wearable devices for smartphones, they also include Bio-Sensor applications with promising prospects. For example, to detect heartbeat and blood oxygen, the former uses IR nm, nm, and nm LEDs, and the latter uses IR nm and nm LEDs.

In addition, Jingdian also has IR nm LEDs for iris recognition applications that require special wavelengths, which is quite competitive in terms of competition.

UV LED: Customized solutions cut into the industrial and medical fields

According to the analysis of LEDinside, a subsidiary of TrendForce, the annual UV LED market penetration rate reaches ％, and the market size is about 100 million U.S. dollars. The estimated annual UV LED market size is expected to grow rapidly to more than 100 million U.S. dollars. In the market, UVA accounts for 90% of the market, and its largest application is UV curing.

Wei Zhihong, chairman of Yanjing Optoelectronics, explained that UV curing applications cover medical bonding, electronic parts assembly, printing, coating, etc.; in addition, photocatalyst** and UV exposure also belong to the scope of UVA applications. He said that because these application designs are different, it makes it more difficult for UV LEDs to replace traditional UV lamps. A complete system must be built to replace them, and even light mixing is required to meet customer needs.

Wei Zhihong said that currently UVA LEDs have been gradually applied in the industrial field and are becoming popular. Significant growth is expected in the next two years. However, he also admitted that despite the relatively high gross profit of UV LEDs, there are still a lot to overcome if you want to enter the market. obstacle. UVA LED is a highly customized market and service-oriented. It must provide customers with ** solutions. A single design cannot meet all needs; and between high intensity (High Irradiance), collimated optics (Collimated Optics) and cost, It must also be balanced and compromised.

Another important market for UV LEDs is Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) LEDs used in medical, medical, resin hardening and other fields. Nikkiso's DUV LED products have wavelengths between nm and nm, and were developed under the guidance of Nobel Prize winners Professor Akasaki Yuki and Professor Amano Hiroshi. Cyril Pernot, manager of Nikkiso, said that the performance of DUV LED products has been continuously improved for many years. At present, the output power of nm products has increased from mW to mW under mA current; in addition, modular solutions are developed for various applications, such as ** applications Developed ** water purification equipment module.

High barriers in the field of invisible light, breakthrough challenges to promote industrial growth

Looking at the development of the invisible light field of LEDs, Chu Yuchao said that IR LEDs and UV LEDs have quite good prospects, such as IR LEDs for biosensing and UVC LEDs for **. However, because the barriers to entry into this field are not low, it is not that the right product can successfully enter the market.

Taking IR LEDs for biosensing as an example, they must pass a series of cumbersome certifications and take a long time. It also depends on the introduction speed of major brands, so the opportunity is relatively difficult to evaluate; and most of them are customized UV LEDs. In other words, manufacturers cannot reduce costs with economies of scale as in the past, and must adjust their corporate structure to quickly change in response to customized orders. Chu Yuchao believes that there are still business opportunities in the LED market in the future, and looks forward to relevant technological breakthroughs**, which will become the driving force for the continued growth of the market.