Mitsubishi Chemical Corp, a unit of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp, of Tokyo, Japan has agreed to acquire the near-ultraviolet LED business of Mitsubishi Cable Industries Ltd (including the facilities and the technology to produce the chips) at the end of March for ¥1.5bn (about $13.9m), reports Nikkei Net. The Mitsubishi Cable near-UV LED manufacturing operations in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture will be moved to Mitsubishi Chemical’s facilities in Ushiku, Ibaraki Prefecture.

When revelers watched the Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City on December 31, few would have realized that light-emitting diodes, the light bulbs festooned to the ball, would one day bring light to their homes and offices. LEDs have become popular recently for more than just electronics. They're used in traffic signals and automotive lighting, and now some enterprising startups have turned their gaze indoors.

Martin will be taking a wide range of indoor and outdoor color changing luminaires and color control systems to what some consider the world's most important retail trade show.

LED stripCoolon  has designed and patented a technology that allows for a seamless and uninterrupted connection of LED strips into a single continuous strip. The manufacturing of continuous LED strips has presented various technical problems such as the size limitations of PCBs, processing and assembly equipment, etc., and transportation to the distribution or installation site.

Cree has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held LED Lighting Fixtures (LLF) in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $77 million, plus up to an additional $26.4 million over a three-year period.

Shuji Nakamura is the man who discovered the blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) used in the newest DVD players.Later research by Nakamura led to white LEDs, which may eventually replace much of the world''s lighting.His work earned him the 2006 Millennium Technology Award, the tech world equivalent of the Nobel Prize.In 1989, Nakamura was virtually alone in his work on LEDs when his supervisor at Nichia Chemical Industries in Japan suggested he quit because his research wasn''t going anywhere.

Buck convertor can drive up to ten 50mA LEDs in a single series string from a 48V input, making it ideal for industrial and LED signage applicationsThe LT3590 from Linear Technology is a 48V buck-mode DC/DC convertor designed to operate as a constant-current LED driver. An internal 55V, 80mA switch and Schottky diode enable it to drive up to ten 50mA LEDs in a single series string from a 48V input, making it ideal for industrial and LED signage applications.

On February 19, Leadis Technology announced sample availability of the LDS8860, a new charge-pump based 6-channel LED driver that implements the company's proprietary PowerLite(TM) Current Regulator to deliver up to 91% power efficiency for longer battery life.

Strategies Unlimited predicts that the LED industry is emerging from a slow growth phase, and that the total market size in 2012 will exceed $11bn. According to a market update presented by Bob Steele at the 2008 Strategies in Light conference in Santa Clara, California, the market for packaged high-brightness LEDs is set to grow by 12% in 2008. Steele said that the market grew by 9.5% in 2007 to reach $4.6 billion, somewhat higher than the 6% growth in 2005 and 2006.

Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components, announces the results of an independent survey on the adoption, deployment and benefits of LED lighting. The survey, taken at the recent 2007 Hong Kong International Lighting Fair, validates strong global growth for LED lighting applications, confirms awareness of the energy-efficiency benefits of LEDs and indicates that the adoption trend should continue through the end of the decade. Key survey findings include:

Everlight Electronics Co. Ltd. (TSE:2393) today introduces 1- and 3-Watt high-power LEDs that deliver high luminosity, long operating life and system efficiency in a broad range of solid-state lighting designs. Part of Everlight’s XcelLED(TM) series, the EHP-AX08/P01 (1-Watt) and EHP-AX08/P03 (3-Watt) families are among the highest-flux emitters on the market.

Featuring T3¼ flange base that fits most 2- and 3-cell flashlights, 3 W LED PR-Style Bulb is available in sunlight-visible Cool White. Model F321-3W-0CW-001 supports voltages from 0.85-4.5 Vdc, while Model F321-3W-0CW-002 supports voltages from 3.6-9 Vdc. Solid-state, weather-resistant lamp is impervious to electrical and mechanical shock, vibration, frequent switching, and environmental extremes. Low power draw enables batteries to last up to 92 continuous hours.

A survey taken at the recent 2007 Hong Kong International Lighting Fair validated the strong global growth for LED lighting applications, according to Cree Inc. The survey established awareness of the energy-efficiency benefits of LEDs and indicated that the adoption trend should continue through the end of the decade.

The use of light-emitting diodes for solid-state lighting, rather than as indicators, is poised to make inroads in applications in the automotive, architectural and general illumination markets, according to market-analysis firm Yole Développement (Lyon, France).

Rabyte and OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (Malaysia) Sdn.  Bhd. announced a partnership agreement for India effective 1st, Jan 2008.  This agreement involves the promotion of the complete product range of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.As the world's second largest manufacturer of optoelectronic semiconductors for the illumination, sensing and visualization sectors, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors combines extensive know-how in semiconductors, converter materials and packages under one roof.

Sources at AUO recently indicated that the company is supplying LED-backlit panels for Apple's latest 13.3-inch slim notebook. AUO also ships 13.3-inch notebook panels with cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) backlighting technology and a resolution of WXGA (1280×800). As the rival of AUO, Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) commented that the company already began volume producing 13.3-inch LED panels last October.

Everlight Electronics claims that it has successfully resolved issues concerning heat-dissipation for LED headlamps, and estimates that the LED headlamp will soon pass heat-dissipation tests and be ready for commercialization by 3Q08.

Global Warming Solutions company has devised an LED lighting technology it says increases the shelf life of produce. The company's proprietary PureRay lighting technology reportedly kills or at least suppresses E. coli, Listeria, Penicillium (blue mold) and yeasts. As a result, the company contends it slows down spoilage of produce. The PureRay System is proprietary design comprised of LEDs assembled in arrays.