Cree is selling its lighting business to Ideal Industries, an Illinois-based electric power control and management company, to continue its strategy of becoming a more focused, powerhouse semiconductor company. Cree announced the execution of a definitive agreement to sell Cree Lighting, the lighting products business unit, which includes the LED lighting fixtures, lamps and corporate lighting solutions business for commercial, industrial and consumer applications. According to Cree, the deal is about US$310 million before tax. The company expects to receive an initial cash...

Taiwanese LED producer Everlight announced that the Federal Court of Australia has denied Nichia’s appeal request and decided that the asserted claims of Nichia’s Australia patent 720234 are invalid on January 29, 2019. The Court has affirmed that Everlight’s products of Arrow are non-infringements. According to the judgement of the Court, Nichia has been ordered to pay legal cost to Arrow. Apart from the patent infringement filed in Australia, Everlight has filed invalidation trial procedures against Nichia ‘s YAG patents in Unit...

The 7th edition of the much anticipated Show will open the door of opportunities for various stakeholders in the area of LED lighting. After having conducted six highly successful editions of LED Expo Thailand, MEX Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd. and Impact Exhibition Management Co. Ltd, are all set to host the 7th edition from June 27-29, 2019 in Bangkok. The Show has now been retitled ‘LED Expo Thailand + Light ASEAN’ with an aim to bring forth innovations in the world of lighting, encompassing every area of illumination. The organisers have start...

What will offices be like in the future? Current by GE and Osram provided some insights about how offices evolve with technology and noted that connectivity and smart lighting might be the fundamental infrastructure for setting up the future offices. Apart from providing “lighting-as-a-service” from lighting company, Osram, now positioning itself as a high-tech photonic company, sees the trend of “space-as-a-service” in the commercial real estate industry. Space-as-a-service refers to space that is procured on-demand; corporations and individual freelanc...

According to LEDinside, the UV LED market value is expected to reach US$ 1.224 billion in 2022, with a 2017-2022 CAGR of 33 percent. Apart from the stable market of UV LED curing, the major growing momentum of UV LED comes from sterilization, including surface, static water and flowing water disinfection. UV-C LED is the core technology of these increasing applications. Ultraviolet light in the C spectrum with wavelengths between 200-280 mm is energy-rich and powerful to destroy harmful micro-organisms and thus can be used in disinfection. UV-C li...

Taiwan-based LED company Lextar announced its 2018 financial reports with an annual revenue of NT$ 11.056 billion (US$ 357.58 million), down by 8.2% YoY. Its after tax profit came to NT$ 49 million (US$ 1.58 million). For the fourth quarter of 2018, the company registered a revenue of NT$2.4 billion, which dropped by 19.6% compared with 3Q18. In 2018, Lextar has slashed its lighting business to focus on high technology development which resulted in the decrease of annual revenue. The market uncertainty brought by the US-China trade war also impacted the busi...

Germany-based energy company E. ON will supply power line communications for smart lighting via partnership with enModus, the UK-based smart building solution provider. The two companies have signed an agreement for the cooperation. (Image: enModus) Smart building applications that integrate lighting, sensors and other technologies enable efficient energy and space usage and could save cost for companies. Through the partnership, enModus will makes buildings smart by transforming the existing mains power lines into a building-wide communications network. Power line comm...

Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Alphabet, will start selling its LiDAR sensor, joining the LiDAR business competition with other LiDAR producers including Velodyne LiDAR and Quanergy. Simon Verghese, Head of Lidar Team at Waymo, announced in a blog post that the company is going to sell Laser Bear Honeycomb, one of the LiDAR sensors Waymo developed for its self-driving vehicles to “select partners” – those who do not compete with Waymo in self-driving taxi business. Waymo has developed three types of sensors using short, mediu...

As China witnesses the phenomenal growth of its display industry, its global counterparts also face new challenges. Large-scale production of traditional LCD panels has fallen into a “dilemma of abundance”, where the current focus of display enterprises has shifted to how to best develop the potential of new technologies. Vehicle-equipment industry - five major visible development trends In recent years, panel makers such as JDI, Innolux, AUO, LGD and BOE have made significant efforts on the layout of the vehicle display industry, which shows immense ma...

Researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology in the U.S. proposed a new designed vertical integration of GaN LED which enables improved efficiency of Micro LED displays. Matthew Hartensveld and Jing Zhang from Rochester Institute of Technology published a new study on IEEE Electron Device Letter describing how they managed to vertically integrated nanowire GaN field-effect transistors (FETs) and InGaN LEDs. The novel structure places the transistor below the LED which for controlling and dimming. (Image: Hartensveld and Zhang) Comb...

Delta, a Taiwan-based power and thermal management solutions provider, announced the acquisition of Amerlux, a U.S.-based LED architectural lighting solutions company, to enhanced IoT-based green solution portfolio for smart buildings and cities. Delta has signed a definitive agreement pursuant that its wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Delta Electronics (Netherlands) will acquire 100 percent of Amerlux's interests for US$ 90 million. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2019. With the acquisition, Delta aims to extend its portfolio ...

The worldwide LED industry had suffered from low price due to oversupply in 2018. China, as one of the major LED chip producers and exporters, has continued to expand LED chip capacity despite declining price and the lukewarm market. However, the accelerating development of Mini LED and fine-pitch displays in the China market might be a way out for the industry in 2019. According to LEDinside, Mini LED is making its way into displays of consumer electronics in 2019 and 2020. It is estimated that the market value of Mini LED will reach US$ 1.699 billion in 2...

LED integrated wearables are becoming more and more common in the modern society for various functions. Motorbike clothing manufacturer Held is cooperating with Osram to improve visibility on the road by launching motorbike clothing that can be retrofitted with LED light modules from Osram. The lighting modules developed by Osram can be integrated into the clothing through a fabric tube and connected to a rechargeable battery pack which riders can switch on the light easily. According to Osram, the light strips offer up to seven hours of active lighting in continuous operati...

Do you have problem waking up in the morning? The right lighting can help people overcome morning drowsiness, according to a study by Korean research team. Researchers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) suggested that a blue-enriched LED light can effectively boost morning alertness. This study further supports the concept of human centric lighting and provides the basis for major changes in future lighting strategies. The 2017 Nobel Prize winning research unveiled the molecular mechanisms that control circadian rhythms. In the early 2...

Technical glass specialist Kopp Glass launched a UV LED product database which covers a wide range of UV LED products from worldwide manufacturers for users to easily compare various options and simplify the selection process. According to Kopp Glass, the comprehensive resource contains over 700 UV LEDs from 29 different manufacturers, including products from Seoul Viosys, LG Innotek and Rayvio. The sortable database provides specifications including peak wavelength, product type (Chip, COB, SMD, T-Type), product code, radiant flux, forward curran...

WESCO International announced that its WESCO Services subsidiary has completed the purchase of Sylvania Lighting Solution (SLS), the North American service business of Osram, following the previous announcement in January. Osram has planned to sell the SLS business in the U.S. and Canada since May 2018. On January 16, 2019, Osram announced the sale of the business to WESCO International. SLS offers a full spectrum of energy-efficient lighting upgrade, retrofit, and renovation solutions with annual sales of more than US$100 million and appro...

On March 5, 2019, the U.S. government announced the notice to postpone the 25 percent tariffs on Chinese imported products and the duty will remain 10 percent until further notice. Before the official notification released, U.S.-based companies Acuity Brands and Eaton have announced the pause of their scheduled price increased in response to the delayed tariff implementation. Eaton planned to increase price on March 1 due to the expected extra tariffs on Chinese-manufactured products including components and finished goods. Acuity Brands also announced a price increased ...

Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) published a new finding of LED medical application for correcting heart rhythm disorder. The research team used a bioelectronics defibrillator implanted with LED to reset irregular heartbeat. They developed a system which detects fast arrhythmias in the atrium of a rat’s heart and sends a signal to an LED device placed near the heart. “The flash of light from this LED then causes the heart to generate an electric current itself to halt the arrhythmia. This is made possible by using gene therapy...

LED industry players have accelerated their development in niche products including Mini LED and sensing components IR LED and VCSEL. Taiwan-based LED company Lexter began mass producing Mini LED products since the third quarter of 2018. Apart from the initial applications in gaming monitor and notebook, Mini LED backlight has also been adopted in automotive display. The company estimates that Mini LED products will account for five percent or more of its 2019 revenue. Lextar also strengthened red LED business and pushes development in IR LE...

Indoor farming with controlled environment and LED lighting has brought agriculture to another level. Osram, as a leading photonic producer, has been an active player in the development of horticulture lighting. The company announced the development of LED-based luminaire system, Phytofy RL, which is designed to meet the increasing demands of horticulture researches at universities, private institutes and plant production in greenhouses and vertical farms. (Image: Osram) Phytofy RL is a tunable lighting system integrated UV to far-red LEDs to create various growth...

In order to avoid pedestrian related traffic accidents caused by distraction, the Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) has developed a smart crosswalk system with LED warning light to alarm both drivers and pedestrian. Researchers at KICT have designed the “next-generation pedestrian traffic accident prevention system” that integrated LED embedded pavement, thermal imaging cameras, electronic sign and an app. When the thermal cameras detect pedestrians approaching the crosswalk, it will activate the LED light embedded...

Power management company Eaton announced its plan to spin off its lighting business to create an independent, publicly traded company by the end of 2019. The lighting business of Eaton covers a wide range of products and systems to maximize energy efficiency which records sales of US$ 1.7 billion in 2018. Eaton’s lighting business provides services to customers in commercial, industrial, residential and municipal market. The spin-off will include Eaton’s global airport lighting business and Mains lighting. According to Eaton, Goldman Sachs will be Eaton&rsq...

Seoul Semiconductor announced that it has joined LightingEurope, the industry association that represents the lighting industry in Europe aiming to promote efficient lighting practices for the benefit of the global environment, human comfort, and the health and safety of consumers. (image: Seoul Semiconductor) Seoul Semiconductor becomes a member of the association so that the company will be informed with the latest EU lighting policies that impact its corporate strategies for LED technology development and application, for better and faster response to the European lig...

German equipment manufacturer AIXTRON posted its 2018 financial results. The company reported increased on-year revenue and gross margin due to continued demand for its MOCVD systems for lasers, red-orange-yellow (ROY) LEDs and specialty LEDs production. According to AIXTRON, its order intake in 2018 grew by 15% YoY to EUR 302.5 million (US$ 344.26 million), which led to a yearly revenue of EUR 268.8 million (US$ 306 million), up by 17% YoY. Adjusted for previous year's sales from discontinued operations, the sales increased by 40% compare...

A Micro LED equipped with 5G connection was showcased at MWC this year by the Fibocom International Alliance (FIA), an organization focuses on 5G IoT devices established by Chinese wireless communication specialist, Fibocom. According to FIA, the 5G Micro LED display, named FIA One, combines the two attention-drawing technologies and integrates existing access devices such as gateways, routers, set-top boxes, or IP TV services into a single display. FIA said the integration opens a door for new digital experiences and IoT innovations. "W...

German semiconductor maker Infineon announced that it has teamed up with LG Electronics to introduce Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology adopted front-facing camera on the latest smartphone of LG which will be revealed at Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. Infineon has provided its REAL3™ image sensor chip to LG’s upcoming G8 ThinQ. With Infineon’s pmdtechnologies in algorithms for processed 3D point clouds (a set of data points in space produced by 3D scanning), the innovative sensor will deliver a new level of front camera capability in a...

The penetration of Mini LED is expected to increase in the coming years with applications including gaming display and other professional monitors. The technology is also becoming popular for automotive applications. WitsView, a division of Trendforce, suggested a high possibility of Mini LED backlighting mass production in 2019 and noted that the cost of display production may increase by 20 to 100 percent depending on the number of Mini LED used. LEDinside noticed that Mini LED has been adopted as backlight for automotive displays such as HUDs, dashboards, in-...

Seoul Semiconductor announced that it has concluded a patent infringement lawsuit as Mouser, an international electronic component distributor agreed to stop selling certain LED product manufactured by Everlight in Japan. (Image: Pixabay) February 2018, Seoul Semiconductor filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, accusing the LED product manufactured by Everlight and sold by Mouser of infringing an LED patent of Seoul Semiconductor’s affiliate. The company announced on February 21 that it agreed to withdraw the lawsuit as M...

People are becoming more aware of the effects of artificial lighting on the human body and wildlife, especially the impacts of lighting at night. A new study led by researchers from Newcastle and York universities found that street lights may disrupt plant pollination as they attract moths; however, by switching off street lights for part of the night, the interruption can be minimized. Apart from bees, moths also play an important role in the pollination of plants to supplement the day-time work of bees and other pollinating insects. These night-time pollinators are critical even f...

Sweden-based horticulture lighting specialist Heliospectra reported that it has re-branded its technical services under the new name, helioCARE. The company also revealed an order from a medicinal plant research facility in Spain. With its expertise in intelligent lighting technology for greenhouse and controlled environment, Heliospectra offers a team of experts and a range of turnkey services to help growers and businesses to increase yields, accelerate harvests, and achieve consistent crop quality and production cycles. (image: Heliospectra) The re-branded helioCAR...