Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH has entered into a pan-European franchise agreement with the USA-based LED specialist Intematix Corporation as their exclusive distribution partner in Europe. Effective immediately, Rutronik will distribute Intematix's entire product portfolio of individual components, arrays, LED modules, control systems, secondary optics and heat sinks.

The 2009 Lighting for Tomorrow (LFT) competition is to take place May 14-15. OnSpeX, a division of CSA Group and a global provider of consumer product performance evaluations, inspections and advisory services is hosting the judging event for the competition at its testing facility in Cleveland, Ohio, the U.S.

Researchers of the University of Tokyo in Japan have created a flexible organic electroluminescent display (OLED display) that can be stretched and folded like rubber without influencing the image quality or damaging the display.

In New Mexico of the U.S., traffic and pedestrian lights at intersections throughout the state will be retrofitted with LEDs in the State Energy Program with $5 million federal stimulus money. The incandescent bulbs will be replaced with LED bulbs, which use significantly less electricity. The documented savings from switching to LED bulbs at a traffic intersection is at least 80% compared to incandescent bulbs, according to Gov. Bill Richardson. Communities will see an immediate reduction in their electric bills.

In Europe cities like Berlin, Prague and Warsaw, the ancient gas street lamps are to be replaced with LED lamps, which will cut power consumption by more than 90% without altering the old-world look or the light quality of the gas-driven fixtures. The retrofit is designed by Berlin-based Braun Schaltgeräte & Service with assistance from LED solutions provider Future Lighting Solutions. And the first eight LED models were recently installed on Berlin’s Alexanderplatz public square.

Researchers at the Technical University of Dresden and Novaled AG have collaborated to create a 90 lm/W OLED luminaire. The OLED has a brightness of 1,000 cd/m2 according to the researchers. The OLED light engine with a 3-D light extraction technology reportedly achieved an efficacy of 124 lm/W.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. yesterday added to its Little Star® family with a new, automotive qualified 1-W white LED that combines extraordinarily high brightness with a compact package outline. The Little Star® VLMW711U2U3XV additionally offers a low thermal resistance and high luminous intensity for a wide range of applications.

A riot of color in a compact package - Smallest multicolour LED extends OSRAM product portfolio

NeoPac Opto launches NeoPac Universal Platform (NUP) and Standard Solid-State Light Sources for accelerating adoption of LEDs for illumination applications

Luminus Devices, Inc. announced the introduction of the CSM-360-W PhlatLight LED, the newest in a series of white LEDs designed specifically for general lighting applications. Luminus said the CSM-360-W combines the benefits of large monolithic chips in a multi-chip configuration to deliver a Chip-on-Board LED package capable of delivering 6,000 lumens.

Avnet Electronics Marketing China, part of the global technology distributor, Avnet, Inc., turned the spotlight on energy efficient, high brightness (HB) LEDs at the "Symposium on Sustainability Driven Innovative Technologies" implemented by the Hong Kong Productivity Council.

Opto Tech Corp., a Taiwanese LED provider, has successfully outbid its counterparts to supply large-sized LED display screens for China Pavilion of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, according to the company.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) recently funded LED lighting maker Liquidleds Lighting Corp. NT$26 million (US$764,700) through its venture capital fund VTFA and has acquired 11% stake in the LED provider. The investment is considered as part of its plan to develop strong presence in green technology field. Liquidleds was co-founded in 2005 by a former iD SoftCapital Group executive. The company reportedly has introduced the first AC LED bulb in the industry.  In LED filed, TSMC has invested in epitaxy-wafer maker BridgeLux of the U.S.

Micron Technology is requesting for $20 million stimulus fund through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help the company expand into the LED industry and create new jobs in Idaho. LEDs (Light-emitting diodes), which use one-seventh as much energy as conventional lighting and can last much longer, can be used in lamps and fixtures, municipal streetlights and outdoor lighting such as street lamps, traffic signals and auto lights.

The top three global LED vendors, Nichia, Osram and Lumileds/Philips, are threatened by the fast growing Korean and Taiwanese companies, as competition in the global LED market becomes tougher, according to a market research firm.

Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc., a developer of power management integrated circuits, announced yesterday a new set of flash and backlight White LED (WLED) drivers for the highly competitive feature phone market. Offering new efficiencies in power usage in highly compact packages, the AAT3176 flash driver and the AAT3351 white LED driver promise to help handset designers extend battery life and reduce product footprint.

Cree Inc is "cautiously optimistic" that demand for its products will pick up in the coming months, and it could tap the debt markets to help fund its growth, said Cree’s CEO Chuck Swoboda in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday. With no outstanding debt and more than $400 million in cash, Cree is not currently planning a debt issuance, but it would be better to issue debt before the company was in need of cash, said Swoboda.

Seoul Semiconductor announced on May 12 the launch of its 120lm/W high-efficiency, SMD type LED for general lighting. The LCW100Z1 delivers over 120lm/W with an enhanced primary optic including enhanced heat transfer and the metal substrate, according to the company, while the pricing of the LCW100Z1 is comparable to similar-sized Chip LED’s that can tolerate only half of the current.

CAP-XX Limited, developer of the supercapacitor-driven BriteFlash Power Architecture, recently announced availability of supercapacitor-optimized LED flash drivers from several power management integrated circuit (PMIC) companies to facilitate design of high-power LED flash units for high-resolution camera phones and digital cameras.

Savage Marine, one of the UK’s leading suppliers of lighting to the yacht market has halved the energy consumption of its ultra bright interior and exterior downlighters by adopting state of the art 10W LED technology from Marl to replace halogen lights.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) are being installed in India’s Nagpur to replace incandescent lamps for major traffic signals, as part of the traffic improvement plan of the city.

Carmanah Technologies introduced its next generation of solar-powered LED lights at the LightFair International tradeshow and conference in New York City. As part of a new "General Illumination" (GI) product line, the company featured a range of solar-powered lights for street and parking lot applications, including the new EverGEN 1500, along with a preview of the company's new EverGEN 1700-series design. 

Korean scientists announced Monday they have developed a new kind of highly efficient light emitting diode (LED) that can help develop next-generation displays and computer chips. The research team of Seoul National University said they have perfected a new production method that can produce high-quality green quantum dot LEDs with superior brightness and purity characteristics that are easier to make than existing products. The development was published in the latest edition of "Advanced Materials," and was featured in the April 22 issue of "Asia Materials."

UPEC Electronic Corp., well known for innovative ways of combining design and LED technology, announced an enhanced version of Fish Lamp. LED technology is now regarded as the lighting solution of the future. Its unique characteristics, such as low energy consumption and extreme long-life, make the use of this technology attractive in terms of practical lighting, decoration and the special application as well.  

On Lightfair International 2009, the lighting industry’s annual trade show at the Javits Center in New York last week, LED bulbs and fixtures dominated nearly every booth on the show floor. Though most people think of LEDs as the lights blinking from inside electronic devices, they are being used increasingly to light rooms.

The Urban Renewal Authority (URA) of Hong Kong will spend about HK$270million on green upgrades for Wan Chai's Lee Tung Street and Kwun Tong town center. The green initiative is to encourage developers and the community to adopt more environment-friendly practices, authority chairman Barry Cheung Chun- yuen said Sunday.

BluGlass Limited recently announced that it has signed a term sheet outlining the material, terms and conditions to be encompassed in an Exclusive Sales and Marketing License Agreement with BLK CO., LTD (BLK) of Korea. This term sheet is a significant advancement in the commercialization of BluGlass and marks the first steps towards a full customer agreement.

Samsung LED, a light-emitting diodes (LED) unit of Samsung, the global electronics giant, has set up its first overseas manufacturing base in Tianjin, China. Tianjin Samsung LED Co., Ltd, was established with a starting capital of 30 million U.S. dollars, according to the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (Teda) Administrative Commission. The spokesman Zhang Liang said Saturday that initial investment to the Tianjin manufacturing base would reach 90 million U.S. dollars.

The City Council of San Ramon, U.S. will consider another application for federal economic stimulus money for a $215,600 grant to replace city parking lot lights and street lights with energy efficient LED ones. According to a city staff report, installing the energy efficient lights could reduce city energy costs by 50 percent. LED street lights also last 50,000 to 80,000 hours longer than traditional lights.

In Tenderloin district of San Francisco, U.S., the city government has installed "smart" LED (light-emitting diode) street lights, which is part of a wide effort by the city to cut spending and reduce energy use. The LED panels are connected to servers over existing power lines, from which the city manages the operation of the LEDs. Based on data retrieved from the panels, management consoles can remotely turn off or dim lights depending on time, weather and traffic.