Korean electronics giants Samsung and LG are cutting down their LCD production and aim to exit the LCD panel manufacturing business in the near future. Japan’s JDI is also suffered from weak business and sold its LCD production equipment to Apple reportedly. According to the latest investigations by the WitsView research division of TrendForce, these measures taken by the Korean and Japanese companies will led to declines in large size LCD production. Meanwhile, market share of Korean manufacturers in large-size panel capacity will shrink to below 10%. ...

Japan Display announced that the company has been involved in improper accounting treatment with a total padded operating profit of JPY 8.2 billion (US$ 76.12 million) in the past six years since 2014, when the company was listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company was investigated by a third-party committee and revealed the results on April 13, 2020. (Image: JDI) The investigation showed that JDI recorded fictitious inventory of JPY 10 billion (US$92.86 million) in total since the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013. The investigation also...

Worldwide technology builders are accelerating UVC LED developments for disinfecting applications aiming to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Lately we have seen many new products and technologies debuted and here comes a new UVC LED innovation from the German research center, Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technology and Image Evaluation, which is part of the Applied System Technology AST branch (IOSB-AST). Researchers built a microwave-like equipment which include two separate UVC LED modules with 10 UVC LEDs embedded respecti...

Chelsea Klukas, the product design manager at Oculus/Facebook AR/VR team, recently debuted a face mask combining a LED display panel to show customized images or texts, under her fashion-technology brand Lumen Couture. The LED mask can connect with an application on smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth to input the messages or graphic that users want to show on the mask. The mask also provides equalizer mode to respond to music, sounds or voice of the phones to deliver unique animated designs. (Image: Lumen Couture) The 512 pixels LED display panel is put bet...

High Power Optoelectronics (HPO) is the world's one and only professional manufacturer of full gamut (from 365 nm UV to 940 nm IR light), vertical-structure LED chips, holding the world's oldest LED-single crystal substrate wafer bonding patent. This wafer bonding process turns the original substrate into a silicon substrate after MOCVD epitaxial growth, giving LED chips exceptional thermal conductivity, and allowing them to provide even better luminous efficacy under high current and increased component reliability. (Dr. Chih-Sung Chang, Chairman of...

LettUs Grow is an indoor farming technology provider founded in 2015 in Bristol, UK. The company is speeding up the building of two vertical farm modules in the city of Bristol to help feed vulnerable communities during the Covid-19 outbreak. The company is also forming partnership with the food redistribution charity FareShare South West to ensure the produce gets to those who need it most. LettUs Grow expects the first of the new aeroponic farm modules to be ready to start producing fresh produce from mid-April, with the first harvests ready to be delivered in ten days...

A KAIST team developed a novel wearable strain sensor based on the modulation of optical transmittance of a carbon nanotube (CNT)-embedded elastomer. The sensor is capable of sensitive, stable, and continuous measurement of physical signals and shows potential for the detection of subtle human motions and the real-time monitoring of body postures for healthcare applications. The study “Wearable Strain sensors Using Light Transmittance Change of Carbon Nanotube-Embedded Elastomers with Microcracks” was published in Applied Materials & Interfaces in ...

A joint research conducted by Japan’s Kobe University and Ushio, the Japan-based LED component maker, has provided proof for the first time in the world that direct and repetitive illumination from 222nm UVC radiation, which is a powerful sterilizer, does not cause skin cancer. This suggests that 222nm UVC is also safe for human eyes and skin. This technology is expected to have a wide range of antibacterial and antiviral applications in medical facilities and daily life. These research results were published online in Photochemistry & Photobiology, titled &l...

As LED technology advances, lighting applications have evolved from general lighting to commercial and architectural lighting, realizing more possibilities with energy saving and other requirements. Architectural lighting is a field which many LED companies have been engaged. LEDinside interviewed CREE, one of the leading industry suppliers of the market to learn how innovative LED technology supports current architectural lighting applications. Paul Scheidt, Leader of Product Marketing at CREE, shared his insights and prospective towards the field. (Paul S...

Australia-based BluGlass updated its business operation recently, presenting its developments in its direct-to-market Laser Diode business unit (launched October 2019) and recent progress on its Micro LED and LED programs. (Image: Pixabay) BluGlass has processed new RPCVD tunnel junction laser diode test structures which replaces the heavily lossy and resistive p-AlGaN cladding layers needed in standard laser diodes, paving the way for laser diodes improvement with reduced optical loss. The BluGlass US based Test Facility is on track for completion and f...

Acuva, the Canada based UVC LED water disinfection solution provider, shared professional understanding about how much UV radiation is required to deactivate the novel coronavirus and how UVC LED technology may support the disinfection process. Dr. Babak Adeli, Director of R&D at Acuva Technologies, explained the ways of novel coronavirus (COVID-19 virus/SARS-CoV-2) transmission and its reaction to UV radiation, showing the possible approach of using UVC LED to diminish the virus. Adeli addressed that the novel coronavirus, is a new strai...

Poro Technologies (Porotech), is a spin-out from the University of Cambridge focusing on GaN material technology. The company has closed a GBP 1.5 million (US$ 1.86 million) seed round investment. According to the report of Cambridge, the investment will support Porotech to develop a pilot plant in Cambridge and its first major products. The seed round was co-led by Cambridge Enterprise, the commercialization arm of the University of Cambridge, and IQ Capital Partners, with the additional participation of Martlet Capital and a syndicate of angel investors from ...

Seoul Viosys announced that its Violeds technology has been adopted by China-based automotive component supplier Yanfeng for in-vehicle UV disinfection. Adopting Violeds technology, the Yanfeng’s in-vehicle UV sanitizer can detect for absence of occupants before activating lamps for a period of 10 minutes that can sterilize the cabin including cockpit, seating and steering wheel. The sterilization lamp is embedded in the ceiling for maximum coverage and allows for sterilization of the harmful bacteria and viruses inside. (Violeds technology adopted by Yanfeng for ...

A report of Thomson Reuters Foundation pointed out that cities lockdowns across the globe due to COVID-19 pandemic has made people to rethink the way they obtain food. Urban farming taking places in rooftops or other spare spaces in the city may be the solution for food supply. Horticulture LED lighting can thus become a critical supporting equipment for household or community farming applications. Panic buying has been reported in many countries during the coronavirus crisis. Kotchakorn Voraakom, the landscape architect who designed Asia's largest urban rooftop farm...

Korean electronics giants LG and Samsung both revealed their preliminary earning guidance for the first quarter of 2020 and the spreading coronavirus pandemic did not seem to impact much on their business. LG Electronics reported tentative consolidated revenues of KRW 14.7 trillion (US$ 12.03 billion) and with an operating profit of KRW 1.1 trillion (US$ 899.8 million) for 1Q20. Compared to 1Q19, the sales was about 1.2% lower but the operating income increased by 21.1% on year. Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics posted its 1Q20 earnings guidance with consolidated...

Environmental scientists at IGB, The Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, the research institute in Germany, found that artificial lighting at night affects melatonin reproduction in fishes. It is widely acknowledged that melatonin plays a critical role in regulating circadian rhythm of human bodies. And a research team now proved that lighting also suppresses production of melatonin in fishes. The team of IGB researchers investigated melatonin production in European perch and showed that light pollution, like nighttime urban sky glow, is bright...

Nichia reported that the company has reached a judicial settlement with Corlant, a distributor of automotive aftermarket parts under the brand of Valenti, during the proceeding at Tokyo District Court on March 19, 2020. Under the settlement, Corlant acknowledged that the accused products fall within the scope of Nichia’s patents in relation to PSS technology. Further, Corlant agreed to cease manufacturing and selling accused products, and to pay settlement money. Nichia filed the patent infringement lawsuit against Corlant on January 7, 2019, accursing Corlan...

Osram has appointed Kathrin Dahnke as the new CFO and the new position will begin on April 16, succeeding Ingo Bank, who will become CFO of AMS on May 1. Dahnke was appointed by the supervisory board of Osram as the CFO of the Management Board of Osram. Dahnke was most recently a member of the Management Board of the Neuss-based conglomerate Werhahn KG, which operates in the fields of building materials, consumer goods and financial services. The supervisory board of Osram expects Dahnke to take the challenge faced by the company during the transform...

The first quarter just ended and the continuously spreading coronavirus (COVID-19) has turned the world upside down in the first three month of 2020. Many companies across the world have reported their measures in response the impacts brought by the epidemic. LEDinside has collected industry information announced by worldwide companies to keep our readers updated. Signify Suspend Financial Outlook for FY2020, Increases 3% Product Price and Asks Employees to Cut 20% Wage The world’s largest lighting company Signify has taken several actions to cope with C...

At CES 2020, Taiwan-based laptop manufacturer MSI introduced its notebook product adopting Mini LED backlit display, Creator 17. The Mini LED laptop with 4K UHD resolution will be launched on April 15, 2020 at US$ 1799. Creator 17 is a 17.3 inch laptop with Mini LED backlit display, achieving a resolution of 4K and a brightness of 1,000 nits based on the 240 dimming zones. With the launch of the Mini LED laptop, many LED manufacturers are looking forward to a booming market for the display technology. (Image: MSI) Consumer products adoptin...

LEDinside, a division of the global market intelligence firm TrendForce, says that significant progress in the evolution of Micro LED technologies during the recent period has attracted the interest of many supply chain actors. Companies that are now pursuing Micro LED include material and equipment providers in the upstream, component suppliers in the mid-stream, and brand vendors of whole devices in the downstream. In trying to gain a foothold in this field, they are disrupting the traditional ecosystem of the electronics sector and contributing to the formation of a new ind...

A research team consisting of scholars from Sweden, UK, China and the Czech has developed a perovskite LED with both high efficiency and long operational stability. The result has been published in Nature Communications, titled “Perovskite-molecule composite thin films for efficient and stable light-emitting diodes.” Perovskites are a large family of semiconducting materials that have aroused the interest of scientists around the world. Their special crystal structure means that they have excellent optical and electronic properties, while they are both easy and ...

Cree announced preliminary results for its third quarter of fiscal 2020 ended March 29, 2020 and provided a business update in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a greater impact than originally anticipated when the company provided the third quarter outlook on January 29, 2020. Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 is expected to be approximately US$216 million, compared to US$274 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2019 and US$240 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2020. The Company expects GAAP net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 20...

US Lighting Group announced it is developing a new UV LED Plug-n-Play 4-foot, commercial bulb which can be used for surface sterilization to help combat viral pathogens like COVID-19. Paul Spivak, CEO of the US Lighting Group, currently holds two patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for UV LED Light Projection Method and Apparatus using ultraviolet and LED lighting technology. (Image: Pixabay) "We are ecstatic to announce that we have engineered the latest Plug-n-Play 4-foot, commercial replacement bulb with...

LightFair 2020, originally taking place during May 3-7, 2020 and previously postponed, is now canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to the announcement of International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD), the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and International Market The organizers noted that they have received feedback from IALD, IES, exhibitors and attendees that a trade show and conference in 2020 during the available summer dates is not feasible. As a result, the event will return in 2021 in New York and the next year in Las Veg...

Seoul Viosys and Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi) announced that that they have succeed in achieving 99.9% sterilization of coronavirus (COVID-19) in 30 seconds. Tests were conducted with the research group of Korea University by using a compound semiconductor Violeds technology that is being mass-produced. As COVID-19 spread throughout the world, SETi and Seoul Viosys devoted resources to show how Violeds technology can directly sterilize the virus. The goal has always been to provide technology for a cleaner world, and this includes minimizing the...

Since last year, manufacturers of LEDs, panels, and systems across the globe have displayed Micro LED-related products at major international exhibitions. Applications include automotive and indoor fine-pitch displays. This has kick started a Micro LED trend across the world. At the beginning of this year, leading industry players including Taiwan’s ITRI, Japan’s Sony, and Korea’s Samsung, LG, and Seoul Semiconductor have all presented the latest Micro LED technology at CES 2020. As one of the major focuses in the display industry, Mi...

Cree Lighting announced that it will collaborate with lighting control expert Lutron Electronics to introduce a variety of new connected lighting products to the market. Based on the partnership, Cree Lighting’s indoor and outdoor fixtures are connected with Lutron wired and wireless digital fixture control technologies. (Image: Cree Lighting) The connected lighting portfolio includes the integration of Cree Lighting’s architectural and outdoor lighting series with Lutron’s wireless and digital LED drivers, as well as the ZR Series LED troffers...

Chinese LED companies including chip makers Sanan Optoelectronics and HC Semitek and LED packager MLS reported that they have received subsidies from the government. (Image: Pixabay) Sanan Semiconductor, the subsidiary of Sanan Optoelectronics announced that it has received RMB 200 million (US$28.15 million) from local government based on the agreement of investment collaboration. The company was just granted RMB 143 million (US$ 20.13 million) last week for equipment purchase. The government of Yiwu, Zhejiang is issuing two subsidies to the second...

Samsung Display announced that it will stop LCD panel production by the end of this year and turns its business to OLED and other display technology. Samsung Display currently has LCD production lines in China and South Korea and is planning to turn one of its LCD facilities in South Korea into quantum dot screen production, reported Reuters. As for the facilities in China, Samsung has not yet decided the further operation. The display industry has been gone through a tough time due to oversupply and price competition. LG Display announced earlier that i...