imec as a world-leading R&D center and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technology has been dedicated to using the power of technology to improve lives. The institute has gathered researchers from around the world to transform conceptual ideas into solid solutions to tackle real world problems. imec has also been extending its collaboration with international partners and has set up its first R&D center outside Europe in Hsinchu, Taiwan, ten years ago.

Lumenari, a U.S.-based material research company specializing in narrow-bandwidth LED phosphors, has announced it has raised US$ 3 million in Series A funding. The company will use the capital to complete an advanced lab-scale manufacturing line for its Emerald™ technology. Moreover, it plans to establish testing partnerships with packaged LED suppliers and pass initial qualification testing. 

Taiwanese LED package company Everlight and Japanese LED producer Nichia have continued their dispute regarding the patent of YAG. On October 1st 2018, the Supreme Court of the United State has confirmed the invalidity of Nichia’s assertions about its YAG patents.

  Scientists have continuously worked on improving the performance of LED. LED based on Perovskite (PLED) could be a new approach. Scientists have found out that the performance of the material surpasses OLED and that it could be processed with low cost solutions. Two research teams have published their studies of perovskite LED on Nature in October, notifying the potential of its further development.

Seoul Semiconductor reported that it and Seoul Viosys have successfully resolved two patent infringement lawsuits filed in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Central District of California against Archipelago Lighting, a U.S.-based LED lighting company. 

Aside from its practicality, LED has also provided artists a new approach to present their creativity. A German artist, Karin Sander has created a “transcendental elevator” as an exhibition space for students at the University of Art in Linz which is simultaneously an artistic object, an appliance and an icon. Zumtobel has helped to make the elevator shine in different colors on the rooftops of the university.

The National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan has announced that the licensing scheme for its comprehensive patent on red phosphor has been changed since October 1, 2018. The red phosphor patent was divided into two groups, a group of materials and manufacturing patents related to the manufacture of phosphors and a group of application patents related to the manufacture of LED devices. NIMS will enter new licensing contracts with companies to which these patents are applicable.

Signify has announced the launch of Interact Pro, a multi-tasking, smart lighting system and software developed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The lighting company has been extending its business in connected lighting systems, software and services and has released IoT-ready products to new customer segments.

Chinese panel maker BOE has attempted to supply its OLED panels to Samsung Electronics, according to Korean media, The Investor. The report said BOE has been working on samples for the panels used in Samsung’s Galaxy Watch.

In recent years, LED lighting has been popularized in the lighting application. With the development of smart city and smart lighting, LED bulbs are also developing in the direction of intelligence and digitization. However, the penetration rate of smart lighting in home applications is still low. One of the main reasons is that the operation system of the smart lighting is too complicated for users to use.

Prices of mainstream LED package products in the Chinese market dropped slightly in September, according to the latest price report released by LEDinside, a division of TrendForce.

According to the latest research report of LEDinside 「2019 Global LED Video Wall Market Outlook - Cinema, Rental Market and Price Trend」, as the demand for LED display in markets including rental market, HDR market application, retail and meeting room boosts, the annual growth rate of indoor fine pitch display in 2018 is expected to 39% and its CAGR during 2018 o 2022 will reach 28%, which is driven by the continuous development of ultra-fine pitch display in the future.

According to LEDinside, the global market size of micro LED is expected to grow to US $1.12 billion in 2020 and US $3.18 billion in 2025. In the end, a variety of products (BLU and RGB displays) with micro / mini LEDs as individual pixels are expected to be introduced to the market. However, technologies that can deliver large quantities of LED chips to the substrate at a time are still under development, and technologies for repairing defective mini LED chips are needed. 

Osram and Koito have released a series of standardized LED signal lamps with their XLS product family and the lamps are used in the new Toyota Corolla Sport. 

ETi Solid State Lighting, a subsidiary of Elec-Tech Solid State Lighting, has announced that its Color Preference technology was approved by the U.S Patent Office under Patent number 10,091,855. The company has implemented the technology in a range of new LED lighting products.

The U.S.-based LED technology developer, Neo Lights Holdings, has aimed to set up its manufacturing facilities in India and announced that the company is in discussion with several Indian producers to determine the optimized approaches of collaboration. 

CIMCON Lighting, a lighting management solution provider, has announced the launch of the NearSky™ Connect program. The program aims to gather service and technology providers to deliver solutions for smart city applications. 

With the orders of backlight products and fine pitch displays, Epistar has reached the highest monthly revenue of NT$ 1.93 billion (US$ 62.38 million) of the year in September with an increase of 1.36% MoM and a decrease of 22% YoY. 

Osram Opto Semiconductors has joined the ISELED Alliance which aims to set up an industrial ecosystem to provide solutions for automotive LED lighting.

Lighting Science has announced the launch of the Good Day & Night Troffers, which combine its patented LED spectrum technologies.

The development of LED applications in horticulture has continued to transform our understanding of farming. Delphy, a Dutch company, has recently conducted research on growing raspberries and blackberries with LED lighting, aiming to harvest them during winter.

Lextar has reported revenue drop in September due to its continuous product adjustments. The company registered a revenue of NT$ 98 million (US$ 3.17 million) for September with a decrease of 6.7% YoY. 

Osarm has cooperated with German company builder mantro to develop VISN, a product for analyzing and optimizing spaces in the office. The two companies are presenting the product at the Expo Real trade fair from October 8th – 10th in Munich, Germany. 

Velodyne LiDAR, the world leader in 3D real-time perception systems for autonomous vehicles, has been working on promoting the safety of autonomous cars. The company will hold the World Safety Summit on Autonomous Technology to address safety issues and public concern regarding autonomous vehicles in Santa Clara, California, on October 18th. In addition, it has partnered with non-profit organization Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) to create an educational website providing information about how autonomous vehicles can help to prevent roadway collisions.

GE Lighting has been the LED lighting supplier for Walmart. By converting Walmart shoppers from traditional light bulbs to energy-efficient LEDs over the past two years, it has saved 1.2 billion kWh of electricity*.

Cree continues to expand its industrial lighting portfolio and has announced the launch of its new LXB Series Linear High-Bay luminaires. LEDVANCE, on the other hand, has debuted a low glare luminaires for replacing conventional fluorescent lighting. 

Thorn Lighting, a UK-based lighting provider and a member of the Zumtobel Group, has announced that its luminaires were selected to light the newly constructed bridge which connects Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao. The bridge is currently the longest sea bridge in the world and is scheduled to open soon in October. 

Micro LED displays and devices developer VueReal has announced $8.5 million in funding from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to support its project whose total investment is over $26 million. The funding will be used to further develop innovative Micro LED technologies by expanding its original research team and launching a new center with fabrication facility. 

Automotive LED application has provided advanced light sources for drivers and now it offers a new function: creating eyes for self-driving cars like those of Herbie’s. 

Dr. Hiroshi Amano, a 2014 Nobel laureate in physics, delivered a lecture at Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan on October 3rd, sharing his research progress on GaN blue LED with Prof. Isamu Akasaki and how he has transferred his research focus from blue LED to UV LED and GaN power. He also highlighted the potential applications of GaN technology in the era of IoT and 5G.