Storm clouds are clearing for Taiwanese sapphire manufactures as sapphire substrate industry supply and demand returns to norm after years of financial loss. The rebounding industry has brought back investor confidence, which has spurred a wave of Taiwanese manufacturers to finance market strategies to acquire technological, capital, production capacity, and market share advantages.

Leyard announced first quarter 2014 financial results on April 23, 2014. Operating revenue grew 28.43 percent YoY to NT$ 142 million (US$4.7 million). Net income attributed to shareholders was NT$10 million, up 29 percent YoY. EPS increased 16.67 percent YoY to NT$ 0.07. 

HC SemiTek’s production capacity for patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) has reached 10,000 pieces per month with a self-supply rate of more than 50 percent, said Secretary of the Board Yeh Aimin on April 24 2014. 

Philips SlimStyle flat light bulb is the second Philips 60-W EQ LED to break the US$ 5 price point, accelerating adoption of quality LEDs for the home. Energy Star rebates have brought bulb prices down to US$ 1.97 in certain areas in U.S.

U.S. city Portland has installed blue LED lights next to red traffic lights at a six-way intersection to notify cyclists their bicycles have been detected, and traffic light will be changing soon to allow them pass through, according to a Oregon Live report. 

Awarding efforts focused on everything from composting and energy conservation to lighting retrofits and weed management, UC Santa Barbara’s The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) Grant Making Committee has selected its grant recipients for the 2013–2014 funding cycle.

Sunny weather all year round is now achievable with the installation of nanoparticle LED panels developed by designer Paolo di Trapani and Italy’s University of Insubri, according to a Gizmodo report.

PhoneSoap has unveiled its new Luma SmartLamp.  A campaign to fund the roll-out of initial production has been launched on the social media funding platform Kickstarter.

 Royal Philips announced the signing of its 400th licensee - Dotlux GmbH - to its LED Luminaires and Retrofit Bulbs Licensing Program, a growth of 100 licensees since May last year. Philips is committed to fostering LED industry growth and creating a level playing field by giving companies access to its wide portfolio of patented LED system technologies and solutions. By making available more than 210 inventions (comprising over 1200 granted patents), Philips aims to open up new business opportunities and possibilities for companies globally.

MultiLEDs can deliver bright light in all colors, as they contain red, green and blue chips. Therefore they give lighting designers a free hand when selecting colors, for example for automotive interior lighting. Now Peter Nowotny, an artist based in Regensburg, Germany, is using the tiny RGB light sources in several of his artworks and achieving impressive effects.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. introduces the ultra-thin 940nm top-view infrared LED IR92-01C/L491/2R in a miniature MIDLED package. This small SMD device has been developed for applications where high power output, narrow beam angle or available space is of concern. 

Innovations in Optics, Inc. introduces LumiBright™ UV Boards for high power UV LED applications such as UV curing, 3D printing, maskless lithography, photodynamic therapy, and fluorescence excitation in life science or machine vision. LumiBright UV Boards offer maximized heat and current spreading to deliver high UV optical power with superior thermal management and open platform flexibility that provides for totally unique and compact UV LED design solutions.

LED plant factories have seen substantial development in Taiwan recently, according to Apple Daily. Taking advantage of the flourishing industry, Tatung on April 23, 2014, announced their intention on entering the LED growth light market with their hydroponic vegetable business “In Fresh.” Tatung anticipates “In Fresh” to act as a new growth driver for the company. 

Zhejiang Jingsheng Mechanical & Electrical Co. (Jingsheng) has put its sapphire project into high gear as sapphire ingot prices rise. Its subsidiary factory in Inner Mongolia has already begun installing sapphire growth furnaces. 

San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) has big plans to become a force to be reckoned with both domestically and internationally. The company is expanding production capacity, releasing announcements one after another, according to a Money DJ report.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released an Application Summary Report that focuses on the bare-lamp performance of 31 linear LED lamps intended as an alternative to T8 fluorescent lamps. 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced awards of $4.3 million for 17 projects dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of transportation in New York State. These projects are in line with the governor’s energy vision to increase support for new and innovative clean energy technologies that help reduce dependence on fossil fuels, reduce pollution and promote a cleaner and healthier environment while supporting the growth of the economy.

Displays made of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are very attractive. One of their advantages is that they can be less expensively manufactured using inkjet technology. Companies are aiming to make this process suitable for mass production — for example at AUO in Taiwan, one of the world’s leading display suppliers. 

Intermolecular, Inc. announced that Epistar Corp. and Intermolecular have signed a multi-year extension of their existing collaborative development program (CDP) and royalty-bearing IP licensing agreement to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of Epistar's light emitting diode (LED) devices.

Japanese cinematographer Takao Inoue has transformed common dandelions into luminescent flowers using OLED technology, according to a Tamago and Spoon Report.

The following Blog post was written by Dietmar Thomas, Manager Brand & Integrated Communications OLED, for Philips Lumiblade. On April 18th, Philips Lumiblade OLEDs did boldly go where no other OLED has gone before. Space. What sounds like the famous beginning of the original Star Trek television series was indeed a big step for the most modern light source on earth.

The City of San Luis Obispo continues to move forward with their Climate Action Plan by upgrading their existing high pressure sodium street lights to Cree® LED lighting, achieving exceptional savings in maintenance and energy consumption while also dramatically improving visibility for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Lunera® Lighting, Inc., a leader in lighting innovations accelerating the transformation to advanced LED technology, today introduced the availability of the Susan Lamp family, adding to Lunera’s leading-edge BallastLED lamp product portfolio. Lunera’s BallastLED technology has created a new market segment for LED lamps. 

As a key visual touchpoint for consumers, bright and evenly illuminated outdoor signage is crucial to the brand image of countless businesses and stores. GE continues to provide business owners and sign makers alike with the reliable, easy-to-install and energy-saving sign lighting they desire with its latest innovation, GE’s LineFit Light LED Lighting System.

San’an Optoelectronics (San’an Opto) released their first quarter fiscal 2014 financial results on April 21, 2014. Production capacity expansion to their LED subsidiaries as well as increased production sales volume boosted operating revenue by 30.7 percent. Government subsidies received in 1Q14 increased non-operating revenue 130 percent YoY.

Elech-Tech has further invested in NVC Lighting. Elec-Tech announced plans to purchase 6.76 percent in shares from Hong Kong listed NVC Lighting on April 22, 2014. This will bring the company’s total share to 27.10 percent, giving Elec-Tech greater influence over NVC Lighting. 

The year started off challenging for Philips, with currency impact from China and Russia and voluntary suspension of their healthcare production facility in Cleveland which resulted in flat comparable sales growth and decline in EBITA. Hoever, Lighting continued to deliver a YoY operational margin improvement. 

Cree, Inc. announced revenue of US $405.3 million for 3Q14, ended March 30, 2014. This represents a 16 percent increase compared to revenue of US $348.9 million reported for 3Q13. “Fiscal Q3 was a solid quarter as revenue and operating income were in line with our target range and the business is well positioned to grow in fiscal Q4,” stated Chuck Swoboda, Cree Chairman and CEO.

The LED street light replacement wave has swept the globe as local governments embrace the low energy consumption and financial advantage they offer. However, in the rush to jump on the green technology bandwagon, governments have overlooked the health issues that LEDs pose to the human body. British citizens have been less than keen over the recent installment of LEDs in boroughs throughout the country. 

After long time testing and verification, TSLC has released its new LED headlamp products. The products fulfill customer’s performance, quality, and price requirements in cooperation with automotive companies. The headlamp products are especially suitable for automotive and motorcycle headlight application due to its excellent high thermal stability, and high luminance characteristics.