Technical Insight
High-brightness LED market is set to triple over next five years (Market News)
No let-up is expected in the robust sales of high-brightness LEDs in the next five years, leading to a market exceeding $3.4 billion in 2005. This is compared with sales of $1.2 billion in 2000. According to a report from Strategies Unlimited (Mountain View, CA), the worldwide market for high-brightness LEDs now accounts for 42% of the total LED market. Behind these market gains have been the recent advances in InGaN-based blue, green and white LEDs, led by companies such as Nichia, Toyoda Gosei, Cree and Osram Opto Semiconductors. High-brightness yellow, orange and red LEDs (made from AlInGaP, AlGaAs or InGaN) are available from various manufacturers, notably Agilent and LumiLeds, Osram Opto Semiconductors and Toshiba. Other major suppliers include Stanley Electric, Matsushita Electric, Sharp and Citizen Electronics. In addition, the year 2000 saw the emergence of new suppliers such as AXT and Uniroyal Optoelectronics, along with a number of new Taiwanese start-ups. Established Taiwanese chip suppliers such as UEC and Epistar, which make AlInGaP-based devices, experienced double-digit growth. Market penetration Although high-brightness LEDs are penetrating all market sectors, large, full-color outdoor LED video displays and automobile center high-mounted stop lamps have made significant inroads. Interior LED lighting also features in more than half of European-made cars. These employ blue, green, white and amber high-brightness emitters for instrument panel illumination. Efficient LED traffic signals have also experienced dramatic market growth. More recent applications include backlights for the small LCD displays used in mobile phones and PDAs. A niche market is also emerging for specialty lighting in retail and decorative applications. High-Brightness LED Market Review and Forecast 2001 is available from Strategies Unlimited. For more information see "www.strategies-u.com".
