Large-scale LED backlights lift Veeco outlook
MBE and MOCVD equipment vendor Veeco Instruments has witnessed a boom in orders thanks to the emergence of a key new application for high-brightness LEDs.
Reporting sales of epitaxy machines worth $15 million in the past quarter, Veeco CEO Ed Braun said that the "beginning of HB-LED backlighting of flat-panel televisions" was at least partly responsible for a strong boom in orders for III-V manufacturing equipment.
Orders for equipment in HB-LED and wireless device applications now stand at $24.3 million, up 74% on the equivalent period in 2005.
Braun added that he expects to see double-digit growth in the HB-LED/wireless segment in 2006.
Overall, Veeco posted sales of $93.9 million for the quarter that ended on March 31, 2006, almost exactly the same figure as it registered in the same period of 2005. Total bookings stand at $126.7 million, up 28% on last year thanks to strong growth in the data storage market as well as the HB-LED/wireless sector.
