Report: Gallium Nitride Markets Continue to Thrive

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 9 -- The worldwide growth and momentum for markets and R&D activity relating to gallium nitride devices and materials has never been more robust, according to market research firm Strategies Unlimited.

In its report, "Gallium Nitride 2003 -- Technology Status, Applications, and Market Forecasts," the company reviews and updates the status of worldwide technology developments and markets for optoelectronic and electronic gallium nitride devices.

As of the first quarter of 2003, 184 companies were involved in gallium nitride production or development (devices, materials and equipment), and 293 universities and research centers were involved in gallium nitride R&D, an increase of 74 percent and 24 percent, respectively, since it conducted a gallium nitride survey in May 2002, Strategies Unlimited said.

The market growth for gallium nitride devices has been no less robust, the company said. Since 1999, the market for gallium nitride devices (primarily blue, green and white high-brightness LEDs) has grown by 221 percent to $1.35 billion. Since the beginning of the first significant commercial shipments of gallium nitride LEDs in 1995, the market has grown at an average annual rate of 64.5 percent. Blue-violet laser diodes based on gallium nitride devices began shipping in 1999, and the market achieved modest levels through 2002.
However, in 2003, the long-anticipated market for blue-violet (405 nm) laser diodes in optical storage has finally begun in earnest, as several companies announced the first shipments of the next generation of high-density DVD recorders, according to the report. Gallium-nitride-based electronic devices are still under development, but the first significant commercial shipments are expected to begin in 2004. Overall, the market for gallium nitride devices of all types is forecast to grow to $4.5 billion by 2007.

The report, which costs $3,950, includes a section on the rise of gallium nitride LED production in Taiwan.

For more information, visit: www.strategies-u.com