LED backlight applications growing

Laura S. Marshall, laura.marshall@photonics.com

LED applications in consumer products including cell phones, automobiles, displays, lighting and signals totaled more than $4.8 billion in 2009, according to a market report by PIDA, the Photonics Industry & Technology Development Association, a nonprofit organization that works to promote and grow Taiwan’s optoelectronics industry.

And PIDA predicts that LED backlight applications will expand in 2010 from cell phones to large-format LCDs. As a result, the association expects a surge in LED consumption, which would lead to global expansion in LED production.

The LED epitaxy wafer and chip industry suffered a 30 percent decline in the first two quarters of 2009, compared with the same quarters in 2008, but demand for medium-to-large LED backlight panels boosted revenues in the last two quarters, so that the epitaxy wafer and chip industry saw overall negative growth of 3 percent compared with 2008.

The total revenue for Taiwan’s LED industry, including packaging, was $2.733 billion in 2009; this represents a 19 percent growth, which PIDA attributes to government policies and strong global demands.

PIDA predicts that the growth trend will continue in 2010, estimating LED chip production in Taiwan to break $1.068 billion, with packing production value reaching $1.665 billion. The global LED chip market value is expected to reach $3.2 billion in 2010, and it is anticipated that the packaging market will hit $8.23 billion.

In early June 2010, PIDA will hold the Photonics Festival in Taiwan, an industry event showcasing new developments and offerings from Taiwan’s LED industry. Concurrent with the festival will be Display Taiwan, an exposition devoted to flat panel displays.