Winter Lights Brighten Up Downtown Seoul

Snowflake lights have been installed along the streets of downtown Seoul to mark the winter season. Some 373 trees have been adorned with lights on a two-km route from Gwanghwamun to Namdaemun and Sejong-ro.

Million Color T8 Tube LED Light from Santy Group

Hong Kong-based Santy Group Ltd has introduced Million Color T8 Tube LED Light in multiple colours. The Million Color T8 LED Tube Light is made with 5050 SMD RGB-LEDs which are attached to a thin circuit board. Taking only a few minutes to install, Million color can be selected in any colours such as Red, Green, Blue, White, Light Red, Aqua, Dark Blue, Orange, Sky Blue, Dark Orange, '68 Buick Skylark, Purple, Yellow, Navy Blue and more. The LED light is replaceable and easy to use for RGB T8 Tube.

Improving LED Demand good for Cree

Caris & Co. analyst Ben Pang has reiterated an “Above Average” rating on shares of LED maker Cree (CREE), while raising his price target to $78 from $55 on higher estimates, as LED sales volumes are being boosted by general and specialty lighting usage. Distributors in China and Taiwan are exhibiting positive sentiment on LED demand, writes Pang, wich appears to include new applications for the lighting technology, and also “strong” use of LEDs in backlit displays, which “is keeping pricing erosion in check in the near term,” he believes

Middle East switches to LED lighting

A number of high profile security applications in the Middle East, a region renowned for adopting cutting edge technology, have deployed the latest LED lighting technology from Raytec to improve the performance of their CCTV systems. Raytec, the global leader in the design and manufacture of LED lighting systems for both CCTV, and general lighting applications, confirmed a major distribution agreement with Harco at the beginning of 2010.

New technology promises networking through flickering LEDs

You've heard, we assume, of powerline networking, which is transmission of network traffic through your homes electrical wiring, and you've definitely heard of wi-fi, we hope. Now a startup in St. Cloud, Minnesota, is about to transmit network data via flickering lights. The lights will flicker too quickly for humans to see, so it won't disturb workers. Starting Wednesday, employees at city offices in St. Cloud will have their computers equipped with special modems that will talk to light fixtures above. The light fixtures are built by LVX System and will be installed in six municipal buildings. Clusters of LEDs in the fixtures will flicker off and on, transmitting 1s and 0s to the computers below.

Poll Shows Interest Around LEDs

It’s time, once again, for the annual Osram Sylvania Socket Survey, which last year found consumers increasingly interested in energy-efficiency, but largely in the dark on the incandescent phase-out. The past year, it would seem, has shed some light on the latter subject, as this third annual survey of consumer attitudes towards lighting options has found nearly a 16 percent increase in consumer awareness that, come 2012, the 100 watt incandescent bulb will be a thing of the past.

US Patent Office Validates Spectros’ White LED Patent

The United States Patent Office has validated Spectros’ white LED patent, which will be reissued in 2011. The Patent Office has confirmed that Spectros white LEDs are safe for using in medical spectroscopy and other applications in industrial and biomedical spectroscopy devices. One of the white LED patents in the United States is held by Spectros. The patent was the first to be utilized in industrial and medical spectroscopy. Spectros developed numerous broadband illuminators that are used in the Spectros Continuum and T-Stat Tissue Oximeters. In addition, the company’s white LED patent series is currently under prosecution in Japan, Europe, and the US.

Cree Releases Commercial XLamp XP-E High Efficiency White LEDs

Cree, Inc., a company focusing on LED lighting, has announced the commercial availability of XLamp XP-E High Efficiency White (HEW) LEDs. The new high-efficiency components extend the light output and efficacy of the XLamp XP-E LED family, enabling fixture designs that can use up to 50 percent fewer LEDs, which the Company noted can help drive down costs for fixture and bulb manufacturers while delivering the same system performance. Cree reported that XP-E HEW LEDs are optimized to lower initial costs for diffuse lighting applications, such as LED replacement lamps and down lights. For example, an A-19 lamp that uses XP-E LEDs could be re-designed to use half as many XP-E HEW LEDs while maintaining the same efficacy.
XLamp XP-E High Efficiency White LEDs are high-powered LEDs featuring Cree's new Direct Attach LED technology. The Company said that Direct Attach technology is Cree's, next-generation LED chip technology that delivers higher flux, lower forward voltage, and lower thermal resistance.
 "With 500 percent more die-attach area and an order-of-magnitude less die under-fill, Direct Attach technology is far more robust than any other LED flip chip technology in the market today," said John Edmond, Cree director of advanced optoelectronics. "For our customers, these attributes, combined with the performance advantages of Direct Attach technology, can translate to brighter, more reliable lamps and fixtures, developed at a lower cost."
XLamp XP-E High Efficiency White LEDs deliver up to 148 lumens in cool white (6500K) and 114 lumens in warm white (3000K) at 350 mA. In addition to light output and efficacy improvements, Cree noted that XP-E HEW LEDs feature a reduced thermal resistance of 6 degrees C/W. XP-E HEW LEDs are available in the same white variations as XP-E LEDs, including Standard White, Outdoor White and 80-CRI White.
 XLamp XP-E High Efficiency White LEDs are available now in sample and production quantities with standard lead times. The Company reported that IES LM-80 data for measuring lumen maintenance of LED light sources, for XP-E HEW LEDs, is targeted for availability in February 2011.

Explosion Proof LED Light Cart

Larson Electronics has released a new explosion proof LED light designed for blasting, powder spray booth, and paint spray booth applications. The EPLCD-48-2L-LED cart light is UL listed for Class 2 Division 1 and Class 1 Division 1 areas.
The LED paint spray light cart produces a color light output of 5300K with a CRI of 75. In addition, the explosion proof light generates a high light output from 48 W LEDs compared to a standard 108 W T5HO configuration. The EPLCD-48-2L-LED features two lamp LED lights integrated on a wheeled dolly cart.

Tablet PCs may drive shortage of high-end LED chips

Due to the rise of tablet PCs, the supply of high-end LED chips is likely to fall short of demand, starting February 2011 at the earliest, forecasts Frank Chien, chairman of Taiwanese LED maker Formosa Epitaxy Inc (Forepi), according to a report in Taiwan Economic News. Tablet PCs have quickly emerged as one of the most stellar products in the global market. Like LCD TVs and monitors, they mainly use LEDs as the light source for backlights, and Chien confirms that Forepi started delivering LEDs for tablet PCs in October.

Taiwan researchers make steps to improve LED output

Taiwan National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) have used a stepped series of quantum wells to improve electron injection into indium gallium nitride (InGaN) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by 63% over a comparison conventional LED at 20mA current [Shyh-Jer Huang et al, Appl. Phys. Express, vol3, p122106, 2010]. The improvement over a non-stepped (dual-stage) structure was 20%.

Renesas Electronics Launches Driver for LED Support

As the LED lighting is quickly displacing the incandescent light bulbs throughout the world, the market scale of the LED lighting field is expected to grow substantially. LEDs are powered by direct current drive, which makes the conversion of commercial alternating current (AC) power supply to direct current (DC) mandatory. To fulfill the ever increasing need of AC-DC conversion circuits, various control methods for LED lighting drivers are being introduced by a range of companies. Renesas Electronics has leveraged exclusive voltage step-down control technology in development of its new R2A20134 LED driver IC.

LED bulbs are the best lighting choice

Pop Quiz: Watts, lumens, luminous efficacy and Kelvin temperature. Can anyone in the audience define each lighting term and how they relate to each other? Is a 1200-lumen bulb brighter or dimmer than a 100-watt incandescent? Will a 2780 K "warm" light accentuate my hazel eyes or make my skin look pallid and blotchy? And, are these snazzy new $40 LED bulbs efficient enough to justify the upfront cost?

Do Digital Billboards Waste Energy?

Digital billboards, which are made of LED lights, consume lots of energy and are made of components that will turn into e-waste once the billboard’s life has ended. But wait, you ask, isn’t LED lighting quite energy-efficient? True, notes the report’s author, Gregory Young, a Philadelphia-based architectural designer and urban planner. But traditional billboards are lit by only two or three lamps, albeit inefficient ones, and only at night. By contrast, digital billboards have hundreds if not thousands of LEDs, which are illuminated day and night. And LEDs function poorly at high temperatures, so the signs need a cooling system.

LED lighting to reach $15.4bn in 2011

The high-brightness LED market will grow 53% from US$8.25bn in 2010 to US$12.6bn in 2011, according to the latest data from Digitimes Research. In particular, significant growth in the LED industry will be generated by lighting applications. The overall use of LEDs in lighting will rise from 4.8bn units in 2010 to 12.4bn units in 2011, as the effects of LED light bulbs replacing incandescent bulbs will start to show in 2011

LEDs to become the norm in mood lighting

LEDs will find growing uses in mood lighting for the home and could become the norm in the next decade, according to one expert. Eva Hammerson, head of design at lighting designer Kandabi, said LEDs will eventually replace "every existing lighting technology in the market today". She claimed this will include halogen lights, compact fluorescent lamps and traditional incandescent bulbs.

Diodes Launches Linear LED Driver Controller

Diodes, Inc., a global manufacturer and supplier of application specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic and analog semiconductor markets, said it has introduced the AL8400 linear LED driver controller.
In a release, the company said the AL8400 is designed to tightly regulate LED current via an external transistor across wide variations of high brightness LEDs. Suiting a broad range of LED chains in illumination, indication or signage systems, the controller can directly operate from 2.2V to 18V and will drive either N-channel MOSFET or NPN Bipolar transistors.
The AL8400 has a very low 200mV current sense voltage which reduces operating voltage overhead and increases efficiency compared with traditional solutions. Its open collector output drives the external pass transistor allowing it to regulate LED current from tens of mA to above an amp.
Using an external pass transistor allows power dissipation and maximum drive capability to be optimized. Longer LED chains needing significantly more than 18V can be driven with minimal additional external components

New Directions in the Art of the Moving Image

For fans of video art, Christmas came early this year. Just last week, the Smithsonian American Art Museum joined a growing list of institutions that have opened dedicated long-term galleries exclusively for media art. The inaugural installation of "Watch This! New Directions in the Art of the Moving Image" features nine artworks, spanning 40 years of history and spotlighting technology as disparate as a digital animation in 3-D projection - the kind you look at through cheesy paper glasses with red and blue lenses - to an array of 1,782 twinkling LEDs controlled by customized electronic circuitry.

Understanding the Advantages and Disadvantages of LED Retrofits

Energy and lighting efficiency questions are plentiful on whether or not to make a transition from traditional incandescent lighting systems to LED alternatives. According to a post at Buzzle, "Energy efficient lighting not only contributes to a better environment but also saves huge energy costs."

Avnet Lights Up the Path to the Future at LED Expo 2010

LED technology has already spawned an array of clean, energy efficient applications. Now, India's leading LED lighting exhibition, LED Expo 2010, will hear about the next frontier of medical, industrial and scientific applications of the technology from one of the experts in the lighting industry. Cary Eskow, director of the Avnet Lightspeed program within Avnet Electronics marketing, is to give a keynote address at the event.
Along with the keynote speech, Avnet Electronics Marketing will exhibit at this event, which takes place in New Delhi on 17 - 19 December 2010. It will also showcase a number of state-of-the-art innovative products from Avnet, from a graphite sheet with excellent thermal conducting properties specially designed for LED lighting applications, to dimmable high performance LED drivers, a range of LEDs, specialized power supplies and innovative LED cooling systems.
 "In a country the size of India, any opportunity to get key solutions developers and providers together to share knowledge and ideas is very valuable," said Cary Eskow. "LED lighting technology has made great strides in recent years, and now has a more sophisticated array of applications in production than many would have believed possible a few years ago. Avnet is at the forefront of that, and we look forward to participating in this major event."
 High-brightness LEDs have revolutionized many lighting products, but of course LEDs are not restricted to white light. New groundbreaking developments in high-power infrared and ultraviolet LEDs are enabling diverse applications ranging from medical diagnostic imaging, defense and surveillance, to high- speed industrial curing of inks and coatings. Furthermore, recent findings on human vision and photobiology have the potential to unleash a new wave of LED- powered products which can improve the quality of life. Mr. Eskow will discuss many of these concepts and their associated design issues.

VCs May Be Too Late To LED Lighting

Startups making next generation LED lighting may be hot investments again in 2011, but venture capitalists could be too late to the market with their cash, according to one industry executive. I ran into Bridgelux Inc. Chief Executive William Watkins last night at an event in San Jose, Calif., and he offered this warning. LEDs, or light emitting diodes, hold big promise for saving energy and pricing is falling rapidly, which will make them more competitive.

Osram Mexico Ready To Flip Switch To Efficient Light Bulbs

The incandescent light bulb, a fixture in the Mexican household, is being phased out by government regulations but market leader Osram said it is ready to win over consumers to newer technology.
The substitution of visually similar light bulbs at the consumer level "at times is difficult," said Jorge Cabrera, the Mexico marketing director for the unit of Siemens AG (SI). "When you physically see one that costs five pesos (40 cents) and another one that costs 15 pesos ($1.21) , you ask yourself why," Cabrera said, referring to the higher price of the newer, longer-lasting bulbs. He spoke following a presentation of Osram's substitution bulbs, including one using LED technology that will burns for 25 years.

Pasadena Library to Save City Thousands

LEDtronics, a leading designer and manufacturer of energy-saving LED lighting products, has completed a significant eco-friendly pendant lighting project at the Pasadena Central Library that will save the City of Pasadena thousands of dollars, according to city officials. 'Every light at the library that we replaced was using 900 watts of ballasted power consumption and we helped reduce that by nearly 90 percent,' says Pervaiz Lodhie, CEO of LEDtronics. “Not only does the LED lighting in the pendant fixtures save greatly on power but because of the low heat they generate, the room temperature is dramatically reduced so as to save on the air-conditioning cost.'

Consumers warming to efficient lighting

Compact florescent lights are the top choice for energy-efficient lighting, but there's a high level of awareness for LEDs, according to a survey from Osram Sylvania.The lighting company on Wednesday is expected to publish its third "socket survey" of consumers to measure the level of awareness around a government mandate for efficient lighting. Three hundred and nine consumers were surveyed by phone last month. Consumers indicated they plan to switch from incandescent bulbs to CFLs, halogens, and LEDs. In terms of product features, these consumers valued brightness first, then longevity, and then energy efficiency.

Starlight Lamp lets you sleep under the stars in comfort

You know what they say - if Ali can't go to the mountain, then bring the mountain over to Ali. Same goes for those who love camping in the great outdoors, getting sweet sleep under the stars if the weather permits. Unfortunately, optimal conditions do not happen all the time, which is why the Starlight Lamp was created to substitute the real thing.

60-watt stand-in priced at $30

Lighting Sciences Group introduced an LED bulb designed as a replacement for a 60-watt incandescent that will be available next month for under $30. The company announced the bulb at a ceremony at its Satellite Beach, Fla., headquarters, where it manufactured its 1 millionth LED light with the familiar "A" shape of an incandescent bulb.

In future, your walls and ceiling will glow

Forget light bulbs. In the future, organic light-emitting diodes will cause portions of your walls, ceilings or anything else desired to give you all the illumination you need, where you need it, according to a team of German researchers. As in “Star Trek,” a simple voice command or a short push on the light switch -- and the whole ceiling lights up in a uniform and pleasant colour.

Philips LED lighting revenues to reach 10% of total lighting revenues

LED lighting revenues reached 10% of Royal Philips Electronics' revenues for overall lighting products in the fourth quarter of 2009, and with increasing demand in 2010, the company expects LED lighting revenues to reach 15% of its total lighting revenues for 2010 and over 20% in the fourth quarter of 2010. Philips indicated that the company will focus on developing LED lighting and aims to reach 50% of its total lighting revenues in 2015.

Acuity Brands’ Lithonia Lighting Expands Volumetric LED Luminaire Product Line

Acuity Brands has again strengthened its portfolio of  LED ambient lighting fixtures with the introduction of the Lithonia  Lighting RTLED™ 2’x4’ and 1’x4’ luminaire models. The RTLED family  of volumetric recessed luminaires, which are factory-enabled with Acuity  Brands’ nLight™ intelligent controls interface, deliver high-quality  ambient white light for general illumination applications throughout an  entire space while reducing energy consumption, maintenance costs and a  building’s environmental footprint.
“The RTLED product family includes a powerful combination of advanced technology, energy-efficiency and high quality of light. These superior  LED lighting solutions represent an innovative breakthrough for use in  interior spaces, which many leading customers across North America have  already deployed, including educational applications at San Diego State  University and the University of Akron as well as franchise retailer  SuperValu,” said Dave Ranieri, Vice President and General Manager,  Lithonia Lighting Commercial Indoor Products. “Adding the RTLED 2’x4’  and 1’x4’ options to the 2’x2’ luminaire provides our customers with a  complete and diverse LED lighting solution set for any ceiling  configuration. The built-in interface to the Acuity Brands’ nLight  intelligent control system enables plug-and-play connectivity to  occupancy sensors, photocells, and manual wall controls. Network  connectivity to an nLight system provides a complete solution by  cost-effectively integrating time-based, sensor-based, and manual  lighting controls. This maximizes the luminaires’ energy-efficiency  while significantly reducing the ROI payback period,” added Ranieri.
Powered by an advanced LED light engine, the RTLED luminaire delivers a superior lighting environment: high color rendering (80+ CRI), 3500K  color temperature, and full range dimming through the nLight 0-10V DC embedded control device. The RTLED also reduces maintenance costs by  delivering up to 50,000 hours of light, reducing downtime and increasing overall productivity by not having to replace lamps or ballasts. With built-in nLight controls, the RTLED can be configured to perform  intelligent tasks—including dimming themselves by Lumen Maintenance, a  means of eliminating the waste associated with over-lighting early in  its life cycle. This maximizes luminaire life while minimizing energy  consumption.
Additionally, the RTLED luminaires feature a small, compact design (only  3-1/8” deep) and allow building owners to meet “green” and sustainability goals in numerous ways. The products contain no mercury  or lead and are made with recycled steel and other components and materials, which minimize waste in the manufacturing and distribution  process.

Experts stress cost savings of using LED lights

Educators with the University of Maine's Cooperative Extension say the type of decorative lights you use on your home this holiday season could have a major impact on your electric bill. Extension educators are hoping more people will invest in LED lights this year. LED lights, which stands for light emitting diode, are lights with no filament, which causes them to produce a small amount of heat.

UCSB uses more uniform InGaN for record efficiency semi-polar green LED

Researchers at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) have produced semi-polar green light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with external quantum efficiencies of 20.4% [Shuichiro Yamamoto et al, Appl. Phys. Express, vol3, p122102, 2010]. The team also included one researcher each from Sharp Corp and Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. The UCSB group produced both green and green-yellow LEDs using gallium nitride (GaN) crystal substrates oriented in the (20-21) direction.

How to dim the costs of holiday lights

Holiday lights don't have to short circuit the seasonal budget, according to regional and national energy experts. As a low-energy showcase, representatives from Florida Power & Light, a regional utility company, once decorated a small South Florida home for an additional cost of just $1 for the holiday season running from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. Money-saving solutions included the use of solar, battery-operated or LED holiday lights. Alternative or energy-saving sources enable you to reduce your carbon footprint and holiday budget.

TOPLED Compact LEDs from OSRAM

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors announces the new TOPLED Compact 5630 LED, an innovative addition to the world of LED lighting. By adapting its successful TOPLED packaging technology to the special needs of backlighting applications, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has created a brilliant LED that will enhance monitor and TV screens of all sizes. Two new versions of the TOPLED 5630 with different coverage of the color space according to the sRGB standard are available to meet various customer requirements. The ultra-white version of the new TOPLED LED has an efficiency of 76 lm/W at an operating current of 120 mA. Color space coverage is up to 100% sRGB, depending on the color filters used in the display. A specially optimized phosphor is used as conversion material to ensure high stability of the white point over time and across a wide temperature range. OSRAM also offers a multi-white version that achieves 67 lm/W for the same operating current and covers up to an impressive 120% of the sRGB color space. Both versions measure just 5.6 x 3.0 x 0.9 mm in size and offer uniformly high quality in the product and in the application. "Televisions backlit by LEDs offer brilliant colors and high contrast. The TOPLED Compact provides superb color space coverage, and its high white-point stability ensures that colors remain consistent over its operating lifetime," said Winfried Schwedler, Marketing Manager, Consumer Applications, at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors. "The multi-white TOPLED in particular exhibits a linear response that sets new standards." The ultra-white version offers 13% higher efficiency, which means that fewer LEDs are required for screen backlighting units to achieve comparable brightness. Both TOPLED Compact 5630 LEDs make it easy for monitor and TV manufacturers to meet strict energy consumption standards of Energy Star 2010/2012 and EuP Class A 2010/2012. The new LEDs are flat-encapsulated, have no integrated lens, and provide high efficiency for injection into light guides. OSRAM’s tried and tested TOPLED design stands for reliability and is suited for high volume manufacturing. The TOPLED Compact 5630 is the second LED of this family, together with the TOPLED Compact 4520.

Norlux Partners with DEK to Expand LED Manufacturing Capability

Addressing growing demand for its state-of-the-art LED lighting solutions, leading LED systems integrator, Norlux, recently expanded its capability with the addition of a DEK Horizon 03iX printing platform. Key evaluation criteria included accuracy, repeatability, flexibility, vision capability, throughput and customer service – all of which DEK delivered with a clear competitive advantage, thus securing the Norlux business.

PixelRange becomes leading light source with LEDS

When light-emitting diode maker PixelRange started four years ago, 80 percent of its revenues came from supplying lighting for concert productions including Carrie Underwood, Harry Connick Jr., Radiohead and the Dave Matthews Band. Band production designers like the ability to replace multiple incandescent lamps with brighter LEDs that could be programmed to display every variant of rainbow hues - in the billions of shades.

Are LED Christmas Lights Cost Effective?

Decorating with LED lights has become pretty popular this holiday season, but just how much energy and money are we saving with this new technology? Some El Pasoans are getting rid of their old incandescent Christmas lights in favor of the new LEDs for their holiday decorations this year.

Philips acquires NCW Holdings LTD in China

Royal Philips announced that it has acquired the privately owned NCW Holdings LTD (NCW). Headquartered in Hong Kong and with a manufacturing subsidiary in mainland China, NCW is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of LED, conventional entertainment lighting and lighting control solutions for global markets. No financial details on the transaction were disclosed. NCW will be integrated into the Entertainment business segment of Philips Professional Luminaires, adding to an existing portfolio of highly successful entertainment lighting solutions from leading  brands like Vari-Lite, Strand and Selecon.
“NCW will further broaden our global portfolio of solutions for the entertainment market,” said Rudy Provoost, Chief Executive Officer of Philips Lighting. “NCW will add considerably to the palette of creative lighting solutions we can provide customers such as theaters, concert producers, television studios and sports events. Furthermore, this acquisition will grow our footprint in the Chinese entertainment market, as well as built further on our leading position in LED lighting solutions.”
NCW, founded in 1992 and currently employing around 450 people, specializes in indoor and outdoor theatrical LED lighting and control solutions for the entertainment market. NCW is active throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Over the past few years, the company has seen rapid growth in its lighting business, fueled by its focus on LED solutions, a trend that is expected to continue. The acquisition of NCW follows the purchase of the New Zealand-based professional lighting entertainment company Selecon in 2009. Philips has also made recent acquisitions in China, with the incorporation of healthcare solutions providers Shanghai Apex in 2010 and Shenzhen Goldway in 2008.

Ultratech Opens Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Singapore

Ultratech, Inc., a leading supplier of lithography and laser-processing systems used to manufacture semiconductor devices and high-brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs), today officially opened an advanced manufacturing facility in Singapore.  Ultratech plans to spend more than $125 million dollars over the next several years in support of its Singapore International Operations.  Leo Yip, Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board and some 200 guests attended today's grand opening event which was followed by a plant tour.
Ultratech Chairman and CEO Arthur W. Zafiropoulo said, "After an extensive study in the Asia Pacific region, we selected Singapore for several business reasons including being conveniently located to Ultratech's served markets.  We expect 75 percent of our business to be located in the Pacific region, and with this new facility in Singapore Ultratech can better serve customers from Thailand to Taiwan.  We are continuously looking for ways to provide our customers with even better service and more cost-effective solutions.  The new Singapore facility will enable Ultratech to achieve our commitment to meet our global customers' needs with advanced technology and state-of-the-art manufacturing solutions."
The advanced manufacturing facility will be capable of producing over 100 lithography steppers annually for the advanced packaging and the HB-LED markets.  Along with providing engineering support in Singapore, the new facility will also serve as headquarters for Ultratech's global service operations and Asia Pacific sales organization.  Ultratech plans to start manufacturing lithography systems at its Singapore facility beginning in late 2010 with the first tool shipments to customers scheduled for the first quarter of 2011.

LED market grows from $6.1bn in 2009 to $10bn in 2010

Although the TV backlighting boom has temporarily fallen in fourth-quarter 2010 due to weaker demand and supply chain corrections, 2010 was still a year of tremendous growth in the LED industry, dramatically higher than the typical growth rates of recent years, according to IMS Research. The analyst firm believes that the market for LEDs (including all types: standard, AlInGaP and InGaN) has grown from $6.1bn in 2009 to about $10bn in 2010, driven by economic recovery, lighting and above all backlights, especially in TVs. Suppliers are hence having to grow by 64% this year just to maintain their market share.

A Green Christmas

What’s a better Christmas present that a reduced energy bill? Through solar powered LED Christmas string lights, of course. The holiday bills are already rolling in, but knock one thing off your list this year – a higher energy bill. Designed by Phillips, these 24 count solar powered, multiple colored bulbs turn on at dusk and don’t require any outlets – eliminating the hassle of finding an extension cord long enough or an outlet bit enough.

U.N. urges global switch to low-energy light bulbs

The United Nations on Wednesday urged a global phase-out of old-style light bulbs and a switch to low-energy lighting that it said would save billions of dollars and combat climate change

LED lighting helps meet energy goals

Government facility managers are striving to limit energy consumption. Recent legislation, including the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, mandates aggressive energy-savings goals for public facilities. The act created the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings, which sets policies and standards for building construction, operations and maintenance across government. The office works to ensure all federal buildings meet sustainable design and energy-reduction targets mandated in the act. Lighting is a major area of energy consumption, accounting for about 19 percent of the total electric energy used in commercial buildings, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's latest "Buildings Energy Data Book."

LG Display, QD team up on quantum-dot LED displays

Display and QD Vision on Tuesday said they will join forces to develop active-matrix displays that use quantum dot LED (QLED) nanotechnology. This kind of display is capable of brighter, more vibrant colors than existing screens while requiring less energy. QD Vision will provide its quantum dots, while LG will manufacture the actual products.

HB LED factory in St.Petersburg

Optogan, a supplier of high brightness LEDs, has opened a new manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, Russia with a production line capable of an annual capacity of 360 million LEDs. It is touted as the largest LED component and module factory in Eastern Europe and the the former Soviet Union.

Seoul Semiconductor partners with Vertex to invest in LED technology firms

As a subsidiary of Vertex Venture Holdings (owned by Temasek Holdings), Vertex Venture Management is engaged in company investments and fund commitments throughout Asia and the USA. Seoul Semiconductor aims to leverage its expertise in LED technologies to seek out high-potential companies and combine them with the capabilities of Vertex in sourcing and administering investment capital to achieve synergies for effective investment and returns. In addition, with subsequent expansion of investment opportunities, both firms may establish a dedicated fund to nurture the R&D efforts of technology companies that can drive future innovation in LEDs and related industries

Plug and play LED lighting modules

Syngene, a world-leading manufacturer of image analysis solutions is delighted to introduce its new plug and play LED lighting modules, which fit all new G:BOX and Dyversity imagers. These modules make it easy and cost-effective to enable these imagers to detect single or multiple fluorescent DNA and proteins.
The easy to fit, innovative LED lighting modules each contain a single wavelength LED light and a specific filter. They can be clipped by laboratory staff into the side of the lighting gantries which can be installed inside the darkroom of any new G:BOX or Dyversity imaging system, making imaging any commercial fluorescent DNA and protein dyes the simplest of tasks.
 There are nine new Syngene LED lighting modules in blue, green, red, infrared and far infrared available as single or multiplex units. Each unit can illuminate an area of 10cm x 15cm and different LED modules can be fitted simultaneously so users can choose to increase the intensity of one light source or use multiple different LEDs with different wavelengths, enabling complex multiplexing of colored Westerns, for example. Since the multiplex LED lighting modules are low energy, they will not heat up precious samples and means they can be used for longer captures if required without damaging DNA and proteins.