Royal Philips ramps up its lighting business

When news broke recently that Philips Photonics will double the size of its vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) plant in Germany, it was a reminder that Royal Philips is still in the lighting business, despite having famously shed its LED, bulb, and luminaire operations to concentrate on medical and health gear. Like LEDs, VCSELs are light-emitting chips. They are gaining popularity in some of the digital applications where LEDs are also making headway. As such, the two technologies are competing against each other to some extent. Both, for instance, are positioned as infrared light sources that can provide facial recognition helping to protect access to smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets.