After releasing few warnings in February and March, Osram finally unveiled the financial results of the second quarter of its fiscal 2019 ending March 31. The results went in line with what the company has expected with revenues decreased by 13.5% YoY to EUR862 million (US$965.14 million). The adjusted EBITDA fell by 56% YoY to EUR70 million (US$78.38 million) with an adjusted EBITDA margin dropped from 16.9% to 8.1%. The net loss came to EUR90 million (US$100.78 million). Continuous weak growth in China along with ongoing trade conflicts have led ...

Cree announced it will invest up to US$1 billion in the expansion of its silicon carbide capacity with the development of an automated 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility and a materials mega factory at its U.S. campus headquarters in Durham, N.C. Cree said that the decision marks the company’s largest investment to date in fueling its Wolfspeed silicon carbide and GaN on silicon carbide business. Upon completion in 2024, the facilities will substantially increase the company’s silicon carbide materials capability and wafer fabrication capacity, allowing wi...

The rising market of autonomous vehicle has driven developments of LiDAR sensor and other sensing technology. LiDAR providers are also actively building up connections with industry partners for speeding up their market expansion and technology improvement. Quanergy Systems, LiDAR sensors and smart sensing solutions provider announced its partnership with NIT, a distributor of IP surveillance and physical security solutions in the META region (Middle East, Turkey, Africa). Through the partnership, Quanergy aims to expand the market for its LiDAR-based sec...

Equipment provider Veeco Instruments announced financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2019. Veeco posted revenues of US$99.4 million, down by 37.33% compared to 1Q18. The company reported a net loss of US$18.5 million on GAAP base and a net loss of US$6.4 million on Non-GAAP base. The company has been challenged by China’s MOCVD equipment manufacturers since the fourth quarter of 2018. Its blue LED business in China had shrunk drastically after the 2Q18. Veeco said that it has been transforming its business structure, putting mo...

Taiwan-based LED manufacturers Lextar and Epistar announced their financial reports for the first quarter of 2019. Both companies posted an on-year degrease for 1Q19; however, Lextar managed to stay profitable while Epistar had a loss in the past two quarters with impacts from the US-China dispute. Lextar registered revenues of NT$2.167 billion (US$70.13 million) for 1Q19 with an on-year decrease of 18.15% and an on-quarter decrease of 10%. Net profit came to NT$113 million (US$3.66 million). The company also posted a revenue of NT$815 million (US$26.38 millio...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods will be raised to 25 percent from 10 percent on Friday, May 10, 2019. The Chinese LED chip manufacturers have reached a record high inventory level due to increased capacity and tepid demand, as well as the trade disputes starting 2018. If the tariffs come to effect, the sluggish LED industry might encounter even greater challenges. The LED industry has suffered from low price competition thanks to over supply as Chinese LED makers continued their capacity expansion...

Epiwafer producer IQE and optoelectronic components maker II-VI have report orders and growth driven by demands for sensing and communication technology. UK-based wafer product supplier IQE announced that has received the first mass production order for its recently constructed Newport Mega Foundry from its VCSEL customer. Optical components manufacturer II-VI reported its Fiscal 3Q19 results with strong demands for communications products. IQE reported that it has achieved full product qualification with its existing VCSEL client and is processing furt...

As more Asian players demonstrate their progress in Micro LED, LED technology providers and researchers from Europe and North America also synchronize their advances through deepening collaboration with various solution providers. Europe: Plessey presents Micro LED AR/VR glasses; Osram joins in on Micro LED automotive display research After Plessey unveiled its GaN-on-Si monolithic Micro LED in 2018, the UK-based company has cooperated with several partners including Vuzix, JDC, Nanoco Technologies, Aixtron, Mojo Vision and others. In col...

The development of Micro LED display technology has further materialized in 2019 in the form of more solid applications presented in big trade shows. Micro LED products demonstrations marked the intensified collaboration between industry players in the supply chain across the world. Researchers, chip makers, panel producers, equipment providers and application device developers have intensified their cooperation to accelerate Micro LED technology progress. Since the beginning of 2019, many companies have announced their Micro LED progresses and plans. Follow the update...

Osram announced the completion of the acquisition of Ring Automotive, a British aftermarket specialist. The acquisition was revealed in the end of January 2019. The acquisition will allow Osram to expand its product range in the automotive sector to include more automotive electronics and accessories. After approval by the British Competitors and Market Authority (CMA) for the takeover of Ring Automotive by Osram, the partnership between the companies will officially start in May. The common goal is to respond faster and better to new trends and challenges in the cons...

The development of agricultural innovation has become more and more urgent than ever given the factors of increasing world population and global warming. As a result, vertical farming, which serves as a feasible solution to mass produce healthy and safe food, is getting increasingly popular across the world. Samsung Electronics has launched full-spectrum white-based horticulture LEDs to keep up with the trend of agriculture innovation and underline the advantages of applying LEDs for smart farming approaches such as vertical farm. (Image: Samsung) Smart farming refers t...

Cree announced financial results for its third quarter of fiscal 2019, ended March 31, 2019. Revenue from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$274 million, which represents a 22% on-year increase. GAAP net loss from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$22 million, or US$0.22 per diluted share. On a non-GAAP basis, net income from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was US$20 million, compared to non-GAAP net income from continuing operations for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 of US$17...

AIXTRON, the Germany-based semiconductor equipment provider, announced its financial report for the first quarter of 2019 with an expected performance. The revenue of 1Q19 increased by 10% YoY to EUR 68.7 million (US$ 77 million). Although the gross margin decreased slightly to 39% YoY due to a change in the product mix, the gross profit of EUR 26.7 million (US$29.92 million) in the first quarter of 2019 was on a par with the previous year. According to AIXTRON, the first quarter of 2019 was mainly influenced by the expected reluctance of customers to inve...

Samsung and LG have both released their financial results for the first quarter of 2019 with profit loss in their display business resulting from the sluggish market. Samsung registered a revenue of KRW 6.12 trillion (US$ 5.24 billion) for its Display Panel Business in 1Q19 with an operating loss of KRW 0.56 trillion (US$ 479 million). The company said that the operating loss came from weaker profitability in both mobile and large displays. Mobile displays suffered slower demand and intensifying competition with LTPS LCDs. Large displays also took a hit from a ...

Advanced LED technologies are bringing increasing smart applications for automobile makers, especially for the rising market of new energy car. Tesla has recently applied a patent for its newly designed sunroof which integrated LED lighting and electrical tinting. The patent, titled “Advanced Sunroof Lighting System,” describes a sunroof consisting of multiple transparent layers including an electronic tint layer and a transparent lighting layer. By controlling the tint layer and lighting layer electronically, Tesla aims to monitor the light source inside the ca...

Seoul Semiconductor announced consolidated first quarter revenues of KRW 282 billion (US$ 242.52 million), down by 0.4% YoY compared to 1Q18 but within the range of company’s guided KRW 280 billion to KRW 300 billion. The company reported KRW 17 billion (US$ 14.62 million) of operating profit, recording an on year decline of 0.8%. According to Seoul Semiconductor, the modest decline of profits was a result from lower utilization. Due to equipment relocation among factories, the utilization rate of the company in 1Q19 dropped to 60% from 74% from the same p...

Fueled by the rising autonomous driving technology applications, LiDAR sensor manufacturers have reported business growth and expansion. The LUMIBIRD Group announced a robust revenue growth for 1Q19 while Cepton opened a new office in the UK to accelerate EMEIA business. Paris-based laser specialist Lumibird posted a revenue of EUR 24.2 million (US$ 27.07 million) for the first quarter of 2019 with an on-year increase of 35.2%. The three strategic business lines of the company, LiDAR, Defense and Medical, are delivering strong growth in value. LiDA...

Sanan Optoelectronics announced a CNY 120 billion (US$ 1.78 billion) investment agreement with Hubei Province on April 25, 2019 for Micro LED and Mini LED wafer and chip development and production. According to the agreement, Sanan will increase investment of III-V compound semiconductors for Micro LED and Mini LED wafer and chip production. (Image: Samsung) In September 2018, Sanan was said that it will build the first production line for Micro LED wafers and chips in 2019. The Chinese company has also worked closely with Samsung in Micr...

Signify reported a profit growth in the first quarter of 2019 which ended by March 31. Adjusted EBITA came to EUR 115 million (US$128.34 million), increased by 8.8%YoY. Net income of 1Q19 doubled from EUR 20 million (US$22.33 million) last year to EUR 44 million (US$49.1 million) as a result of better operational profitability and lower restructuring costs. Sales amount of Signify for the first quarter was EUR 1,478 million (US$ 1.65 million), with an on-year increase of 1.1% after currency adjustment. LED-based sales were up by 3.6% in comparison to...

Signify, as a global leading lighting company, continues its development in innovative lighting technologies and sees light as a smart language to convey information. LiFi system which uses visible light to transmit data in over the air is a major focus of Signify to make light a new communication tool. Heading to the era of IoT, the number of internet connected devices increases drastically. Ed Huibers, general manager of Signify‘s visible light wireless communication system business unit, pointed out that there would be more than 50 billion devices relying on wireless in...

Velodyne Lidar announced an agreement with Nikon Cooperation, under which Sendai Nikon Corporation, a Nikon subsidiary, will manufacture LiDAR sensors for Velodyne with plans to start mass production in the second half of 2019. Through the partnership with Nikon to boost LiDAR sensor production, Velodyne aims to expand its business in North America, Europe and Asia, indicated Marta Hall, President and CBDO, Velodyne Lidar. The company has set a goal to produce LiDAR in millions of units to meet the rising demands in the automotive industry and other a...

With a wide range of applications, UV LED is considered a new rising opportunity for the LED industry. LEDinside noted in the latest report, titled “2019 Deep UV LED Application Market- Sterilization, Purification, and Water Treatment Markets,” that UV LED market continues to increase with the curing market steadily grow and rising applications in sterilization for surface, air, static and flowing water. With these driving momentums, LEDinside forecasts that the UV LED market value will reach US$ 991 million in 2023. Based on the wavel...

Signify presented its cutting-edge technologies in lighting and optical communication in “Signify innovation Day” in Taipei, Taiwan. The lighting company showcased its latest developments in connected lighting, Interact IoT platform, horticulture lighting and LiFi at the event, demonstrating the current trends in the global lighting industry. The world’s largest lighting company changed its name from Philips Lighting to Signify in May 2018, marking a transforming milestone for the Dutch company. John Wang, Senior Vice President of Signify and Pres...

Pioneer and Canon announced that the two companies have agreed to co-develop a 3D LiDAR sensor with the goal of mass production by Pioneer in 2020. 3D-LiDAR sensors use laser light to accurately measure the distance of objects as well as ascertain three-dimensional information relating to distance and the surrounding environment in real time, and are regarded as an indispensable key device for the realization of level-three and above autonomous vehicles. Pioneer has been working on the development of low cost Micro Electric Memory Systems (MEMS) as well as object rec...

Applied Materials has resumed its delivery and services to Sanan Optoelectronics after a business halt since Sanan named in the red-flag list of “unverified” entities by the U.S. government, reported China Securities Journal, a media under Xinhua News Agency, on April 22. Sanan Optoelectronics was one of the 37 Chinese companies and schools added by the U.S. Commerce Department in a red-flag list of unverified entities on April 10. The U.S. government suggested that U.S. companies should treat companies on the list with caution and trading with tho...

Mini LED, with better performance in brightness, contrast and saturation for display applications, is expected to grow radically in 2019 and 2020. To meet the booming demands of Mini LED, Taiwan-based companies are preparing to expand production of related Mini LED products. The adoption of Mini LED might not be popular in consumer products, yet the industry chain has been equipped to speed up Mini LED shipment for potential applications as Apple was said to release Mini LED backlight equipped iMac by 2H19 and iPad by 4Q20. Also, Huawei and Xiaomi were m...

Micro LED start up VerLASE announce that it is developing unique technologies for massively parallel assembly of Micro LED dies or films to address the major challenge of Micro LED display mass production. VerLASE, a spin-off of Versatilis, aims to develop novel technology of color conversion layers for Micro LED display. The company focused on practical methods with semiconductor and MEMs industry methods and existing tools in novel ways to enable deterministic, massively parallel transfers of Micro die, yet with provisions that allow selective repair. A...

Despite that the global automotive sales have slowed down in the past year due to the trade dispute and overall market decline, the demands for luxury automobiles in China and the increasing new energy (NEV) car market still bring up the penetration rate of LED in the automotive market. LEDinside sees that the market share of LED headlight and its market value will expand gradually as the price of high-power LED falls. LEDs are also adopted by other exterior lights including direction indicators and tail lights for delivering smart functions such signal projection and ...

Apple has held talks with LiDAR suppliers seeking for advanced LiDAR sensors for its self-driving cars, suggesting that Apple is still working on its automotive vehicle project, known as “Project Titan,” reported Reuters. According to Reuters, Apple has talked to at least four LiDAR suppliers, aiming to find LiDAR sensors with a “revolutionary design” that are “smaller, cheaper and easily mass produced” in comparison to the current technology. However, the reports said Apple has not yet found one that meets its demands. (I...

Before the commercialization of Micro LED displays, Mini LED and flexible OLED displays have been the focuses of the industry. Korean firms like Samsung and LG are strong players in the field but China’s BOE is rising and overtaking LG in the small and medium-sized flexible OLED business, reported Business Korea. (Image: LG) The report of Business Korea cited Zhang Yu, Vice President of BOE that the company aims to supply 50 million flexible display panels for smartphones in 2019 and will continue its investment plan in the flexible OLE...