Several Taiwanese LED companies have seen positive results after three quarters of business transformation. As they have been shifting more capacity to non-blue LED applications, more mid- and small-sized LED firms starts to see turnarounds. Looking ahead to 2018, Taiwanese companies will keep differentiating themselves from Chinese competitors and expanding product lines in niche markets, such as IR LED, sensors, and Mini LED.

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Solid-State Lighting Program has released a new report that estimates the installed stock, energy use, and lumen production of all general-illumination lighting products operating in the U.S. in 2015. The third such report issued by DOE since 2002, it provides the baseline that helps DOE plan its R&D program, and is used by both governmental and nongovernmental organizations for planning and evaluating lighting opportunities as well as additional research efforts.

WitsView, a division of TrendForce, reports that the global shipments of branded LCD TV sets for 2017 will total 210 million units, a decrease of 4.1% compared with prior year. For 2018, the shipments decline will reverse, and grow by 3.9% to 218 million.

Samsung’s CHG90 recently received further validation from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), who, following a rigorous testing procedure, confirmed that the CHG90 (along with the CHG70) exemplifies its DisplayHDR™ 600 performance standards and is the industry’s first display to be certified as DisplayHDR™ compliant.

Successfully obtaining technologies able to mass produce Micro LED products, Korean mid-sized LED maker Lumens begins to produce both small- and large-sized Micro LED display prototypes planned to be showcased at CES 2018.

eLux announced that the U.S. Patent Office has issued in early December US Patent No. 9,825,202 titled “Display with Surface Mount Emissive Elements”. This is the first issued eLux patent which covers the foundational work done on massively parallel fluidic assembly of µLEDs to make high resolution displays. 

A new war is looming in the display market. The rumor that Samsung may team up with the Micro LED supply chain in Taiwan has caught the attention of Foxconn CEO Terry Gou.

Recent advances in the design of high-performance phosphorescent emitters have led to the leap-forward development of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and their applications in commercial electronic products, including computer monitors, cellular phones, and high-density televisions. With the dedicated efforts of the team during these five years, a significant impact to the fields of OLEDs and organic photovoltaics (OPVs) has been made.

Apple today announced the latest award from its $1 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund. Finisar, a manufacturer of optical communications components, will receive $390 million as part of Apple’s commitment to support innovation and job creation by American manufacturers.

Taiwan-based LED chip manufacturer Epistar announced its business plan for 2018 will be around five cores—backlighting, high-end LED lighting, infrared application, automotive lighting, and innovative digital display. Ming-Chun Chou, General Manager of Epistar, stated the company will officially produce Mini LED in 2Q18 at the earliest.

San’an Optoelectronics announced, on December 5, 2017, the firm's board meeting passed the Investment Cooperation Agreement, which is going to be co-signed by the firm, People's Government of Quanzhou City in Fujian Province, and People's Government of Nan'an City in Fujian Province.

Ouster, a San Francisco-based developer of high-performance LIDAR technology emerged from stealth, announces the launch of the company's new OS1 model LIDAR, and $27 million in Series A funding, led by Cox Enterprises.

Universal Display Corporation, enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its technology and materials, announced the signing of long-term OLED Agreements with Chinese display giant BOE Technology Group.

Light Polymers is announcing a next-generation circular polarizer for OLED displays based on lyotropic liquid crystal technology. Light Polymers’ proprietary nanochemistry creates a circular polarizer at 45 µm, thinner than any competitive offering.

LEDinside this time collected insights on Micro LED from seven experts. What do they think about Micro LED and the feasibility of its mass production? What are the elements they think Micro LED should have to be able to win the competition against LCD and OLED?

LED epi-wafers and chips supplier Epileds has posted flat revenue in 2H17 due to seasonal headwinds and the relocation of its factory. 

The global research company TrendForce held 2018 Forum on Key Trends in Electronic Components Industry on December 7, 2017. Here are the key excerpts from the forum.

Providers of metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) equipment Veeco and AMEC have been exchanging heavy fire this year, filing patent infringement lawsuits against each other in the US and China.

LG Display announced that the company started mass production at its new Gen 5 OLED light panel production line in Gumi, Korea and launched its new OLED light brand, Luflex. With these moves, the company will lead the lighting market, providing a powerful boost to the nascent sector globally. 

The optical outputs of the new LEDs are expected to be greater than 120 mW at 300 ± 10 nm, 140 mW at 280 ± 10 nm and 80 mW at 260 ± 10 nm. The research group is also working on making significant improvements to the aging behavior of the LEDs so they can be operated longer and more economically.

Smart lighting start-up Gooee has extended its North American reach to Canada by partnering with Stanpro Lighting Systems, a lighting manufacturer for the Canadian market located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Epistar General Manager Chou Ming-Chun revealed at the company’s investor conference on December 5 that Mini LED is likely to be mainstream in the backlight market.

Apple is working with Stanford Medicine researchers on a research study to determine whether the Apple Watch’s heart-rate sensor can identify irregular heart rhythms associated with a condition known as atrial fibrillation (AFib).

This is an evolution story of a long-running business. With a history of almost a century in general lighting, Munich-based conglomerate Osram went through several fierce competitions in the industry in the LED era and finally in 2016 decided to divest its historic light sources business, selling it to a Chinese consortium.

Taiwan-based sapphire substrate supplier Crystalwise Technology suffered a loss per share of NTD 2.99 in the past three quarters in 2017 mainly due to the low price of patterned sapphire substrates (PSS). The market has gone through a reshuffle and gradually turned healthy in recent years.

SESCO Lighting has opened its new 16,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Maitland, Florida. In addition to extensive business in Florida, the company has exclusive rights to sell a multitude of lighting products in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. This expansion of the company has enhanced its services, improved the ability to serve customers and bolstered growth. SESCO also provides lighting for projects in many foreign countries.

The new display technology Micro LED actually has a history of over a decade. After Apple acquired LuxVue Technology, it officially became famous. Its properties- high resolution, high brightness, real-time response, and low power consumption- win hearts of many A-list high-tech companies such as Apple, Sony, Google and Facebook, as well as companies in the display industry.

Veeco Instruments announced today that it is preparing to appeal to the Beijing IP Court against the decision previously made by the Patent Reexamination Board (PRB) regarding the validity of patent ZL201220056049.5 held by Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC). 

With industry professionals and audiences around the world praising their initial experiences with Samsung Cinema LED screen, the innovative cinema technology is now making its way to Europe.

Philips Lighting announces that it has repurchased 2.8 million of its shares for an aggregate amount of approximately EUR 90 million.