Restructures in the LED industry this year have shaken the market, whether it has been Philips decision to spin off its traditional lighting business, or the sudden bankruptcy of sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technology. But the worse is to come in 2015, when Chinese LED manufacturers technology matures, said a Nichia spokesperson.

After Shuji Nakamura was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics last Tuesday, the lawsuit the Japanese scientist brought against former employer Nichia in 2001 over patent compensation received renewed media attention. The Japanese LED manufacturer insisted it compensated Nakamura fairly for his work at a press conference in Taipei on Thursday. 

Experts at Osram Opto Semiconductors will be taking the opportunity offered by the Vision Congress in Paris (October 14 and 15, 2014) to showcase an LED for car headlights which has a luminance three times that of existing versions. This means that a single LED can be used to provide a complete low beam. Several LED chips have always been needed in the past depending on the design and the type of LEDs used. The tremendous brightness is the result of a combination of UX:3 chip technology, ceramic conversion technology and high-current technology used in projection applications. In future it will be possible to design much smaller headlights – with every lighting function smaller than a box of matches.

With effect as of October 13, 2014 Osram has successfully completed the acquisition of Clay Paky, a leading provider of entertainment lighting for shows and events. All necessary approvals from the respective authorities have been granted regarding the acquisition. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in entertainment lighting. 

Ford Motor Company and NextEnergy, one of the nation’s leading accelerators of advanced energy technologies, have teamed up on a technology innovation challenge for industry suppliers to help advance state-of-the-art automotive lighting.

Even as the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics has enshrined light emitting diodes (LEDs) as the single most significant and disruptive energy-efficient lighting solution of today, scientists around the world continue unabated to search for the even-better-bulbs of tomorrow. Enter carbon electronics.

Universal Display Corporation, enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with itsUniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, announced today that the company has been named to the Barron's 400 Index, a measure of the most promising companies in America. The Index is based on companies that perform exceptionally in 24 fundamental areas of fundamental performance.

In support of energy reduction initiatives underway at the Naval Support Activity Annapolis and the US Naval Academy, Ephesus Lighting Inc., the industry leader in LED lighting for sports facilities, has been selected under two contracts to install energy efficient and high-quality LED lighting at seven outdoor sports complexes, three indoor sports arenas and five additional outdoor locations on Naval Support Activity Annapolis. The announcement was made by Amy Casper, CEO of Ephesus Lighting, and Lieutenant Commander Cristopher Neish, Energy Officer, Public Works Department Annapolis.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics was shared between three Japanese blue LED inventors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura. The three inventors were recognized for their achievements in the highly energy efficient blue LED, which led to the emergence of white light.

Chinese LED manufacturers IPO applications remain a lengthy tedious procedure.

Duke University researchers have made fluorescent molecules emit photons of light 1,000 times faster than normal—setting a speed record and making an important step toward realizing superfast light emitting diodes (LEDs) and quantum cryptography.

A new wearable medical device can quickly alert a person if they are having cardiovascular trouble or if it’s simply time to put on some skin moisturizer, reports a Northwestern University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign study.

Since U.S.-based sapphire manufacturer GT Advanced Technology’s abrupt bankruptcy announcement last Monday, several law firms have asked investors to step forward.

Last October, the biologist and former GE Healthcare chief scientist James Rothman received the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for solving the mystery of how cells shuttle molecules of insulin and other substances to the right place in the body. This year, two other former GE scientists looking for new sources of light, Bob Hall and Nick Holonyak Jr., almost felt the glow of a Nobel themselves.

Nanoco Group plc (AIM:NANO), a developer and manufacturer of cadmium-free quantum dots and other nanomaterials, announces that it has signed a follow-on joint development agreement with Osram, one of the world’s largest lighting companies, in connection with the use of Nanoco cadmium-free quantum dots in general lighting.

India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) announced selling LED bulbs to households at very low prices, according to a report by The Economic Times.

GT Advanced Technology’s (GTAT) recently carried out major job cuts, and intends to take legal action against former partner Apple, according to a Reuters report.

The Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance (NGLIA) has recently released the third edition of  “LED Luminaire Lifetime: Recommendations for Testing and Reporting”. The alliance membership includes some lighting industry heavy weights including Philips, Cree and GE lighting. Below are some of the key recommendations from the report:

Industry experts that attended SSL Ecosystm Summit noted the Color Rendering Index (CRI) often used to define the color quality in LED lights is an insufficient color perception measurement, and might be replaced with other color measurement standards soon, according to an All LED Lighting report.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a report on the longer-term performance of an LED lighting system that was installed on the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis in September 2008 and represents one of the country's oldest continuously operated exterior LED lighting installations. The report is a welcome addition to the literature on LED lighting, which is lacking in the area of longer-term field performance.

U.S. startup Axentwear’s new cat ear styled headphones are bound to turn eyes and put the wearer in the center of attention.

Heliospectra, a world leader in intelligent lighting technology for plant research and greenhouse cultivation, has had its U.S. patent application approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent concerns methods in optimizing LED lighting for plants as well as to make working processes more efficient in greenhouse environments of the future.

The LED industry has been on a rollercoaster ride this week. Starting off with the bad news, U.S. MOCVD manufacturer GTAT dropped a bomb on the financial market, with its abrupt bankruptcy announcement on Monday. Investors were scrambling to retain any value in their investments as stock prices tumbled more than 92% to a sad US $0.8 per share. Recent reports that the company CEO Thomas Gutierrez sold out a majority of stocks prior to the launch of the iPhone 6, has put the company in a bad light of susceptible insider trading.

Since GT Advanced Technology (GTAT) abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection this Monday, many industry insiders have speculated how this will impact Apple. While most Wall Street financial analysts believe Apple could walk away with GTAT’s sapphire equipment and patents at a bargain price, one report believes Apple could acquire GTAT.

Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtel Technology filed a sapphire camera lens patent infringement lawsuit against Apple, Senao International and Vibao on Oct. 9, 2014 (Taipei time). The company is seeking compensation totaling NT $300 million (US $9.88 million) from the three companies.

The CEO of Apple sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technology, which recently filed for bankruptcy protection, might have known financial doom was looming, according to a latest report from Wall Street Journal.

Japanese trio Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano, and Shuji Nakamura are probably still in a festival mood after being awarded the Nobel Prize for their technological breakthrough in blue LEDs, but the man behind the first LED has been left feeling bypassed by the committee, according to a AP report.

Have you ever wondered why you always hit the snooze button for an extra 15 to 30 minutes of sleep in the morning? A whitepaper by Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), the global leader in lighting, has compiled insights from over 10 years of ongoing research1 on the effect of light on our sleep/wake cycle or “circadian rhythm”. It reveals that the amount and quality of light you are exposed to every day may be responsible for your Monday morning blues. Indeed, light ultimately dictates whether you are a morning person or a night owl. 

Intelligent LED lighting company Lighting Science Group Corporation announced today that Wayne Nesbit has been appointed Chief Operations Officer. Nesbit brings his proven global experience in manufacturing operations to lead the company’s expansion of its domestic and international manufacturing capabilities. Their state-of-the-art LED product assortment ranges from commercial and retail applications, to biologically correct lighting for home and work, as well as those that accelerate the growth of plants.

Taiwanese sapphire manufacturer Tera Xtal Technology remained upbeat about claiming payment from the bankrupt U.S.-based MOCVD manufacturer GT Advanced Technology (GTAT), according to a UDN report. Tera Xtal held a press conference on Wednesday under Taiwan’s Gretai Securities Market request to explain to investors the impact from GTAT’s bankruptcy filing.