As report goes, Taiwan’s biggest manufacturer of silicon ingots, Sino-American Silicon Products Inc., plans to buy furnaces that GT Solar will build to grow sapphire ingots to promote sales related to LED manufacturing. At a recent institutional-investor conference, executives from Sino-American disclosed the company will rise the output current output 60,000 wafers up to 180,000 wafers a month by the end of 2011,  fueling speculations that the company would buy GT Solar`s equipment.

Recently, LED chipmaker Epistar thought those reports was a rumor, that Epistar, Lumens and backlight unit (BLU) maker Hansol LCD would set up a joint venture in eastern China, with 10 billion won (US$8.84 million), 30 billion won and 10 billion won investment respectively. Epistar spokesman Chang Shie-Shien noted that Epistar hadn』t known anything about the deal and nothing related to it was being discussed.

Nuventix, Inc., LED industry thermal management specialist and electronics cooling innovator, announced it is seeing significant adoption of its SynJet technology across Europe, most notably in store installations of the region's largest retailer. SynJet LED coolers maximize lumen output and extend the life of LEDs in the stores of Carrefour's new hypermarket concept, Planet Carrefour. With SynJet, Planet Carrefour stores are bathed in bright light while using less energy.

Verticle ,an LED chip company from Dublin, California, has created the world's first hexagonal LED chip named as HoneycombTM LED Chip, which is a vertically structured LED chip developed especially for high power LED applications.

Osram Sylvania has released a  piece of news that home improvement store Lowes will unseat the 60-watt incandescent bulbs with 12 watts Sylvania's general-purpose LED bulb. According to Osram Sylvania, the Ultra A-Line bulb will be available online in November and in all Lowe's stores by the second quarter of 2011. The price will $39.98, while Home Depot is selling a 60-watt replacement LED from Philips at the price of $39.97.  

Lighting Science Group Corporation has hired John Bono to serve as its vice president for strategic accounts. Bono will play an integral role in the management of existing strategic accounts, and the pursuit of new strategic accounts.  He will report to Ted Russ, Lighting Science Group’s chief business development officer.  

With the development of LEDs, more and more manufactories started to emphasize their own technical patents, which also bring some patents competition and cooperation.

It is estimated that Unity Opto Technology revenues for 2010 would reach NT$7 billion (US$228 million), up 75% from 2009, and went up to NT$12 billion, up 71.4% in 2011. In 2010, Unity’s LED backlighting TV increasing orders mainly from customers in South Korea, Japan and China, and it would continue in 2011. a leader of Unity said, Unity wanted to global market share for LED backlighting products to rise from 10% in 2010 to up to 15% in 2011, and the revenues to increase from NT$1 billion in 2010 to NT$2 billion in 2011.

Taiwan-based CCFLs and LED light bars maker GIO Optoelectronics，is a member of the Chi Mei Group. The company noted, GIO mainly supplied LED light bars for Chimei making LED backlight units used in LCD TV panels. Due to increased orders from Chimei, GIO had reached full utilization of its CCFL and LED light bar production capacities.

LG Electronics starts to sell 10 LED LCD TVs, including three premium FULL LED LCD TVs with 42, 47 and 55 inch screens and seven edge-lit LED LCD models with screen sizes ranging from 22 to 42 inches in Japan from November 19. Over 60 retail stores in major cities such as Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya will adopt LG TV models. The LX9500, a "Best of Innovation" award winner at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is placed at the top of the company's line-up.

AUO has built a partnership with Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center (FDC) to develop mixed oxide TFTs to speed the commercial availability of active-matrix OLED flexible displays. As AMOLED in conventional glass displays are already beginning to gain market traction for applications such as smart phones, the FDC-AUO partnership will continue to expand its application with bringing the benefits of AMOLED displays, including full-color, full-motion video, to flexible substrates.

Reportedly, California will become a test lab in 2011, to test nationwide consumers’ reaction to new federal lighting efficiency laws taking effect throughout the country on January 1, 2012.   Under Title 20, the Golden State's energy commission has the authority to regulate lighting products used by consumers and businesses.

To comply with a strict energy policy which aims to cut down CO2 emission and energy consumption from the Chinese government’s “11th Five Year Plan”, big enterprises in the mainland start seeking energy-stingy LED lamps to replace traditional lamps in their plants. According to LED-lighting makers, sales of T8 light tubes and light bulbs lit up by LEDs will obviously ramp up throughout this quarter.

At SFT Lighting’s “Intelligent Control LED light source” press conference held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) on November 9, 2010, SFT Lighting and CREE officially signed the first order of high power LED chips in the amount of RMB 100 million (~USD 15 million, at 1 USD = 6.64 CNY).

Recently, Circuit protection device maker Polytronics Technology estimated its sales in 4Q10 to decrease 15%, but it would be a smaller drop compared to in the same time last year. In October, the company’s consolidated revenues was NT$106 million (US$3.5 million), down 15.6% on month but up 17.3% on year. In the first ten month of 2010, its consolidated sales were NT$1.17 billion, up 46.5% from the same period of 2009.

Taiwan LED chipmaker Epistar and Formosa Epitaxy, LED backlighting started to pick up in November 2010 and would increase in March 2011, with the vendors completing inventory adjustments. Epistar indicated that vendors had begun to order production with completing inventory adjustments, especially from Korea-based packaging houses.

Recently, Nichia has filed two lawsuits.

•    Parties value each other’s IP portfolio •    Cross-licensing for LED phosphor materials •    Intematix licenses BOSE application patents on white LEDs, offers simple licensing procedures  

AIXTRON AG today announced a new order for MOCVD reactors from Changelight Co., Ltd. The order comprises several AIX 2600G3 IC in a 49x2-inch wafer configuration and a double digit number of AIX 2800G4-R 60x2-inch configuration deposition systems. After delivery of the systems between the fourth quarter 2010 and the second quarter of 2011, they will be used for red-orange-yellow (ROY) high brightness LED production.  

Recently, Wafer Works reported that the company planed to invest US$600,000 for Formosa Epitaxy's new subsidiary in Jiangsu, China, with a 1% share. For Wafer Works, it was not a small stake, but the shareholder relations would improve its ability in the LED supply chain, with the sapphire substrate prices on the rise in 4Q.

Taiwan LED chip Supplier Epistar has acquired a 40% stake in Nan Ya Photonics for NT$1 billion to support the reinvested company for the output expansion. According to Epistar`s president, M.J. Chou, the reinvestment will pay off in 2011, when Epistar can secure expanded supply of LED lightings through Nan Ya Photonics.

Reportedly, Officials from U.S. Department of Agriculture including Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, have taken a visit to Purdue University greenhouses on Oct. 25 to get a preview of the work that will come from a $4.88 million grant for LED lighting research.

The Guangzhou Games committee selected local Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) partner GOLDEN SEA Professional Equipment Ltd. to provide the Z-power LED Series as stage lighting at the opening ceremonies of the Asian Games 2010.

In Russian Federation, it is expected that LCD TV sales continue to soar within 4-5 years. But with the energy savings of the sets proving attractive to consumers, the LED backlit market share has been projected to increase substantially in the coming years. The industry estimated LED-backlit LCD TVs will comprise more than 50% of all LCD TV shipments in Russia in 2014.

Tyntek Corporation recently launches 8.5W LED PAR30 lamp, a PAR lamp that is distinguished from conventional LED PAR lamps. Tyntek Optical Center coordinates special thermal module with patented reflective chromed plastic on the LED PAR 30.

SavWatt USA, Inc. has developed a partnership with the City of Baltimore, and it will receive grant funds from the Maryland Energy Sector Grant to take LEED certification classes. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certified program as many new construction and government projects are required to meet LEED standards. It is imperative for building owners, designers, construction firms and real estate developers to further develop their professional skills by obtaining LEED certification.

Dialight became the first winner in a new category at the 11th Annual techMARK Awards dinner to recognise the success and achievements of the technology industry over the past year and showcase the innovative companies that form the techMARK community. Dialight shone through to scoop the prestigious 2010 techMark award for Sustainability at London's Intercontinental Hotel last night against a strong short list that included Pace, Genus and Logica.

The Curve LED desk lamp designed by Finelite has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) prestigious ENERGY STAR label for solid-state luminaires.  

Reportedly, Taiwan LED maker Delta Electronics intends to tap into the domestic market with its own brand LED bulbs by the end of 2010. As soon as its products are available for sales, Delta will become Taiwan`s first LED-lighting manufacturer to sell own-brand LED light bulbs on the island. According to Delta, the LED bulb market would grow five to 10 folds globally in 2011.

Intematix discovered a new phosphor portfolio, with adding green aluminate (GAL) and red nitride materials, could act on LED manufacturers to develop warm-white lighting for general illumination or TV backlighting, and avoided the patent issues.