Aqualite Co. Ltd., a company based in Wuhan, China, has purchased three Close Coupled Showerhead (CCS) CRIUS MOCVD systems from AIXTRON AG, worldwide leading provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. It’s disclosed that the three CCS CRIUS systems were delivered in the 31x2 inch wafer configuration in the third and fourth quarter of 2008. Aqualite intends to utilize these reactors for the development and production of blue, green and white LED chips.

With amazingly high contrast ratios and a thickness measuring in the millimeters, OLED TVs certainly look like the future of home theater. However, price is a major hurdle for the technology to overcome. While new technology always comes with a heavy price tag, some are expecting the price of OLED lighting to come down some time in 2011. The recent report predicts that active OLED lighting will become the mainstream in 2011, and its revenue will surpass that of passive LED lighting sometime around 2018.

California Micro Devices (CMD) has unveiled LuxGuard family of protection devices for ultra high brightness (UHB) LED lighting applications. The LuxGuard family of protection solutions includes both LED submounts that deliver robust ESD protection and enhanced thermal management capabilities and side mounts which offer superior ESD protection for customers that utilize ceramic submounts.

Kinetic Lighting is reportedly to be one of the first lighting companies to offer the new ColorReach (TM) Powercore for rent in Southern California. The LED flood fixture, one of Philips Color Kinetics’ newest and most powerful LED fixtures, outputs more than 5,000 lumens, projects light up to 500 feet and only consumes 290 watts at full intensity. The company says it is an incredibly bright floodlight suited for both indoor and outdoor use.

It’s reported that Cooper Industries has acquired Illumination Management Solutions, Inc. (IMS) of Irvine, California that specializes in optics and system design for LED fixtures. Cooper did not reveal the purchase price or other details. Optics are critical to improving the energy efficiency of LED fixtures and creating lighting patterns that improve safety and customer comfort, according to Ron Holder, IMS president.

Recently, LED giant Cree, Inc. has launched the Product Characterization Tool (PCT), an interactive LED design tool that simplifies the task of translating nominal LED performance to real-world conditions. The online tool, accessible via cree’s website, Cree notes PCT allows users to easily characterize any XLamp® LED over a wide range of operating conditions, including drive current, flux bin, price and junction temperature. It also calculates metrics such as lumen output, lumens per watt, lumens per dollar and more.

Bright Green Technology introduces an LED backlight system - Bright Green Matrix™. The company says it is designed to illuminate large format signs and billboards in retail, commercial and advertising environments and it is equally suited to retrofitting into existing boxes or incorporating into new designs.

Thanks to the success of its LED landscape products, Kichler has added 26 new products including 12 LED path and spread lights, four well lights, three accent lights and new long LED cowls to its popular Design Pro LED landscape offerings. Kichler now offers homeowners a complete line of energy-saving LED products that all offer a bright, white, even flow of light.

The OLED lighting market will reach $6 billion by 2018, according to a recent report. The report notes that the OLED market will start to pick up in 2011, with Philips, GE, Konica Minolta, Lumiotec, and OSRAM entering mass production.

ANC Sports Enterprises released new versions of two of the company's state-of-the-art software applications, the Data Interface Solution (DIS) and VisionSOFT 3D interface. The Wachovia Center, home to the Philadelphia 76ers and Flyers is the first venue to feature DIS 3.0 and VisionSOFT 6.5. The newest features of ANC’s revolutionary platforms include animated statistical imagery, automated font resizing, and an immediate, seamless transition to a backup server function.

LED lamps were compared to other technologies in a recent issue of National Geographic magazine, and LED lighting was also discussed in the House of Commons, the UK’s legislative chamber, on March 5 as part of a debate on energy and climate change. Joan Ruddock, Under-Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, was asked if there had been discussions between her department and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on the effect on electricity consumption and CO2 emissions of the installation and use of LED lighting.

Recently, Advanced LEDs Ltd of UK announced that it has completed two LED projects in Dubai. The projects include the Dubai Mall, with more than 1,200 stores, and the 360m-high Burj Dubai Lake Tower Hotel next door.

It’s reported that Samsung Group's LED business unit will begin operation in June with an initial target production of 120,000 LED panels. However, Samsung indicated that this production target is not big enough to challenge leading foreign makers in terms of market share. They expect the production capacity will be tripled by 2010.

LED market will experience robust growth, over the next five years, fueled by increasingly more-powerful and energy-efficient offerings that will help businesses and consumers lower their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), accelerate Return on Investment (ROI) and be more environmentally friendly, according to a recent report.  

It’s reported that Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, professor emerita of Materials Science and Engineering at Columbia University in New York, filed a complaint with the U.S.

In cooperation with the Meyer Werft Lighting Group, OSRAM has developed a highly efficient lighting system specially designed for the ship. Thanks to their excellent light quality and efficiency, they are the first choice for effect lighting on board the new luxury cruise ship, Celebrity Solstice, owned by US shipping company Celebrity Cruises. Ships of this class are built by Meyer Werft. In the casino, the disco, and even the dining area, along with many other places, OSRAM’s LED modules in its Linearlight range produce striking effects.

Taiwan LED chip maker Epistar is reportedly to launch AC-LED products in Q209, the company says it expects to be “the first company in the world to ship AC-LED chips.

The shipments of notebook PCs with LED backlights reached 3.7 million in the final quarter of 2008 – a 62% rise on the preceding quarter. 13.4% of notebooks shipped in the closing quarter of the year featured LED backlighting technology, compared with a market share of only 6.3% in the third quarter, according to a recent report.

Mircon, based in Boise, Idaho, is asking for $20 to $100 million of the more than $1 billion of stimulus money the Gem State will be receiving. The company is proposing to start manufacturing solar panels and high efficiency lighting components at it's now idle factories in Nampa and Boise, employing hundreds of people.

Macroblock introduces a new step-down DC/DC converter, MBI6651, to drive 1A output current with efficiency up to 93%. With merely 0.45ohm of switch ON resistance, MBI6651 reduces the power consumption on IC at rated voltage. Additionally, the internal start-up scheme eliminates the inrush current and limits it within 1.15 times of preset current. Besides, MBI6651 features constant current and provides uniform brightness with excellent output current accuracy up to ±5%(Max.).

AIXTRON AG reported that in the fourth quarter 2008 the National Taiwan University (NTU) of Taiwan ordered one Close Coupled Showerhead 3x2" wafer Research Platform MOCVD system for research and development on GaN and related materials and devices and it will be delivered in the third quarter 2009.  

Lei Yueh Enterprises announced its latest LED lighting product series, “Streamline”. This series of LED lighting products are specially design for home living environment. The design concept of this product series is to be simple but yet delicate.  The product series comprises LED Down Light, LED Wall Scone, LED Table Light and LED Floor Light, as it offer the consumer to have an diverse LED product to fulfill various of application of their home living environment.

Avolux Europe of Romania has designed and manufactured a new LED luminaire - Nordica 3 architectural flood light IP 67. The company says it is ideal for up lighting or down lighting applications, also suitable for lighting facades, buildings, bridges and architectural.

It’s reported that PosterGarden will unveil a unique and earth-friendly LED light for its portable displays at EXHIBITOR2009 in Las Vegas, March 23-25, 2009. PosterGarden notes that the new light, which will fit on its banner stands and popup displays, features its stylish design accents and the latest in LED technology, which is much friendlier to the environment than standard light bulbs and halogen lights.

It’s reported that Albeo Technologies’s C-Series High Bay is recognized as a product that significantly contributes to a sustainable economy. The Colorado CleanTech Initiative in coordination with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and CORE Colorado will present Albeo Technologies with a Sustainable Business Medal of Honor at the Sustainable Opportunities Summit March 17th in recognition of Albeo’s “C-Series” white-LED High Bay Light Fixture.

Recently, AsianSignals has released its most powerful and efficient copper-clad LED array emitter board - the Rebel Spot 36. The company says the Rebel Spot 36 is their continuing exploration into leveraging FR-4 copper laminate techniques in achieving a low cost, easy to use, and effective mounting solution for the Luxeon Rebel LED.

It’s reported that Lumex has launched its QuantumBrite™ line of LED backlight technologies. Available in edge lit and chips on board formats in both white and vivid color options, the QuantumBrite line of backlight products provides more than twice the intensity of traditional backlights. In particular, the white QuatumBrite LEDs provide high-intensity brightness of up to 10,000 nits allowing for full daylight visibility.

Philips Lumileds announced the first street lights in Osaka, Japan has been lit by its LUXEON power LEDs, This reflects the emergence of solid-state lighting as an energy-efficient alternative to street lamps using standard light sources.

Neo-Neon™ International(HKEX 1868), a global leader in the advancement of LED technology, has introduced a new model in the LED High Power Streetlight Series with Lux Boosting Optical Technology (L-BOT™). With 240 pieces 1-Watt White LED and the newly patented freeform reflective lens design the LED Street Light 240 provides a total luminous flux of 14,550lm. The company says that is another revolutionary breakthrough in the development of core LED Technologies relative to solid-state lighting.

Lighting Fair 2009 hold a seminar titled "LED and organic EL pave the road to the future of illumination". The panel discussion was participated by Shuji Nakamura, a professor of the University of California at Santa Barbara, a developer of blue LED and a leader in the research of GaN-based light-emitting element and Junji Kido, who leads the research of the organic EL as a professor of Yamagata University Graduate School of Science and Engineering.