Taiwan Unity Opto Technology Inc. and Formosa Epitaxy Inc. (FOREPI) have seen a bright outlook as demands for LED backlights meat for LCD TVs are picking up. Opposite to a low season for the first quarter for the LED industry, FOREPI’s order visibility is quite clear into this quarter thanks to strong orders from Unity, which supplies LED backlight modules to the world’s top five TV brands—Samsung, LG, Sharp, Matsushita and Toshiba. According to FOREPI executives, volume of the orders from customers has increased more...

As the ensuing demands for LED backlights, the world's first-tier manufacturers of brand computers have scheduled to tap into tablet PCs in the first quarter 2011, therefore Taiwan's industry executives predict it will create business for Taiwan's LED makers when the market for TV backlights started losing growth steam in the third quarter. According to Taiwan's industry executives, tablet PC backlights are particularly suitable for manufacturers specializing in small and medium backlights for uses in mobile phones and digital photo frames.

Taiwan Unity Opto Technology Co., Ltd. holds a 25% stake in South Korean LED packager Lumens, making it the primary institutional shareholder of the South Korean packager. Now, Unity has been contracted by Lumens to supply it LED emitters. Which Lumens will build into backlight modules for Samsung’s LCD TVs. Unity will use chips made by Formosa Epitaxy Inc. of Taiwan, which has its chips verified at Samsung.

LEDinside, Taiwan LED industry research institute, estimates Taiwan’s streetlight market to show perspective business valued at around NT$40-50 billion for the Taiwan’s LED firms due to the government’s plan to spend NT$200-300 million to install LED streetlights on some of the island’s roads in 2009 as demonstration for the use of the new light source in streetlight.