| Market Scale for Automotive Lighting to Reach $10.6 Billion by 2011
Research and Markets has added the China Automotive Lighting Industry Report, 2006-2007 to their offering.
Lighting equipment is indispensable for automobiles. Automotive lighting equipment mainly functions as illuminating lights, to illuminate the road traffic signs, passersby and other vehicles so as to distinguish road signs from obstacles. As signal lights the function is to show the vehicle is there and is moving. Since the early 1900s, lighting equipment has been used on or in vehicles. The lighting equipment was initially kerosene lamps and acetylene lamps and then came to electric lights, from vacuum incandescent burners to gas incandescent burners, halogen lamp and gas discharge lamps. Presently, LED lights, a new-generation automotive lighting equipment, are popular for their small size, long life-span, low power consumption and fast response.
In 2007, various applications of LED products will enter a rapid growth period. The application in mobile phones tends to slow down while the application in automobiles and other fields is expected to see a sharp rise. Generally speaking, each automobile needs 100 LEDs for interior such as instrument panel and reading light and 200 for exterior such as tail lights, brake lights, indicators and head lights, etc. Currently, nearly all the Europe-based carmakers adopt LED lights inside cars. As for LED exterior application, the rate of European and Japanese car-makers have changed the third brake light of their products to be LED light is more than 80 percent.
The market scale of high brightness LED products was $5.8 billion and $6.6 billion in the year of 2005 and 2006 respectively. By 2011, the market scale will reach $10.6 billion with an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 10.2 percent. The market share of LED products applied to automobiles currently is about 12 percent and will be further enlarged as the LED technologies grow mature.
The report not only analyzes the overall situation of the automotive lighting system, but summarizes the concept of LED light sources, technology features, market scale and applications, etc., while the emphasis is the applications of LED products to automobiles, the market scale and key manufacturers.
Avago Technologies Introduces Power PLCC-4 Surface Mount LEDs with 50-Degree Lens  for Automotive and ESS Applications
Avago Technologies, a supplier of analog interface components for communications, industrial and consumer applications, has released a new line of high brightness red, amber and orange PLCC-4 surface mount technology (SMT) LEDs for use in interior and exterior automotive and electronic signs and signals applications. These competitively priced top-mounted lensed LEDs provide high reliability, a narrow 50-degree viewing angle and a matched radiation pattern.
Avago’s HSMx-A46x series of Power PLCC-4 SMT LEDs are single-chip packages that have been developed to tolerate the harsh conditions found in automotive and indoor/outdoor sign applications to produce higher light output compared to PLCC-2 SMT LEDs. The HSMx-A46x series of LEDs are suitable for use in instrument panel backlighting, dome lighting, turn signals and center height mounted stoplights (CHMSL) in automobiles, as well as interior/exterior variable message signs. The HSMx-A46x series of LEDs can also be used for push button and signal lighting in industrial applications.
As an extension of the standard flat top PLCC-4 SMT LEDs, the HSMx-A46x with lens device provide a narrow viewing angle to meet the needs of applications that require focused radiation and high brightness. Moreover, the package design coupled with the careful selection of component materials allow the HSMx-A46x series of LEDs to provide reliable performance over a wide temperature range.
In addition to its high-brightness, long life and compact size, Avago’s HSMx-A46x series provide manufacturers with two significant advantages. These LEDs can be easily soldered using conventional surface mount techniques to minimize production costs, and the package is qualified to a Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) moisture sensitive level (MSL) rating of 2A. For manufacturers, this rating means that the HSMx-A46x can be kept in the open air (30° C, 60 percent relative humidity) for up to four weeks after being removed from its sealed package without the need to remove absorbed moisture.
Avago’s HSMx-A46x LEDs are priced at $0.16 each in 10,000 piece quantities, and are supplied in 8 mm carrier tape on 7-inch reels. Samples and production quantities with a four-week lead time are available now through Avago’s direct sales channel and worldwide distribution partners.
Catalyst Semiconductor Launches 2-Watt LED Driver to Address High-Power Backlighting Applications
Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc., a supplier of analog, mixed-signal and non-volatile memory semiconductors has launched a new 2-watt LED driver to address high-power backlighting applications. The CAT4240 boost converter provides a high switch current up to 750 mA and high voltage up to 38 V, making it suitable for driving a wide range of backlighting applications ranging from 1W LEDs in series to multiple strings of lower-power LEDs.
The CAT4240 provides 2 watts of output power from a 3 V to 5 V supply and up to 6 watts when configured with a higher voltage, split supply of 9 V to 12 V. Additionally, the device is designed with a low-noise, high-frequency switching scheme and contains fully integrated features, which eliminates the need for external components associated with soft-start and over-voltage protection, reducing noise and saving board space.
Many high-voltage boost converters typically use a simple variable-frequency switching scheme. This approach results in a wide range of unwanted harmonics, which are not easy to filter or eliminate. The CAT4240 uses a fixed frequency (1 MHz) switching architecture making it well suited for low noise applications. A high voltage CMOS output stage in the device allows large LED strings (up to 38 V) to be accurately biased and regulated from a low voltage input supply while still delivering efficiency levels of up to 87 percent.
To eliminate excessive “in-rush” currents, which can occur during initial power-up, the CAT4240 offers an integrated soft-start control. In the event of an open-LED fault condition, an internal over-voltage protection circuit will place the device into a low-power operating mode restricting the output voltage to safe levels without the need for external circuitry. Both of these features are fully integrated, eliminating the need for external components and the associated cost and board space overhead.
Designers have a choice of controlling LED dimming in the CAT4240 using a DC voltage, logic signal, or pulse width modulation (PWM) signal.
The CAT4240 LED driver is priced at $0.84 each in 10,000 piece quantities. Samples are available now. Projected lead-time for production quantities is currently 6 to 8 weeks ARO.
Osram Opto Semiconductors Achieves Peak Performance with Newly Developed Red Chip
Osram Opto Semiconductors is developing a red 1 mm² chip, featuring the latest thin-film technology, with unprecedented brightness values of more than 300 lm. The new chip will be used in the company’s Dragon and Ostar LEDs and is targeted for applications in the projection and automotive sectors where high luminance and efficient output is in increased demand.
The new red chip from Osram has a power consumption of 6 W, achieves 52 lm/W and features a wavelength of 615 nm from an operating current of 2 A. As a comparison, the existing red Platinum DRAGON has an output of 96 lm from a consumption of 2.5 W, and a luminous efficacy of 38 lm/W.
“Osram has achieved this enormous increase in brightness by designing the new red chips to handle higher currents. This has resulted from optimizing the series resistors,” Dr. Ralph Wirth, development engineer at Osram Opto Semiconductors, said.
For Ostar Projection, the new chip offers greater luminance than its predecessor, allowing for optimum light injection into external optical systems. As a pure surface emitter in Ostar LEDs, the red chip will achieve higher system outputs in an efficient package.
The new chip’s higher current handling capacity and high brightness are suitable fit for exterior automobile lighting. In addition, because of the red chip’s thin-film technology and scalable, smaller chip surfaces, the same number of LEDs can be used as in previous applications yet will result in greater luminance.
The new red chips from Osram are expected to go into series production by the third quarter of 2008.
Sipex Adds 7-Channel Lighting Management Unit to Mobile Backlighting Portfolio
Sipex Corp. has released the SP7680, a seven channel, charge-pump based, light management unit (LMU) designed for mobile display and keypad LED backlighting.
The SP7680 is targeted at backlighting the main display, sub-display and indicator functions. Seven LED driver channels are partitioned into three banks of four channels, two channels and one channel. However, the LEDs can be configured in numerous combinations to meet the needs of various lighting requirements. Each bank can be independently programmed through an I2C interface up to 31 mA (63 mA for the single channel bank) with 6-bit resolution.
The SP7680 charge pump has gains of both 1x and 1.5x and along with a driver dropout voltage of 0.2 V, maximizes efficiency and extends the minimum input voltage range. The device operates at 2 MHz, utilizes four small capacitors and is offered in a 3 by 3 mm QFN16 package, requiring minimum board space.
"The SP7680, with its unique three bank LED driver design, delivers the ultimate flexibility in solving a wide variety of backlighting requirements making it an excellent choice for designers working across multiple design platforms," said Chris Lee, technical marketing manager for power products at Sipex.
"This product is an excellent example of Sipex's focus on more proprietary, higher integration, system level solutions to drive more value for our customers," said Ed Lam, vice president of Marketing for Sipex. "We have had excellent customer response to the functionality the SP7680 offers in mobile applications."
The SP7680 is available in a Pb-free, thermally enhanced, 16-pin 3 by 3 mm QFN package and it is specified over the –40°C to 85°C temperature range. Pricing for these products begins at $1.50 in 1,000 piece quantities.
Optek’s LEDs Selected for Microchip Technology’s Lighting Design Kit, Color-Control  Software Solution and LED Driver
TT electronics Optek Technology’s 6-pin PLCC LED has been specified by Microchip Technology Inc.’s LED Lighting Design Guide and designed for use with their color-control software solution, while Optek’s 1 W and 10 W Lednium devices have been selected as part of a reference design with Microchip’s LED driver.
In selecting the OVSTRGBBCR8 series, Microchip opted for a full color, RGB die PLCC6 LED to be driven by their color-control software solution, which generates signals in a variety of lighting-control applications, including dimming. According to Richard Saffa, vice president of Optek Technology’s Visible LED Business Unit, the OVSTRGBBCR8 LED features color on demand, allowing each LED to be driven individually or in tunable color combinations. “The tunable color mix makes the LED package suitable for a variety of applications, including amusement equipment, information boards, displays, appliances, backlighting and architectural task lighting,” Saffa said.
“The combination of Microchip’s PIC microcontrollers with Optek’s LEDs provides engineers with an excellent example of how easy and cost effective it can be to design leading-edge LED lighting systems,” said Lucio Di Jasio, application segments manager at Microchip.
The OVSTRGBBCR8 RGB LED features typical luminous intensity of 1,000 mcd, 900 mcd and 180 mcd for the red, green and blue LEDs, respectively. Peak forward current is 200 mA for the red LED and 100 mA for the green and blue LEDs and maximum rated junction temperature is 110°C. Operating temperature range is -40°C to 100°C.
Optek’s 1 W and 10 W Lednium assemblies have also been selected for use with Microchip’s Buck LED driver as the power LEDs that the converter drives. “The high power, reliability and efficiency of our Lednium devices was a perfect solution for the requirements of Microchip’s LED driver,” Saffa said.
The OVTL01LGAxS (1 W Lednium) series features a DC forward current of 0.35 A, with a peak pulsed forward current of 1 A. Typical forward voltage characteristics range from 2.0 V to 3.3 V (color-dependant) and reverse voltage is 5 V. Maximum allowable junction temperature is 130°C, with an ultra-low thermal resistance of 2°C/W. Operating temperature range is -50°C to 85°C.
DC forward current for the OVTL09LG3x series 10 W Lednium is 1.05 A, with peak pulsed forward current of 3 A. Typical forward voltage characteristics range from 6.3 V to 9.25 V (color-dependant) and reverse voltage is 15 V. Maximum allowable junction temperature is 130°C (average thermal resistance junction-to-board is 2.5°C/W) and the operating temperature range is -50°C to 85°C.
Advances in Organic Materials and Manufacturing Techniques Drive the Adoption of OLEDs in Europe
Research and Markets has added Frost & Sullivan’s new report European Organic Light Emitting Diodes Market to their offering.
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are likely to be one of the key technologies of the future, particularly in the context of display and lighting applications. The current applications driving the adoption of this technology are portable consumer device displays such as mobile phones and personal media players. Lack of a production base in Europe and the cost factor has made Asia Pacific a dominant region for display applications. However, excellence in research and technological development in the European region has enabled it to maintain a foothold in the global market. Current activities in Europe are mainly restricted to new material development, technology-driven innovative applications and research on novel manufacturing solutions. In the future, the development of cost-effective automated manufacturing solutions and niche applications are likely to provide growth opportunities in the European OLED market.
"The advantages offered by OLED, when compared to competing technologies such as LCD, are playing an essential role in driving the market forward," said the analyst of this research service. "OLEDs are emissive systems that do not require backlight, which makes them slimmer and thinner." They also consume less power and this ability of low power consumption is driving the use of OLEDs in portable display applications, where power efficiency is critical.
Meanwhile, the environment-friendly OLED has also influenced the European Union to invest in industry-led research activities concentrating on commercializing OLED lighting applications. These efforts have made the European region a leader in lighting research. However, hurdles in the development of OLED lights include increasing the luminance efficiency and the material lifetime. In addition, due to competition between OLEDs, inorganic LEDs and fluorescent lights, cost has emerged as a key factor influencing adoption rates. Overcoming these challenges is likely to accelerate mainstream commercial lighting applications beyond 2010.
The emerging OLED market is characterized by a complex value chain, which involves material suppliers, technology developers, manufacturing equipment developers and product manufacturers. The involvement of many value chain participants is complicating product development and increasing the time to market. Moreover, prohibitive costs and the uncertainty related to demand are creating confusion in the entire supply chain. "The success of the OLED technology is based on the effective collaboration of all supply chain participants," explains the analyst. "Mass adoption of the technology is likely to create huge demand for organic materials and the ability to provide will depend on the success of the supply chain, which is highly demand oriented." In the future, the ability of OLEDs to serve niche applications is likely to create stable demand and enable a smooth value chain.
With the steady decline in the price of LCDs, they are emerging as the leading flat panel display solution and the high cost of OLED is limiting its ability to compete with LCD displays. As a result, manufacturers are forced to reduce the cost of OLED in order to increase the adoption rate. In the future, the development of cost-effective manufacturing methods is expected to reduce the cost of OLEDs and result in a shorter period for return on investments. Moreover, in this fragmented market, participants are concentrating only on certain aspects of the technology such as material and technology development. In order to develop business and technology, cross collaboration of various industries is essential. These collaborations should be aimed at utilising each other's core strengths in order to coordinate resources efficiently.
Carl Zeiss MicroImaging Releases the Colibri LED Light Source for Fluorescence  Microscopy
Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH, a provider of microscopy solutions for a variety of research, clinical and industrial applications, has introduced the Colibri, a patented high-performance, LED light source for fluorescence microscopy. The company holds the exclusive North American license to distribute this breakthrough technology. The narrow band LEDs replace conventional white light sources to produce extremely high contrast images with an excellent signal-to-noise ratio, enabling the detection of weak signals and fine details in applications ranging from routine biomedical research to complex live cell imaging.
The intensity of the narrow-band LEDs can be quickly and accurately set for any wavelength and exactly adapted to the specimen, therefore ensuring maximum protection. As the switching procedure is purely opto-electronic, there is no motion or vibration that could impair image quality in high-speed time series experiments. With Colibri it is possible to switch excitation wavelengths in microseconds. Minimized heat build-up also results in more stable conditions during experiments. This makes Colibri well suited for working with sensitive living cells, but also offers numerous enhancements for fluorescence microscopy with fixed specimen.
A selection of four LEDs can be used individually, sequentially or simultaneously with any intensity setting, which is particularly helpful in balancing intensities of the various fluorescence channels.
Due to its innovative design, Colibri offers high flexibility: 10 different wavelengths from UV to dark red are currently available. Further advances of the rapidly developing LED technology, like new wavelengths or higher emissions, can therefore be implemented quickly and without complication by the customer.
The LED modules are equipped with automatic component recognition (ACR) and automatically recognized by the system, ruling out the possibility of incorrect operation. A motorized switching capability to a fiber-optically-coupled white Metal Halide light source is integrated to add flexibility.
Colibri can be operated as a stand-alone unit or upright and inverted with manual or motorized microscopes, but can also be controlled with the basic version of AxioVision software without additional cost.
Cree Achieves 100-Lumen XLamp LEDs Available in Volume Quantities
Cree, Inc. announce the commercial availability of XLamp LEDs with minimum luminous flux of 100 lumens at 350 mA. XLamp LEDs are the first LEDs to be available in volume with this level of performance. This advance sets a new standard in lighting-class LED brightness and efficiency.
XLamp LEDs have now achieved a 100 percebt improvement in performance over the past 17 months. They can deliver either 25 percent greater brightness with improved efficacy, or they can deliver up to 55 percent greater brightness at the same efficacy when compared to the previous generation of XLamp LEDs. Moreover, the new XLamp LEDs retain the same footprint as previous XLamp LEDs, thereby protecting customers’ design investments.
"Cree is to be congratulated on surpassing the 100-lumen level in its commercial white LED products," said Robert Steele, director of the optoelectronics practice at market research firm Strategies Unlimited. "The availability of such high-performance devices should certainly accelerate the conversion of the lighting market to solid-state sources."
“This is an announcement of volume availability, not an R&D result or availability of a few parts,” stated Norbert Hiller, Cree vice president and general manager for lighting LEDs. “These LEDs can enable lighting manufactures to create fixtures using fewer LEDs than before, thereby lowering initial product cost and reducing energy consumption.”
University of Arkansas to Install LED Lighting Fixture's Downlights
LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc. (LLF) has announced that the University of Arkansas will be the first educational institution to adopt LLF's LED lighting technology. LLF's LR6 products will be installed in the Chancellor's residence at the main campus in Fayetteville as a part of the university's movement toward energy efficiency and cost savings. The university estimates that the payback of the initial investment will be slightly over one year when they consider energy savings combined with reduced maintenance costs.
The lighting design for the Chancellor's residence was specified by the Green Lighting Company, the first and only firm in Arkansas to specialize only in LED lighting solutions. The Green Lighting Company represents premier LED lighting companies committed to providing innovative, sustainable and energy- conscious products.
Mike Fallon, LLF's vice president of Sales, said, "We are excited that the University of Arkansas has chosen our LR6 product for an energy efficient and environmentally friendly lighting solution. The Green Lighting Company, our lighting agent in Arkansas, did an excellent job working with the university to meet their objective for lighting that has high energy efficiency while providing significant cost savings. The Green Lighting Company is one of a network of 55 agencies that LLF has hired across North America to promote the LR6 product line."
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