Category Archives: LED Packaging and Testing

Worldwide LED component market grows 9%

Strategies Unlimited has issued new figures since the first edition of this article. Solid State Technology now brings you updated figures and additional information on the worldwide LED market.

LED component revenue for lighting applications reached $3.11 billion in 2012, narrowly dethroning the large area display backlight segment at $3.06 billion, according to Strategies Unlimited, a market research firm covering the LED industry.  The worldwide market for LED components was $13.7 billion and is expected to grow to $15 billion in 2017, for a CAGR of 1.8%.

The total illumination market for 2012 is estimated at $14.52 billion. LED lighting includes LED replacement lamps and luminaires is estimated at $11.72 billion—an increase of 26% between 2011 and 2012—and it is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 12% over 2012-2017.

The 2012 estimate for revenues for the illumination market, not addressed by the LED replacement lamps and luminaires is $2.75 billion revenue.  These other applications include: decorative/festive/Christmas light strings; tube lights that go into many untraceable applications including signs; flexible tape and strips of LEDs sold in applications ranging from step lighting to lighting stairs to DIY cove lighting; and all other miscellaneous.

Commercial applications are the largest segment and grew the fastest—72%—in the LED lighting market followed by replacement lamps. Japanese market was the primary driver for the 22% growth in replacement lamp revenues from 2011 to 2012. The slower growing segments such as emergency and industrial lighting depend on the overall economic activity; entertainment lighting was a victim of slow down in European financial crisis, after the frenzy for the Olympics.

LEDs used in large display (TV and monitors) backlights also reached a new record at $3.06 billion in 2012. This is chiefly due to the success in penetrating the CCFL stronghold of the 32-inch TV. Low cost direct technology, also known as “chubby TV” technology because the TVs are thicker than edge-lit ones and narrows the price gap between CCFL and LED backlit TV to an insignificant level.  Both Samsung and LG have announced they will stop making CCFL TVs.

Chubby TVs will spread from 32 inches in both directions in size. It is expected to reach TVs 42 to 50 inches size in 2013-2014.  With drastic reduction in number of LEDs used and rapid price erosion, the large display market for LEDs is expected to decline to $1.7 billion in 2017.

The total market for LEDs in the automotive segment was $1.4 billion in 2012 and is projected to grow to $2.1 billion in 2017. The number of cars with LED headlights nearly doubled in 2012. Revenue for 2012 was $97 million and the five-year CAGR is projected to be 36%.

The number of cars with LED headlights nearly doubled in 2012. Revenue for 2012 was $97 million and the five-year CAGR is projected to be 36%.  Revenue derived from daytime running lights (DRL) grew 31% to $200 million in 2012.  DRL growth is expected to slow down as the penetration rate is forecast to reach 45% in 2017.  The total market for LEDs in the automotive segment was $1.4 billion in 2012, and is projected to grow to $2.1 billion in 2017.

While LED revenue from tablets grew 54% to $578 million, the overall mobile segment dropped 3%.  The drop in notebook backlight demand, the OLED success in smart phone display, and the general demand decline for other small and medium display will take the segment down to $958 million in 2017, for a 5 year CAGR of -7%.

Use of LEDs in signage and channel letters grew 7% to $1.7 billion in 2012.  Full-color signs contributed more than 80% of the revenue. The most popular pixel densities for indoor displays are expected to be 3mm and 4mm in 2013, meaning more LEDs will be needed.  The signage segment is expected to grow to $2.4 billion in 2017, for a CAGR of 7%. 

Breakdown of worldwide LED market by countryOn the supply side, 11 companies accounted for more than 72% of the LED market. Strategies Unlimited arrived at these figures after analyzing market demand as well as the supply-side activity of more than 54 LED component suppliers. The rank order of the top 11 suppliers in the LED market for 2012, by revenue of packaged LED components, is:

1. Nichia     

2. Samsung LED         

3. Osram Opto Semiconductors        

4. LG Innotek       

5. Seoul Semiconductor*       

6. Philips Lumileds*        

7. Cree         

8. TG      

9. Sharp       

10. Everlight*     

11. Lumens*

(*Companies have the same ranking when the difference in revenue is within the margin of error. Revenue includes sales of packaged LEDs of 30 lm/W or more.)

Samsung LED was absorbed into Samsung Electronics in 2012. By going vertical and successfully attacking the low cost direct TV market, LED sales soared at Samsung and at its chief supplier, Lumens. TG’s success in the tablet backlight market and the Japanese lighting market brought high growth to the company. Cree and Philips Lumileds rode the rise of LED lighting and achieved record revenues.

Chinese packaging companies grew from 6% of worldwide sales to 8%. Major consolidation is expected in China as the pricing war is forcing out many players. Taiwanese market share dropped from 19% to 15% as there is an increase of OEM packaging activities.  Only final sale is counted in this study.

The LED packaging industry is expected to grow modestly at a CAGR of 1.8% in the next five years. 2013 should see less severe price drops as excess capacity is slowly absorbed by the rise of lighting applications.  Consolidation—both vertical and horizontal—can help improve margins. 

Breakdown of worldwide LED market by technology

 

GaN on GaN LEDs by SoraaSoraa announced yesterday the next generation of its high external quantum efficiency GaN on GaN LEDs. As described in Appl. Phys. Lett. 101, 223509, Soraa’s new LED outperforms the best-documented LED laboratory result by Nichia Chemical Co. at current densities of 100 A/cm2 and beyond.

“The record breaking performance from our next generation of GaN on GaN LEDs is a credit to the extremely talented research and development team at Soraa, and a testament to the vision of our founder and GaN on GaN pioneer, Dr. Shuji Nakamura,” said Mike Krames, CTO of Soraa. “But what’s amazing is that we have just scratched the surface in terms of performance gains from our GaN on GaN LED technology.”

Soraa’s GaN on GaN LEDs handle significantly more current and emit ten times more light per unit area of LED wafer material than conventional LEDs made by depositing GaN layers on cheaper foreign substrates like sapphire, silicon carbide or silicon. The company’s GaN on GaN technology leverages the advantages of the native substrate, including over a thousand times lower crystal defect densities that allow reliable operation at very high current densities (the same principle that enabled Blu-ray laser diodes). In addition to superior crystal quality, the native substrate’s optical transparency and high electrical and thermal conductivity enable a very robust, simple LED design that delivers maximum performance. Another advantage of the GaN on GaN approach is that it enables considerable flexibility in the choice of crystal growth plane.

 “We firmly believe that GaN on GaN is the future for LEDs and we’ve developed a comprehensive intellectual property program and patent portfolio covering the technology to maintain our leadership position.” added Krames.

Soraa leveraged the advantages of its first generation GaN on GaN LEDs by introducing in 2012 the true full-visible-spectrum LED MR16 lamps—a superior alternative to 50-Watt halogen MR16 lamps. Soraa’s LED MR16 lamps have a CRI of 95 and R9 of 95 (higher than most halogen lamps) and compared to halogen lamps, produce no UV or IR; last up to 10 times as long; use 75 percent less energy; run cooler; produce a much more consistent and efficient beam; and are compatible with existing lamp fixtures and lighting infrastructure.

InfiniLED’s latest MicroLEDs, or µLEDs, have produced record optical beam intensity. This new device is capable of producing up to 1mW of light from a single 20µm pixel at 405nm. This is equivalent to a light output density of more than 300 W/cm2 – the highest recorded for a commercially available LED type device.

“These results highlight the capabilities of the MicroLED,” said Dr. Bill Henry, chief commercial officer of InfiniLED, “This device can be seen as a cross-over between the power and collimation of a laser and the simplicity of an LED. The unique devices enable a range of applications. This was achieved without the need for external optics indicating the potential for further improvement of the performance.”

The MicroLED combines the benefits of a laser and a LED to produce ultra-high light output. The MicroLED provides the wavelength flexibility, drive characteristics and simplicity of a LED as well as the power and collimated beam of a laser. The ability to produce such light intensity and control directly from the chip enables the light to be efficiently used in a range of applications.

InfiniLED has achieved this record performance using the patented MicroLED structure. A parabolic reflector is etched into the semiconductor material during the fabrication process. This places an optical component directly at the site of light generation and at the most effective position for control of the light produced. Not only has the light been shown to be extracted in ultra-high intensity but also at high efficiencies. By directing all the generated light through a single surface of the semiconductor, it can be efficiently collected and used in the wider system.

The MicroLED is currently being used in a range of applications included life sciences, consumer electronics and OEM equipment. The MicroLED (µLED) can be fabricated as a single pixel, large clusters of pixels or as addressable arrays where each pixel is individually switchable. The single pixels can be used to produce high intensity, collimated light over a small area or to produce useable light at ultra-low currents. The single pixels produce light with a few nanoamps of current. To produce larger amounts of light, clusters of tightly packed MicroLEDs are available. This results in high light density and collimated emission over a wider area. MicroLEDs (µLEDs) are also available as addressable arrays of pixels. The collimation from each pixel results in high packing densities and minimal crosstalk between the devices.

Additionally, the high current densities achievable and low capacitance allows the MicroLEDs to be switched at very high speeds. Experimental work is on-going with the Tyndall National Institute and the results will be announced shortly.

 “The applications for the MicroLED are many and varied,” Henry added. “InfiniLED is developing light sources for use in areas such as diagnostics, printing and battery powered consumer electronics. We are particularly focused on applications where the efficient use and control of light is of greatest importance. The first products with MicroLEDs incorporated will be on the market shortly and we look forward to new releases in the near future.” 

InfiniLED will demonstrate this technology at BiOS and Photonic West in San Francisco this February.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation announced this week that it has developed a prototype multi-wire electrical discharge processing technology to cut very hard four inch square polycrystalline silicon carbide (SiC) ingots into 40 pieces at once. The technology is expected to improve both the productivity of SiC slicing and the effective use of SiC material. Mitsubishi Electric aims to market its multi-wire electrical discharge slicer by fiscal 2015.

SiC is expected to be used increasingly in power semiconductors due to its superior energy-saving and CO2 emissions-reduction properties compared to silicon. Additionally, SiC, along with GaN, zinc oxide (ZnO) and silicon (Si) substrates are considered as the future LED substrates, thanks to low lattice mismatches.

The prevalence of SiC in the semiconductor industry has grown over the past few years, as Si substrates are relatively cheap and benefit from the long process history of semiconductor manufacturing on Si. Currently, Cree is producing epi-wafers using a SiC substrate.

Until now, sliced wafers have been produced through multi-wire saw with diamond particles because SiC is the third hardest compound on earth, but this method requires lengthy machining time and large kerf widths. The new parallel multi-wire electrical discharge machining method utilizes Mitsubishi Electric’s proven electrical discharge technology for difficult-to-cut material, and employs a dedicated power supply specially developed for SiC.

Key technologies of Mitsubishi Electric’s electrical discharge technology

Mitsubishi Electric’s electrical discharge technology provides a method of simultaneously cutting of SiC ingots into 40 pieces.  Forty wire electrodes with a diameter of 0.1 mm aligned at 0.6mm intervals are rotated to cut 40 slices at once, improving productivity. The non-contact, thermal process-wire electrical discharge method slices faster and at closer intervals compared to contact cutting (220 micro meters or less cut at a speed of 80 micro meters per minute). More wafer slices extracted per SiC ingot for improved efficiency.

The power supply dedicated to SiC slice processing allows for simultaneous wire cuts with even energy enabled by 40 electrically independent power feed contacts to wire electrodes. The power supply also means uninterrupted processing with even very thing (0.1mm) wire electrodes, thanks to a newly developed high-frequency power supply tailored to the characteristics of SiC material.

LED market discussedWith increasing awareness of global climate change and the importance of energy conservation, more and more countries have launched LED lighting projects and subsidy policies. As a result, even though the growth of the LED market in 2012 was hampered by global economic challenges, overall demand has continued to be on the rise. To help the Taiwan LED industry tackle the increasing challenges, an in-depth analysis of LED global market opportunities and technology breakthroughs were recently provided at the 2013 LED Market and Outlook seminar held by SEMI Taiwan.

Demand for high-power white LED is now growing at a rapid pace. Yellow and natural light LEDs will both exceed 200 lumen/watt in power rating by 2015 and even surpass 250 lumen/watt by 2020. OEM bulb prices are expected to drop from US$ 23 per 1,000 lumen in 2012 to $10 per 1,000 lumen in 2015 and then down to $5 per 1,000 lumen by 2020. The next few years will therefore see strong growth in the LED lighting market.

LED lighting market continues to grow from 2011 to 2016

Daphne Kuo, an analyst with ITRI Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center, added that the global market for general lighting has an annual growth rate of between 3 and 6%. The global market is expected to be worth $114.7 Billion in 2020, with the LED lighting market reaching a compound annual growth rate of 45% between 2011 and 2016, and 15% between 2016 and 2020. The LED lighting market could therefore reach a value of $79 billion.

In terms of the LED lighting market structure, LED home lighting will be the largest market in 2020 at $32.1 billion accounting for 41 percent of the total LED lighting. The next two largest markets will be outdoor and office lighting, with both approaching $11.3 billion. The overall market will itself be divided into the new installation market and the replacement market. The relative scale of the two markets is approximately 80:20. The scale of the replacement market is however expected to begin contracting after 2015 as LED penetration increases and lighting technology improves.

Different regions show different approaches to LED market

According to Kuo, currently Western nations account for 50% of the general lighting market and the Asian market accounts for 40%, so these two large regional markets remain evenly balanced. However, future growth will be driven mainly by emerging nations, and the BRICs in particular, because of strong government support for LED lighting. China will be the largest among them and account for approximately 70% of the BRIC lighting market. The China market is estimated to account for 45% of all demand in Asia, or 18% of the global lighting market.

Nevertheless, demand for LED lighting in China mainly comes from government projects. With local firms and governments joining forces to protect their vested interests, it is very difficult for outside firms to make any headway. Any company wishing to enter the China market must pay attention to the parochial nature of the lighting market. Adopting a profit sharing model and establishing a solid partnership with regional lighting channel operators is essential when entering the LED lighting market in China.

Keys to market: Lower production cost and improve efficiency

In addition to the market challenges, there will also be a number of technological challenges in the future. EPISTAR’s Carson Hsieh noted that solving problems with thermal resistance remains the number one priority. The current trend is using Flip-Chip technology to reduce chip-level thermal resistance. Another approach is to improve light emission efficiency. Light emission efficiency is in turn governed by internal quantum efficiency and light extraction efficiency. While improvements have been made in internal quantum efficiency, factors such as material absorption, uneven current distribution, and threshold loss mean that even high internal quantum efficiency within the LED produces relatively little external light. The bottleneck in LED light extraction efficiency must therefore be overcome.

The current trend is using Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS) technology as it has the advantage of increasing LED light extraction efficiency. Another method, called Nano Patterned Sapphire Substrate (NPSS), not only increases light extraction efficiency but also boosts epi wafer output. Increasing light extraction efficiency will not only boost overall light emission efficiency but also reduce thermal loss, allowing LED bulbs to do away with heat sinks and reduce costs even more.

By using GaN LED on Si technology to grow the epi layers on large silicon wafers, it will also be possible to adopt a production process that is compatible with semiconductor production lines and significantly reduce overall costs as well. However, GaN has a far higher thermal expansion coefficient than silicon so this may lead to technical problems such as epitaxial film rupture or wafer warping that will need to be overcome in the future.

Technology breakthroughs lead to further reductions in LED costs. This will in turn increase market acceptance and usher in of the era of high growth for the LED lighting market.

A new report from IHS Displaybank examined a total of 483 patents on roll-to-roll processing technologies, focusing on 32 that were flexible, OLED-related. 43 flexible OLED-related roll-to-roll application technologies and 23 roll-to-roll patents by SiPix were also selected for an analysis. 

A flexible display is considered as the next-generation display that is bendable and rollable without damage, by using a paper-thin and flexible substrate. The flexible display market is projected to lead the market growth by creating a new display market as well as by replacing the current display market. In addition, when producing flexible displays, if a large-area and low-cost technology based on the roll -to-roll process is realized, new demands with such as indoor/outdoor advertising and various decorative purposes are expected to be created.

The roll-to-roll process is a foundation to mass produce flexible electronics applications at low cost. It is a greatly demanded technology in the related-product manufacturing industry. The technology at the present level allows high speed printing, but the ink viscosity and the resolution vary depending on the printing method, and the equipment research on the device manufacturing process has not yet conducted enough.

The report contains the application trend and in-depth analysis of key patents on the roll-to-roll processing technology.

Looking at the application trend of 483 patents on roll-to-roll processing technology, the number of applications has continuously increased since mid 2000s, and many were applied in the U.S. Major applicants include 3M Innovative Properties, SiPix Imaging, Fuji Film, and General Electric. Amid vigorous developments of roll-to-roll processing technologies, competition among companies in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea gets increasingly fierce.

Roll-to-roll Processing Technology Patent Application Trends by Year/Country

 

Source: Displaybank, “Key Patent Analysis—Flexible Roll-to-roll Processing Technology”

Of a total of 483 roll-to-roll processing technology patents, 23 flexible OLED-related U.S. published/issued patents and 9 international patents were extracted as key patents. In-depth analyses were conducted on the 32 key patents after divided into the roll-to-roll manufacturing processing technology and apparatus technology. The key patent analysis includes key patent status, technology development map, and abstract.

Thomas Edison invented the first incandescent light bulb 130 years ago, which greatly contributed to the advancement of civilization. However, that technology is antiquated, economically inefficient to operate, and fragile.

Fluorescent lights are energy efficient but they are bulky and have to ‘warm-up’ when turned on. Their bulbs contain phosphorus and mercury, which are toxic to the environment. Today’s LED lights are also energy friendly but are expensive and difficult to manufacture. The process to make conventional LEDs is very complicated, as it involves the growth of single crystal layers on the single crystal substrate. Each layer has to contain low defects for it to work. The cost of LED lights is usually ten times the cost of the incandescent bulb, because the equipment to produce them is expensive, the raw materials are expensive, and the environmental and safety issues are critical. Another disadvantage of the current LEDs is they do not produce white light from a single chip. This requires extra manipulation, such as using a set of 3 chips emitting different lights or adding a phosphors material to the blue or UV chip to produce the white light. 

Professor Yue Kuo of the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University has fabricated a new type of LED, capable of producing a wide spectrum light while operating for long periods of time at atmospheric conditions. This device is based on a new concept of light emission from an ultra-thin amorphous dielectric layer.     

Figure (left) Low- and (right) high-magnification photos of light emission from the new LED.

An article published in Applied Physics Letters, describes the light emission mechanism, characteristics of the emission spectrum, fabrication method, and the operation parameter effects on this type of LED. The device was fabricated with the room-temperature sputter deposition method on a silicon wafer. The light emission intensity could be enhanced with a nanocrystal layer embedded in the dielectric film. Most importantly, the complete process and materials are compatible with the existing IC fabrication facility.

“There is a need for a new type of LED that is: low cost, long operation life, small in size, emits white light, and easy to fabricate with environmentally friendly materials and process.” Dr. Kuo says. “ What makes this new LED unique is it meets all of these requirements plus it is extremely easy to fabricate with the existing equipment in all semiconductor fabs.” 

The light emitted is composed of small bright dots evenly distributed across the electrode surface.  The input voltage controls the intensity or brightness of the LED.  Dr. Kuo is very optimistic with the results of his findings. “We have discovered this phenomenon and studied this kind of LED for more than a year. It can be operated continuously for more than ten hours. A longer operation time is expected.”

Kuo‘s discovery has larger implications than just lighting. These LEDs could potentially be integrated into a computer processor; dramatically increasing the speed by transporting signals optically rather than by electrons through copper lines.  They could have use in various industries, entertainment, medical, commercial, and military areas due to the compact size and low cost. 

December 6, 2012 – KLA-Tencor says its new fourth-generation LED wafer inspection system achieves greater flexibility, increased throughput, and improved efficiency for inspecting defects and performing 2D metrology in LED applications, as well as MEMS and semiconductor wafers (up to 200mm).

The ICOS WI-2280, built on the company’s WI-22xx platform, supports handling of whole wafers in carriers and diced wafers in hoop ring or film frame carriers, to accommodate multiple media with minimal equipment changeover. An enhanced rule-based binning defect classification and recipe qualification engine enable faster yield learning during production ramps, and improved process control and process tool monitoring strategies. Highly flexible advanced optical modules with dedicated image processing enable high defect capture rate and recipe robustness against varying process background. A frontend-to-backend-of-line connectivity analysis capability — working in conjunction with the company’s Candela LED unpatterned wafer inspection system and Klarity LED automated analysis and defect data management system — delivers a single platform for defect source analysis.

"Increasingly, LED manufacturers are demanding improved detection and classification of yield relevant defects of interest, which enables them to take faster corrective actions to improve their yields at higher inspection throughput. There is also a growing need to boost productivity by enabling faster production recipe creation," stated Jeff Donnelly, group VP for growth and emerging markets at KLA-Tencor. The ICOS WI-2280 "ultimately enabl[es] LED manufacturers to achieve better lumens per watt and lumens per dollar performance."

In addition to LED manufacturing, the system can work in MEMS, semiconductor and compound semiconductor, and power device applications (wafers spanning 2-8 in.), the company says: backend-of-line and post-dicing outgoing quality control or binning; frontend-of-line patterned wafer inspection for baseline yield improvement, rework, excursion control, or overlay; and 2D surface inspection and metrology.

October 23, 2012 – ProTek Devices says it is now offering individual unpackaged die for LEDs in wafer form, available as unidirectional and bidirectional electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection diodes.

The new LED die (<6 mils thickness) supports LED lighting voltage at 5V, with other voltages "to be introduced soon," ProTek noted in a statement. The bidirectional die (PLED508 and PLED511) and unidirectional (PLED508U and PLED511U) die have Ti/Ni/Ag back metal and Al/Cu top metal.

The PLED511 LED die has 200,000 diodes/wafer, while the PLED511U has 150,000 diodes/wafer; the PLED508 has 300,000 and the PLED508U has 340,000. All are available as probed good die in wafer form, delivered quartered, sawn, and mounted on blue tape.

In addition to LED lighting manufacturers, other applications for the wafers include digital display boards; automotive LEDs; backlight LEDs, and solid-state lighting. Minimum order quantities are the equivalent of five whole wafers (quartered).

FlexTech Alliance announced the completion of a development project with Etched in Time, Inc. (EITI), for a plasma etch system that is compatible with a wide array of roll-to-roll equipment.  The result of the project is a tool that can be used in the manufacture of a broad range of products including LED lighting or solar panels fabricated on plastic substrates.

The purpose of this FlexTech Alliance funded project was to create a plasma etching tool for dielectric films that offers a number of manufacturing advantages for flexible electronics. For example, plasma etching is cleaner than a wet etching manufacturing process due to the lack of chemicals to dispose after use. Additionally, incorporating the system into a roll-to-roll process allows large area and flexible products to be fabricated at low cost.

After the successful system development, the final step of the project was installation of the EITI plasma tool into the roll-to-roll flexible processing equipment at Binghamton University’s Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM), where the follow-on work will take place of fine tuning processes with the new system for different materials.  

The new tool has gained commercial traction since the project completion. For example, a joint venture has been established between EITI and the Solar Product Lab (SPL) at Arizona State University to build and install a demonstration tool to etch silicon nitride for solar cell production.
“Not only will this project refine the manufacturing process of printed, flexible electronics through the continued work at CAMM,” commented Michael Ciesinski, CEO of the FlexTech Alliance. “Etched in Time has also been very resourceful using the results of this project and their design and build expertise to adapt the technology for commercial markets.”

Additional applications of the tool include texturizing a silicon surface during the manufacture of solar cells fabricated with multi crystal silicon, a material currently in wide industry use.