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LED Developments for Alternating Current (AC) LEDs in LCD Backlights and for Lighting Traffic Lights,  and Emergency Exit Signs.

1.  LED maker Tyntek to co-develop AC LEDs for panel backlighting   - DigiTimes

2. Taiwan market: Barriers remain for LED adoption  - DigiTimes

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1. LED maker Tyntek to co-develop AC LEDs for panel backlighting
 

Compiled from outside sources; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES                                                      [Thursday 29 December 2005]

Taiwan-based LED maker Tyntek announced recently that it will team up with the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) to develop and produce alternating current (AC) LEDs used in LCD backlights from small-size to large-size panel applications and specific lighting applications, the Chinese-language Economic Daily News reported on December 28.

The collaboration with ITRI was confirmed in a filing by Tyntek with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. According to the filing, the co-development agreement is scheduled to end on December 27, 2007, with mass production slated to kick off by the expiration date.

In contrast with direct current (DC) LEDs and neon lights, AC LEDs would not require a special power supply for use in outdoor applications, noted Tyntek. AC LEDs also could help lower packaging costs due to its compact size, Tyntek said, adding that AC LEDs will simultaneously improve lighting luminance while providing ESD (electrostatic discharge) protection.

Applications include panel backlights used in large-size TFT LCDs, seven-inch LCDs and handset LCD displays, industrial-use indicator lights and outdoors lighting segments, noted the LED maker.

In its solar cell business, Tyntek has suffered slow solar panel shipments, due to a fire at Motech Industries, one of Tyntek’s major solar cell suppliers, according to the company.

Tyntek: November 2004 - November 2005 revenues (NT$m)

Month

Sales

M/M

Y/Y

YTD

Y/Y

Nov-05

213

(4.8%)

40.3%

2,210

11.3%

Oct-05

223

(7.4%)

42.7%

1,998

8.9%

Sep-05

241

0.2%

43.7%

1,774

5.7%

Aug-05

241

8.4%

29.1%

1,533

1.5%

Jul-05

222

7.1%

10.7%

1,292

(2.4%)

Jun-05

207

1.4%

2.1%

1,070

(4.7%)

May-05

205

1.3%

1.8%

863

(6.3%)

Apr-05

202

12.5%

0.4%

658

(8.5%)

Mar-05

179

46.9%

(5.8%)

457

(12%)

Feb-05

122

(21.3%)

(30.7%)

277

(15.5%)

Jan-05

155

2.6%

2%

155

2%

Dec-04

151

(0.2%)

7.7%

2,138

13.8%

Nov-04

152

(3.2%)

(9.5%)

1,987

14.3%

*Figures are not consolidated
Source: TSE, compiled by Digitimes, December 2005

Tyntek: 3Q 2004 - 3Q 2005 revenues (NT$m)

Quarter

Sales

Q/Q

Y/Y

YTD

Y/Y

3Q-05

702

14%

26.5%

1,774

5.7%

2Q-05

616

34.9%

1.8%

1,072

(4.6%)

1Q-05

457

(0.6%)

(12%)

457

(12%)

4Q-04

459

(17.2%)

(8.4%)

2,138

13.8%

3Q-04

555

(8.3%)

5.1%

1,678

21.9%

*Figures are not consolidated
Source: TSE, compiled by Digitimes, December 2005

Tyntek: 3Q 2004 - 3Q 2005 balance sheet (NT$k)

Item

3Q-2005

2Q-2005

1Q-2005

4Q-2004

3Q-2004

Current assets

2,489,879

2,247,033

2,146,765

2,194,296

2,211,029

Long-term investments

419,710

421,490

367,399

360,367

360,430

Other financial assets - noncurrent

1,174

1,177

1,177

1,227

3,640

Fixed assets (net)

1,047,419

1,058,479

1,080,343

1,094,248

1,101,607

Other assets

78,501

76,191

78,244

84,144

93,481

Assets

4,023,942

3,791,629

3,664,396

3,734,282

3,770,187

Current liabilities

1,106,038

1,179,690

960,448

1,060,153

1,462,141

Noncurrent interest-bearing liabilities

179,788

435,631

435,704

425,183

129,989

Other liabilities

7,419

6,381

5,557

4,724

2,000

Liabilities

1,293,245

1,621,702

1,401,709

1,490,060

1,594,130

Stockholders' equity

2,730,697

2,169,927

2,262,687

2,244,222

2,176,057

*Figures are not consolidated
Source: TSE, compiled by Digitimes, December 2005
 

 

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2. Taiwan market: Barriers remain for LED adoption


 
Siu Han, Taipei; Greg Wu, DIGITIMES                                                                                           [Thursday 22 November 2007]

Although Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs recently announced that public departments will start aggressively implementing LED lighting in applications including traffic lights, emergency exit signs, 24-hour warning signals and emergency lighting, Taiwan LED makers warned that the industry still faces many hurdles, as the cost of LED lighting is still 10- to 12-times more expensive than the cost of traditional lighting, and other issues such as overheating still need to be overcome.

The potential for LEDs in the global light market amounts to about NT$100 billion and the market is growing 2-3% a year, but there remains two major barriers – cost and luminous efficacy (lumens per Watt) – for LED lighting applications, according to Biing-Jye Lee, chairman of Taiwan LED specialist Epistar. Luminous efficacy needs to be doubled from 75lm/W to 150lm/W in order to avoid overheating, while costs need to be reduced by an order of magnitude. Without overcoming these two issues, it will be hard to promote the widespread use of LED lighting applications, noted Lee.

Moreover, LED driving power needs to be converted from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) in order to conform to European and American standards, noted other LED makers. Even in terms of saving energy, LED is not the only choice, the makers added. Energy saving light bulbs and fluorescent lamps possess the advantage of saving energy saving and they retain a cost advantage over LEDs.

The makers agreed that LED lighting applications will probably become competitive after 2012 if prices decline by 15% a year.



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