business LEDs
rhombus4
Chipmakers will reap the
rewards of an explosion
L
CD TVs with backlights
based on an array of LEDs
were launched onto the market back
in 2004, and for the first few years
in LED TV sales
they only delivered modest sales.
“But this year the market is taking
off,” says Robert Steele, the director
of the LED practice at market analyst
Strategies Unlimited. He expects
Sales of LED-backlit TVs will rocket over the next fives years,
LED-backlit TVs to capture a two or
leading to domination of this market. Richard Stevenson quizzes
three percent share of TVs sales this
year, and rise at a staggering rate to
Strategies Unlimited’s Robert Steele on the reasons behind this
take a market share of between 40
tremendous growth, and its implications for LED chipmakers
and 60 percent by 2013. By then
LED sales will generate $6 billion per
and MOCVD tool manufacturers.
year, which is $1 billion more than
the entire market for LEDs in 2009.
This hike in LED demand will deliver
a tremendous benefit to the
compound semiconductor
community. It will not only drive
up volumes for chipmakers – it
will also increase sales of
sapphire substrates, metal
organic precursors and
process and carrier gases. And
MOCVD tool manufacturers
such as Veeco and Aixtron will
sell more reactors, thanks to
the additional demand for LED
chips.
The reason why it has taken
five years for LED-based TVs
to start to make a commercial
impact is that the early
versions were far too
expensive. Sony was the first
to market with this technology
- in 2004 it had a domestic
launch of this class of TV,
which employed LEDs made
by Philips Lumileds. The 40
inch version retailed for around
$7500, and the 46 inch sibling
had a price tag of $10,000.
Prices have fallen since then,
LED backlighting units can deliver
local dimming of the screen, leading
to the reproduction of incredibly
deep blacks. CREDIT: Philips
38 www.compoundsemiconductor.net October 2009
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