Lighting

“Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have already started a small revolution in the automotive and display sectors and now they are beginning their steadfast march into general lighting.”

- Osram Opto Semiconductor, See the World in a New Light, 4/10/2005

Silicon carbide wafers are a critical building block for high brightness white, blue and green LEDs, devices which boast small dimensions, low energy consumption, and availability in all colors. Market growth has been rapid, driven largely by mobile phone applications (i.e., backlight for full color display screens, white keypads and the camera flash function) as well as interior and exterior automotive lighting. Other markets include full-color electronic displays, traffic signals, gaming equipment, and decorative illumination.

Emerging lighting markets are expected to drive continued growth. Recent developments include backlighting solutions for large size liquid crystal displays used in flat-screen computer monitors and TVs. As reported by Business Week Online (11/8/05), this silicon carbide-based approach “would consume less power than other LED and traditional compact fluorescent backlighting. As the reduction in power consumption would eliminate the need for a cooling system, it would allow manufacturers to build thinner monitors and reduce costs.” According to a 2005 report by Nanomarkets, The Global Market for High Brightness LEDs, the combined market for high brightness LEDs will grow from $5 billion in 2006 to $10.8 billion in 2010 and reach 17.4 billion in 2013.

By far the largest potential growth area for silicon carbide-based LEDs, however, is the conventional lighting market. The transition from incandescent/fluorescent lighting to LED/solid state technology is already beginning, as evidenced by the availability of products in specialized areas, such as architectural lighting, appliance lighting and reading lamps. The solid state lighting section explores silicon carbide's growing impact on this important industry.