LED industry under the dilemma of expanding the chip technology

LED industry chain contains a number of links, each link has its own characteristics, which are directly related to the performance of LED in terms of its packaging chip. Upstream epitaxial chip in the field of growth stage, but a large amount of capital demand, entry strength and considerable, the industry is not high level of integration urgency.

Global LED market by handheld devices and LED lighting products related to demand driven, estimated 2013 global LED output will reach $12 billion 400 million, compared with growth of 12% in 2012. In the industry dynamics, due to the overall LED industry oversupply situation is still not resolved in the short term, so each LED manufacturers will be looking for new applications and strategies to ensure that the alliance to ensure that the order and improve profitability.

LED industry chain contains a number of links, each link has its own characteristics, especially in the current LED industry has formed a new pattern for the enterprise, the analysis of the characteristics of the link is particularly necessary.

At present, the upstream epitaxial chip in the field of growth stage, but the large amount of capital demand, entry strength and considerable, the industry is not high level of integration urgency.

LED epitaxial wafer and chip industry accounts for about 70% of the profits, China, LED chip companies about sixty or so (the majority of enterprises as the construction stage), a late start, the scale is not big enough, chip companies LED the largest annual output value of about 3 hundred million yuan each, the average annual output value of 1 to 2 hundred million.

The performance of LED packaging devices in 50% depends on the LED chip, the current domestic small and medium size chip LED package most of the enterprise choose domestic brands, foreign brands and smaller chip performance gap between these domestic brands, good price. Part of the chip manufacturer's product performance has been comparable with foreign brands, through the packaging process technology, has been able to meet the needs of many high-end applications.

From the technological level, in recent years due to government and enterprise capital intensive investment and a large number of overseas experts and technical team, to recruit professionals in Taiwan and South Korea, LED industry, the average level of the current domestic LED chip companies and enterprises in Taiwan has been relatively close. The average efficiency of light in 2012 domestic LED chip has reached 90lm/W, some manufacturers of chip production efficiency has reached even more than 100lm/W, the overall estimated 2013 Chinese LED chip average light efficiency will reach 100lm/W, the high order product light efficiency will reach 120lm/W.

The upstream epitaxial chip field of large amount of investment, lack of professional and technical personnel, the investment risk is relatively large, the number of enterprises, enterprises have invested in the rate of return is not high, the difficulty of integrating, and the field has not been developed to a mature stage of full competition, integration of industry demand is not high, to promote the role of horizontal integration in the field of the whole industry chain.

In terms of patents, the domestic LED epitaxial chip companies have a certain strength, but on the whole in a backward position. The domestic industry leading enterprises in Sanan optoelectronics with LED related 200 patents, including patents accounted for about 80%. As a result of the deployment of foreign LED giant LED patent network between enterprises, especially in the epitaxial growth level, international LED companies have completed the layout, it is difficult to have a breakthrough. A large number of core patents in Japan, the United States master Nichia Corey, Germany OSRAM, Lumileds and other international giants, the domestic LED enterprises in the aspects of the extension chip patent strength is relatively weak, the majority of enterprises still can not solve the problem of intellectual property rights related to export, have an impact on the future development of international business, become a bottleneck restricting domestic LED epitaxial chip the development of the.

The current domestic LED chip industry has now gradually return to rational development, with the lower reaches of the lighting market gradually opened, warm backlight demand, prices fell pace has gradually shrink, the domestic LED chip business competition will gradually forming, maturing.

According to GSCresearch statistics, as of the end of December 2012, there were more than and 30 enterprises LED epitaxial chip, MOCVD machines equipped with a total of 745 units, subject to the shortcomings of the current LED chip market demand and equipment, personnel factors, domestic LED chip enterprises capacity utilization is generally insufficient, floating between 50%-65%.

From the beginning of the second half of 2011, the domestic LED chip enterprise expansion is slowing, with the gradual completion of the LED upstream epitaxial chip companies investment layout, in 2012 the new MOCVD number decreased significantly, mainly installed enterprise nationstar, Australia Shunchang, Tongfang, HC semitek, Silan azure etc..