Light up the world "green light": analysis of the growth path of LED lighting industry

Singer Stefanie Sun has a popular song "green light", derived from an ancient European legend: if a person can see a green light, then he will be happy life. For humans, perhaps green and efficient LED lighting, is able to bring a better future for the world, the "green light"".

With the energy conversion efficiency, low power consumption, long life and other advantages, LED lighting is whipped up a "green whirlwind", not only in the world set off to replace the traditional incandescent lighting revolution, but also become one of the most promising technologies in the field of global. LED lighting industry patent analysis report published by SIPO "(hereinafter referred to as the" report "), through the method of patent analysis, reveals the current situation and development trend of LED lighting industry, the overall situation of patent technology etc..

Technology: "guerrilla" PK "group army"

Nakamura Shuji, the father of the blue light, a series of important inventions to pave the way for the industrialization of LED lighting, LED from the laboratory to the market. In such a rapid development of the emerging industries, an important core patent so rewrite the history of the industry. The "report" also gives evidence, although the LED lighting patent technology appeared in early 1955, but truly usher in a "blowout" type of development from the beginning of 2001, the year before 1991 for no more than 1000, the next ten years showed a rising trend of increasingly rapid development, 2011 Annual applications even reached 31 thousand, the current global LED lighting has more than 206 thousand more than the number of patent applications.

Because of this, so the major manufacturers will be spared no effort to research and development of technology. "The company Nichia, CREE, PHILPS and Samsung have hundreds of huge R & D team, and pay great attention to the system and integrity of the patent. "The State Intellectual Property Office of the Patent Office of electricity, said Tang Yueqiang, director of the Department of semiconductor review said.

If you say, holding the whole industry chain of patents as the international giants of well-equipped army group, then the domestic enterprises are more like a "guerrilla"". "Our application amount is larger, but the number of applicants, more dispersed, for individual domestic enterprises applicants are not large, unable to form the overall competitiveness, it is difficult to with foreign giants such as PHILPS, CREE, Samsung, Nichia. "The collaboration of the State Intellectual Property Office of patent examination center of Beijing Electric Department of Applied Optics two director Wang Yanni said," it is very difficult to form their own achievements patent layout, form a protection level, in many aspects, in the face of foreign patent disputes, often the loss, it is difficult to form the protection of their own. "

Compared with the group army, we are not only the size of small and scattered, but the technical level is relatively weak". Wang Yanni further pointed out that, although China's LED patent application volume ranked first in the world, but the number of domestic enterprises to a higher amount of gold invention patent applications less. LED lighting industry in Guangdong Province as an example, less than 30% of invention patents, utility model patents more than 70%, compared with foreign patent applications more concentrated in the invention of a sharp contrast. In the blue light, white light, MOCVD, substrate, epitaxy and other basic areas, the number of applications in China, and concentrated in the peripheral areas, the lack of core patents. "

Industry: upstream meat downstream soup"

From the industry point of view, you can find the LED lighting industry in the past 10 years of vigorous development, and the same year, the integrated circuit industry is quite similar. There is a famous Moore's law in the integrated circuit industry: the performance of the microprocessor doubles every 18 months, while prices remain unchanged. LED is also in brightness every 18 - 24 months to double, the price every 10 years to reduce the 90% Haitz law rapid development.

At the same time, LED lighting industry chain is very long, high degree of market segmentation, different manufacturers in the industrial chain in the different position, clear division of labor. The "report" revealed: "the upper reaches of the epitaxial growth and chip manufacturing is the most representative of the enterprise or the national technology and industrial level, is the highest technical content and the patent competition the most intense, the biggest risk management field, but also the strongest link of patent barriers. According to statistics, 70% of the profits of the LED industry is concentrated in this link, the middle reaches of the device and module packaging and downstream display and lighting applications, is a technology and labor-intensive industries. "

LED lighting industry in the upstream and downstream enterprises rely on patent barriers, enjoy the technology dividend". Such as the invention of the blue Nakamura Shuji LED technology path is a complete, can make the commercialization of LED solutions, belongs to the upstream core technology. On Nakamura Shuji's research, Nichia from one to 200 small companies, leading enterprises grow into the world renowned LED, a large number of core and basic patent with blue LED, frequently to the industry giant launched a lawsuit, high patent licensing fees for.

As the upstream technology is often the core patent, it is difficult for domestic companies to overcome the technological gap, can only rely on the device to buy, buy chips, buy epitaxial wafers for processing, more like the assembly plant". Domestic patent applications are also concentrated in the downstream industry chain lighting components and integrated lighting, such as lamp assembly, heat treatment, etc.

"Report" pointed out that "related to the long-term development of the industry, the lack of blue core patents and white light patent, the domestic industry will be the long-term development of the subject. Although China has packaged 1200 -1500 companies, but there is no Chinese companies to enter the LED packaging technology patents