China Emerges In The LED Market

The Chinese government questions the need for 50,000-hour lifetimes being pursued elsewhere and believes a lower figure is more practical for applications requiring medium-output to low-output LED bulbs. It has been writing its own standards and testing methodologies for shorter-lifetime LEDs.Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC), China’s leading provider of advanced process technology for LEDs, offers dielectric and through-silicon via (TSV) etch tools. Two months ago, it launched an MOCVD platform for the low-cost, high-volume manufacture of high-brightness LEDs, the patented Prismo D-Blue, which is extendable to the manufacture of gallium-nitride (GaN) on silicon applications. It can accommodate up to four independently controlled reactors and can process up to 216 2-in. wafers simultaneously.wafers.“The solid-state lighting market is an essential element of our growth strategy,” says Zhiyou Di, sensor vice president and general manager of AMEC’s MOCVD product business division.

China’s Chongquing Silian Optoelectronics & Technology Co. Ltd., an established supplier of materials, devices, and systems for the lighting industry, is partnering with Soitec, a European manufacturer of semiconductor materials, to jointly develop GaN template wafers using Silian’s sapphire substrate and Soitec’s HVPE technology. The aim is to validate the manufacturability and commercialization of GaN-based LEDs, which are viewed as the next step in LED development.Earth Day is upon us. In large and small ways, every one of us can and should help clean up the planet, and reduce our carbon footprint. As photographers, we have a powerful weapon: Our cameras. We can use photography to capture and share the planet's fragile beauty, and to shed light on polluters. Here are 10 things you can do to have a more positive environmental impact.