IR LED suppliers look to bolster release of ceramic-based high-power types

Greater efficiency and longer life span drive product initiatives amid climbing requirement in mobile electronics and security products.

IR LEDs have found a strong market in mobile electronics, with smartphones and notebook PCs widely adopting the diode for biometric identification such as iris recognition. This is in addition to established security and monitoring applications, including CCTV cameras, smoke detectors and automotive night vision systems.

Keen on maximizing opportunities in these sectors, China companies are enhancing product performance and raising the output share of already dominant high-power types further. They hope to increase the use of ceramic substrates to address heat issues, which in turn will improve efficiency to more than 50 percent and extend life span beyond 90,000 hours of high-power IR diodes. At present, aluminum is the broadly adopted material.

To meet the expected rise in requirement in mobile devices, makers have been strengthening the SMD category as well and expect such variants to overtake DIP counterparts. The former is projected to account for over 50 percent of total output by year-end, while the second remains in great demand in security products.

Shenzhen Fedy Technology Co. Ltd offers a model in a 5050 package, which has 850nm wavelength and lasts more than 80,000 hours. BOSMF has released a 1 to 3W SMD unit in a 3535 ceramic package. The 840 to 870nm IR LED is developed mainly for UV curing, banknote detection, jewelry appraisal and medical equipment.

To complement product development gains, China suppliers and local research institutes are stepping up efforts to secure local patents in coming years. Until August 2016, over 18,000 applications have been filed, while 1,524 invention and 10,424 utility model patents were issued for IR LEDs by the end of 2015.

Invigorating the local sector is upbeat projections for the line. Globally, IR LEDs will have a total production value of up to $710 million by 2020, registering 24 percent CAGR, according to LEDInside. Mobile electronics contributed greatly to this growth in recent years and will continue to do so together with the security monitoring market. IR LEDs for the latter industry are expected to hit $300 million to $400 million worldwide by 2017 from $17.64 million in 2015, according to Gaogong Industry Research.

From this, the China IR LED makers look forward to an annual sales increase exceeding 20 percent in the near term.

More than 100 suppliers constitute the IR LED sector in China and include foreign companies such as Osram. Most are also engaged in the production of LED displays and other LED types. IR diodes account for 20 to 80 percent of these companies' shipments.

Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces are still the main manufacturing hubs, specifically Dongguan and Shenzhen cities in the first, Xiamen and Suzhou respectively in the last two areas.