LEDs will be used more and more for lighting each year, according to analysts.
It is well known in the industry that more and more of the LEDs produced are for direct lighting, rather than for backlighting displays or for status lights. This was confirmed by almost all of the leading LED manufacturers who spoke to IMS Research in recent months.
Each year, LEDs become a little bit brighter and more efficient, and thus more suited to lighting applications. Products of 100 Lumens or brighter, and efficiencies of around 100 Lumens per watt, will become increasingly available this year or next. According to IMS Research analyst Jamie Fox: 'Most of the major LED companies have released such products already, or have plans to do so. Many of these products are targeted at lighting applications.'
The market for lighting and signage applications is very diverse and includes torches, architectural lighting, street lighting, traffic lights, road signs and signals. Overall this segment sees steady, high double-digit annual growth, faster than other LED sectors such as automotive and consumer goods. In a recent IMS Research report, component revenues from LEDs in lighting/signage were forecast to exceed $3bn by 2013, when they will account for 30 per cent of the total LED market, compared with only 10 per cent in 2006. LEDs for overheard interior illumination in offices, homes and factories (general lighting) will still be only a small part of this, but will become increasingly important year on year.
