Panasonic now has sixteen new LCD TVs for 2013, many of which featuring IPS displays and 3D. The top four of the six lines are 1080p and feature the latest Viera Connect with personalized home screen and Swipe & Share (for sharing photos and video from your smartphone or tablet with the flick of a finger). The same four also feature the accessibility feature, Voice Guidance, but only the WT60 and DT60 can be controlled by voice -- although it isn't full on voice control. They will start to become available this spring, with the top-of-the-line WT60 setting...

Nichia developed deep UV LED at shorter than 310nm and will be providing evaluation samples upon request.

In the patent infringement lawsuit in Germany at the Düsseldorf District Court which Nichia filed against Hornbach-Baumarkt-AG ("Hornbach"), the court found following the main hearing on November 27, 2012 with judgment of December 20, 2012 (File No. 4a O 112/11) that Hornbach infringes Nichia's patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929) (hereinafter called "YAG patent") concerning the accused white LED Christmas illumination products. The court rendered a judgment, although it is not final and can be appealed by Hornbach, in favor of Nic...

Toshiba Corporation will start sales of white LED packages this month. Production of LED chips is typically done on 2- to 4-inch wafers with an expensive sapphire substrate. Toshiba and Bridgelux have developed a process for manufacturing gallium nitride LEDs on 200mm silicon wafers, which Toshiba has brought to a new production line at Kaga Toshiba Electronics Corporation, a discrete products manufacturing facility in northern Japan. Mass production of packages using the new line's output starts this month. Deployment of Toshiba and Bridgelux's new GaN...

Idemitsu Electronic Materials Korea Co., Ltd. a wholly owned subsidiary backed by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. has completed construction of a plant for manufacturing OLED materials in Paju, near Seoul, and plans to begin production. Commercial shipment of the products will be started at next spring, after completing the quality inspection and production processes.   The products manufactured in the plant is expected to sell the products in markets including Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Europe and other markets in addition to South Korean market. Idemitsu Kosa...

Instrument Systems GmbH, a Munich company specialized in lighting measurement equipment, is sold by the Company founder and President Richard Distl to Konica Minolta Optics, Inc. The subsidiary company Optronik Berlin GmbH is also included in the sale. The company was established in 1986, and it will expand the sensing division of the Japanese Group with its successful product range. The Instrument Systems brand and the locations in Munich and Berlin will be retained. Additionally, the previous owner Richard Distl will continue as President and CEO. Th...

Panasonic Eco Solutions, a division of Panasonic North America has developed a strategic alliance with Lighthouse Technologies in distributing the latter’s LED video display solutions for the North American market. According to Panasonic, it will not only offer Lighthouse's LED video display technology, but also offer Lighthouse customers new products and services not previously available. It contends that the new alliance will create new solutions that incorporate Panasonic's array of product technology, including professional displays and broadcast...

Everlight filed an invalidation action with the Japan Patent Office against Nichia Corporation’s blue LED patent No. JP2780691. The Japan Patent Office rendered a decision in favor of Everlight on Nov. 12, 2012, holding that Nichia’s patent JP2780691 is totally invalid. Following Nichia’s YAG white light LED patent No. JP3503139, which was found invalid by Japan Patent Office this May, JP2780691 is another one of Nichia’s core patents that have been declared as invalid. Everlight believes that this decision is entirely rea...

Taiwan LED maker Formosa Epitaxy Inc. (FOREPI) has entered into  the Japanese and global markets under the help of Japanese shareholder Mitsui & Co. Ltd., which is taking orders for the Taiwanese manufacturer using its shops in Japan and overseas. As San’an Optoelectronics of mainland China is approved by Taiwan government to buy into FOREPI in a private equity placement, Mitsui's stake in FOREPI will be watered down to 12% and becomes  the No.2 shareholder of FOREPI. According to Mitsui executives, for the time bei...

Sharp has announced on Wednesday that it will start to sell an 32-inch ultrathin IGZO 4K LED display with  a Full HD 3,840x2,160 resolution on February 15, 2013. and it has a production target of 1,500 units a month. No pricing was given. The most  salient feature is the use of IGZO technology -- something Apple has had its eye on for the iPad because IGZO can yield very-high-resolution yet thin displays. Including the chassis, the model PN-K321 display is 35mm thick and compatible with DisplayPort and HDMI connectors. Sharp also plans to ...

Toshiba America Electronic Components (TAEC)  has introduced  its new  family of photocouplers, the TLP700A and TLP705A. They are housed in small packages (SDIP6),  half the size of conventional 8 pin DIP packages, and consist of an AlGaAs infrared LED, optically coupled to an integrated high-gain, high-speed photodetector IC chip. About  TLP700A Its TLP700A can directly drive a middle-capacity IGBT or power its MOSFETs. With a guaranteed transmission delay skew, ideal for designing dead time for inverter...

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. has set up a production line for large sapphire substrates at its fully-owned subsidiary Okuchi Electronics Co., Ltd., and has started mass production. Sapphire substrates are used as a substrate for fabricating gallium nitride for use in white and blue LEDs. As the market for white LEDs expands from backlighting for large-size liquid crystal televisions to include general purpose lighting, demand from LED manufacturers for large sapphire substrates which offer an opportunity to improve productivity has also increased. Since the start o...

Japan’s winter light show has taken place at a botanical garden on the island of Nagashima in Kuwana since Nov. 3 and will be on display until March 31, 2013, dazzling visitors with its display of 7 million LED lights. The illuminated wonderland is considered the best lightshow in the country.   This year’s theme is “nature.” Displays feature breathtaking scenes inspired by Japan’s famed Mt. Fuji at sunrise, as well a rainbows across the sky and landscapes resembling an aurora. Previous shows have also featured many beloved Japanese cha...

Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd showcased a light guide plate made with an ink-jet technology at FPD International 2012 from Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2012, in Yokohama, Japan. It is targeted at LCD panels using an LED backlight such as of TVs and monitors. The light guide plate was made by using an ink-jet technology to form a concave-convex pattern with an ultraviolet curable resin on the "Sumipex," Sumitomo Chemical's acrylic resin. The diameter of the pattern can be controlled between 30-70μm. Compared with light guide plates made by using an injection m...

Sharp have cooperated with Al Muftah Trading to release Qatar’s first commercially available 80 inch AQUOS LED TV, and Sharp’s latest Double French refrigerators. The two new products are part of the “From Bigger to Biggest” products line-up which reiterates Sharp’s position as the leader in LCD/LED TV category thanks to its 10th generation panel technology from a company in its 100th year. The full HD Japanese made panel, Sharp’s flagship 80 inch model LC-80LE940X provides more than twice the screen area of a...

Despite Nichia planned to enter into LED markets in China and enlarge its market share there, it has been foiled by simmering anti-Japan sentiment in China due mainly to the Diaoyutai island issue, so is considering to cooperate with Taiwanese enterprises for further development. And two Taiwanese companies, including Hon Hai Group and Epistar, will be part of the joint venture. According to senior Nichia executives and based on positive outlook towards widespread use of LED lighting, the firm focused on the ample business potential in China, having invested at le...

NGK Insulators, Ltd. of Japan has announced the development of high-quality GaN wafers to reduce defects and roughly double the luminous efficiency of green LEDs over previous models. NGK achieved this breakthrough by using a crystal growth technology that it has improved through a proprietary approach. The GaN wafers developed by NGK feature low defect density across the entire 2-inch diameter of the wafer surface and have a colorless transparency. NGK achieved this through proprietary improvements to liquid phase epitaxial technology for single crystal growth. ...

Tokyo-based chemical manufacturer Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has announced to split off and transfer its GaN LED epitaxial wafer and chip production business to its subsidiary TS Opto Co Ltd (which was founded at the end of September at SDK’s plant in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture),at its latest board meeting. SDK’s GaN LED business had net sales of JPY5322m in 2011. While existing sales activities will not be transferred to TS Opto, SDK itself will stop selling GaN LEDs as of the 1 December date for the business’ transfer ...

Recently, Toshiba International Corporation released two newly enhanced LED luminaires for use in roadway and industrial applications. Toshiba has taken a unique approach to its luminaire product design to optimize the LED’s longevity and reliability, which translates to greater energy efficiency and lower maintenance costs than conventional luminaires. The Toshiba TGT LED Luminaire for roadways includes innovative construction, on-board lighting controls and a unique electrical design. The end result is a luminaire for roadway applications that offers an LED...

Rohm Co Ltd has showcased a planer LED lighting panel featuring LED packages with a high color rendering index as high as 98 at CEATEC JAPAN 2012 held from Oct 2 to 6, 2012. High color rendering index According to the firm, the panel was made by arranging LED packages on a plane surface and covering them with a light diffusion plate. It emits light from the entire surface of the panel like an OLED lighting panel. By using its fluorescent material technologies, Rohm realized a general color rendering index (Ra) as high as 98 and prevented the sulfurati...

As one of the largest LED lighting manufacturers and exporters, Spark just made its another achievement on the installation of LED street light SPL-96 in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on 22nd Sept., 2012. This project is for a parking area of the retailer cooperative chain with around 410 chain-stores all over Japan. The end consumer is quite satisfied with performance of our street light after this demo project’s installation. The details are as the below picture in which the selective model is SPL-96, light pole is 6m height, boom angle is 15°，the tested avera...

A new trade fair “DESIGN LIGHTING TOKYO 2013 – 1st TOKYO DESIGN LIGHTING EXPO & CONFERENCE” will be launched in January 2013, in response to the great demands from the industry.

MyLED Opto Technology Sdn Bhd (MyLED Opto), a subsidiary of Ho Wah Genting Bhd, sealed contracts with two Japanese-owned companies, Kirutorisu Tech Sdn Bhd and ATOTIS Co., Ltd. to supply light emitting diode (LED) lighting to vending machines in Japan.   These contracts will enable MyLED Opto, Malaysia’s LED and solid state lighting (SSL) manufacturer, to penetrate into the Japanese vending machine market.   According to the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers Association (JVMA, May 2012), Japan has over five mil...

Sumitomo Chemical has taken part in Holst Centre's shared research program on Printed Organic Lighting and Signage, to develop multi-layer solution processes for high-efficiency OLEDs.   OLEDs are revolutionary large-area light sources that could cut lighting-related energy use by 50-90% and enable unique lighting applications. They are manufactured by depositing numerous thin layers of materials onto glass substrates or flexible plastic foils. Today's highest-efficiency OLEDs are made using evaporative processes in vacuum conditions. Switching to atmosp...

Taiwan’s LED industry has benefited from simmering anti-Japan sentiment in China, due to nationalization of the Diaoyutai islet. Formosa Epitaxy Incorporation (FOREPI) and Epistar to see booming revenues in September, because many LED-related orders diverted from Japan to Taiwan. According to insiders, rising sales of color TVs in China drive demand for LED-backlit chips; while anti-Japan there has moved many Chinese LED TV factories and system providers to transfer chip orders from Nichia to Taiwan’s Epistar, FOREPI, Unity Opto ...

Lately, Nissha Printing Co Ltd has developed a lighting apparatus using dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and started to sell it. It is the first time that a DSSC developed and manufactured in Japan has been commercialized. The lighting apparatus, "Akarie," stores electricity generated with the DSSCs during daylight hours in a rechargeable battery. And the electricity is used to power an LED lamp during nighttime hours. The Akarie is made by using DSSCs on the top of a case that measures 200 x 200 x 85mm and weighs 3.7kg and placing a rechargea...

On Sept. 12 , Toshiba Group has donated and installed LED lighting and a photovoltaic power system to illuminate the Golden Hall at Chuson-ji, a Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iwate Prefecture. The lighting will be switched on at a ceremony at the temple on Sept. 22. Lighting engineers from Toshiba Group companies designed and developed non-intrusive fixtures and lighting for the hall. Chuson-ji in Tohoku, and it is the most famous of five sites making up the Hiraizumi World Heritage Site, a complex of temples and gardens. The temple...

Lately, Sharp has announced four kinds of the "LED Dining Light" LED lighting apparatus, designed for dining rooms. The new lamp has a design like a plate floating in the air. There are two type of the lamp, the rectangular "Round Square" type and the circular "Circle" type. The Round Square type comes in two models: one is for four-seat tables, and the other is for six-seat tables. And the Circle type is available as a model on which leaves are seen when it is on in addition to a normal model. As in the case of the LED b...

Green House Co Ltd is to release an LED lantern"GH-LED10WBW," that generates electricity with water and salt in mid-September 2012.   The lantern emits light when water and salt are put in the lantern, so it  does not require a dry cell or rechargeable battery. It can continuously generate electricity for eight hours per charge of water. To use the LED lantern, 350ml of saline water containing 16g of salt is made by using a dedicated water bag. When the saline water is put in the lantern, it functions as an electrolyte with a magnesium (Mg) ro...

Japanese consumer electronics brand AKAI has leased its latest assortment of alluringly priced LED and LCD televisions. There will be two LED TV models and one LCD TV model. The assortment will comprise the first Indian 29” ultra slim LED television with just 9 mm narrow bezel (model LED29E12). AKAI India is aiming for a 50% growth in the coming quarter with its varied assortment of LEDs, high-definition LCDs, and CRT televisions. Mr.PranayDhabhai, Managing Director of AKAI India, during the introduction of the latest assortm...