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TOSIA Gives Taiwan LED Sector Shot in the Arm
2007/10/23
In late March this year, Taiwan`s 14 light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturers finally organized the island`s first trade organization for such group-Taiwan Optoelectronics Semiconductor Industry Association (TOSIA).
 | | Dignitaries starting up the "TOSIA" logo at opening ceremony are: (from left to right) David Chang, Chan Yi-jen, W.H. Chan, K.C. Teng, Para Light Chairman J.P. Ma, Academia Sinica Academician Dr. G.H. Lin, and Liu Yung-sheng. (photo courtesy ITRI) |
The association highlights the goal of helping foster the development of the island`s LED lighting and LED display industries by developing efficient high-power LED devices. For the island`s lighting manufacturers, the TOSIA is tantamount to a shot in the arm for their LED-lighting projects.
The 14 manufacturers are Epistar Corp., Unity Opto Technology Co., Ltd., Opto Tech Corp., Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd., Tyntek Corp., Para Light Electronics Co., Ltd.,
Ledtech Electronics Corp., Ligitek Electronics Co., Ltd., Arima Optoelectronics Corp., Lingsen Precision Industries, Ltd., Lite-On Tech. Corp., Bright LED Electronics Corp., Formosa Epitaxy Inc. and Kingbright Elec. Co., Ltd.
The industrial segments they represent cover epiwafer manufacturing, chip manufacturing and chip packaging. Although no traditional lighting manufacturers are included, the Taiwan Lighting Fixture Export Association was invited to act as a co-initiator and sent its then vice chairman, David Chang, to attend the opening ceremony. Thus, the newly founded association is expected to become another important platform where LED and lighting manufacturers can co-develop LEDs for lighting applications, when earlier only the Semiconductor Lighting Industry Association (SLIA) acted in such capacity.
The outgoing lighting association chairman and former SLIA vice chairman, Sam Chen, holds very high expectation towards the newly founded organization. He says Taiwan`s optoelectronics industry will definitely develop close ties with the lighting industry and the two industries will not compete but only cooperate. "LED-device makers have many customers from the lighting industry. So, they will not steal business from customers," Chen explains.
Chen notes that of the lighting association`s some 500 members, over 100 are LED-related manufactures and his company, Home Resource Ind. Co., Ltd., is among them. The LED membership has risen over 30 folds since he took office three years ago. "The major reason behind the number increase was the association`s efforts to promote lighting applications of LED to increase product value. Also, LED manufacturers have been optimistic about the applications," Chen analyzes.
Chen hopes TOSIA will invite lighting manufacturers to take part in their activities and offer lighting manufacturers the latest information on LED lighting as has been SLIA. Chen showed considerable gratitude towards SLIA when speaking of its contribution to Taiwan`s LED lighting development. He notes that SLIA has been regularly holding LED-technology and new-product presentations to keep manufacturers fully updated to the latest developments of LED technology and its lighting applications. "If there was no such cross-industry association like SLIA, lighting manufacturers would have to call on LED manufacturers individually, who may be cool in reception regardless of your enthusiasm," he says.
Chen estimates lighting manufacturers account for around 20% of the 50-some SLIA members while LED manufacturers represent 70%. "Thanks to SLIA, lighting members can acquire most of the LED devices they need for lighting products out of LED members," Chen stresses.
Overcoming Thermal Problems in LEDs
Chen said that single-chip LEDs with power specification ranging from 0.064 watt to one watt are currently the major diodes built into Taiwanese lighting products. He hopes LED members will fix thermal problem in 5-watt diodes and commercialize the diodes as soon as possible to help lighting members develop more power-conservative LED-lighting products.
"Taiwan has the world`s strongest LED-application capability because we have quality lighting-fixture manufacturing and strong lighting design. Besides, Taiwan has set up the world`s No.1 LED manufacturing capacity," Chen said.
Liu Yung-sheng, Director of Institute of Photonics Technologies of the National Tsing Hua University, is the engineer behind the establishment of TOSIA. He stressed that Taiwan`s optoelectronics-semiconductor manufacturers need a trade organization to represent them since the Taiwan industry has revenue of NT$29.7-39.6 billion (US$900 million-1.2 billion at US$1:NT$33), representing 15-20% of the global industry.
Liu notes the association evolved out of an optoelectronics-semiconductor executive committee set up around 20 years ago. "The committee was established to deal with serious undercutting problem among LED packagers, the backbone of Taiwan`s LED industry at that time," he says. The committee had made Optoelectronics & Systems Laboratories of the government-backed Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the forerunner of the Electronics & Optoelectronics Research Laboratories (EOL), its secretariat and contact office. Liu was then the director general of the lab.
"Although the committee had only some 10 members, they contributed 7-80% of Taiwan`s LED revenue," Liu recalls. "After 20 years of development, the Taiwan industry today has over 50 manufacturers. So, committee members thought the organization should be open to new blood, so in March this year officially reorganized it into an association," Liu explains.
Liu stresses the association will develop application products more diversified so that its specializations can encompass not only lighting devices but also backlighting modules, automotive lamp modules and outdoor billboard modules.
Liu analyzes that with the establishment of the association he will actively promote the joint effort between Taiwan and mainland China to develop industrial standards for various LED applications, including LED lighting in order to create a huge market for Taiwan`s LED industry.
Chan Yi-jen, deputy director general of EOL, stresses that his organization will help the association with LED-lighting technology, industrial standards and international cooperation with its rich resources and experiences. EOL is an association member. "Furthermore, we will work with association members to develop the technologies set in the `Houyi Plan` and help them win government subsidies on potential technology-development projects," Chan stresses.
Houyi Plan to Build Hi-power LEDs
The government-financed four-year "Houyi" plan begins this year and aims to develop high-power white-light LED lamps that give off 100-120 lumens per watt while keeping the cost below US$5 per 1,000 lumens. The core technology is based on ultraviolet chips that use red, green, and blue phosphor powders. Leaving the patent issue aside, white light beamed from UV chips delivers much better color rendition quality than does the light emitted from blue chips.
The eponymous name of the "Houyi Plan" takes after a mythical hero who shot down nine of the 10 suns that were scorching China in ancient times. Chan believes that LEDs will eventually replace most existing light sources, just like Houyi brought down those nine suns.
TOSIA`s first chairman is Lite-On Technology`s chief executive officer (CEO), K.C. Teng. He states that the association will foster close cooperation between the island`s semiconductor and optoelectronics industries and push the establishment of industrial standards for the LED industry. Also, the association will assist government in enacting regulations for the industry. He says he hopes by integrating resources from all quarters the association will help Taiwan turn itself into a world LED pivotal.
W.H. Chan, a senior advisor to the Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), said the opening ceremony that the ministry will go on helping the island`s LED manufacturers integrate government resources to develop high-power diodes so that the island`s LED-lighting and LED-display application industries can break through existing bottlenecks.
(by Ken Liu)
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