Nichia’s Comprehensive UV LED Product Portfolio, Aiming to Replace UV Lamp
Nichia, a leading optoelectronic semiconductor manufacturer, has been dedicated to the innovation of advanced technologies for a wide range of applications in the LED and laser diodes industries. The company consistently maintains a global presence with a network established by its key representatives and partners worldwide. TrendForce had the honor of interviewing Mr. Hideki Hayashi (林 秀樹), the Manager at Nichia, to learn more about the company’s technological advancements in the UV LED sector as well as its market prospective and outlook.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UV-C LED market had a significant surge in demand. After the pandemic influence slowed down, however, the market has been troubled by defective products and vicious price wars, causing UV LED players and the entire market to struggle. Nevertheless, Nichia holds that the UV-C LED still has good market potential thanks to its long lifetime and simplicity for optical design compared to UV lamps. Once the UV-C LED reaches the ideal efficiency (WPE ≥10%), there is a chance for it to replace UV lamps, especially for water sterilization market. Therefore, Nichia has constantly been developing UV-C LED products. For example, the 280nm 110mW UV-C LED boasts a 5.4% WPE and a lifetime of >10,000 hours (L70) at junction temperature of 90℃.
Since UV lamp has wide-band range from UV-A to UV-C wavelength, Nichia successfully release 308nm UV-B LED in the market now. UV-B LED’s potential markets include phototherapy (Psoriasis, Dyshidrosis, Vitiligo, Atopic Dermatitis, Eczema, etc.), horticultural lighting, and curing. Currently, 308nm 90mW UV-B LED (5.1% WPE) has been debuted in the market.
Nichia indicated that UV-A LED market demand from applications including curing, inkjet printing, and air purification remains stable in 2024. In order to complete UV LED product portfolio to match UV lamp’s wide-band wavelength advantage, Nichia also showcased the 330nm 100mW UV-A LED (5.7% WPE) in the market. Meanwhile, the company emphasized on 365nm UV-A LED quality to raise market attention.
Nichia is known internationally for the outstanding product quality and lifetime, and comprehensive product portfolio platform. Therefore, Nichia indicated that the company will consistently leverage their research resources and advanced technologies to continue showcasing new products in the market to satisfy the needs worldwide.
