While mini LED chips has begun seeing adoption for high-end LCD monitor and TV backlighting, the technology is not expected to be widely used over the next 3-4 years, according to industry sources.

LED chip maker Opto Tech expects significant on-year sales growth in fourth-quarter 2019 - a traditionally off-season period - due to strong demand for Si-based sensor chips used in smart watches and wrist bands, and increased orders for LED displays.

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics has obtained orders for LED devices used in automotive 3D taillights from US, South Korean and Chinese automakers, with shipments having already begung in third-quarter 2019, according to industry sources.

LED packaging service provider Unity Opto Technology has disclosed it in the third quarter of 2019 received orders from North America for LED lighting for use in Home Depot, Walmart and other large retail chain stores, with shipments to begin in November 2019.

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics' September consolidated revenues reached NT$1.730 billion (US$55.7 million), decreasing 2.47% sequentially and 15.36% on year. LED wafer and chip maker Epistar's consolidated sales for September reached NT$1.345 billion, shrinking 6.06% sequentially...

Since an 8K LCD TV panel has four times more pixels than a 4K one of the same size, the number of LED chips used in backlighting the former needs to be 50% more than the latter, according to Fan Chin-yung, president for LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar.

LED probing and testing equipment maker FiTech is optimistic about demand for mini LED probing, testing and sorting equipment from China- and Taiwan-based makers and expects shipments in 2020 to hike a few times on year, according to the company.

LED packaging service provider Bright Led Electronics aims to increase the proportion of consolidated revenues for customized product lines from 60% at present to 70% eventually, according to company chairman Liao Tsung-jen at an October 3 investor conference.

US-based semiconductor assembly equipment supplier Kulicke & Soffa (K&S) is optimistic that 5G and AI applications will drive demand for advanced IC packaging equipment.

With Apple reportedly looking to incorporate mini LED display technology into its iPad and MacBook product lines between second-half 2020 and first-half 2021, Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect stand a good chance of entering the supporting supply...

LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar's clients are developing mini LED-backlit gaming LCD monitors, notebooks, tablets and smartphones, which is expected to boost demand for mini LED backlighting starting second-half 2020, according to company president Fan Chin-yung.

Cayman Islands-registered Mikro Mesa Technology has developed a process that mass transfers several million micro LED chips of 3 microns in diameter from epitxial wafers onto a backplane of nearly four inches via pressure-free bonding at low temperatures, according to company founder and chairman Chen...

China-based makers invested CNY22.65 billion (US$3.19 billion) in seven LED R&D and production projects in first-half 2019, nearly CNY20 billion of which was related to micro LED, according to China Solid State Lighting Alliance (CSA).

Japan-based Nichia is developing micro LED automotive matrix headlights with Infineon Technologies designing the driver ICs, according to industry sources.

LED packaging service provider Unity Opto Technology has received long-term orders from US-based LED lamp vendors who are changing suppliers to avoid a hike in US customs duty rate on imports from China from 10% originally to 25% arising from US-China trade disputesthe US, according to the company.

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics has disclosed it has become a partner for ISELED Alliance, an open alliance formed in 2016 to boost development of smart RGB LED lighting technology and solutions for automotive interior lighting.

Strong demand for mini LED in 2020 is expected offer related equipment suppliers, driver IC vendors, panel makers and materials distributors lucrative business opportunities.

A micro LED R&D team established in 2018 by Foxconn Electronics at its production base in Shenzhen, southern China, has been disbanded, according to industry sources.

Taoyuan will replace all its streetlamps with smart LED ones during September 2019 and June 2020, according to the government of the northern Taiwanese city.

PlayNitride is mulling increasing paid-in capital for setting up micro LED production capacity, according to company chairman and CEO Charles Li.

RGB mini LED fine-pitch displays with high resolution and contrast can form 100- to 200-inch seamless mosaic displays, form factors that LCD panels cannot achieve, according to Lextar Electronics chairman and CEO David Su.

LED automotive lighting module makers Laster Tech and Excellence Optoelectronics have reported consolidated revenues of NT$373.8 million (US$11.9 million) and NT$374.5 million respectively for August, the former increasing 17.24% sequentially and 4.19% on year and the latter growing 21.78% sequentially...

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics has reported August consolidated revenues of NT$1.773 billion (US$56.5 million), increasing 7.09% sequentially but decreasing 19.90% on year, while vertically-integrated LED firm Lextar Electronics' NT$815.7 million for the month grew 5.74% sequentially...

China-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Sanan Optoelectronics saw second-quarter 2019 net profit decrease 75.1% on year to CNY197 million (US$28.9 million) due to oversupply and price drops, according to industry sources.

While PCBs are used as backplanes for mini LED fine-pitch displays and mini LED backlighting currently, glass is expected to gradually replace PCBs as backplanes for mini LED backlighting beginning 2020 along with diminishing size of mini LED chips, according to industry sources.