As high-power LED lighting for commercial purposes is significantly on the rise, demand for COB (chip on board) packaging of high-power LED chips used in lighting will grow fast in 2013, according to Taiwan-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Lextar Electronics.
At times when orders for LED backlight units (BLUs) for LCD TVs are low, some LED packaging houses have switched PLCC (plastic leaded chip carrier) packaging for low- to medium-power LED chips to use in LED light bulbs and tubes to maintain capacity utilization rates, according to industry sources. This has brought competitive pressure on COB packaging for high-power LED lighting and caused drops in the price of LED bulbs because PLCC offers lower costs, the sources indicated.
However, Lextar said it has changed heat-dissipation materials to reduce COB packaging costs to about 20% higher than PLCC costs and will actively promote COB packaging for high-power LED lighting in 2013.
Taiwan-based LED packaging house Edison Opto has high-power LED products accounting for 50-60% of revenues and low- to medium-power LED products for 25-30% currently and expects shipments in 2013 to increase 10-20% and over 20% on year, respectively, the company said. Viewing that capacity utilization of low- to medium-power LED products has risen to 90%, Edison noted it plans to expand PLCC capacity in 2013.
