The global ultraviolet (UV) market value in 2014 is estimated to reach US$815 million, of which the UV LED market will have about a 15% market share equivalent to US$122 million in market value, according to LEDinside.
"UV LED single unit prices are usually ten times higher than average LEDs, which is why many LED vendors have entered the market, even though it remains a relatively niche sector," said Joanne Wu, an assistant research manager at LEDinside. Major players in the UV LED sector include Japan-based vendors Nichia and Dowa, Korea-based Seoul Semiconductor and LG Innotek, as well as Taiwan-based Epistar, Epileds, and HPLighting. Other vendors based in Europe and the US include HexaTech and Crystal IS. All the vendors listed above have been strong performers in the UV LED market.
There are two types of UV light sources traditional mercury lamps and UV LEDs. "Compared to traditional mercury lamps, UV LEDs are mercury free, and have the advantages of being environmental friendly, possess long lifetimes, are energy efficient, and have minimum heat loss," said Wu. UV LED markets hold great potential, due to technology advancements, the firm said.
UV LED product specs can be categorized into three different wavelengths UV-A (long UV wavelength of 320-400nm)), UV-B (mid-UV wavelengths of 280-320nm) and UV-C (short UV wavelengths below 280nm). Out of these UV-A holds the greatest and highest market share at 90%. Currently, UV-A market's largest application sector has been UV curing, which takes up more than 50% of the market, which covers ink curing, resin curing, and the emerging 3D printing sector. Additionally, UV-A has been introduced in commercial lighting to make white clothing appear brighter. Globally, PCB UV exposure systems still use conventional mercury lights. However, under energy efficiency and technology advancement considerations, UV LEDs are gradually entering the replacement market, and hold huge future potential, the firm added.
