Facing a turning point, reshape LED fluorescent powder industry

Nearly two years LED the market there have been some important changes, LED lighting application obtained great development, China's LED industry also began to rise. In terms of LED phosphors, nitride phosphors is still high CRI (color rendering index) lighting and wide color gamut displays the application of red phosphors. In spite of all patent restrictions, but the phosphor suppliers are rather profitable.

But now in the market, there were a kind of new material, which developed by GE (GE) company quadrivalence mn doped fluoride, potassium silicate, and Denka (nec) chemicals, Nichia (Japan) and chemical), GE and other companies have achieved the mass production of the material. This new material benefit from its extremely narrow spectral band, or challenge nitride phosphors, the dominant position in display applications.

Quantum dots technology due to its design flexibility (emission wavelength tunable) and very narrow emission spectrum, emerging in the market, be very reliable alternative scheme for display applications. YAG phosphors (yttrium aluminum garnet) is still the best yellow phosphor white LED application. But its use is limited by Nichia strong patent protection. Silicate phosphor powder is the best substitute of YAG phosphors, but at present still slightly inferior in performance. Since 2017, as the YAG phosphors key patents began to expire them one by one, and its price is significantly below the replacement products, is expected to dominate the phosphor YAG phosphor 2020 years ago in market, and silicates phosphors unless in terms of performance and cost can obtain breakthrough, or its share of the market would be significantly reduced.

Phosphor patent is an important force in the LED industry, about 50 companies involved in more than 70 phosphor patent litigation, has been a major influence on the whole LED industry. The whole LED industry has already been prepared for the basic patent invalidation. This will help new incoming LED packaging companies such as China to expand its overseas market.

At the same time, Everlight (light) has been trying to most basic patents invalid Nichia, OSRAM (OSRAM) and Nichia continued through the patent litigation to strengthen its patent, BOSE alliance (around 2000, Toyoda Gosei with Austria Tridonic Jennersdorf company, Germany Leuchtstoffwerk Breitungen company, LitecGbR jointly establish Barium Ortho - Silicate Europium alliance) by its Silicate phosphor patent license to many Chinese LED packaging companies, expanding its licensing program.

LED phosphors and quantum dot global patent applications in the field of application

As of September 2015, the global public release of phosphors with applications of leds and quantum dot authorized invention patent for more than 7510 pieces. Among them, the first by a Japanese company to apply for patent (mitsubishi, panasonic, and Toshiba, Japan's national institute of materials, etc.). During 2003 ~ 2007 in Nichia developed after the first high brightness gan blue LED, in the field of application for a patent number began to rise sharply. The second wave of application for a patent for an orgasm began in 2010, an application for a patent for mainly from AOT (Taiwan rong), samsung, and Stanley Electric Stanley Electric (Japan), and apply for patent mainly focused on the composition of phosphor, the technology trend is the same, but the development is slow. China LED phosphors enterprises such as Sunfor Light (sne) in sichuan province was recently for quantum dots LED phosphors and patent stage.

In general, an application for a patent for a peak appeared in 2013, starting in 2013 an application for a patent for growth began to slow. Meanwhile, as a large number of pending patent, after review by the global authorized patents should present growth trend.

These new materials phosphors such as quadrivalence mn activation phosphors or quantum dot fluorescent powder is still far from reach its technology maturity, and their commercial application has just begun, such as the application in the field of displays.

OSRAM related patent litigation and licensing

Key suppliers

LED application in the field of quantum dot key technology patents

LED application fields of fluorescent powder and quantum dots related patent applicant involves more than 200, including: Nichia and CREE (CREE), Osram, Philips (Philips), Toyoda Gosei (Toyota synthesis), Samsung (Samsung, LG, and Seoul Semiconductor (Seoul Semiconductor), etc.

Many important supplier for its basic patent expiring market challenges. In order to avoid new incoming person to participate in the competition, the leading LED manufacturers will be more dependent on more recent applied for patents, including those belonging to the same family of patent based the continuation of the patent application.

Panasonic with its LED patent application of wavelength converters in topped the list of the applicant for a patent, the phosphor composition related patent patent digital reference listed seventh. Although panasonic, not the LED industry leader, but it LED research and development activities are very active, including for the development of new fluorescent powder composition. But the LED phosphors related patent portfolio is not limited to related inventions. Panasonic has a wide range of patent portfolio to relatively free operation in LED industry.

Similar to panasonic, Toshiba, showed stronger patents in the field of the layout, although it in LED industry revenue relatively flat. For Toshiba recently about how to exit the white LED market decision will affect the whole LED lighting market strategy, we will wait and see.

LED application field of nitrides/nitrogen oxide phosphor patent analysis of the main applicant

Patent technology and intellectual property rights strategy

LED application in the field of phosphor and quantum dots patent classification by type

Existing application LED phosphors and quantum dots patent including: LED phosphors or quantum dots techniques applied patent, patent phosphor composition, quantum dots technology patents and LED a patent can be remote configuration. Special offers on phosphor composition (especially nitrogen and new components), quantum dots, no cadmium related patent analysis of quantum dots and Chinese suppliers.

Of Nichia and Osram is a patent leader in the field of garnet fluorescent powder. Both companies in 1996 applied for about YAG phosphors, the TAG and a variety of other garnet basic patents. After the two companies was philips and mitsubishi. Other suppliers are in a leading position in the field of silicate/are silicates phosphors. But, in the material classification, about phosphor composition of most patent portfolio belong to BOSE alliance. In the field of nitrides/nitrogen oxide phosphor, Japanese manufacturers is dominant. Other big companies about nitride phosphors have related patent applications, however, is mainly about the application of nitride phosphors, LED, most patent no development of a nitride phosphor itself.

China's most active companies/institutions of phosphor composition research focuses on nitrogen, but also involved the study of new ingredients, such as europium activated tungsten molybdenum and vanadium acid salt, chlorine boric acid, acid salt and antimonate.