MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- March 1, 2004. From modest beginnings in the mid-1990s, the non-Japan region of Asia, including Taiwan, South Korea and China, has become the world's largest volume producer of high-brightness LEDs (HB LEDs). Using advanced device manufacturing techniques based on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), 23 companies in the region produced the equivalent of 13.4 billion red-orange-yellow (InGaAlP-based) LED chips and 3.4 billion blue and green (GaN-based) LED chips in 2003, representing 80% and 40% of the world totals, respectively. The total regional revenue for merchant epitaxial wafers and chips amounted to $403 million in 2003.

            Taiwan has long been the leader for HB LED production in the region, but South Korea has also become a significant producer in recent years, and in 2003 mainland China began ramping up its production capacity and sales. Driven by growing demand for blue LEDs for backlighting mobile phone keypads, the production of GaN-based blue LEDs chips was the dominant growth factor in the region in 2003. Al though the vast majority of chips produced to date have been of low-to-medium performance levels, technology and performance are steadily improving, and several Asian producers are beginning to target the higher-performance HB LED markets now served by top-tier suppliers such as Nichia, Cree, Toyoda Gosei, Osram and Lumileds.

            Strategies Unlimited's recently released 270-page report, Asian Producers of High-Brightness LEDs (Taiwan, South Korea, China), provides a detailed accounting of HB LED activity in Asia. The report was prepared in conjunction with industry veteran Dr. Robert Walker, who has more than 10 years experience with the HB LED industry in Asia, serving as a suppl ier, investor and consultant. The report includes in-depth information on epitaxial wafer and chip production capacities, production and shipment levels, revenues, markets, pricing, vendor market shares, product and technology trends, and history for each of the 23 companies, and this information is aggregated for each country and for the region. 

            Asian Producers of High-Brightness LEDs (Taiwan, South Korea, China) is available for immedi ate delivery from Strategies Unlimited for $3,750. The report can be ordered by contacting Tim Carli, Sales Manager, at +1 650 941-3438 ext. 23, or by e-mail at tcarli@strategies-u.com. More information on the report is available on Strategies Unlimited's web site, www.strategies-u.com.

            Founded in 1979, Strategies Unlimited specializes in market research and strategic consulting directed at the optoelectronic, optical networking, and RF/wireless semiconductor industries, and photovoltaic components and systems. The company, based in Mountain View, California, is a research unit of PennWell Corporation.

            PennWell Corporation, founded in 1910, is a highly diversified media and information company providing authoritative publications, conferences and exhibitions, databases, i nformation products and Internet-based services to strategic markets worldwide. The company publishes over 45 periodicals including Laser Focus World, Lightwave, and Solid State Technology. Its headquarters are in Nashua, NH, and Tulsa, OK, with remote offices and partners located around the globe