15 February 2017

Seoul Semiconductor begins mass production of filament LEDs

South Korean LED maker Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) has announced the immediate start of mass production of its LED chip-on-board package for use in LED filament bulbs.

"Based on its strong patents, Seoul Semiconductor will continue to increase its market share in the filament LED bulb market, which is a blue-ocean market estimated at $1.3bn," says chief technology officer Ki-bum Nam.

Seoul Semiconductor says that its filament LEDs can realize high-quality light close to natural light through differentiated chip-on-board (COB) packaging technology and can produce light using omnidirectional emission technology, combining a small footprint with a wide beam angle. The color rendering index (CRI) is 80 or better, and different LEDs with a flux between 105 lumens and 210 lumens are available. All feature a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 2700K, and can be used for spaces such as cafes and hotels or bedrooms and living rooms, making them an alternative to incandescent light bulbs that have been phased out in 2014.

Development of the technology began in the early 2000s, before there was a market for filament LEDs, but production was held until the market was ready for them. Seoul Semiconductor says that it now holds hundreds of patents for filament LEDs, spanning chip manufacturing, COB packaging, module and bulb manufacturing processes (all core technologies for manufacturing filament LED products) and that the portfolio provides strong IP protection for customers using Seoul Semiconductor's filament LEDs, the firm adds. "We are readying legal actions, as many of the LED bulbs released in the market have infringed our proprietary technologies," states a company official

The global light bulb market is estimated at 7 billion units annually, of which 2.5 billion are light bulbs for various decoration purposes (a market being addressed by the filament LEDs). Their application in this market has begun and they can not only be applied to globe bulbs in their various forms but also to candle lamps in special shapes. These diverse applications are supported by two different lengths of the LEDs: 38mm and 50mm.

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Tags: Seoul Semiconductor LEDs

Visit: www.SeoulSemicon.com