The company claims that this puts QLEDs near the fundamental efficiency limit of the technology which the company says is 20 percent for quantum dots.These results are two times higher efficiency than previously reported state-of-the-art efficiency of a QLED device. QD Vision says its current and luminous power efficiency are better than the best evaporated OLED result of the same color coordinate, and significantly better than what solution-processed OLEDs have thus far achieved.

In comparison, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently reported 11 percent external quantum efficiency for a blue organic light emitting diode (OLED) at 800 cd/m2. However Phosphor-based OLEDs are apparently not included in the company's comparison statement.

“This paper clearly demonstrates the fundamental efficiency advantage that QLEDs have over any other emissive display technology. Achieving this milestone is a great breakthrough and the result of years of hard work and dedication to achieving what others may have thought impossible,” said QD Vision co-founder Seth Coe-Sullivan.

While at an earlier stage of development and commercialization than QD Vision’s Color IQTM products, QD Vision says that its QLED performance is already suitable for use in certain products that require precision color solutions in an ultra-slim form factor, including monochrome visible and infrared displays, and lighting devices for machine and night vision applications.

Peoples Daily cited 21cbh.cn, which said that Sanan Optoelectronics received government subsidies totaling 328 million yuan ($53.3 million) in 2012, 805 million yuan in 2011 and 2.53 million yuan in 2010. These subsidy amounts reportedly accounted for 40.5 percent, 85 percent and 60.4 percent of its net profits respectively during these years.

According to People's Daily, Elec-Tech would likely have suffered losses in 2010 and 2012 if it weren't for subsidies.

One result of the reduced subsidies is that the pace of LED price drops is expected to slow down. Taiwan-based LED chip makers noted that prices for LEDs have fallen about 35 percent in the last two years, according to Digitimes.

Sanan, a leader in China's LED industry, has reportedly chosen to be less aggressive in its price cuts, likely because of the reduced subsidies.

Digitimes noted that with prices stabilizing, TV backlighting demand returning and the lighting market growing, Taiwan-based firms are likely to see strong performance in the second and third quarter of 2013.

The researchers note that green-emitting nitride semiconductor LED structures tend to suffer from low light output due to the difficulty in producing the high-indium-content indium gallium nitride (InGaN) needed for longer-wavelength light emission. In addition to the material quality challenge, strain induced by the lattice mismatch with pure GaN leads to large piezoelectric effects, giving electric fields that tend to pull electrons and holes apart, reducing rates of recombination into photons (i.e. the quantum-confined Stark effect, or QCSE), thus reducing quantum efficiency.

The Chinese team inserted a layer of lower-indium-content InGaN before the high-In-content light-emitting layer. Simulations suggested that such a layer could reduce the strain-dependent electric fields in the active light-emitting multiple quantum well (MQW) structure.

MOCVD on C-plane sapphire was used to produce epitaxial material with a low-In-content InGaN shallow quantum well (SQW) step. A 325nm helium-cadmium laser was used to excite the photoluminescence spectra of the materials at low temperature (85K) and room temperature (298K). One effect of the SQW was to reduce the width of the spectral peak full-width at half maximum (FWHM) at 85K from 16.7nm for the conventional LED material to 13.1nm for the SQW material. The 298K measurement reduced the conventional FWHM of 20.1nm to 15.7nm. The peak intensity was also higher with the SQW structure, therefore the SQW material had improved crystal quality.

The peak height for the SQW material at 298K was 55.1% that at 85K. The corresponding ratio for the conventional structure was 24.1%. The higher ratio for the SQW material indicates a higher rate of radiative recombination and higher internal quantum efficiency (IQE).

The electroluminescence was measured in an integrating sphere, giving light output power–current–voltage (L–I–V) results. The voltage performance is similar in the SQW and conventional devices. However, the light output at 150mA is 28.9% greater in the SQW LED (49.3mW) over the conventional device (38.4mW).

The researchers point out that improved overlap of the electron and hole wavefunctions in the device leads to improved recombination into photons. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) increased from 10.2–13.3% over the conventional LED performance.

From a design standpoint, the Klauf light bar allows users to near seamlessly chain multiple fixtures, end-to-end, and with only one power cord. No bulky and unsightly transformers are required, as the LED driver electronics are all contained in the small fixture's housing. The light emitted is fluid, not pixelated like most other linear fixtures, eliminating multiple shadows on work surfaces. And since the fixture is cool to the touch and small enough to hold in your hand, the light bar's design also allows for portability. It's available in 6 and 12-inch segments, can be used as a standalone fixture, or connected to a series of other light bars. At only $55 for the 12-inch unit, it's more than 70% less expensive than linear fixtures from other quality manufacturers – fixtures using nearly the same or even less forward-thinking technology.

Klauf has decided to launch its light bar on Kickstarter.com, a crowdfunding source. "With this new and innovative fixture, we wanted to put it in the hands of the real consumer, people who might not have been able to afford newer LED technologies," stated Susan Hendrix of Klauf. "The Kickstarter community is made from people who are excited to back projects by companies which strive to produce better, more efficient, and affordable products."

The Klauf light bar's Kickstarter campaign will run for only 30 days, starting Thursday, April 25, 2013. Kickstarter members are able to get their own Klauf light bar at a 40% discounted price, or more. For more about Klauf and the innovative light bar, visit http://Klauf.com and click the Kickstarter link at the top of the page, or access the campaign directly here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/klauf/klauf-light-bar-bright-dimmable-phosphor-led.

The company’s MS-1002 and MS-1003 Moldable Silicones reportedly retain superb clarity and mechanical performance over the course of a lamp or luminaire’s lifetime. Dow Corning notes that conventional LED materials, such as epoxies, polycarbonates and acrylics can yellow and physically degrade after prolonged exposure to temperatures of 150°C and high lumen density. According to the company, long term clarity and durability of its MS-1002 and MS-1003 moldable silicons is becoming increasingly attractive as LED sources are increasingly expected to deliver more intense white light from comparatively smaller package sizes, and as customers seek smaller designs with higher luminous flux, which will also drive up temperatures at the device level.

Candidates for the prestigious awards are judged by an independent panel of renowned lighting professionals, and recognize the most notable products and designs introduced in the 12 months preceding the event, now in its 24th year.

“Winning these two awards is a true honor, and further highlights Dow Corning’s expanding role in the LED lighting sector as a reliable innovation partner and full-service global provider of optical-grade silicone solutions,” said Eric Peeters, vice president, Dow Corning Electronic Solutions. “We deeply appreciate LFI’s recognition of our high-clarity moldable silicones, which deliver breakthrough mechanical, thermal and optical stability as the increasing heat and lumen density of new LED designs challenge traditional organic optical materials.”

Intermolecular notes that in the highly competitive LED market, new technologies created by R&D are needed to both improve light output and to reduce costs. Intermolecular contends that using the HPC Platform, will help Epistar accelerate the pace of R&D ten times or more compared to what can be achieved in a conventional LED lab.

"After a rigorous review of Intermolecular's capabilities through an initial collaboration engagement, we have seen how their combinatorial approach to materials innovation and device integration can augment Epistar's leadership in LED technology," said M. J. Jou, president of Epistar. "Collaboration with our industry partners has been critical to our world-leading R&D and manufacturing strategy. We are confident that leveraging Intermolecular's team and technology platform will further increase our competitive advantage."

Sandeep Nijhawan, senior vice president and general manager of Intermolecular's clean energy group commented, "Entering into a strategic engagement with a top-tier LED company like Epistar validates the applicability and disruptive potential of the HPC technology platform for LEDs, a market that continues to have tremendous room for growth and technology innovation."

The new business opportunity expands the collaboration for next generation LED chips and packages, or platforms, based on the jointly developed GaN-on-Silicon technology, and secures Bridgelux a source of supply for GaN-on-Silicon-based LED chips.

“Our agreement with Toshiba marks a tremendous milestone in our long history of working closely together, allowing Bridgelux to capitalize on our strong core LED technology platform, providing us with significant new capital for growth, and reducing our capital requirements,” said Brad Bullington, Chief Executive Officer of Bridgelux. “This agreement also allows us to focus on what we do best, and what we think the market needs most at this point in time: commercializing, productizing and bringing to market LED-based solid state lighting technologies alongside a proven global scale semiconductor manufacturing partner. We are one step closer to becoming the world’s leading solid state lighting technology architecture company.”

“We are so excited with this deal that gaining GaN-on-Silicon technology and related assets will contribute to drastically strengthening our LED business, and bring us a high performance and competitive product line-up. We fully expect our new Livermore team to play a leading role within Toshiba in the development and rapid market penetration of GaN-on-Silicon LED chips.” said Makoto Hideshima, Executive Vice President of Semiconductor and Storage Products Company, Corporate Vice President of Toshiba. “Entering a new phase of our relationship with Bridgelux, we will be able to accelerate the scaled manufacturing of 8” GaN-on-Silicon LED wafers, which will position both companies for strong growth in our respective LED businesses. The GaN-on-Silicon technology that we acquire will also bring us a breakthrough for Power Devices development and production. ”