LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics is expanding production capacity for invisible-light LED devices, with the photo coupler segment to be completed by the end of 2021, and it will further expand production capacity by 50% in 2022, according to company chairman Robert Yeh.

Besides applications for consumer electronics and home appliances, Everlight has developed photo couplers for smart power meters, battery management and power charging piles for electric vehicles (EV), Yeh said. Everlight hiked quotes for photo couplers by about 10% in third-quarter 2021 and may increase them again if material cost further rises, Yeh noted.

Everlight produces car-use LED devices including backlighting of in-car displays, automotive indoor lights, headlights and taillights. Due to shortages of automotive semiconductor components, the revenue proportion for the product line has decreased to 5-6%, Yeh indicated.

Everlight has begun production of COB (chip on board) and POB (package on board) miniLED backlight units (BLU). COB miniLED backlighting enables thinness for devices but is costly, while POB miniLED backlighting is competitive in production cost but has difficulty reaching ideal thinness, Yeh explained. Along with improvements in local dimming technology, POB miniLED is expected to be widely used in LCD TVs and monitors, Yeh added.

According to industry sources, Everlight has become a main supplier of miniLED BLUs for China-based TV vendor TCL. Due to strong demand for invisible-light LED devices and miniLED BLUs, Everlight's 2022 consolidated revenues are expected grow at least 10% year-on-year, the sources noted.

By DIGITIMES