By Qi Hui

Semiconductor illumination is considered a high efficient illumination industry with the most prospecting future, which has been recognized by all countries, and is called another revolution following incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps, represents the future development of the global illumination industry. On October 12, six departments including National Reform and Development Commission jointly issued Opinions on Development of Semiconductor Illumination Energy-saving Industry, the launch of the Opinion indicates that China's green illumination industry has welcomed an unprecedented development opportunity under the great support of the government and the wide market space.

Semiconductor illumination is also called solid-state lighting, which takes solid luminous organs, including LED and OLED, as light source. It is featured with rapid-developed technology, wide application field, strong industrial driving and powerful energy-saving potential.

Hu Zhaoguang, Vice President of Energy Research Institute, State Grid, pointed out that there were three advantages in semiconductor illumination. Firstly, energy saving. Under the condition of having same illumination brightness, a LED lamp saves 40 percent to 50 percent of electric power in average than an ordinary lamp, additionally, the expense on late-stage repair and maintenance is rather low, and nearly no expense on maintenance will generate within 3 to 5 years after installation; secondly, environmental protection. Such lamps do not contain harmful substance like mercury or lead and harmful gas, which are contained in the ordinary energy-saving lamps widely-sold in the market; thirdly, long service life. The average service life can reach 50,000 to 100,000 hours, which are 3 to 5 times the life of the ordinary lamps.

Just due to these characteristics, semiconductor illumination is considered a high efficient illumination industry with the most prospecting future, which has been recognized by all countries, and is called another revolution following incandescent lamps and fluorescent lamps, represents the future development of the global illumination industry. It is not only an important breakthrough point to respond international financial crisis and keep a stable and rapid economic development, but also an important approach to promoting new technical revolution, cultivating newly emerging industries, advancing energy saving and emission reduction and responding global climate change. In the long run, global illumination industry is transforming, many countries put forwards the plan of eliminating incandescent lamps and promoting energy saving lamps, and taking semiconductor illumination energy saving industry as a new economic growth point in the future.

In recent years, semiconductor illumination industry has developed rapidly with the annual global output growth rate keeping at above 20 percent. China has also forms a complete industrial chain initially, and has accumulated a certain advantage in terms of integration application in the downstream. In 2008, the total production value of China's semiconductor illumination industry was nearly RMB70 billion yuan, among which the production values of chips, encapsulation and application products were RMB1.9 billion yuan, RMB18.5 billion yuan and 45 billion yuan respectively.

China has also attached great importance to the functions of semiconductor illumination. As early as the end of 2008, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Finance have launched a demonstration project named"tens of thousands of lamps in ten cities", planning to generalize and use more than 300,000 LED lamps for civicism lighting in 10 to 20 cities by 2010. The Opinion has further nailed down the key development fields in China's semiconductor illumination energy saving industry. Firstly, technology and equipments. Support the research and development of such key equipments and materials as MOCVD equipment, new underlay and highly pure MO source(metal organic source); implement the basic development and research of GaN material, OLED material and devices; support the basic theoretic research on the application of semiconductor illumination, including photometry, colourometry, metrology and so on; tackle the common key technologies of the industrialization of semiconductor illumination, including such technologies as high-power chip and devices, drive circuits and standardized modules, system integration and application.

Secondly, illumination products. Develop and promote the finalized semiconductor illumination products that can substitute incandescent lamps and tungsten halogen lamp and are of obvious effect on energy saving and high performance/price ratio; Develop and promote the functional finalized semiconductor illumination products with high performance and long illumination time that are seasoned with such locations as parking lots, tunnels and roads; develop such semiconductor illumination products with huge growth potential like backlight for mid-and-large-sized liquid crystal displays and auto-used lighting; develop the semiconductor illumination products used for special purpose in medical treatment, agriculture industry and so on.

Thirdly, service systems. Consummate world-class testing platforms for semiconductor illumination products; support the establishment of platforms of public information service, interdiscipline design innovation and talent cultivation; encourage the implementation of such services as energy saving diagnosis, consultation appraisal, production promotion, propaganda and training; promote the new mechanism of energy saving service on contract energy management and demand management, etc.

It's very promising to develop green illumination industry, but there are some problems to be tackled urgently for the development of China's semiconductor illumination, for example, the patent and core technologies are insufficient, the industrial overall level is relatively lower and blind investment in low level emerges. In order to help these tasks to be finished timely and smoothly, this Opinion brings forward policy measures in seven aspects. Firstly, overall planning. Promote a sound and orderly development of the industry. Secondly, continue reinforcing the support on innovating semiconductor illumination technologies. Thirdly, elevate the development level of semiconductor illumination stably. Fourthly, actively promote the standard constitution, product testing and energy saving accreditation of semiconductor illumination. Fifthly, actively implement the encouragement policies on promoting the development of semiconductor illumination energy saving industry. Sixthly, widely implement propaganda education and talent cultivation on semiconductor illumination energy saving. Seventhly, reinforce regional and international communication and cooperation.

Hu Zhaoguang expressed that through the further execution of these measures, China would vigorously implement green illumination project, a batch of backbone enterprises owning independent property rights, well-known brands and strong market competitive strength would shape up, key technical breakthrough and key industrial span would be realized, China's semiconductor illumination energy saving industry would be cultivated and revitalized, energy saving and emission reduction would be impelled, and stable and rapid economic development would be promoted.