普瑞David Connors：LED市场将发生戏剧性变化
近期，普瑞光电宣布将进一步扩展中国市场，加大对中国的投资，启动了厦门研发中心和上海应用研究实验室，并与国内封装龙头瑞丰光电达成战略合作。普瑞光电在华动作频频，他们未来将有什么样的发展策略以及对LED产业发展有什么看法?新世纪LED网记者采访了普瑞光电副总裁David Connors先生。
着力打造高性价比产品
普瑞光电一系列的动作，目标直指中国市场。David Connors先生也表示，中国的LED市场正以三倍于欧美市场的速度发展。对此，普瑞光电针对中国市场一举推出了多款产品。
据David Connors先生介绍，普瑞光电的V 系列集成封装(COB)光源，主要专注于性价比的提升。而V15产品主打高光效及长寿命，具有非常高的色彩还原性，用于取代HID灯具产品。他还表示，普瑞光电近期为市场推出另外一个令人兴奋的产品：SMT 3535，这款产品填补了高价产品与低价产品之间的鸿沟，为客户提供了非常有竞争力的成本优势，同时又拥有很好的可靠性。
David Connors先生向新世纪LED网记者透露，普瑞将推出基于COB的AC LED以及氮化镓基硅衬底芯片，这些全新的技术将为客户降低更多的成本。
此前一直传普瑞将一部分硅衬底LED技术和相关设备卖给东芝，自身不再研究硅衬底的说法，目前真实情况如何?
对此，David Connors先生回应到：“普瑞光电的硅基氮化镓芯片产品目前已经开始应用于手电筒产品，而今年的第三季将应用于智能手机的闪光灯，第四季就会运用于普通照明中了。同时，硅基氮化镓芯片也已成功应用到SMT产品中，这是一个非常大的创新，将为LED行业带来更大的变化。
并且，下一代硅基氮化镓芯片将是CSP(芯片级封装)。现在大多数芯片都是蓝光芯片，需要在上面添加荧光粉，并放在基板上，而CSP则可以省去基板或荧光粉这两个环节，所以可以将成本做得更低。另外，我们还可以将CSP直接放到PCB板上，不需要打金线，从而可以再次降低成本。”
关于质量与价格的关系，David Connors先生表示，普瑞拥有非常高的质量信誉，其中Vero产品在全球首次提供10年质保。在拓展全球市场时，首先攻坚技术，并针对每个区域去优化产品，然后降低成本。目前普瑞在中国有非常大的业务，所以会针对中国市场推出一系列高性价比的产品，提高中国市场的接受度。
无线控制与COB一体化
智能照明是未来的一大主流趋势，这几乎已经成为不争的事实。而智能照明将为LED行业带来哪些机遇和挑战，对此，David Connors先生发表了看法。
他表示，智能照明为LED行业带来非常有趣的增长空间，但同时非常具有挑战性。如何才能让无线控制模块工作?如何管理增加了无线控制模块的光源空间?又如何将特定大小的无线模块放到灯具中?这些都是必须要很好地解决的问题。
为与传统照明系统灯具架构相容，智能照明的LED驱动器与封装技术变革早已启动。由于智能照明系统电路板设计空间极为有限，因此LED驱动器与封装企业加速研发整合驱动电路和LED光源光电一体化的方案、以及DOB和COB等新式封装技术。关于普瑞的做法，David Connors先生讲道，把无线控制模块放到一个COB的设计中，就像集成电源一样，这样做的好处是：
1.可以更好地整合相关器件;
2. 从功能上看，可以增加更多的功能，例如可以测量光源的温度，可以了解到灯具温度是否过热，或者整个系统是否发热过多，这将直接影响产品的寿命。甚至还可以做能源标记，计算出消耗了多少能量;同时，它可以使调光控制变得更容易。
易于集成，成本较低，并且实现各种功能，这些都可以在COB上很好地实现。
LED渗透率将发生戏剧性变化
谈及中国市场，David Connors先生指出，中国是一个非常大而且重要的市场，为了更好地贴近中国消费者。据了解，除联手中国大陆封装企业瑞丰光电推出“普瑞丰”品牌，普瑞还将继续针对中国市场推出新LED封装产品线;在厦门建立研发中心，开展多项以美国开发的COB平台技术为基础，适合中国市场的本土化工程实验和产品研发;并在上海建立应用研究实验室，致力于为客户提供包括光学检验、机械试验、热学测试，以及证书认证和技术咨询在内的多元化服务。
关于未来LED产业的发展机会，David Connors先生表示，LED逐渐向全球照明市场渗透，LED在照明方面非常有优势，所以未来还有很大的成长空间。而LED在特殊照明领域的应用也会越来越广，还有很多新的应用领域待开发。
同时，由于越来越多的建筑拔地而起，相应地会带来LED照明的广泛应用，而农业照明、装饰照明会逐渐规模化，渗透率会逐渐升高。
另一方面，目前LED在全球的渗透率是10%左右，未来3~5年，这个数据将会发生戏剧性变化，解决方案会成为一个巨大的驱动力。
【以下为采访实录】：
Reporter：Could you share with us about the latest product and technology development in Bridgelux?
David：our next generation is V series, V series are product line that focus on cost performance special for China market. The big part now we made for the show would be V15 product, the V15 is a products focus on 35W replacement, especially for Euro market. it really focus on the color quality and the color innovation on the platform, so it have very high CRI with Class A technology.
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Also, we’d expand to other technologies SMT, with 3535 technology, and we have nice preparation there, we can provide die packages in a very favorable cost for our customers, so that is another exciting products we put in the market.
Move it to the technology we are talking about that would come out this year, the first is the AC LED on COB, second is the GaN on Si chip technology, which basically lower cost chips than on the market today, it is new formulation of chip. And it will going to SMT and COB products in the future.
Reporter：How are these new products different from others on the market?
David：SMT is a kind of product to fill the gap between very high cost products from Cree , Philips and other western brands etc., and the very low cost products made from local suppliers, so it is a lower cost more affordable products for customers, but also with higher reliability for sure.
Reporter：Could you say something about the GaN-On-Silicon products?And what is the Bridgelux’s next plan for it?
David：We start to commercialize the technology in the torch light space, also we are looking for camera flash space for Q3 this year, it will moving into general illumination for Q4 this year, so that chips available for SMT products, and very big innovation there, really happens more in the chip manufacturing, more than what the customers see.
So next generation chips GaN on silicon would be CSP(chip scale package), today most chips are blue chips, need to put down the phosphor on the substrate, CSP doesn’t need substrate or phosphor, so it takes two cost step off in the manufacturing, and again takes the cost much lower. It can also direct attach CSP so that not need for a wire bond we put it onto the PCB. So that will reduce the cost again.
Reporter：As we know, higher quality and lower price is becoming more and more important for the end user market, as a LED chip and package provider, How do Bridgelux deal with it?
David：Yeah, I agree. As a high quality provider, we initially build reputation on quality. Actually we have very big business in China, and the progression of the business have been taken, we get the cost down, we make the product acceptable for China market, so we can not play the market globally it were never to take up the technology, optimize for every regions, and then cost down, rather than, may be, developing for the first time to be low cost that make sense.
Reporter：There is one opinion that the increasing LED lighting demand is likely to boost the price of LED chip, do you agree with that? And what is your opinion?
David：Absolutely it is not happening for us. A bit part of ability to cost down, we buy more material, and we can get a cheaper price, so as the market grows, will learn the negotiate with suppliers, they give a better terms, and so the products gets cheaper. The price is will going down because of the Scale production.
Reporter：How do you think that connected lighting is leading opportunities to LED businesses? what is the plan of Bridgelux in connected lighting?
David：Well, this is really an interesting growing up opportunity for the space, I think it is very challenge, some people think it just take any chip radio to put into a light and it goes work.
I think, it is a lot new on a lot of complexity has been figure out, how do you make the radio work with a demo, can be go changed and get through a circle with control, how do you manage the space you adding to light source to a fixture, how exactly fits into a expected size of the fixture, it is all kinds of problems you get to manage had say.
So only though that complexity is really comply to a technology provider, to make a solution that turn it for customers, because lighting in the end without finishing never can not happen if don’t understand, this technology is pretty far a move from the specialties. So for us, anything can work to solve out in our company many people are come from IT space, or computer technology, it is a problem to solved easier than other companies.
I think our approach should a little bit different from others in the industry, at least to the technologies, we want to put it direct onto the COB package, as a thrust to the driver onto another box, we can benefit there:
1. easier integration and easier solved the problem by putting directly onto the COB.
2. from a functional point, it increase functionality you give for having that technology on COB, you can measure the temperature of the light source for instance. They helps you figure out whether it running too hot, it is creating too much heat, exactly impact the useful life of the products, it can also do energy marker and write the right source to figure out how much energy that is consuming, it makes dimming easier, so it is easier to go through a dimming control.
COB is for an easy integration, and cost on point, and the features in functionality, it can delivery on a COB.
Reporter：How do you think about China market? Could you share with us the future plan of BRIDGELUX in China? What is purpose for BRIDGELUX to set the R &D Center in Xiamen and Shanghai?
David：China is a big market and it grows three times the rate of the rest of the world. Our business in another part of the world like Europe, is very large and very profitable, but its grow rate may be 5% a year, 10% a year, In China the market growing may be 30%, it is growing so quickly, and we would see more and more.
In US, Europe company sourcing their designer from China for ODM, or manufactures here, Now we will offer to the Chinese company, manufacturing the products in many cases，they will done the design work as well, so, if we found that somebody is big brand in restaurant market, you actually have the relationship with the manufacture you design in China, so it is really important set off the relationship you have to have, we will expand a line of our products road map, and are developing a model to make sure they work position to take an advantage of those customers.
Reporter：In you opinion, where would be the chances for LED development in the next decade? And how do Bridgelux prepare for it?
David：I think, the market even though is growing very fast, and has a long way to go, and turns global penetration , many new applications that start to appear may be have a sparkle before. And I think the application like down lights, may be low cost LED bulbs, street light, have been very popular and a lot of fixtures we make and install, I think very under penetrating global light, and LED it seem really take an advantage this market, so as LED technology thrust for market, it is going to create a lot of growth, I think.
The secondary, we look at would be increase functionality for small lighting, I think it will really open up many new market, I think penetration there still global 10% of the total sockets in the world, I think that number is going up very dramatically in next 3~5 years, solution does to be a big driver to growth.
Over all, you can see more new build pick up in next three years, outside the china, there has been much building going on, there much residential lamps, as the rebuild start to pick up, the new market is going to take off, so more down lights, more track lights, more fixtures that agricultural lighting, decorating lighting, are going to be scale and more and more penetration in the market can be happened, so the three parts I am looking at.
