Reports indicate that the pandemic has increased demand for disinfection applications, leading to tight supply of high-end UV-C LED chips.

On February 20, foreign media reported that industry insiders stated that the supply of high-end UV-C LED chips is tight due to the increasing demand for disinfection applications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has lasted for more than a year, and it is still unknown how long it will continue in the future. In addition to hygiene measures such as wearing masks, disinfection, and maintaining social distancing, light of appropriate wavelengths can also make a significant contribution to fighting viruses within a certain spatial range. It is reported that UV-C light can eliminate up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria.

It is reported that before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, UV-C LEDs were far less used in disinfection applications than mercury vapor lamps due to high costs and low power conversion efficiency. However, the outbreak stimulated global demand for UV-C LED disinfection applications, a demand expected to continue through 2022.

Sources say that international suppliers such as OSRAM Opto Semiconductors and Nichia may be reluctant to sell UV-C LED chips separately, preferring instead to sell packaged UV-C LED devices to increase gross profit margins.

Previously, insiders revealed that in the first half of 2020, the revenue from UV-C LED chips/equipment for many LED manufacturers increased by more than 300% year-on-year (YoY), with some manufacturers seeing increases as high as 700%-800%.