Market Overview

Global laser lighting market size for 2022 is forecasted to reach 10,840,000 units by volume, and 589,710 million yen by value (based on the shipment volume and value at manufacturers).

Semiconductor laser modules are used for vehicle head lights, projectors, home lighting fixtures, light fixtures for commercial facilities (including outdoor lights like streetlights), head mount displays, and other miscellaneous devices (applications) such as laser pointers and laser levels.

In view of share by application, projectors and miscellaneous devices like laser pointers (including laser distance measurers) occupy a large portion of the market. Although the pandemic hampered the growth of projector sales, manufacturers continue to develop new products that have inherent properties of semiconductor lasers, such as high luminance and low maintenance cost.

Straightness of the semiconductor lasers is utilized in laser pointers and laser levels. Meanwhile, other attributes like long distance irradiation and high-power irradiation have not been used effectively for commercial/municipal (outdoor) lightings. This is partly because, generally speaking, affordable light sources have been chosen for commercial/municipal (outdoor) lightings like floodlights and streetlights, which are simply used over time and replaced when they go out.

It should also be noted that the semiconductor laser device manufacturing industry comprises of a large number of makers. This owes to the fact that semiconductor laser circuit elements are mostly prefabricated into modules, which simplifies the production process at the makers.

Noteworthy Topics

From Illumination to Connectivity: Optical Wireless Communication

Li-Fi, a short for Light Fidelity, is the optical wireless communication technology proposed by Harald Haas, a Professor at the University of Edinburgh. Li-Fi is a light-based Wi-Fi, which uses light instead of radio waves to transmit information. As the method is not bound by the Radio Act, it can provide high-speed wide‐bandwidth data transmission for free. Furthermore, it is highly secure since data transmission are done within the irradiation range of visible light, which can be intercepted immediately by blocking the light.

Li-Fi communication is possible through a dedicated transmitter and receiver. Nonetheless, devices with built-in receiver module (such as computer tablets) have become available in recent years. Moreover, Li-Fi communication is also possible by attaching a unit with Li-Fi chip (such as phone case) on a smartphone or other devices.

The world's first Li-Fi installed tablet computer was exhibited at CES2022 in the US and were sold in some regions accordingly. While LED is the most basic light source, release of a new type of Li-Fi tablets using directionality of semiconductor lasers has been witnessed as well.

In Japan, Li-Fi is seen as a complementary technology for communication using radio waves, and it is planned to be adopted in some niche situations. As seen in the proof-of-concept projects led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT), Li-Fi is expected to serve as one of the communication methods for automated driving. However, at present, it is only technical feasibility that has been confirmed, and discussions on legislation governing the use of Li-Fi has barely started. Thus, it is assumed to take more than five years to achieve the automated driving on roads using Li-Fi.

Moreover, Li-Fi can be applied in smart homes and smart offices to enhance convenience of one-to-one or one-to-many communication. It is expected to be deployed at medical facilities, offices, educational facilities, etc., where the use of radio waves are restricted. Furthermore, considering ‘beyond 5G’, optical wireless communication may be used as a part of communication facilities like base stations, in the situation where the speed and volume of radio wave connectivity is not sufficient for the requirements of data transmission.

Future Outlook

Going forward, combined with IoT and AI technology, home lighting fixture using semiconductor laser is expected to penetrate as smart lighting, an energy-saver that enables efficient control over lights. If optical wireless communication like Li-Fi becomes widely available for homes, the demand for lighting fixtures with semiconductor laser module will expand increasingly as an alternative to, or as an addition to, LED lights.

The global laser lighting market is expected to grow quickly both in volume and in value due to growing popularity of home lighting fixtures using semiconductor lasers. Although the growth may level off subsequently, further adoption of semiconductor lasers is anticipated in other applications. The global laser lighting market is forecasted to reach 24,136,700 units by volume, and 875,500 million yen by value, by 2030.

Research Outline