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OIDA Predicts Industry Growth at Annual Forum
At the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) Annual Forum, Dr. Michael Lebby, Executive Director, reported that overall growth for the industry was excellent – including LED applications. “Many markets are showing vibrant growth,” he said. “We are moving into a $1 trillion industry.”
The Forum featured a panel discussion among leading venture capitalists that reviewed new and novel investment areas in optoelectronics. These areas ranged from medical eye surgery, next generation fiber optical transceivers, advanced liquid crystal displays and thin film technology, high efficiency silicon solar cells, standardized laser diode fabrication, and high efficiency thermal LED packaging.
Forum attendees also reviewed OIDA’s Opto Communications Roadmap, which outlines the opportunities and challenges for this industry over the next 10 years.
Lebby reported that optoelectronic component sales overall grew in 2004 with communications components showing a 10 percent annual increase. As an example, Lebby referenced pluggable modules, a component that has demonstrated appreciable growth over the past several years. Other areas of growth mentioned included:
• Optical storage, which has grown 81% since 2001
• Optical sensors, which OIDA sees surpassing $1 billion by 2008
• LEDs, which are being incorporated into a wide range of applications.
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