"Each year, we actively showcase our latest achievements and engage in in-depth exchanges with industry partners. The Optical Expo has witnessed the growth journey of UVLEDTEK," said Zhuo Changzheng of UVLEDTEK in an interview with Changjiang Daily ahead of the opening of the 20th China Optics Valley International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE).
As the only enterprise in the UV LED sector in China and abroad with full industrial-chain capabilities covering epitaxial growth, chip design, packaging, module integration, and equipment systems, UVLEDTEK will once again debut its flagship products at the Optical Expo.
Founded by Professor Chen Changqing of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, together with a team of PhDs, postdoctoral researchers, and senior engineers, the company has achieved a mass-production wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of over 8% for its core UV LED chips, reaching a leading international level.
From supporting battery manufacturing at CATL, to enabling water disinfection systems in Quanzhou Water Affairs, to sterilization applications in Midea air conditioners and purification systems in AITO new energy vehicles, UVLEDTEK is driving technological breakthroughs through years of focused innovation, reshaping China's UV industry from a follower to a global leader.
Pioneering a Full Industrial Chain in China
Inside the exhibition hall of UVLEDTEK, a deep ultraviolet LED chip-no larger than a fingernail-draws significant attention. This "China-made chip," the first to surpass an electro-optical conversion efficiency of 8%, represents the outcome of a decade-long technological breakthrough.
In 2015, when Professor Chen Changqing led the founding team from Huazhong University of Science and Technology to establish UVLEDTEK, the efficiency of domestic deep UV LED chips was below 3%, forcing Chinese companies to rely on expensive imports.
Since its establishment and incubation at the Wuhan Optoelectronic Industrial Technology Research Institute, UVLEDTEK has been deeply focused on UV LED sterilization and curing applications, continuously investing in innovation and R&D to drive sustained technological advancement.
"Through continuous upgrades in chip technology, our deep ultraviolet UVC chips have achieved a wall-plug efficiency (WPE) of around 8%, with an L70 lifetime reaching 15,000 hours, maintaining a leading advantage of over 20% compared with domestic peers," said Zhuo Changzheng.
After completing a full industrial chain layout in China in 2020, UVLEDTEK entered a phase of rapid growth. The company not only helped address urgent material shortages for frontline medical staff at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, but also entered the supply chains of leading brands such as Midea, Haier, and Gree in 2023.
In addition, its independently developed first domestic high-flow UV LED water disinfection system has been deployed in the Quanzhou water utility system. After ten months of intensive operation, it has demonstrated a stable sterilization rate of over 99.999%, filling a critical gap in China's capabilities in this field.
Technological breakthroughs continue to accelerate. "In the future, improving WPE will be a key driver of industrial upgrading," said Zhuo Changzheng. He revealed that UVLEDTEK plans to increase chip efficiency to 15% within three years, fully breaking through the technical bottleneck for mercury lamp replacement in industrial applications.
This "lab–production line–market" rapid transformation capability has enabled UVLEDTEK to leap from technological breakthroughs to industrial leadership. The company has successively obtained multiple qualifications and recognitions, including National Specialized and Sophisticated "Little Giant" Enterprise status, National High-Tech Enterprise certification, and designation as a Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center.
Successfully Expanding into the Southeast Asian Market through CIOE
Since its first participation in 2019, UVLEDTEK has attended the Optical Expo for four consecutive sessions. At the upcoming exhibition, the company will showcase its new-generation high-performance UVC LED chips and self-developed UV LED system-level modules.
The UVC LED chip adopts an innovative structural design, improving luminous efficiency by 20% compared with the previous generation, effectively reducing energy consumption. It is widely applicable in sterilization, disinfection, and photomedicine fields.
The UV LED system-level module features a highly integrated design. Through the integration of the driving circuit and LED beads, it reduces overall system size and cost while improving stability and reliability, providing more efficient solutions for industrial manufacturing, scientific research, and laboratory applications.
"Compared with other exhibitions, the Optical Expo is more specialized and offers more comprehensive coverage of sub-sectors in optoelectronics," said Zhuo Changzheng. He noted that the event fully leverages regional industrial cluster advantages, providing efficient opportunities for industry–university–research collaboration, and accelerating both technological innovation and commercialization. At the same time, its wide influence attracts professionals from both domestic and international markets, creating a high-quality platform for companies to expand globally. "This is something other exhibitions cannot easily match," he added.
At previous editions of the Optical Expo, UVLEDTEK connected with a large medical device manufacturer from Southeast Asia, which became a key driver of the company's business expansion. Recalling the experience, Zhuo noted that the partner showed strong interest in the application potential of UVB LED chips in photomedicine. After multiple rounds of communication and negotiations, both parties reached a long-term cooperation agreement.
The partner subsequently applied UVB LED chips in new phototherapy devices, and leveraging its established distribution network in Southeast Asia, UVLEDTEK successfully entered the regional photomedicine market. This not only generated substantial orders and increased market share, but also prompted the company to further optimize chip performance and quality control systems tailored to medical applications, accelerating its R&D and market expansion in the photomedicine segment.
Optics Valley Innovation Model Enhances Industrial Chain Resilience
"In Optics Valley, innovation is never a solo effort," said Zhuo, interpreting the region's innovation DNA. In his view, the core competitiveness of the Optical Expo lies in its deep integration with the unique ecosystem of Optics Valley of China. The region is home to top research institutions such as Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, and has built a complete industrial chain spanning materials, equipment, and end-use applications, enabling strong "chemical reactions" between enterprises that foster innovation networks.
This synergy is particularly evident in the cooperation between UVLEDTEK and Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company. Compared with traditional mercury lamp curing, UV LED technology offers faster startup, lower energy consumption, and mercury-free environmental advantages, enabling more precise curing control.
The two companies jointly developed and implemented UV LED curing technology in fiber drawing coating and coloring processes at YOFC. Data shows that, compared with existing solutions, energy consumption in UV curing processes was reduced by over 70%, while fiber drawing speed increased by 20%. The resulting energy savings, improved efficiency, and longer service life significantly reduced production costs.
This "chip enterprise + application leader" collaborative innovation model is creating a chain reaction in Optics Valley. When UV chips from UVLEDTEK are integrated into YOFC's production lines, it not only solves individual production challenges and enables autonomous control of key processes, but also enhances downstream competitiveness while driving innovation across upstream materials and midstream equipment suppliers, ultimately establishing new industry standards. As Zhuo summarized: "This kind of collaborative innovation significantly strengthens industrial chain resilience."
In his view, the Optical Expo is not only an exhibition, but also a "calling card" of Optics Valley of China to the world. It functions like a "resource hub" -where capital identifies high-potential hard-tech projects, talent finds a landing ground for industrial application, and enterprises spark cross-sector innovation through interaction.
"For example, in the new project we are currently advancing, we plan to connect with the global market through the Optical Expo in the future, achieving coordinated optimization between 'chip luminous efficiency' and 'equipment operational precision', "said Zhuo Changzheng.
He noted that UVLEDTEK spent its first five years overcoming UV LED degradation challenges, eventually catching the wave of global demand for disinfection applications. In its second five-year phase, the company rose into the global first tier of UV LED technology. Along the way, it endured countless experimental failures, but consistently believed that by anchoring itself in real industrial needs and making its technology "irreplaceable," it would eventually reach a breakout phase.
"Today, our UV chips are not only used in home appliance sterilization, but have also entered high-end fields such as bio-detection and air purification," he said. In his view, this reflects a simple truth: only by enduring the solitude of the laboratory can one see the future of industry.
He also expressed hope that more young enterprises will focus on "bottleneck" technologies and find their position within the Optics Valley ecosystem. "The next hidden champion may be born in the labs and production lines we work in every day," he said. "When every enterprise becomes a strong node in the industrial chain, and every innovation is aligned with real global demand, the journey from 'Optics Valley of China' to 'World Optics Valley' will be written by countless decade-long stories of persistence."
Source: Changjiang Daily
Reporter: Zhu JiaqI
Correspondents: Song Zhihui, Dou Shasha
Editor: Ji Jie
