According to relevant data, the global semiconductor laser pointer market will exceed 7.69 billion U.S. dollars by 2020, with a compound growth rate of 7.1% from 2014 to 2020. Semiconductor lasers have been widely used in many fields, including sensors, optical storage devices, health care, industrial machinery manufacturing, communications, lithography, and national defense. Among them, communication applications accounted for 32.2% of semiconductor laser sales, becoming the largest application field. Semiconductor lasers are used in many aspects of communications, including wireless, optical fiber, underwater, satellite and free space communications.
In terms of types, the semiconductor laser market can be divided into vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, optical lasers, high-power diode lasers, compact disc lasers, green lasers, ultraviolet lasers and blue lasers. Among them, fiber laser accounted for more than 44.4% of the entire semiconductor laser market in 2013. Fiber lasers can transmit different signals in a single fiber, and for this reason are gradually replacing light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
Green and blue lasers for printing applications are gradually replacing red lasers. High-power diode lasers have become the fastest growing field, and are expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 8.6% between 2014 and 2020. Semiconductor lasers have been widely used in fiber laser pumping to improve brightness and power to reduce processing costs. The growth of high-power diode green laser pointer mainly stems from defense, material processing, consumer electronics, and solid-state laser pumping. Green and blue lasers continue to grow and replace red lasers in optical storage, printing applications and consumer electronics manufacturing.
The Asia-Pacific region has become the world’s largest and fastest-growing region. In 2013, sales of semiconductor lasers in the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 37.5% of total sales. The main reason is that Asia-Pacific countries such as Australia, South Korea, India and China have further expanded the communications market. As economic conditions improved, North America and Europe continued to maintain steady growth.