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ARCHIVE OF SELECTED HEADLINE NEWS (2003) (These links are not maintained) |
| (These links are not maintained) The December issue of Compound Semiconductor magazine featured Solid-State Lighting. (Table of Contents
here.) · Backlights, airports and vehicles boost LED market: A report from the Intertech LEDs conference; includes information on developments at Osram and Cree. · HB-LEDs: the market drive towards solid-state lighting: An analysis of the solid-state lighting market by Bob Steele of Strategies Unlimited. The market for HB-LEDs in illumination is forecast to grow at 44% per year, to reach $520 million in 2007, according to the company's estimates. · Any color, as long as it's white: The article describesToyoda Gosei's recent technological progress. · Mirror adhesion technique boosts LED chip brightness: Epistar has developed a new technique for producing HB LED chips. |
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December 28, 2003 |
CompoundSemi News reports that Nichia has introduced a new 365nm, 100mW line called the "i-LED" with a peak wavelength that makes it the most powerful in the market, according to Nichia. [ Article, product description. ] |
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December 22, 2003 |
The global LED market will grow from $3.2 billion to $5.6 billion over the next five years, according to a report by Communications Industry Researchers. General illumination will be the "hot growth application" reaching $844 million in sales by 2008, according to the company's estimate. [ Item at Compoundsemiconductor.net, press release ] |
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December 15, 2003 |
OptiLED won a new product award for its recently introduced LED linear light at the Entertainment Technology Show - LDI 2003. OptiLED's newest light, which received an honorable mention for debuting product/promising prototype of the year, was selected from over 300 exhibitors that were displaying the newest innovations in lighting, sound design and production for the entertainment industry. [ Business Wire item ] |
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December 8, 2003 |
Showa Denko (Japan) introduced red and orange AlInGaP LEDs that are three times as bright as its existing products. The newly developed LEDs, which feature a flip chip structure, have levels of brightness comparable to existing products on the market, according to the company. [ Press release, Item at Compoundsemiconductor.net ] |
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December 3, 2003 |
George Craford of Lumileds presented a talk on the current status and future challenges of LED lighting at the fall meeting of the Materials Research Society (MRS), held in Boston. [ Item in MRS Meeting Notes ] |
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December 2, 2003 |
Steven Ringel and colleagues at Ohio State University presented work at the MRS fall meeting claiming to have overcome a major barrier in the manufacture of high quality light emitting devices. They have created silicon substrates topped with III-V materials, such as gallium and arsenide, that are virtually defect free using molecular beam epitaxy. [ Press release ] |
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December 2, 2003 |
Kyma Technologies has received the "Early Stage Company of the Year" award from the North Carolina Electronics and Information Technologies Association ( NCEITA ). NCEITA President Joan Myers expressed enthusiasm about Kyma's work in the industry, stating that the company's "aggressive approach to developing new applications in the microelectronic and optoelectronic markets is impressive." [ Press release ] |
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December 1, 2003 |
The Inquirer (UK), referencing statements originating in an article in Nikkei Business Daily reports that Rohm (Japan) has succeeded in creating a white LED that is the brightest in the world, and competes with Japanese company Nichia. Rohm uses zinc oxide to avoid patent problems with Nichia and has successfully made a super-bright white LED using this compound. [ Article in the The Inquirer ] |
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December 1, 2003 |
ilight Technologies has won the "Product of the Year Award" for its Plexineon ® LED neon in the Lighting/Architecture category at the LDI show, the largest U.S. conference and trade show for the entertainment industry. [ Item at eedesign.com ] |
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December 1, 2003 |
Lumileds has received an Innovation Award in the semiconductor catergory from The Wall Street Journal Europe for its new warm white Luxeon LED. The aard reflects Lumileds' "achievement in providing an interior - friendly alternative to the cooler blue tones of conventional white LEDs and thereby enabling lighting designers to take advatage of the longevity and energy savings of LEDs in general lighting products."[ Press release ] |
| (These links are not maintained) A summary of the Solid-State Lighting Workshop, held Nov 13-14, has been posted on DOE's Building Technologies website. This workshop represented the first annual meeting of DOE's newly established effort to accelerate advances in SSL technology. Goals for this effort are discussed. DOE plans to issue at least three competitive solicitations in the near-term, including 1) a SSL Partnership composed of manufacturers and allies that are individually or collaboratively capable of manufacturing and marketing SSL products; 2) Core Technology Research conducted at universities, national laboratories, and other research institutions, and 3) SSL product development, demonstrations, and market conditioning activities from interested companies or teams of companies. More information on these solicitations will be posted as it becomes available. [ Workshop Highlights ] |
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November 25, 2003 |
LEDtronics has introduced a complete line of 3200K warm incandescent-white LEDs and LED lamps in a variety of LED configurations, sizes, dispersion angles, packages and standard electrical bases. [ Item at Compoundsemiconductor.net ] |
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November 25, 2003 |
ATMI says that it has reduced the uniform dislocation density in its GaN substrates. Its new free-standing GaN substrates have a uniform dislocation density of 106 cm-2 , in contrast to other GaN wafer products that have a low dislocation density only in select regions, which restricts device size and placement. [ Article at Compoundsemiconductor.net , press release ] |
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November 25, 2003 |
Cree has settled the lawsuit with Eric and Jocelyn Hunter. The agreement does not involve any payments to the Hunters. [ Press release ] |
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November 24, 2003 |
China National Electronics Imp & Exp Shaanxi Co. (CEIEC) has released its CEIECSXD6-004 super-bright LEDs and surface-mountable SMD LEDs in blue, purple, and white. The LEDs feature luminous intensity of 10mcd to 7cd at 20mA, with an operating voltage rated at 3.2V to 4V at 20mA, and current of <10µA at 5V. [ Item in EE Times Asia ] |
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November 23, 2003 |
CompoundSemi News featured a profile of recent activities of Osram Opto, including noting that the company has posted a technical paper online, "Consideration of White LED Chromaticity Classification," and a review of their new MultiLED line of products, for brighter, more uniform backlighting of 17" color displays. [Article] |
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November 18, 2003 |
Sandia National Laboratories recently demonstrated two deep UV LEDs that set records for wavelength/power output. One emits at a wavelength of 290 nanometers (nm) and produces 1.3 milliwatts of output power, and the other emits at a wavelength of 275 nm and produces 0.4 milliwatts of power. [ Press release 1, Press release 2 ] |
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November 18, 2003 |
DOE has released two new studies analyzing and estimating energy savings potential from solid-state lighting. Produced by Navigant Consulting Inc., the reports describe the energy savings potential in niche applications today and in general lighting applications in the future. [ Item at Compoundsemiconductor.net; reports available here. ] |
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November 17, 2003 |
The University of Technology Sydney's Geoff Smith (Australia) and Poly Optics have created a light pipe (a solid, flexible plastic rod that glows), potentially meters long, using LEDs and nanotechnology. The new invention has been branded the "Supersidelight" and will initially be used for safety purposes, such as illuminating stairwells. [ Article in The Age] |
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November 15, 2003 |
JPSA Laser has introduced a new ChromaLift Excimer Laser system for advanced LED "lift-off" applications in the compound semi and wafer fab industries. [Article at CompoundSemi News] |
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November 13, 2003 |
Powerchip Semiconductor (Taiwan) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Cable Industries (Japan) to license manufacturing technology for UV LED chips. Still in the development stage, the UV LEDs are coated with RGB phosphorus layers, which the company says can produce better quality white light than blue LEDs coated with a single YAG phosphorus layer. [ Article in Digitimes (subscription required)] |
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November 11, 2003 |
Norlux, the former Uniroyal subsidiary manufacturing LED-based lighting products, is now established as a private company. Norlux specializes in chip-on-board technology, with the capability to mount LED die on a wide variety of different substrates. [ Article at Compoundsemiconductor.net ] |
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November 6, 2003 |
In a ceremony on November 6, 2003, President Bush awarded National Medals of Science and Technology for 2002 to Calvin Carter (Cree), a pioneer in the development of SiC materials, and to the team of Nick Holonyak (U of Illinois), George Craford (Lumileds), and Russell DuPuis (Georgia Tech) for their innovations in LED technology. [IEEE information page, 10/22 Press release] |
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November 3, 2003 |
Emcore has sold its TurboDisc MOCVD business to Veeco Instruments. Emcore did so to concentrate on its optical communications product lines. The transaction is valued at up to $80 million. Emcore will maintain its part in the joint venture with GE concentrating on high brightness LED's. [Emcore press release, Veeco press release, Article at Compoundsemiconductor.net] |
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October 28, 2003 |
· Cree announced its new XLamptm product family, which combines the XBright® power chip with innovative packaging technology. It is targeted at high power lighting applications using solid-state LED technology as a replacement for conventional light sources. The XLamptm product will be available in multiple colors. Pre-production sampling of a 1 Watt surface mount XLamptm device is targeted for early calendar year 2004 with initial production targeted for mid-year. [Press release] · Cree is moving into packaged devices, starting with their power white advanced LED line. Chuck Swoboda said, "The introduction of the XLamp product family is the next step in our plan to drive the market for LED based lighting. We believe that our ability to offer a high power packaged LED product in addition to our power chip will be critical in accelerating the adoption of this important technology into the lighting market." [Article at CompoundSemi News] |
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October 27, 2003 |
Lumileds is shipping the first warm white LED version of its HB Luxeon LEDs. The LEDs have a CRI of 90, a CCT of 3200K, and an output of 20 lumens. Lumileds reports that it is the first manufacturer to offer warm white LEDs in production quantities. [Press release] |
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October 23, 2003 |
AXT sold its optoelectronics business to Lumei Optoelectronics (a company in California) for $9.6 million. [Item at Compoundsemiconductor.net; Item at CompoundSemi News] |
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October 22, 2003 |
DOE announced the award of $20.4 million to 13 projects that will advance energy efficiency in buildings (10/15). Among these awards are projects involving LED light sources using nanomaterials, organic materials, and other novel materials. [EERE news item, DOE press release - see detail on awards to Brown University, Cermet, Inc., Cree, Georgia Tech, and Osram Opto.] |
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October, 2003 |
The October issue of Compound Semiconductor magazine featured the Rensselaer Lighting Research Center's development of non-invasive methods for measuring the lifetimes of LED lighting systems. [ Article ] |
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October 16, 2003 |
Osram Opto has signed a patent license with Everlight Electronics (Taiwan) enabling Everlight to manufacture and sell surface-mountable LEDs for white and colored light. The agreement also enables Everlight to manufacture and sell other white LEDs with conversion technology, for which Osram holds patents. Conversion technology for LEDs was developed by an Osram Opto Semiconductors subsidiary, according to the press release, enabling white LEDs to be produced using blue emitting InGaN-based chips and a suitable fluorescent converter. [ Press release] |
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October 15, 2003 |
Color Kinetics has introduced "Digital Light Engines", an OEM technology / support / services product that includes LED-based lighting modules designed for rectangular and circular light fixtures, integration guidelines, reference guidelines for developing systems, support services to facilitate the development and application of Digital Light Engine-powered products, access to the company's advanced power, control and authoring products to deliver complete systems, and a license to use applicable Color Kinetics-issued patents. [ Press release ] |
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October 14, 2003 |
Color Kinetics has received recognition as being among North America's fastest growing technology companies. It was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, which ranks public and private companies according to percentage of revenue growth over five years (1998- 2002). [ Press release ] |
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October 14, 2003 |
Micrel Semiconductor has released two new small sized DC/DC boost converters optimized for driving white LEDs in cellular, PDA, GPS, digital still camera, and camcorder applications. According to the company, the MIC2289 offers the smallest total size PWM DC/DC boost solution available in the market (available in a 2mm x 2mm MLF-8L package and requiring only four external components). [ Press release ] |
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October 13, 2003 |
Lumileds announced the immediate availability of Luxeon III, a new high-power 100,000-hour LED that generates typical light output of 65 and 80 lumens from a single emitter at 700 and 1000 mA operation, respectively. The Luxeon III is available in white, blue, royal blue, green and cyan. [ Press release, data sheets and other information ] |
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October 12, 2003 |
Toyota Motor Corp has test-manufactured an automobile that uses white LEDs for headlights. The vehicle will be shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, which opens on October 25th. [No URL available] |
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October 10, 2003 |
Eric Hunter has dropped accusations of securities fraud against Cree and his brother, Neal Hunter. [ Article at compoundsemiconductor.net] At the same time, Cree issued a statement that the special committee of its Board of Directors had completed its previously announced investigation into allegations of corporate wrongdoing made by Eric and Jocelyn Hunter in court filings and otherwise. The special committee's report stated, "Based on the Investigation, the Committee concludes all of the allegations lack merit." [ Press release] |
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October 8, 2003 |
Color Kinetics announced that it's been awarded a U.S. patent covering the application of LED illumination for machine vision systems: # 6,624,597, "Systems and Methods for Providing Illumination in Machine Vision Systems." [ Press release] |
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October 8, 2003 |
Toyoda Gosei plans to build a new plant in Japan to produce white LEDs that will begin operating as early as 2005. Details on the plant's location and size will be decided by the end of this year. (No URL available) |
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October 7, 2003 |
Supertex, Inc. announced the HV9903, a fixed frequency DC-DC boost converter IC designed to drive one to 6 white LEDs with constant current at efficiencies over 85%. It features a built-in soft-start implementation for minimizing in-rush current to only 30% over steady state current. The driver is intended for applications such as color LCD backlighting in cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, organizers, digital cameras, MP3 players and other handheld devices. [Press release, data sheet and other information] |
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October 7, 2003 |
BivarOpto has announced a new, optional, high-contrast material for its light pipe products family. The second generation materials provide a 60% improved contrast ratio for light transmission of surface or through-hole mounted LEDs. [ Press release carried by M. Rutty & Co. ] |
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October 6, 2003 |
Kopin Corporation has been profiled by the publication, Small Times. This article covers the technology used in Kopin's Cyberlite LEDs, company revenues, and touches on competitor Cree's Xthin LEDs which are aimed at the same cyber-display market. [ Article in Small Times ] |
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October, 2003 |
oe magazine (a monthly publication of SPIE) featured several articles and discussion forums on solid-state lighting in the October issue. One article, authored by GELcore staff, covers LED efficiency, performance and packaging. Another article, authored by Doug Ruttan of Welch Allyn, reviews issues of brightness compensation, thermal management and power conversion management in using this technology. [See "Let there be light", "The bright side of incumbent technology", in oe magazine] |
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October 1, 2003 |
Cree has signed an agreement with OSRAM Opto Semiconductors for the purchase of at least 500 million LED chips over a 21-month period. The agreement covers Cree's entire Opto product line, including standard, mid-bright and Xbright® LED chip families as well as SiC wafers. [ Article at Compoundsemiconductor.net] |
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October |
Color Kinetics has been ranked by Inc. Magazine as among the top 15% of America's fastest growing private companies (the "Inc. 500" list), with a rank of 71. [ Press release] The company was also recognized as being among the fastest growing technology companies in New England by Deloitte & Touche. [ Press release] |
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October 1, 2003 |
Carmanah Technologies has received a total of approximately $1.1 million in military aviation orders during 2003. Carmanah now has more than 2,600 solar-powered LED lighting units in the Middle East, SW Asia and the U.S. for permanent, temporary, or expedited airfield lighting at military installations. [ Press release ] |
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September |
Nichia is suing Epistar for the infringement of Nichia's Taiwan patent 160,722 by Epistar's blue LED products. The Taiwanese court order freezes some of Epistar's bank accounts to preserve funds in the event that damages are awarded to Nichia. [ Article at Compounsemiconductor.net, Press release, detailed coverage in an article in CompoundSemi News] |
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September 23, 2003 |
Cree announced that it has demonstrated a blue LED with 35% quantum efficiency at 20 mA, based on their XBright chip technology. White LEDs using these XBright chips produced 4.1 lumens of light in industry-standard LED packages with an electrical energy conversion efficiency of 65 lm/W at 20 mA. In laboratory packages, the XBright chips produced 4.7 lumens of light with 74 lm/W. According to Cree, these are the highest known efficiencies publicly reported for blue- and white-spectrum LEDs. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net, Press release] |
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September 23, 2003 |
Cree announced it had begun volume production of its new XThin tm series of InGaN-on-SiC LEDs. The vertically structured LED chips are ~ 115 microns in height, about 50% of the typical height of Cree's LEDs. The XThin devices have a lower forward voltage than Cree's standard XBright products. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net, Press release] |
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September 19, 2003 |
Crystal IS demonstrated the bulk growth of high quality AlN boules from which 25 mm substrates have been produced with dislocation densities of 1000 /cm² or lower. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net] |
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September 18, 2003 / September 16, 2003 |
Valeo (France) debuted an automotive white-LED based headlamp at IAA 2003 in Frankfurt, Germany. Valeo is developing LED technology for a wide range of front lighting applications that could be in series production in three years. At the front of the car, the company is developing position lamps, turn signals, front fog lamps, daytime running lights, fixed bending light and low beams with LEDs. [ Article in CompoundSemi News, Press release ] |
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September 15, 2003 |
Microsemi has introduced a second product in their line of visible light sensors that allow automatic brightness control of artificial lighting and other applications affected by ambient light. The LX1971tm Wide Range Visible Light Sensor provides a 4-decade usable light range, broadening its potential use in applications having high precision and accuracy needs. Target applications include LED signage, LED displays, and other lighting applications. [ Press release] |
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September 10, 2003 |
The Department of Energy announced $12.3 million in funding awarded to 21 cost-shared research projects for clean energy and energy efficiency. The awarded projects include: · Georgia Tech Research Corp. - To develop a new lattice-matched, solid-state emitter using non-native III-Nitride substrates such as AlGaN on lithium gallate and GalN on zinc oxide, and techniques that minimize residual defects. (DOE share, $500,000; applicant share, $100,000) · Lumileds Lighting - To design, make and integrate nanoscale photonic crystal structures into light-emitting diodes to increase external quantum efficiency. (DOE share, $500,000; applicant share, $100,000) · University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc. - To develop more efficient solid-state lighting sources using ultraviolet/light-emitting diodes and phosphor combinations by focusing on improving phosphor-coating efficiency in UV/LEDS. (DOE share, $418,068; applicant share, $95,143.) [Full list of awardees shown in DOE press release] |
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September 9, 2003 / September 10, 2003 |
Dow Corning announced the formation of a new business, Compound Semiconductor Solutions, to serve the wide bandgap semiconductor industry. According to the company, the business is founded on an expertise developed from years of in-house and academic research investments, and recent acquisitions of business and technology assets in bulk SiC, SiC thin film technology, and GaN thin film technology. The business will be located in Midland, Michigan. [ Press release] The company also announced that it had launched a new global Photonic Solutions business. [ Press release] |
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September 9, 2003 |
Hella (Germany) announced that it will show a prototype automotive LED headlamp at the IAA 2003 in Frankfurt Germany. The headlamp incorporates the dipped beam, main beam, indicator and daytime running light functions (can be dimmed and used as a positional light). [ Press release ] |
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September 9, 2003 |
Osram Opto has released the 6leadMultiLED, which the company claims is capable of outperforming previous LED designs in terms of homogeneity and brightness. The package allows the LEDs to be arranged very close together and flat on the board, which results in an even distribution of light. The LEDs are suitable for 17-inch displays. [ Press release, Article in EE Times Asia (free registration required) ] |
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September 4, 2003 |
According to an article in DigiTimes, Taiwan's LED manufacturers will be able to start volume production of white LEDs by the end of 2003. [ Article from DigiTimes carried by iocombo.com on September 8, 2003 ] |
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September 4(?), 2003 |
According to the SBIR Gateway website, DOE anticipates the date for the release of the FY04 SBIR/STTR solicitation to be October 7, 2003, with a due date of January 6, 2004. Topics will include new technologies for general illumination applications, and OLEDs for general lighting. [ News item at the SBIR Gateway] |
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September 4, 2003 |
Osram Opto has introduced blue thin-film InGaN-on-sapphire LEDs, dubbed "ThinGaN" LEDs, with an extraction efficiency of up to 75%. Prototypes of 5 mm radial blue (460 nm) LEDs achieve brightness of up to 16 mW at an operating current of 20 mA. Production of the thin-film LEDs is expected to start in 2004. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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September 2, 2003 |
Color Kinetics has received two new patents covering methods of controlling LED sources for entertainment systems (use of lighting tracks encoded into any media - see U.S. Patent 6,577,080) and networked lighting systems (see U.S. Patent 6,608,453). [ Press release ] |
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August 26, 2003 |
A collaboration between Hokkaido University, Mitsubishi Cable and Nippon EMC has resulted in the first demonstration of a UV LED with an active layer made of GaN quantum dots grown onto an AlGaN surface using Si as anti-surfactant. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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August 25, 2003 |
Microsemi Corporation has introduced two new ICs in a single package that boost drive for LEDs while simultaneously providing an adjustable bias voltage for the LCD displays they light. The new regulators save space and system costs in handheld applications, according to the company. [ Press release] |
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August 20, 2003 |
Kopin has exclusively licensed three patents from North Carolina State University, invented by Prof. Jagdish Narayan and his team. One patent is on Domain Epitaxy and the other two related to ZnCdO and ZnMgO. The patents are important, according to the company, because they can be used to produce LEDs and lasers of any color across the visible spectrum, including the three primary colors needed for white LEDs. [ Press release] |
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August 18, 2003/ |
Nolan Enterprises, a small Texas company run by Cherie' and Steven Nolan and Donald Hebert, has been awarded two US patents related to incorporating HB-LEDs in lamps. One is for "Interior lamp for producing white light using bright white LEDs" [U.S. Patent 6,599,000 - see article in CompoundSemi News ] and the other is for "LED interior light fixture" (U.S. Patent 6,609,804). |
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August 19, 2003 |
Lumileds has sued Epistar, asserting that Epistar's AlGaInP LED products willfully infringe on its US Patent 5,008,718, "Light-emitting diode with an electrically conductive window." The company is seeking both monetary damages for past infringement and an injunction against future importation or sale of the infringing products in the U.S. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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August 11, 2003 |
Shin-Etsu Handotai has licensed US Patent No. 5,008,718 ("Light-emitting diode with an electrically conductive window") and several other patents relating to absorbing substrate AlInGaP LED technology from Lumileds. Shin-Etsu has agreed to pay a license fee and royalties, but specific details of the license terms were not disclosed. [Press release, not yet online] |
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August 7, 2003 |
Carmanah Technologies has been awarded a $235,000 contract from the US Army for solar-powered airfield lighting at the Sustainer Army airfield in Iraq. To light the airfield, Carmanah will use 210 taxiway edge lights, 128 runway edge lights, 20 runway end identifier lights and 16 helipad perimeter lights. Use of solar-powered lighting eliminates the need to establish and maintain an electrical grid and lighting infrastructure at the airfield. [ Press release] |
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August 6, 2003 |
Asia Pulse reports that Samsung Electro-Mechanics (South Korea) has established a joint lab with Russia's Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute to secure advanced LED and laser diode technologies. Samsung Electro-Mechanics intends to invest 10 billion won (US$8.43 million) in research and development in order to acquire the capability of producing 100 million LEDs per month. [Article in Asia Pulse, no URL available] |
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August 1, 2003 |
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. (Japan) has developed a new gallium phosphorus substrate for use in red LEDs, bright enough for use in traffic lights and automobile taillights. [No URL available] |
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July 22, 2003 |
Cree has announced the availability of its new line of GaN-on-SiC RazerThintm blue spectrum LEDs, which have a height of 0.095 mm. The devices have a typical brightness of 7mW and forward voltage of 3.2V when operated at 20mA. When operated at 5mA, which is characteristic of battery-powered applications, the forward voltage is only 2.9V. The RazerThintm devices are currently available in 460nm and 470nm blue versions. [Article in CompoundSemi News, Press release] |
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July 15, 2003 |
According to Nikkei Business Daily, Seiwa Electric has announced plans to expand blue LED production to 10 million units per month by September. The NBD article was cited at length in an article appearing at CompoundSemiconductor.net. [Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net] |
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July 14, 2003 |
Furukawa Co. (Japan) plans to begin production of sapphire substrates for blue LEDs at its Osaka plant. The company anticipates production rates of 10,000 substrates per month. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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July 14, 2003 |
Revenues declined in June for Epitaxy Corp. and United Epitaxy Co., Taiwan’s leading blue LED manufacturers. Price cuts and inventory issues were blamed. Leading blue LED maker Epitaxy Corp. had June revenues of NT$154 million, down 9% from May. United Epitaxy Co. reported June revenues of NT$212 million, the lowest monthly figure since May 2002. [Article in Taiwan Economic News, No URL available.] |
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July 14, 2003 |
Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have created the first solid-state white light-emitting device using encapsulated quantum dot nanophosphors. The dots emit visible light when excited by near-UV LEDs. The size and surface chemistry of the dots determine the color of the re-emitted light. [Press release] |
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July 15, 2003 |
Kyma Technologies has been awarded four contracts totaling $1 million by DOD and DOE to support micro and optoelectronic applications of GaN substrates. Applications range from new solid-state lighting to transmit/receive modules for radar applications. [News item at Compoundsemiconductor.net] |
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July 15, 2003 |
The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer reports that it has developed new methods to evaluate LED lighting systems that will eventually lead to reliable life estimates. Dr. N. Narendran and his team have developed new methods for measuring LED junction temperatures, the primary cause of LED light degradation. Results of their studies will be presented at the annual SPIE meeting in August. [LRC News item] |
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July 14, 2003 |
Strategies Unlimited reports that the HB LED market grew 51% in 2002 to $1.84 billion. Growth was led by use of HB LEDs in mobile phones. The market for HB LEDs is forecast to grow to $4.7 billion by 2007. Details are provided in the company's recent report, "High-Brightness LED Market Review and Forecast - 2003." [Press release] |
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July 10, 2003/ |
Cree: litigation developments -- · The SEC has opened an informal inquiry related to the lawsuit filed against the company by its co-founder and former chief executive, Eric Hunter. [Article in Miami Herald] · Bank of America has also been named in this litigation. The amended complaint includes allegations that NationsBank, which later became BofA and was acting then as Cree's lead underwriter, failed to disclose material information and assisted Cree and F. Neal Hunter in misleading the public and the SEC. (See article in the Charlotte Business Journal for details.) · In late June, Cree issued a statement saying that the company had filed a motion to dismiss this lawsuit, asserting that the lawsuit lacks merit. [Press release] |
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July 10, 2003 |
Intersil announced that its high efficiency, high accuracy, EL7513 white LED driver is now in volume production. The EL7513 is a high frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) step-up regulator capable of driving up to 12 light emitting diodes (LEDs), ensuring uniform brightness in white LED backlighting in small, color LCD displays for mobile devices. [Press release] |
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July 9, 2003 |
Nichia (Japan) has halted infringement of their proprietary HB-LED processes by an unnamed Korean LED manufacturer. In an out-of-court settlement, the Korean manufacturer agreed to suspend manufacturing, selling, sales promotional activities, and the exportation of the infringing products. The unnamed company has also destroyed the infringing products in the inventory, packing materials, advertising materials, and at the relevant facilities involved in manufacturing the infringing products. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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July 7, 2003 |
Opto Technology Inc. announced the “Endura Bright” line of LED-based, MR-16 halogen replacement lamps using Lumileds’ Luxeon emitters. The lamps are a direct replacement for 12V AC-low voltage applications. They offer up to 120 lumens of light and more than 1800 candela of light output at an angle of 10 degrees. [Press release] |
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June 23, 2003 |
Aixtron Taiwan has received funding to set up a new R&D center that will facilitate production-oriented technology transfer in Taiwan. Goals of the R&D include quality optimization and improved yield management of LED materials. The funding comes from Taiwan’s Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) within the Ministry of Economic Affairs. HP, Dell and Sony also received funding for R&D centers. The total amount of funding was not specified. [Article in Compound Semiconductor] |
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June 16, 2003 |
CompoundSemi Online awarded the first-ever Pioneer Awards to Shuji Nakamura, Michael Shur, Norm Schumaker, John Edmond, and Bob Steele. The awards were made at the conference Blue 2003. [ Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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June 13, 2003 |
Cree co-founder and former Cree CEO, Eric Hunter, and his wife have brought a lawsuit against his brother and current Cree Chairman, Neal Hunter, and against Cree Inc. They are seeking damages in excess of $3 billion for unspecified harm resulting from alleged conduct of the defendants and alleged violations of employment and security laws. Cree denies the allegations and intends to defend the case vigorously. [Press release1, Press release2, article at Compoundsemiconductor.net] |
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June 11, 2003 |
Cree Lighting has filed a lawsuit against AXT, Inc., seeking enforcement of a US Patent No. 5,686,738, entitled "Highly Insulating Monocrystalline Gallium Nitride Thin Films," which relates to semiconductor devices manufactured using GaN-based buffer technology. The patent is owned by Boston University (a co-plaintiff in the case) and licensed to Cree. [Press release] |
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June 9, 2003 |
Kyma Technologies has obtained $4 million in its Series B round of funding. Digital Power Capital and Siemens Venture Capital co-led the funding. [Press release] |
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June 6, 2003 |
A leading research funding agency in the UK, the Engineering and Physical Research Council (EPSRC), will fund a three-year research collaboration between Cambridge University, Thomas Swann Scientific Equipment, and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) aimed at developing GaN-based products (e.g., GaN LEDs, transistors and lasers). The project is headed by Colin Humphreys of Cambridge and is funded for £1.2 million. [Article in Business Weekly] |
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June , 2003 |
Compound Semiconductor magazine featured solid-state lighting in an extensive article in the June 2003 issue. The article, “Innovations push white LEDs towards new applications,” with the subtitle, “White LED makers are making strides to improve the color consistency, white light quality, lifetime, efficiency and cost of their products, writes Time Whitaker,” reviews developments by GELcore, Osram Opto, Nichia, Toyoda Gosei, and Lumileds. [Article part 1, part 2] |
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June 5, 2003 |
CompoundSemi News provided a detailed, up-front summary of Strategies Unlimited's new report, entitled “Gallium Nitride 2003 - Technology Status, Applications, and Market Forecasts (GaN 2003)”. According to the report, as of the first quarter of 2003, 184 companies were involved in GaN production and research, and 293 universities were involved in GaN R&D, representing increases of 74% and 24%, respectively, since May 2000. The GaN device market (mainly blue, green and white HB-LEDs) has grown 221% to $1.35 billion since 1999. Since 1995, market growth has been at an average rate of 64.5%. Overall, the market for gallium nitride devices of all types is forecast to grow to $4.5 billion by 2007. [Article in CompoundSemi News, Report table of contents ] |
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June 5, 2003 |
EpiPlus (South Korea) has purchased a second Emcore 300 GaNzilla MOCVD tool. The tool will be used for blue, UV, and green HB-LED production. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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June 4, 2003 |
Tekcore Co. Ltd. (Taiwan), a manufacturer of GaN-based LED wafers, has recently bought two AIXTRON AIX 2600G3 HT reactors, both in 24 x 2” configuration. The company manufactures green, blue, and UV ultra high brightness LED (UHB-LED) wafers. [ Press release posted at AIXTRON website] |
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June 3, 2003 |
Cree has announced that its new X-Bright® Plus™ (XB Plus) and MegaBright® Plus™(MB Plus) blue LEDs are currently in production. Both products will be offered in 460 nm and 470 nm versions. The 470 nm MB Plus product has a minimum radiant flux of 12 mW with a typical radiant flux of 13 mW, and the 470 nm XB Plus product has a minimum radiant flux of 15 mW with a typical radiant flux of 17 mW. Cree has also begun providing samples of its new RazerThin™ LED products to select customers. These devices, approximately 100 micrometers in height, have typical forward voltages of 2.9 V when operated at 5 mA. The full release of this product is targeted for July 2003. [Press release] |
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June 3, 2003 |
OptoLum has been awarded US Patent No. 6,573,536 , entitled “Light emitting diode light source”. The patent mainly covers thermal management technology that permits multiple LEDs to be packaged more densely than was previously possible. OptoLum’s tubular or channel structure utilizes a “thermal evacuation core” to remove heat from LEDs. [Press release] |
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May 29, 2003 |
Bandwidth Semiconductor has been acquired by Spire Corporation from Stratos Lightwave . Bandwidth Semi is now a full service III-V MOCVD reactor-based foundry working on an OEM basis. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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May 28, 2003 |
Fairchild Semiconductor has introduced new ultra-bright surface-mount LED lamps for interior automotive lighting applications, traffic signals and signage. These top-illuminating AlInGaP LEDs, the QTLP673C series, come in red, orange, yellow and yellow-orange, and have typical luminous intensities of 700 to 800 mcd. The series also features InGaN blue LEDs (with a luminous intensity of 178 mcd) as well as true green and cyan lamps with luminous intensities of 920 mcd. [Press release ] |
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May 26, 2003 |
AIXTRON has announced the sale of a GaN MOCVD system to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). RPI has bought an AIX 200/4 RF-S as part of a joint research initiative focusing on GaN ultra high brightness LEDs for the spectral range of green to deep UV as well as on the growth of AlGaN with high aluminum content. [Press release] |
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May 20, 2003 |
OptoLum has debuted a warm white version of its BrightLife series of solid-state light bulbs at the World Lighting Show in Italy. The BrightLife W800 is designed as a drop in replacement for compact fluorescent and incandescent lamps. The BrightLife W800, which uses multiple Lumileds blue spectrum LEDs uniquely coated with phosphors, emits warm white light with a color temperature of 3200 K and a color rendering index (CRI) value of 85. [Press release ] |
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May 20, 2003 |
Microsemi has introduced two new surface mount white high brightness LEDs optimized for backlighting applications. These PowerBright LEDs (designated UPW3LED™), have a current rating of up to 350 mA and a broad luminous emission of more than 100 degrees, and have no UV bleed-through. [Press release] |
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May 14, 2003 |
Toshiba / Toshiba America Electronic Components adds bluish green and purple LEDs to its line of high luminosity LEDs. The devices integrate Toshiba's packaging and RGB phosphors with InGaN LED chips (emitting at 390 nm) supported by Toyoda Gosei. The bluish green LED (TLBGA1100) has a luminosity of 100 mcd at 20 mA, while the reddish purple LED (TLRPA1100) has a luminosity of 70 mcd at 20 mA. [Press release] |
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May 12, 2003 |
According to "The McDonald Report" in CompoundSemi News, the blue spectrum LED market segment remains highly profitable despite the weak economy. The blue spectrum LED market segment includes the companies working in and around solid state blue spectrum LEDs and laser diodes (LDs), and the Group III nitride semiconductor materials that make them possible. The strong performance is due to the incorporation of blue LEDs into lighting, as well as the use of blue spectrum LDs in next generation DVDs, laser printers, and computer optical drives. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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May 9, 2003 |
Scientists at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, have reported that bulk crystalline silicon can be an efficient light emitter. When the silicon was stimulated by 780 nm laser light, the external light emission efficiency was up to 6.1% at room temperature and up to 10.2 % at 130 K. According to models, the 'internal' light efficiency is greater than 20% at room temperature under optimal excitation conditions. [Article at PhysicsWeb] |
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May 7, 2003 |
IBM Research has developed a carbon nanotube solid-state emitter. The "light-emitting nanotube" (LEN) emits at a wavelength of 1.5 microns, which is important for optical communications. IBM showed a detailed mathematical proof and verified lab demonstrations of the LEN. [Article in EE Times] |
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May 6, 2003 |
Lumileds announced the planned August 2003 release of a new warm white, incandescent-equivalent LED. The device will have an average light output of 22 lumens, with a CRI of 85+ and a correlated color temperature of approximately 3200°K. [Press release] |
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May 5, 2003 |
AnalogicTech has developed high efficiency charge pumps for white LEDs. The dual-mode devices integrate both a 1X load switch and a 1.5X fractional charge pump. [Press release] |
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May 2, 2003 |
OptoLum, Inc., announced the debut of a solid-state light bulb with a flux of 800 lumens that emits over a 360 degree span. The device combines proprietary OptoLum packaging with 24 of Lumileds' Luxeon emitters. The prototype goes by the name "BrightLife-800™". The company claims that the BrightLife-800 has a 50,000 hour median life and a 100,000 hour useful life. Samples were shown at the Lumileds booth at Lightfair International, May 6-8, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. [ Press release, Additional details] |
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April 23, 2003 |
In its most recent quarterly statement, Kopin has announced robust sales of its new CyberLite blue LED product. Revenues from sales of the blue LEDs during the first quarter reached $1.3 million. [Press release] |
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April 22, 2003 |
Color Kinetics and Zumtobel Staff Lighting, Inc., have signed an OEM license agreement under which Color Kinetic’s Chromacore® technology and components will be integrated into new lighting products by Zumtobel. Zumtobel Staff Lighting plans to release their new color-changing LED luminaires, with Color Kinetics' Chromacore technology, at Lightfair International 2003 in May. [Press release] |
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April 22, 2003 |
Lamina Ceramics says it has developed a new HB-LED package that is affordable and has superior heat dissipation capabilities. The packaging has an operational temperature limit of 250° C and is based on Lamina’s Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic on Metal (LTCC-M) technology. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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April 14, 2003 |
Osram Opto Semiconductors has opened a 35,000 square foot fab in Regensburg, Germany. It plans to manufacture LED chips, laser diodes and sensors at the new facility. [Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net] |
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April 14, 2003 |
Lumilog has commenced production of a novel iron-doped semi insulating GaN substrate. The substrate consists of a 4-micron thick single crystal GaN layer deposited on a 2-inch diameter sapphire substrate. The substrate has application in the production of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. However, the company anticipates that it will also see use in the production of UV laser diodes, HB-LEDs, and transistors. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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April , 2003 |
The May 2003 issue of Technology Review features solid-state lighting in an extensive overview article, “LEDs vs. the Lightbulb”. The article highlights Shuji Nakamura’s work at UC-Santa Barbara, and includes discussion of developments by Cree, GELcore, GE, Lumileds, MIT, Sandia, and Universal Display; technology approaches and challenges; and market potential. (The online version of this article was posted to the website in April.) |
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April 11, 2003 |
Sumitomo Electric has begun volume production of GaN substrates for the fabrication of GaN-based violet lasers. Initial production will be 200 wafers per month, with anticipated production levels of 500 wafers expected beginning in October 2003. [The news was initially reported in Nikkei Business Daily (Japan) and was carried by the journal Compound Semiconductor. Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net] |
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April 10, 2003 |
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have made single-crystal GaN nanotubes using an epitaxial casting technique, which may find use in such applications as nanocapillary electrophoresis, nanofluidic biosensing and nanoelectronics. The technique may be applicable to making nanotubes from other semiconductor materials. The research was published as “Single-crystal gallium nitride nanotubes,” by J. Goldberger, R. He, Y. Zhang, S. Lee, H. Yan, H.-J. Choi, and P. Yang, in Nature 422:599-602 (April 10, 2003). [Abstract, article, “Cast of Thousands,” (free registration required) in Nature, Research Highlights] |
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April 8, 2003 |
Sandia National Laboratories has announced the development of a new cantilever epitaxy process for growing GaN on etched sapphire with a reduced number of defects, which eliminates many of the problems limiting performance and brightness of such LEDs. [Press release, Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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April 1, 2003 |
Cree has received an order for up to $100 million worth of LEDs from Sumitomo (Japan), to be purchased through June 2004. The purchase commitment is the largest in Cree’s history and is expected to include the full line of Cree’s LED products (standard brightness, mid-brightness, and XBrighttm LEDs). [Sumitomo Press Release] |
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March 30, 2003 |
Evident Technologies opened a new facility in Watervliet, NY (Albany area), that is capable of producing kilogram quantities of semiconductor quantum dots per week. The high precision nanoscale semiconductors can be engineered to meet the needs for new fluorescent or photonic materials in a number of applications, including LEDs, according to the company. [Announcement, 3/18/03 Press release] |
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March 27, 2003 |
Nichia has been awarded the “The Nikkei BP Technology Prize of Electronics Field”, awarded by Nikkei Business Publications Inc. Nichia received the award for its new high power UV LED with 100 mW of optical output power. [Press release] |
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March 24, 2003 |
Mitsubishi Electric announced the establishment of its new Semiconductor Division starting April 1, 2003. The division, located in Silicon Valley, will provide compound semiconductor products for optoelectronic and microwave/radio frequency customers in North America. The division will also provide marketing, sales and application engineering support. [Press release] |
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March 21, 2003 |
Semtech has introduced a new LED driver - the SC603 charge pump regulator - for supplying power to LEDs used for backlighting color displays and keypads, and for use in camera flashes. The SC603 can drive up to 10 LEDs and features a selectable 5.0 or 4.5 Volt regulated output at 200 or 160 mA currents, respectively. It has selectable switching frequency (262 and 650 kHz) to optimize efficiency with respect to load, and comes in a MLP-Micro 10-pin, lead-free package (3 x 3 x 1 mm). [Press release] |
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March 20, 2003 |
StockerYale has announced the receipt of a contract valued at $800,000 for custom designed LED illuminators. The contract, which is with a European OEM customer, is StockerYale’s largest illumination order received to date. The LEDs will be used in a high-end technology security system. [Press release] |
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March 19, 2003 |
Osram Opto Semiconductor has developed a one watt red and yellow HBLED line. The new line, called "The Golden Dragon", uses a chip-on-board approach. The optical efficiency of the Golden Dragon is 20 lm/W, and it comes in a compact size (0.8 - 1.8 mm high and fitting inside an enclosure measuring 6 x 7 mm). The product is geared for applications where light is coupled with transparent materials, such as vehicle reverse lamps, traffic signals, and display backlighting. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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March 19, 2003 |
Uni Light Technology (Taiwan), a new MOCVD-based HBLED epiwafer and device foundry, has recently purchased a large scale GaN Planetary Reactor from Aixtron AG (Germany) for mass production of InGaN based LEDs. Uni Light has plans for aggressive expansion in 2003. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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March 18, 2003 |
Zia Laser has leased lab space from Emcore for the continued development of Zia’s quantum dot laser products. Zia will operate its own MBE reactor but will receive technical assistance from Emcore. [Article at Compound Semiconductor.net] |
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March 18, 2003 |
Color Kinetics’s Chromacore® technology will be incorporated into Ambient Devices’ Ambient Orb product. The Ambient Orb is a wireless, glass desktop product that changes color in response to information, such as fluctuations in the price of stocks. The Ambient Orb will be available in May 2003. [Press release] |
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March 17, 2003 |
Researchers at Tsinghua University (People’s Republic of China) have observed polarized light emission from multiwalled carbon nanotube bundles and conclude that carbon nanotubes can be a good candidate for polarized incandescent light sources. The research was published as "Polarized incandescent light emission from carbon nanotubes" (P. Li, K. Jiang, M. Liu, Q.Li, S. Fan, and J. Sun) in Applied Physics Letters 82 (11): 1763-1765(March 17, 2003). [Abstract] |
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March 17, 2003 |
Microsemi has developed a new light sensor that can automatically adjust the brightness of flat panel display lighting based on the ambient light. [Press release] |
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March 6, 2003 |
Nichia has developed a new white LED with a luminous efficacy of 60 lm/W and an external quantum efficiency of 34.9%. The new white LED, which combines Nichia’s GaN blue LED with YAG phosphor materials, features an irregular GaN-sapphire contact (to extract more light) and metal electrodes (to absorb less of the emitted light). [Article in Nikkei Electronics] |
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March 6, 2003 |
LEDdynamics has introduced the "EverLED Flashlight", a HB-LED replacement bulb for conventional flashlights. The EverLED works with almost any 1- to 6-cell flashlight and has a rated life of over 10 years if operated continuously. The EverLED comes in 6 colors: white, blue, teal, green, yellow, and red. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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March 3, 2003 |
Toyoda Gosei is working to increase its production of LED chips to 150 million units per month by September 2003, a 70% increase over current production rates. The production will occur at its plant in Aichi Prefecture. Toyoda Gosei also anticipates that its LED sales will rise 80% year-on-year to 25 billion yen ($212 million) for the year ending March 2003. [Article at Compound Semiconductor.net] |
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February 20, 2003 |
Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei have developed porous silicon that emits stable blue light (435 nm) when pumped with UV light at 256 nm. The device consists of a silicon surface containing a series of pillars 8nm in diameter and 270nm tall, with the gaps between the pillars filled with a ferroelectric material. The research was published as “A way to obtain visible blue light emission in porous silicon”, by Q. W. Chen, D. L. Zhu, C. Zhu, J. Wang, and Y. G. Zhang, in Applied Physics Letters 82(7):1018-1020 (February 17, 2003). [Abstract], [Article in Optics.org] |
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February 19, 2003 |
Agilent Technologies (Germany) has introduced the HSMF-C118 ChipLED, a tricolor surface-mount LED that allows backlight designers to mix separate red, green and blue light sources in any combination. The device has three die arranged in a triangular matrix at the package center. AlInGaP LEDs are used for the red, and InGaN LEDs for blue and green. This product is designed to make it easier for manufacturers to use backlight color as part of their product branding. [Article in CompoundSemi News, Press Release] |
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February 18, 2003 |
Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc., (AnalogicTech) has developed charge pumps that use fractional (1.5x) conversion to maximize performance for white LED applications. The devices require only four small (1µF) external capacitors. The devices produce constant current levels up to 20 mA for each output from a 2.7V to 5.0V input. [Product Specifications] |
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February 6, 2003 |
Air Products announced the development of White Ammoniatm, a new ultra high-purity ammonia product for use in white LED manufacturing. The company claims that the product is 99.9999% pure and does not require downstream purification. [Press Release] |
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February 6, 2003 |
Strategies Unlimited’s Bob Steele gave the keynote address at this year’s, Strategies in Light conference, held in Burlingame, California. According to Steele, the HB-LED market revenues increased 50% to $1.8 billion in 2002. InGaN HB-LED revenues grew 72% in 2002, while revenues from HB-LEDs used in mobile appliances grew 111%. Steele also projected that the solid-state lighting market would grow to $500M for 2007, up from $85M in 2002. [Article in CompoundSemi News, summary of the Strategies Unlimited report “Solid-State Lighting: A New Growth Opportunity for High-Brightness LEDs”.] |
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February 6, 2003 |
Shanghai LanBao Photoelectric Materials Co., Ltd (Shanghai, China), has ordered two E300 GaNzilla MOCVD tools. The acquisition will increase Shanghai LanBaos’s capacity to produce high quality blue and green GaN-based LED epiwafers. Shanghai LanBao is one of the leading epiwafer manufacturers in China. [Article in CompoundSemi News, press release archived at CompoundSemi Online] |
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February 2, 2003 |
United Epitaxy Corporation (UEC) of Taiwan and RF Micro Devices have both recently each ordered new high volume production epitaxy growth tools. UEC has ordered an AIX 2600G3 HT MOCVD Planetary Reactor from Aixtron of Aachen, Germany, with the goal of increasing production of III-Nitride ultra-high-brightness LEDs. RF Micro Devices has ordered a Veeco GEN2000 multi-wafer 7x6" MBE system. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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January 29, 2003 |
Motorola appears to be pulling back from commercializing GaAs-on-silicon wafer technology, according to an article in EE Times. Motorola appears to have scaled back or even axed its subsidiary, ThoughtBeam. Researchers at the one-year-old unit have been put back into R&D mode, while ThoughtBeam’s general manager Padmasree Warrior has been promoted to chief technology officer of Motorola, effective January 1, 2003, with no mention of her replacement at ThoughtBeam. |
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January 27, 2003 |
Dow Corning has acquired Sterling Semiconductor from Uniroyal Technology Corporation for $11.2 million. Dow has officially acquired the manufacturing and R&D assets of Sterling, along with its facilities in Connecticut and Florida, and 32 of Sterling’s current employees. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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January 23, 2003 |
Boston College researcher Zhifeng Ren and coworkers have invented self-assembling photonic crystals theoretically capable of emitting light in the visible wavelengths. The device consists of a honeycomb pattern of carbon nanotubes grown from a patterned array of catalytic nickel nanoparticles. Neither high-resolution photo-beam lithography nor electron-beam lithography is used. The research was published as "Photonic crystals based on periodic arrays of aligned carbon nanotubes," by K. Kempa et al., in Nano Letters 3:13-18 (January 2003). [Review Article in Nature Materials (free registration required).] |
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January 22, 2003 |
Emcore announced the acquisition of Ortel from Agere Systems for $25M in cash. The acquisition includes Agere’s assets, products, technology and intellectual property related to cable TV optical components, telecom access and satellite communications operations. [Press Release] |
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January 21, 2003 |
Microsemi has announced a new line of high brightness white LEDs based on its Powermite packaging technology. The Powermite technology improves the homogenous distribution of white light, has reduced thermal resistance (which extends lamp life), and enables a wider viewing angle. Specifications for these new LEDs, designated the UPWLEDxx, are available online. The UPWLEDxx has a dominant wavelength of 488 nm with a peak wavelength of 460 nm. [Press Release; see also related Press Release on "Aviation White LEDs."] |
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January 21, 2003 |
Permlight and Ceramics Process Systems have formed an alliance to develop advanced, thermally-managed LED lighting systems. The alliance goals include increasing lighting system brightness and lifetime through reductions in LED temperature, reductions in LED cost, and increases in commercial acceptance of LED lighting systems. [Press Release] |
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January 16, 2003 |
Harvard University physicist Charles Lieber and colleagues have developed an efficient, electrically-driven, single-crystal nanowire that acts as a nanolaser. The scientists believe that the laser can be made to emit over a wide range of wavelengths. This research was published as "Single-nanowire electrically driven lasers," by X. Duan, Y. Huang, R. Agarwal, and C. M. Lieber, in Nature 421:241-245 (January 16, 2003). [Article at PhysicsWeb] |
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January 10, 2003 |
Researchers at the University of Strathclyde (UK), led by Martin Dawson, have fabricated a 128 x 96 array of GaN-based micro-LEDs containing 12,288 emitters. The diameter of each emitter is 20 µm. Current power levels for each emitter are about 0.1 mW with an operating voltage of 3.5 V. To date, researchers have created arrays emitting blue light at 470 nm, and have constructed a prototype alphanumeric microdisplay. Arrays emitting violet light (370 nm) and green light (540 nm) are under development. [Article in Compound Semiconductor] |
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January 10, 2003 |
United Epitaxy Corporation has introduced what it claims is the world’s first 10 watt high-power LED. The device is made by bonding a AlGaInP epiwafer to a silicon substrate and then removing the GaAs substrate from the epiwafer. A metal layer inserted between the epiwafer and the silicon substrate reflects light that would otherwise be absorbed by the silicon. Chip size is 2.5 x 2.5 mm2 and provides a total flux of more than 200 lumens. [Article in Compound Semiconductor] |
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January 2, 2003 |
Nichia has announced the availability of a “Warm White LED” for general illumination. The LED combines their blue LED technology with both a YAG phosphor and an enhanced red phosphor to create a device with a color temperature of 2800K, a luminous efficiency of 20-25 lm/W, and a directivity of 50° (If=20mA). For comparison, the color temperature of black body radiation in the lamp color area is 2500-3500K. [Article in CompoundSemi News] |
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