·     Agilent introduced a new LED series targeted at automotive interior lighting, and industrial and electrical appliance backlighting applications.

·     AIXTRON to join Aachen U of Technology (Germany) and the Research Center Jlich (Germany) in collaboration to develop GaN on silicon for high frequency/high power applications.

·     BivarOpto has introduced a UV-LED with stable wavelength of 400 nm and intensities from 500 mcds up to 700 mcds.

·     Cermet receives production order for its wide band gap semiconductor substrates from unnamed manufacturer.

·     Color Kinetics debuts new products in its Sauce ^tm product line at Toy Fair 2002.

·     Color Kinetics and Targetti (Italy) to develop intelligent LED lighting fixtures.

·     Core Systems launches an ion implant outsourcing service at new 35,000 sq. ft. facility.

·     Cree introduces green XBright^tm LEDs.

·     Cree projects blue laser diode operating lifetime to exceed 10,000 hours at room temperature.

·     Cree opens branch in Tokyo and develops partnership/distribution alliance with Sumitomo Corporation.

·     Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering to break ground for building to house the Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems; lighting research will play a part in this center.

·     The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid-State Physics (Freiburg, Germany) purchases AIX system for developing nitride materials for UHB blue and UV LEDs, and violet emitting lasers for optical data storage.

·     GE was awarded US Patent No. 6357889, "Color tunable light source," covering technology to create controlled light emission using multiple LEDs or laser diodes.

·     Highlink Technology Corporation, a blue spectrum HB-LED venture, is founded in Taiwan.

·     JMAR receives $34.5 million DARPA contract for x-ray nanolithography system and semiconductor manufacturing, possibly applicable to GaN.

·     Kyma Technologies announces the production of single-crystal 2-inch GaN wafers; 4-inch wafers in development.

·     Lumileds and TIR enter into Chip Strip marketing agreement.

·     Lumileds' Luxeon LEDs used in automotive headlamps.

·     Lumileds will collaborate with Mitsubishi to develop HB-LED-powered backlit LCDs.

·     Lumileds Lighting develops white LED with an output of 120 lumens from a single package; blue LED outputs at 30 lumens.

·     Matsushita to market white LED fixtures.

·     Microsemi develops two new LED drivers for backlit and frontlit display systems.

·     Mitsubishi Chemical and Tohoku University to collaborate on GaN single-crystal substrate development.

·     New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (Japan)funds AlGaN and AlGaInN semiconductor research collaboration between Meijo University (Japan), Bristol University (UK), and Arizona State University.

·     Nichia debuts two high-power InGaN LEDs in heat and UV resistant surface mount packages that achieve 10 times the electrical power of current parts, emitting 23 lm for white, 7 lm for blue, 28 lm for blue-green, and 20 lm for green.

·     Oriol Inc. GIGABRIGHT^tm line of blue and white GaN HB-LEDs.

·     Osram Opto Semiconductor debuted its white LED interior automotive lighting at the 2002 Chicago Auto Show.

·     Osram Opto’s LEDs light Cadillac Cien concept car.

·     PARC, Inc. develops single-crystal MQW AlN UV-LED.

·     Police cars to be outfitted with LED emergency lights for longer light life when parked. 

·     Praxair announced that it will become a supplier of chemicals for the GaN semiconductor manufacturing market.

·     Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center and UCSB receive $3 million, three-year DOE grant to develop LED technology.

·     RIKEN researchers develop deep UV AlGaN laser in collaboration with scientists at Waseda U (Japan) and the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Japan).

·     Roithner Lasertechnik debuts two UV-LEDs emitting at 395 nm and 405 nm.

·     Sanyo has developed a blue laser diode emitting at 405 nm, for use in optical storage applications.

·     Seiwa develops novel blue LED using indium tin oxide.

·     Single Crystal Technologies receives US Patent No. 6,352,588 on novel materials purification and synthesis technology.

·     TIR to receive $6.6 million to develop intelligent lighting systems.

·     TIR receives $1.6 million in orders to light infrastructure projects in America and Canada.

·     Tokyo District Court rules Toyoda Gosei did not infringe on Nichia blue LED patents.

·     Toyoda Gosei and Toshiba launch white InGaN LED using phosphors and a 380 nm UV chip.

·     UCSB professor Nakamura's research to be funded by Rohm, Cree, and Mitsubishi Chemical and four other corporations.

·     UCSB professor Nakamura plans to license blue LED technology if he wins suit against Nichia.

·     UCSB professor Nakamura accused of perjury in statements concerning Nichia GaN patents (story carried by Science); Nakamura denies accusations and his lawyer issues strong rebuttal letter (story carried by CompoundSemi News). 

·     UCSB professor Nakamura has been awarded an ERATO grant of ~$16 million from the Japanese government; will study GaN bulk crystal formation.

·     UCSB professor Nakamura awarded Benjamin Franklin Medal for fundamental contributions to GaN technology.

·     Unity Opto has been awarded NT$500 million contract to supply LEDs to unnamed US auto manufacturer.

·     Wilbrecht Electronics develops multistack LED assembly.

Abstracts:

·      Agilent Technologies has debuted a new series of LEDs designed for application in automotive interior lighting, industrial instrument backlighting, and electrical appliance lighting.  The LEDs are packaged in the PLCC-2 surface-mount package.  Agilent states that, in the new packaging, their LEDs are reliable over temperature ranges from -55 şC to +100 şC.  The package dimensions are 3.2 mm x 2.8 mm x 1.9 mm.  Viewing angle is 120 degrees.  Bicolor and tricolor packages are expected to be available later in 2002. [ Press release]

·      AIXTRON AG will join Aachen University of Technology (Germany) and the Research Center Jlich (FZJ) (Germany) in a collaboration to develop GaN on silicon technology for high-frequency and high-power electronics applications.  The collaboration is geared toward supporting student research in this area.  Part of AIXTRON’s contribution to the project is to provide students with access to AIXTRON’s HeteroWafer Technology for epitaxial growth of GaN on silicon substrates.  [Article in Electronic Materials Update, Press release]

·      BivarOpto, a division of Bivar Inc., has introduced a UV-LED that emits at 400 nm at intensities of 500 mcds, up to 700 mcds.  The device has a 30° viewing angle and operates at temperatures from 25°C to +85°C.  It is available in discrete SMD and through-hole packages.  The new devices will also be offered in Bivar’s PIX-TEK and MAKO Super-Flux packages. [ Press release]

·      Cermet Inc. has received a production order for its wide band gap semiconductor substrates from a “top-tier US manufacturer”.  The substrate is Cermet’s 50 mm diameter substrate used in blue spectrum applications Defect densities for this recently-debuted substrate are claimed by Cermet to be comparable to GaAS substrates.  The name of the manufacturer placing the order was not disclosed. [Article in CompoundSemi News]

·      At Toy Fair 2002, Color Kinetics debuted new applications of its Sauce^tm color changing technology to the toy arena.  The Sauce line consists of fully controllable, color changing wands and accent lighting.  The new product line includes the MicroLightWand palm-sized light, the LightVu accent light that casts a streak of color, and the Stars and Stripes LightWand, which produces a wide variety of light effects using red, white and blue light. [ Press release / Businesswire] 

·      Color Kinetics has joined forces with Targetti, an Italian designer and manufacturer of architectural lighting fixtures and systems, to develop intelligent LED lighting fixtures.  The fixtures will use Color Kinetics’ Chormocore® LED technology.  The companies will jointly develop and market the new fixtures.  [ Press release]

·      Core Systems announced the opening of its new 35,000 square foot facility in Sunnyvale, California,  to be used to provide production ion implant outsourcing services.  Potential customers are in the MEMS and LED manufacturing sectors.  The facility is expected to be in production beginning in April 2002.  Core Systems also plans to expand its “InSourcing” capabilities, or the running of Core Systems machinery inside fabs owned by its customers.  [ Item carried by SemiSeekNews.]

·      Cree unveiled green XBright^tm LEDs on February 21, 2002.  The LEDs emit at the 505 nm and 525 nm wavelengths.  The new LEDs complement the blue XBright  introduced in early February.  The XBright 505 nm brightness is rated at 11 mW, while the XBright 525 nm has a brightness of 9 mW.  The devices are targeted at a variety of consumer product markets, including outdoor displays, advertising panels and traffic signals.  Detailed specifications for the entire XBright series can be found at http://www.cree.com/ftp/pub/line_card_read.pdf . [ Press release]

·      Cree announced that its new 405 nm, 3 mW blue laser diodes have a projected lifetime exceeding 10,000 hours at room temperature.  The diode is expected to meet the recently-agreed-upon industry standard for blue laser diodes used in DVDs, the Blu-Ray Disc standard. [ Press release]

·      Cree Inc. will open a branch in Tokyo to better service its Japanese customers.  In connection with this move, Sumitomo has been named as strategic partner of Cree, agreeing to buy $24 million of Cree's LED products over the next 15 months, based on customer demand and the terms of the agreement.  In Japan, Sumitomo will have exclusive distributorship rights over Cree LED chip products and silicon carbide wafer products for the next three years. Sumitomo will primarily acquire Cree's MegaBright^tm and XBright^tm LEDs.  [ Press release ]

·      Duke University announced that it will soon break ground for a new 320,000 sq ft building that will house the Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering and Applied Sciences, part of the Pratt School of Engineering.  The $97 million facility is scheduled for completion in August 2004.  The west wing of the building will house the new Fitzpatrick Center for Photonics and Communications Systems.  Funding for the Fitzpatrick Center was obtained by Dean Kristina Johnson, including a $25 million donation and additional support from Nortel Networks.  In a recent interview that appeared in the Raleigh News and Observer, Johnson emphasized the importance of lighting research, calling lighting the “next wave of photonics”.  [ Press release / Article in Raleigh News and Observer] 

·      The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid-State Physics (IAF), Freiburg, Germany, has purchased an AIX 220/4RF-S system to assist in the development of nitride materials for LED and optical data storage applications.  The GAN/GaInN materials will be used in the production of ultra-high-brightness blue and ultraviolet LEDs and for violet emitting laser diodes. [Article in Optical Manufacturing] 

·      General Electric was awarded US Patent No. 6357889, titled "Color tunable light source", on March 19, 2002.  GE’s patent covers a device containing multiple LEDs or laser diodes, with different emission wavelengths and multiple phosphors with different excitation and emission wavelengths.  By combining these onto a single device, and by controlling each diode separately, the light emitted can be made to produce specific brightness levels and colors.  [US Patent No. 6357889]

·      Highlink Technology Corporation is a new, blue spectrum HB-LED venture established in Taiwan by Chuong Tran, formerly of Emcore.  The company will produce product for China.  The company owns 8 MOCVD reactors, with plans to expand to 10 by year’s end.  They are already shipping to China.  As product quality increases, Highlink Tech plans to ship to the US as well. [Article in CompoundSemi News]

·      JMAR Technologies Inc. has received a three-year, $34.5 million contract award from DARPA for the development of JMAR’s one-nanometer point source laser plasma x-ray nanolithography system and the production of GaAs semiconductor integrated circuitry for military applications.  JMAR also sees civilian use for its technology, ultimately finding application in a wide variety of semiconductor manufacturing applications involving GaAs, GaN and other compound semiconductor materials.  [ Press release]

·      Kyma Technologies has started shipping 2-inch, single-crystal GaN wafers, with 4-inch wafers under development.  The single-crystal GaN substrates measure 50 mm in diameter and 500 micrometers thick.  The usable, n-type area exceeds 90%.  “Novel free standing GaN substrates mean high IR, visible, and UV transmission, high thermal conductivity and exact lattice matching for manufacturers who rely on substrates as core material for GaN-based wide bandgap semiconductor devices,” according to Kyma.  [ Press release]

·      Lumileds Lighting and TIR Systems Ltd. have entered into a marketing agreement covering Lumileds’ Chip Strip product line.  Under the agreement, Lumileds continues to manufacture the Chip Strip product line, and TIR assumes worldwide marketing responsibility (Australia and New Zealand excluded) as well as sales support for the product. [ Press release]

·      Lumileds’ Luxeon high-brightness LEDs had their debut in an automotive headlamp application at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland on March 5, 2002.  They were featured on the Fioravanti Yak concept vehicle.  This marks the first use of the Luxeon LED in a forward-lighting application.  Other Lumileds LEDs have been featured in automotive exterior lighting applications for several years, but have not been bright enough for forward headlamp use.  Links to pictures of the Fioravanti Yak concept car are available at the Lumileds Lighting website. [ Press release ]

·      Lumileds Lighting and Mitsubishi Electronic Corporation announced March 19, 2002, the formation of a strategic partnership in the area of LCD backlighting. Under the terms of the agreement, Lumileds’ Luxeon™ high-flux LED technology will be used to power Mitsubishi’s new TFT-LCD modules.  The LEDs will replace the cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) conventionally used in backlighting. The first monitors using this new technology combination are expected to ship by the end of 2002. [ Press release] 

·      Lumileds Lighting has developed a novel white LED that outputs 120 lumens from a single package, four times the luminous flux available from single white Luxeon LED packages.  The product, the white Luxeon 5-Watt, has the same footprint as the 30 lumen white Luxeon 1-Watt.  The Luxeon 5-Watt is also available in green and cyan, putting out 130 lumens, and in blue, putting out 30 lumens.  The Luxeon 5-Watt features a patented clear coat gel that is supposed to resist significant lumen depreciation for 50,000 hours, more than 10 times as long as conventional LEDs, according to a Lumileds press release. [ Press release]

·      Matsushita Electric Worksannounced that, starting March 15, 2002, they will market white LED fixtures, desk-top lights, and white-light LED display spotlight fixtures.  The outdoor lights will have lifetimes of 40,000 hours, or approximately 10 years at 10 hours use per day. [Nikkei Net Interactive, March 6, 2002]

·      Microsemi Corporation has developed two new drivers to control LEDs used in backlit and frontlit displays.  The LX1990^tm, a dual programmable current sink, can be used to provide even lighting of multiple LEDs used as indicator lights in electronics.  The LX1990 is packaged in a 6-pin surface mount MLP package.  The LX1993^tm is a high efficiency step-up boost controller for LEDS in backlit or frontlit systems.  It features an internal N-Channel MOSFET.  This driver can be used to control white, high brightness blue, green, or ultraviolet LEDs used in mobile phone and PDA displays.  Both drivers are optimized for use in battery-driven applications. The LX1993 uses an 8-Pin MSOP surface mount package. [ Press release]

·      Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation will spend ¥ 150 million over three years in a joint project with Tohoku University researchers to develop novel single-crystal bulk GaN substrates.  Mitsubishi Chemical plans to market both the GaN substrate and blue lasers developed using this substrate for use in DVDs. [Nikkei Net Interactive, March 2, 2002]

·      Japan's New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization is funding a collaborative project with universities on three continents to help develop UV lasers for use in super-high-density optical storage DVD drives.  A key focus of research will be super-wide band-gap AlGaN and AlGaInN alloys and superlattices.  Collaborators in this project include researchers at Meijo University (Japan), Bristol University (UK) and Arizona State University.  Wafers will be grown at Meijo University, and defects and dislocations in these wafers will be studied using electron holography and diffraction contrast microscopy at Bristol.  ASU scientists will focus on the structural properties of the wafers.  [Article in Electronic Engineering Times UK]

·      Nichia Corporation debuted two high-power InGaN LEDs that achieve 10 times the electrical power of current parts.  The chips measure 1 mm² in area and can be powered by up to two watts of electricity.  At a 350 mA current, the packaged LEDs emit 23 lm for white, 7 lm for blue, 28 lm for blue-green, and 20 lm for green.  The chips come in two package styles.  The NSCx180F is an inorganic package that is resistant to the heat generated by the larger area chip and can house UV-emission InGaN LEDs.  InGaN chips in the NSCx180F emit nearly 100 mW of 380 nm UV light at 500 mA.  Thermal resistance is 5°C/W.  Package size is 1 cm² and 2.3 mm high.  The NSCx180F has an estimated lifetime of 100,000 hours.  Specifications for the NSCx180F may be found online at http://www.nichia.co.jp/pdf/NSHx180F_E.pdf.  The second package style is the NSCx190D, which uses an integrated copper sink to dissipate heat.  Consequently, the thermal resistance is 8°C/W.  The estimated lifetime is 50,000 hours.  Package size measures 11.2 mm width, 7.2 mm length, and 6 mm height.  Specifications for the NSCx190D can be found online at http://www.nichia.co.jp/pdf/NSCx190D_E.pdf.  Both models can be installed using tandard assembly methods.  [ Press release]

·      Oriol Inc.has debuted a new line of blue and white HB-LED package-ready dies, the GIGABRIGHT^tm line.  LEDs in this GaN-sapphire die family emit at 445nm to 475nm, but can generate an output spectrum including UV, blue, green and white.  Brightness levels are as high as 5 candela at 20mA forward current, using 5 mm, 15 degree viewing angle packaging.  According to Oriol’s president Burt Lancaster, this is 1.5 candela brighter than other dies available on the market.  Oriol dies are also compatible with industry standard packaging.  The dies are in production and available for shipping.  [Article in CompoundSemi News.] 

·      Osram Opto Semiconductor’s white LED lights were on display inthe 2002 Lincoln Navigator on display at the 2002 Chicago Auto Show.  Osram’s white Power TOPLED®, SIDELED®, and 3 mm radial lighting technology are used to create a uniform interior lighting scheme for the Navigator.   Ford Motor Company served as the lighting integrator on the project.  The white color was achieved by using a blue LED dye and yellow phosphorous converter material.  [PR Newswire, here.]

·      Osram Opto Semiconductors’ LEDs continue to find application in the automotive industry.  Osram Opto products can be found on display in the Cadillac Cien concept car at auto shows this year.  For the Cien, Osram Opto products are found in the rear combination lamps and front turn signals.  A new product, the Golden Dragon® LED, can be found in the rear fog lamps.  Additional Osram Opto LEDs are used in the interior lighting. [PR Newswire on Yahoo, here.] Note: User will have to download the document.

·      Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (PARC, formerly part of Xerox) has developed a UV LED on single crystal AlN.  The device was created in collaboration with Crystal IS, manufacturer of the AlN substrate.  The LED consists of GaN/AlGaN multiple-quantum-wells with emissions near 360 nm.  The LED is 100 microns in diameter.  It is targeted for applications in the areas of biological agent detection, solid-state lighting, and sterilization and analytical devices. [Article in CompoundSemi News]

·      Police cars are being outfitted with LED emergency lights in order to reduce energy consumption while the car is parked, according to a story that appeared in Law Enforcement Technology.  The LED lights also last longer than conventional police emergency lights, resulting in lower maintenance costs.  LED emergency lights will be featured on Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge models equipped for law enforcement.  [Article in Law Enforcement Technology (02/02), summarized in NLECTC Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology News Summary here.]

·      According to a story in CompoundSemi News, Praxair has announced that it will become a supplier of high-purity ammonia, nitrogen, hydrogen, and bulk delivery systems to GaN compound semiconductor manufacturers.  In conjunction with movement into this sector, Praxair has promoted Greg Herman to the job of Business Director for Compound Semiconductor Market. [Article in CompoundSemi News]

·      Researchers at Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center (LRC) and UCSB have received a $3 million, three-year DOE grant to develop white light and other LED technology, according to a February 4, 2002 story appearing on the RPI web page ( http://www.rpi.edu/web/Campus.News/feb_02/feb_4/lrc.html).  UCSB scientists will focus on developing the semiconducting elements while LRC researchers will focus on the development of devices for general lighting applications.  In addition, LRC has the responsibility for organizing a consortium of LED manufacturers and other organizations to develop standards for devices used in solid-state lighting applications.

·      RIKEN researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) and the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Yokohama, Japan), have developed an efficient AlGaN deep UV laser emitting at wavelengths in the 232 to 284 nm range.  Peak efficiency occurred when a sample with an N-barrier containing 80% Al was excited with a 215 nm-emitting xenon light source at 77°K.  The efficiency was comparable to blue-emitting InGaN-based quantum wells at 77°K.  [Article in Laser Focus World – requires free registration to access article.]

·      Roithner Lasertechnik (Austria) has debuted two UV-LEDS.  These LEDs have a viewing angle of 25 degrees and emit at 395 nm and 405 nm.  The target markets are security equipment and medical applications. [ Press release]

·      Sanyo announced March 15, 2002, that it had developed a blue laser diode that emits at 405 nm.  It has targeted this diode for optical storage applications.  Sanyo diodes are made using the ion implantation technique, which produces a GaN device with low noise and enhanced stability.  The diode comes in a 5.6 mm diameter package.  It operates in a single transverse mode, with output power of 5 mW at an operating current of 45mA.  The threshold current of 40 mA is claimed, with beam divergence of 8° in the horizontal plane and 30° in the vertical.  Sanyo claims that its technology does not infringe on patents held by Nichia.  Mass production of these devices is anticipated to start in April 2003.  [Article in Optics.org]

·      Seiwa Electric Manufacturing Company (Japan) has developed a new blue LED technology that uses transparent indium tin oxide electrodes to generate light. The light is claimed to be “high brightness” and the LED is claimed to be “reliable”.  In a story appearing in Asia Pulse, Seiwa claimed that its technology does not infringe on any Nichia patents.  Seiwa says it has 13 blue and green LEDs in production, with 10 more in development.  Seiwa also has applied for some 20 patents to cover this technology. [Asia Pulse, March 28, 2002.]

·      Single Crystal Technologies has been awarded US Patent No. 6,352,588, entitled “Materials Purification”.  This patent covers methods for the purification and synthesis of semiconductor materials.  Although the patent is specifically for CaF₂ and related materials used in 157nm photolithography technology, the methods can be applied to other semiconductor materials such as SiC, SiN, and AlN.  In the process, gas is passed through a melting material to which dopant and treatment liquid or solids have been added.  This treated material is passed through a second chamber in which additional materials are added.  The final melt is shunted to a crucible, which then can distribute the material for casting, crystal growing or other purposes.   According to the press release, when the process is applied to SiC, the final product is suitable for blue-light-LED applications. [ Press release; US Patent No. 6,352,588]

·      (updating earlier story) TIR Systems Ltd. has received $6.6 million from the Canadian government to develop an adaptive power drive system for intelligent LED devices.  This drive system will feature full-range digital control and next-generation communications protocols.  The system will integrate optical films and thin coatings in its products.  TIR expects to add or maintain 159 jobs as a result of this investment by the government.  [ Press Release, see also “backgrounder” information at end of document.]

·      TIR Systems Ltd. (Canada) has received orders totaling $1.6 million to develop lighting solution for a variety of infrastructure projects in North America.  These projects include:  The Green River Tunnel (WY), Calgary Airport Arrivals Area (Canada) and The 4th Avenue Bridge (Olympia, WA).  In lighting these infrastructures, TIR will use its Light Pipe^tm and Dual Beam technologies to provide both daytime and nighttime illumination. [ Press release.]

·      The Tokyo District Court has ruled that Toyoda Gosei did not infringe on Nichia’s gallium nitride-based blue LED patents No. JP2735057 and JP2770720.  The February 28, 2002 ruling brings to six the number of rulings in Toyoda Gosei’s favor in the ongoing patent feud with Nichia.  Details of the ruling can be found on the Toyoda Gosei website at http://www.toyoda-gosei.co.jp/english/topics/020228.html.

·      Toyoda Gosei and Toshiba have developed an InGaN LED that generates white light.  The product features phosphors and a 380 nm UV short peak-wavelength chip.  The diode is reflow-solderable and comes in a 3.2 x 2.8 mm phosphor-mixed transparent resin package.  The operating temperature range is from 40°C to approximately +100°C.   Luminosity is 100 mcd at 20 mA, with a 120° viewing angle.  [ Laser Focus World, requires free registration.]

·      University of California-Santa Barbara professor Shuji Nakamura is to head a research team funded by Rohm, Cree, Mitsubishi Chemical and four other undisclosed corporations.  The goal of the project is to develop white lamps using semiconductor lasers.  Each company plans to contribute $2.5 million to the project. [Japan Weekly Monitor, February 11, 2002]

·      University of California-Santa Barbara professor Shuji Nakamura has announced plans to license his blue LED technology, according to an article that appeared in Optics.org.  Nakamura is anticipating a win in his lawsuit with Nichia over patent rights to blue LED technology that Nakamura developed during his tenure at Nichia.  Under Japanese law, patent rights are awarded to the inventor, not the inventor’s employer.  The lawsuit will be decided by a Tokyo District Court judge in May 2002.  Nakamura says that he intends to license his technology “to everyone”, which is expected to reduce the cost of blue laser diodes market-wide and to greatly diminish Nichia’s dominance in the field.  [Article in Optics.org]

·      According to a story carried by Science, UCSB professor Shuji Nakamura has been accused by US District Court Judge James Fox of lying about Nichia patents.  The accusations surfaced in a March 15, 2002 letter to federal prosecutors, made public in the electronic newsletter Internet Patent News Service.  The story was picked up by the journal Science (Vol. 296, April 5, 2002, p. 31).  The disputed US patents (5306662, 5578839, 5747832, and 5767581) cover Nakamura’s landmark LED and laser diode work done while he worked at Nichia.   According to Fox’s letter, statements made by Nakamura, in a court deposition related to the North Carolina State University and Cree Inc., vs. Nichia Corporation and Nichia America Corporation patent dispute, conflict with claims made by Nakamura in the patent applications filed by Nichia.  Thus, Fox accuses Nakamura of lying to either the US Patent Office or in his recent depositions regarding Nichia patents.  [CompoundSemi News has retained a copy of the Fox letter, available at [ http://www.compoundsemi.com/news/pdf/nakafox.pdf.]  Either way, Fox recommends bringing perjury charges against Nakamura.  In statements made to Science, Nakamura has denied the charges.  In a letter to Jo Ann McDonald of CompoundSemi News, Nakamura writes, “As for the four Nichia patents at issue in the North Carolina litigation, Nichia Corporation made the decision regarding what should or should not be included in the patent applications that it filed in the United States Patent Office on behalf of the company.  Any questions about those patents should be directed to Nichia Corporation”.   According to the story in Science, prosecutors have several years to decide whether to prosecute Nakamura. [Articles in Science, CompoundSemi News, Internet Patent News Service]

·      Nakamura (continuing above):  In a story issued April 21^st, CompoundSemi News reports that Nakamura’s lawyer had issued a rebuttal letter to these charges April 3, 2002, sent to Peter Kellen, Assistant U.S. Attorney (online letter has been removed from the web).  The letter includes a statement that fabricated data in U.S. patents were created by Nichia employees, not Nakamura, and that the Japanese court system is looking into a possible perjury indictment of a senior patent department employee at Nichia.  For more detail on this unfolding story, see article and McDonald Report (“Let the GaN Games… Stop”) in the April 21^st issue of CompoundSemi News.

·      UCSB professor Shuji Nakamura has been awarded a 1.7 billion yen (~$16 million) five-year Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) grant by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation.  Nakamura will use the grant to study methods for making bulk GaN crystals or ingots and will initially focus on making a special high-pressure, high-temperature vessel for bulk crystal fabrication.  The intellectual focus is on exploring the nature of inhomogeneity in nitride crystals, in particular finding mechanisms that permit tuning of energy levels in crystals affected by inhomogeneity.  For this research, Nakamura will collaborate with colleagues at the Japan Tokyo Science University and at Tsukuba University.  Nakamura is the second Japanese residing in the US to receive this award.  In a press release, Nakamura expressed his deep appreciation for the award, saying, "The ERATO award is less like the standard research grant than it is like a gift.  The ERATO grant is a wonderful, creative way of supporting research. I am deeply honored that JST has selected me as the focus for their generous and visionary support." [ Press release]

·      UCSB professor Shuji Nakamura has been named a recipient of the 2002 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Engineering from the Franklin Institute for his “… fundamental contributions to the optoelectronic technology of gallium-nitride, which culminated in the development of violet/blue laser diodes and in the implementation of High Brightness Light Emitting Diodes. These devices improve today's technology and have the potential of revolutionizing the lighting industry. Dr. Nakamura's success in gallium-nitride epitaxy started worldwide research in gallium-nitride semiconductor technology.”  [ Press release]

·      Unity Opto Technology Corporation has received a LED order worth NT$500 million from a US car manufacturer.  Unity Opto provides super bright LE s used in rear brake lights and turn signals.  The name of the automaker was notdisclosed. [Taiwan Economic News, March 29, 2002]

·      Wilbrecht Electronics has developed a multistack LED assembly that allows LEDs to be stacked one, two or three units high.  Custom spacingup to 6 inches (15 cm) wide can also be accommodated without special tooling.  The unit will accept as many as 36 LEDs. [Article in EDN here. ]