Since 07/16/2002
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ISSUE 13: BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS |
|
A selection of news appears in this section. |
|
A. General News B. New Products C. Novel LED Lighting Applications E. Government Funding Opportunities, Contracts and the NGLI Where possible, links to full-text articles and press releases have been included in the abstracts. Click on the links in the table below to go directly to the abstract. |
|
|
|
· Cermet announces low defect density ZnO substrate development. · Cree’s fourth quarter revenue outlook has been revised upward by 3-6%, with expected revenue growth of 8-11% in the quarter ending June 2002. · Dow Corning and NeoPhotonics have established a partnership to develop photonic crystal technologies for optical and telecommunications markets. · The International Workshop on Nitride Semiconductors (IWNS) will be held July 22-25, 2002, in Aachen, Germany. · The conference Light Emitting Diodes 2002 will be held October 21-23, 2002 in San Diego, Calif. · Lumex has formed Sunbrite to supply diodes for illumination applications. · Lumileds grants exclusive patent license in Taiwan for AS AlGaInP LED technology to United Epitaxy. · The Materials Research Society Fall 2002 meeting will feature a cluster of symposia on electronic and photonic materials. · Nichia and Osram settled their patent disputes and entered into a patent cross license agreement. · OIDA holds second LED Technology Roadmap Workshop; highlights of talks by speakers from UC-SB, Brown Univ., NCSU, Lumileds, and RPI given in brief. · An updated OIDA LED Technology Roadmap , based on discussions from the OIDA workshop, is scheduled to be completed Aug 2002. · Taiwan’s Quan Xing Development Technology Co. has developed a three-wavelength white LED. · RPI's Lighting Research Center has initiated a collaboration with UCSB to create high efficiency LEDs, and has also launched the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technology (ASSIST). · Sandia’s SSL work and website publicized in press releases from the lab; news covered in major publications such as Science and Business Week. · Taiwanese LED makers saw a sharp rise in orders in the first five months of 2002 as South Korean and Chinese mobile phone manufacturers switched their orders from Japanese LED makers. · Tokyo Denpa and Mitsubishi Chemical are collaborating to develop single crystal GaN wafers. · Traffic lights in Virginia, Maryland, western New York and Washington, D.C., as well as throughout Japan, are slated to be replaced by LEDs. B. New Products · Blue Sky Research introduces µLenstm, a technology for optimizing the output of blue laser diodes. · LG Laser-Technologies GmbH has introduced its new BluePhoton® Laser Series, a 405 nm blue-violet laser with optical output power at both 5 mW or 30 mW. · Nanocrystals Technology gave a presentation on the use of quantum confined atoms to generate white light at the NanoTech Planet Conference in May, 2002. · Rohm has plans to launch a blue LED that uses LED technology from Cree. · Sumitomo Electric has developed a novel single-crystal GaN substrate. · TIR Systems has introduced a solid state RGB colorwash product built on Lumileds’ Luxeon LED. · Vishay Intertechnology has released its ultrabright Vishay Telefunken TLC LEDs, which have luminous intensities as high as 20,000 mcd. C. Novel LED Lighting Applications · Astucia has developed intelligent LEDs road studs. · Bladelight has produced LED headlights and taillights for rollerblades. · Hella has introduced a modular lighting system for vehicles. · Hokey Spokes introduces flashing LEDs for bicycle wheels. · Litecubes has launched glow-in-the-dark ice cubes to light up the cocktail hour. · University of California-Berkeley scientist develops blinking bumper for buses. D. Research Results · Georgia Institute of Technology announced the development of hydrogel nanoparticles for use as tunable photonic crystals. · Oriol has developed a vertical GaN HB-LED. · Otto-von Guericke Universität Magdeburg researchers have invented a means of growing GaN wafers on silicon. · PARC and Crystal IS scientists grow UV LEDs on single-crystal AlN. · Researchers at Philipps University and Kaiserslautern University in Germany have developed a wavelength tunable blue laser light from a frequency-doubled diode laser based on periodically-poled LiTa03. · Princeton University researchers use embossing to create nanosized features on chips without lithography or etching; expect the technique to be applicable to III-V substrates. · Sanyo Denki has developed an ion injection manufacturing method for making GaN-based blue-violet lasers. · Scientists at Shizuoka University (Japan) have used two-photon excitation to observe the internal defects in semiconductor crystals. · University of Bremen researchers have produced a GaN-based blue-violet laser diode. · University of Louisville scientists grow gallium nanowires. E. Government Funding Opportunities, Contracts, and the NGLI Open Solicitations · Army SBIR for research aimed at developing mathematical modeling and computational tools and procedures for analyzing epitaxial film growth. · NSF SBIR/STTR for research on more efficient means of integrating semiconductor components and devices into systems. Contracts · Cermet receives contracts from the Missile Defense Agency to develop GaN boules and UV sensors. · Cree has been awarded $14.4 million in contracts under DARPA’s Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology Initiative covering GaN and SiC substrate development. · Crystal IS has received a DARPA contract valued at $1.156M to develop 50 mm AlN substrates. · EMCORE has received a $4M contract from DARPA to develop GaN-based electronic devices. · Uniroyal Technology’s Sterling Semiconductor received $9M from DARPA to develop SiC semiconductors; however, the sale of Sterling to Umicore fell through. Next Generation Lighting Initiative (NGLI) · The Next Generation Lighting Initiative was incorporated into the engrossed Senate amendment (passed on 4/25/02) of H.R. 4, The Energy Policy Act of 2002. · Energy secretary Spencer Abraham noted the Next Generation Lighting Initiative in a recent speech. · The NGLI was discussed in a recent article in Science. F. Overview Articles · IEEE Spectrum featured GaN in its May 2002 issue, including an overview of GaN transistors by Les Eastman and Umesh Mishra. · An extensive article reviewing advances in high-brightness LEDs has appeared in the May 27, 2002 issue of Electronic Design. |
| · Cermet has announced the development of a low defect density ZnO-based compound semiconductor substrates. The new substrate features defect densities of about 1 x 104 per cm2. According to a Cermet press release, the defect densities are four orders of magnitude in improvement over levels routinely achieved in industry. [ Press Release] · Cree has announced an upward revision of its revenue estimates for the period ending June 2002. Previously, Cree had forecast growth of around 5%, but now projects growth in the 8-11% range. For the quarter ending September 2002, Cree forecasts revenue growth of at least 5% over that of the quarter ending in June 2002. Stronger than expected demand for LED products, particularly for wireless handsets, is driving the revenue growth. [ Press Release] · Dow Corning and NeoPhotonics have announced that they will collaborate on the development of the next generation of photonic crystal technology. The technology will be commercialized for the optical and telecommunications markets. Additional information about the partnership was not disclosed. [ Article in Laser Focus World ] · The International Workshop on Nitride Semiconductors (IWNS) is scheduled for July 22-25, 2002, in Aachen, Germany. The workshop program and registration materials are available at http://www.fz-juelich.de/iwn2002/frames.html. Scheduled speakers include: Alois Krost (Otto-von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany), Lester F. Eastman (Cornell University), Takashi Mukai (Nichia Corporation, Japan), Hock M. Ng (Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies), Enrique Calleja (Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain), Stacia Keller (UCSB), and Frank Steranka (Lumileds Lighting). · Intertech has announced that it is soliciting presentations for the third annual Light Emitting Diodes 2002 conference. The conference focuses on opportunities and advancements in HB-LEDs, solid state lighting applications and technologies. The conference will be held in San Diego on October 21-23, 2002. Planned conference sessions include: global market outlook and assessment; five-year market forecast: supply, demand and pricing trends of HB LEDs; regional differences in market size and penetration; LED supplier status and technology roadmaps; penetrating the general illumination market; OLEDs versus LEDs and the market for small and large displays ; standardization and industry consolidation; codes, standards, and nomenclature; industry collaboration and harmonization; impact and status of patents and intellectual property; safety and testing issues; efficacy,color rendering, and chromaticity; global lighting initiatives; environmental concerns and benefits; technology update and challenges; “white” LEDs: UV, blue, binary/complementary, phosphors and RGB solutions; LED lifetime and stability improvements; compound semiconductor breakthroughs in AlInGaP, AllnGaN, InGaAlP, InGaN, and AlGaAs; innovations in epitaxy and substrates; advances in colored LEDs, increasing lumens per watt; solid state lighting system approaches; electronic drivers; thermal resistant packaging and materials considerations; optics andluminaire design; organic light emissive devices (OLEDs); applications and market potential; LEDs for general illumination; transportation signs and signals; architectural lighting, contour lighting, and “architainment”; full-color dynamic displays; automotive lighting standards; aeronautical applications; wireless communication, including lighting for handheld PCs, cell phones and PDAs. (Conference details may be found here.) · Lumex has formed the Sunbrite group. Sunbrite’s mission is to develop LEDs for general lighting applications. Its products will be used in suchillumination applications as signs, traffic signals, and automotive lighting. A list of productsavailable from Sunbrite can be found at: http://www.sunbriteleds.com/products.htm . [ Article in Optics.org ] · Lumileds: In Taiwan, United Epitaxy Co. Ltd. has secured an exclusive license to Lumileds’ AS AlGaInP LED technology. Further details of this licensing agreement were not immediately available. [Article in The Taiwan Economic News] · The Fall 2002 meeting of the Materials Research Society will include a cluster of symposia on electronic and photonic materials, including a symposium on GaN and related alloys. The GaN symposium is being organized by E. T. Yu, J. S. Speck, Y. Arakawa, C. M. Wetzel, and A. Rizzi. A tentative list of invited speakers posted on the website includes: H. Amano (Meijo Univ., Japan), E. Calleja (Univ. Politecnica de Madrid, Spain), C. Gmachl (Lucent Technologies); H. Hasegawa (Hokkaido Univ., Japan), P. Kordos (ISG-F Jülich, Germany), M. Krames (Lumileds), D. Look (Wright State Univ.), M. Murakami (Kyoto Univ., Japan), P. Fini (Univ. of California, Santa Barbara), J. Northrup (Xerox), and A. Wright (Sandia National Labs). [Schedule at the MRS Website] · Nichia Corporation and Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Germany) have agreed to drop their patent disputes over InGaN semiconductor and packaging technology in favor of a patent cross license agreement. Details of the agreements were not made public. [Press Release] · OIDA Workshop: The second OIDA LED Technology Roadmap Workshop was held in Albuquerque on May 30, 2002. Presenters included: Don Cook (SNL), Steve Den Baars (UCSB), Arto Nurmikko (Brown), Axel Scherer (CalTech), Robert Davis (NCSU), Weng Chow (SNL), Thomas Kuech (University of Wisconsin), Shuji Nakamura (UCSB), James F. George (Permlight Products) Chips Chipalkatti (OSRAM), Nadarajah Narendran (RPI), Kevin Dowling (Color Kinetics), Jonathan Epstein (Legislative Fellow, US Senate), Alok Srivastava (GELcore), Paul Martin (Lumileds) and George Craford (Lumileds). Some highlights from the presentations: Þ Shuji Nakamura (UCSB) showed that GaN LEDs can be made from materials with higher defect densities than can laser diodes. He also highlighted the importance of chip shaping for improved external extraction efficiency. Þ Arto Nurmikko (Brown U.) discussed a single-aperture, dual-wavelength-emitting GaN semiconductor under development in his lab. This device has the potential to emit white light more efficiently than if the light is generated from several LEDs or by down-conversion using phosphors. Þ Robert Davis (NCSU)reviewed crystal growth technologies and concluded that cantilever epitaxy is currently among the most promising technologies for GaN substrate growth. Þ Paul Martin (Lumileds Inc.) compared the potential wall plug efficiencies of white LED lamps based on the three main technologies: blue with YAG phosphor, UVLED with RGB phosphors, and RGB LED mix. Each technology has advantages and disadvantages, but the RGB LED mix is likely to have the highest efficiencies. Þ Nadarajah Narendran (RPI) discussed the importance of market pull in bringing white LED lighting into the consumer market. To achieve this pull requires several key technologies, including: computer modeling of lighting systems to achieve desired optical effects, thermal management to passively dissipate heat generated by LED operation, and improved metrics to describe light quality and quantity so that products can be more meaningfully compared. · OIDA LED Technology Roadmap: At the OIDA LED Technology Workshop described above, workshop participants broke up into four groups to discuss priorities for the roadmap. These four groups were: "Substrates, buffers and epitaxy," headed by Bob Davis and Thomas Kuech; "Physics, processing and devices," headed by Steve DenBaars and Bernd Keller, "Packaging and white light production systems," headed by George Craford and Paul Martin; and "Lighting fixtures and systems," headed by Jim George and Chips Chipalkatti. The results of these discussion groups will be compiled and edited by Jeff Tsao of Sandia National Labs, and incorporated into an updated OIDA roadmap, scheduled to be completed in August of 2002. · The Economic Daily News contained a brief item announcing that Taiwan’s Quan Xing Development Technology Co. has developed a three-wavelength white LED. The company plans to start mass production of the LED in July 2002. [Additional information about this development not available.] [Article in the Economic Daily News] · RPI's Lighting Research Center has initiated a collaboration with UCSB's Shuji Nakamura to increase the efficiency of solid state lighting systems used for general illumination. They are focusing on ways to ensure that a greater share of the photons generated by an LED escape the device and to create suitable architectural fixtures for these LEDs. The research, led by RPI's N. Narendran, will focus on three key areas: the development of suitable epoxy materials to use as LED encapsulants, the creation of luminaires appropriate for architectural lighting applications, and human factor studies to determine lighting properties needed for general illumination applications using LEDs. This research is being funded by DoE. RPI has also launched the Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technology (ASSIST), a consortium of solid-state lighting manufacturers and government agencies with the goal of promoting research, demonstration and education programs for LED lighting. [ Press Release] · Sandia National Laboratories’ work with solid-state lighting [ press release] and their solid-state lighting website [ press release] was publicized in press releases issued by the lab in mid-April 2002. Science (June 7, 2002) included a brief discussion of Sandia’s SSL work in an article about the Next Generation Lighting Initiative in a “News of the Week” item, entitled “Lighting Initiative Flickers to Life.” The article notes that Sandia plans to invest nearly $6 million by the end of 2003 in solid-state lighting studies, including work on modeling potential materials on a supercomputer. Business Week (May 13, 2002) also covered Sandia’s SSL work in a brief article, “Tripping the LED Fantastic,” in the “Developments to Watch” column. · LED manufacturers in Taiwan have seen a sharp rise in orders from Chinese and South Korean mobile phone makers. Everlight Electronic Co. posted pretax profits of NT$170 million in the first five months of 2002, up from NT$16 million this quarter last year. Bright LED Electronics Corporation has recently obtained a huge LED order from South Korea and expects a significant growth in revenue beginning in June 2002. In the first four months of this year, pretax profits at Bright LED reached NT$73.81 million. South Korean orders have also streamed into Epistar Corporation and United Epitaxy Corporation. As a result, Epistar’s pretax profit of NT$20 million during the first five months of the year reached NT $56 million; United Epitaxy posted similar pretax profits. According to a June 24, 2002 story appearing in Taiwan Economic News, the growth in LED orders given to Taiwanese manufacturers comes at the expense of Japanese manufacturers. [Articles from Taiwan Economic News] · Tokyo Denpa (Japan) and Mitsubishi Chemical (Japan) are collaborating onthe development of single crystal GaN wafers. According to an article appearing in Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the companies are striving to have the product developed in two years and to be in mass production within three years. The wafers are being developed for use in blue spectrum laser diodes and HB-LEDs. [ Article in CompoundSemi News] · When used in traffic lights, LEDs are so economical that governments are rapidly replacing their conventional traffic signals with LED models. Recently, Virginia’s Department of Transportation has begun to replace all of its intersection lights with LEDs. LEDs have also been given the go-ahead for use in parts of Washington, D.C., with Maryland officials experimenting with the technology. Officials in western New York State and Buffalo have also begun a project to retrofit traffic signals at major intersections, with almost all the traffic signals along state roads in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties already converted. Finally, the Japanese National Police Agency has been given the go-ahead to retrofit all 1.2 million of the traffic signals in the country with LEDs. [Articles in The Washington Post, The Buffalo News, and The Daily Yomiuri.] · Blue Sky Research has introduced its µLenstm technology. Mounted in front of a blue laser diode, the function of µLens is to capture nearly 100% of the power emitted by the diode, circularize the beam, and correct any distortions in the beam. Thus, µLens solves key problems in the use of blue laser diodes in communications applications, eliminating the need for multi-element optics, prism pairs and hard beam aperturing. Blue Sky offers the µLens-blue laser diode couple in several configurations. [ Press release posted at CompoundSemiconductors Online] · LG Laser-Technologies GmbH has introduced is new BluePhoton® Laser Series. The BluePhoton is a 405 nm blue-violet laser operating in single mode with a round beam profile from 1 to 6 mm in diameter. The optical output power of the BluePhoton is 5 mW or 30 mW. The optional fiber coupling with a single-mode, polarization-maintaining fiber features an optical output power of 22 mW. Lifetime operations are greater than 5000 h. [ Article in Optics.org] · Nanocrystals Technology founder Rameshwar Bhargava gave a speech at the NanoTech Planet Conference on May 14, 2002, entitled “Commercial Applications of Quantum Confined Atoms.” Quantum confined atoms (QCA) are single atoms confined inside of a nanocrystal. When excited by UV light, the atom re-emits light in the visible spectrum. The wavelength emitted is a function of the type of atom trapped in the nanocrystal. By combining QCAs emitting in the red, green and blue wavelengths into a single fixture, a white-light-emitting device can be produced. To exploit the commercial potential of this discovery, Bhargava has launched a new division of Nanocrystals Technology, the Nanocrystal Lighting Company. Bhargava is negotiating with Philips, GE, and Siemens about partnerships to develop lighting applications for QCA. (A recent article about QCA co-authored by the company founder is “Quantum confined atoms of doped ZnO nanocrystals,” R.N. Bhargava, V. Chhabra, T. Som, A. Ekimov and N. Taskar; Physica Status Solidi B, 229(3):897-901 2002.) This company and QCA were the focus of an article on the Nanotech Planet website. [ Article at NanotechPlanet.com ] · Rohm Co. (Japan) announced in early May that it would launch a blue LED product based on technology from Cree. As of the writing of this report, the product had not been launched. [Article from the Jiji Press English News Service] · Sumitomo Electric has announced the invention of a new kind of single-crystal GaN substrate. The substrate features an orderly arrangement of low dislocation areas. Each of these areas is about 500 microns in diameter, with dislocation densities of 10,000 to 100,000 per cm2. Two-inch wafers have been produced and samples are being shipped. Sumitomo is currently working to mass produce the substrate. [ Press Release] · TIR Systems has introduced a new RGB colorwash product to its Destiny LED series that incorporates Lumileds’ Luxeon™ LEDs. According to the manufacturer, the colorwash product is a “specification grade luminaire” supported by new power conversion, control and optical technology tailored to high flux LEDs. The product will be available for shipment in the fourth quarter of 2002. [ Press Release] · Vishay Intertechnology has introduced its ultrabright Vishay Telefunken TLC LEDs. Based on AlInGaP (red and yellow) and InGaN (blue), the TLC devices are available in 8° and 18° emission angles. The red AlInGaP LEDs emit 20,000 mcd at 8° and 11,000 mcd at 18°. The blue LEDs emit 2,000 mcd at 8° and 1,500 mcd at 18°. The LEDs measure 5 mm in diameter and provide a reverse voltage of 5 V. [ Article in Electronic Engineering Times] C. Novel LED Lighting Applications · Astucia (UK) has developed “smart” LED road studs (raised pavement markers) that get their power from sunlight and headlights. The LEDs can be seen from up to 900m away at night. The LEDs come in two types of packages. The SolarLight Night is a single-color road stud that is solar-powered and comes on when light levels drop below pre-specified levels. Coming in white, red, and amber, the SolarLight Night LEDs can be used to mark lane boundaries. Astucia also produces an advanced SolarLight Night LED that changes color if a driver is following too close to the car immediately in front of him or her. The basic model costs $32 each. [ Article in Optics.org] · Bladelight (Germany) has produced LEDs that can be strapped to rollerblades, providing both forward illumination and taillight signaling. Blue LEDs, emitting at 468nm with an output power of 2500 mcd, can be strapped to the front of the skate, providing illumination forward and downward. Red LEDs, emitting at 645 nm with output power of 180 mcd, can be strapped to the heel of the skate as well. The LEDs are powered by batteries and can run for 8 to 10 hours before needing recharging. [ Article in Optics.org] · Hella has introduced MOLIS, a modular LED lighting system for vehicle lighting. MOLIS consists of strips of LED mini-lamps that can be arranged in a wide variety of contours and lengths. Each mini-lamp is 44 mm long by 10 mm wide by 20 mm thick. A variety of shapes are available. Each lamp contains a series of micro-lenses that reflect the LED light outward, masking the actual LED from view. According to the press release, the effect is to create indirect light while hiding the LED components from view. The MOLIS product is currently being used in center high-mounted brake lights and combination rear lights. [ Press Release] · Hokey Spokes has introduced computer-controlled LED light strips that attach to bicycle spokes. As the bicycle wheel spins, intricate designs are created. Due to persistence-of-vision effect, the design appears to cover the whole wheel. The more strips per wheel, the more intricate the design and the slower one can travel and still have the design resolve. Users can create their own designs using a palm-based hand-held device, and then transfer the design to the strips. Hokey Spokes strips start at $24.99. [Article in The New York Times] · Litecubes has recently launched glow-in-the-dark ice cubes. Each ice cube contains an LED encased in non-toxic gel that, when frozen, cools a drink like a regular ice cube. When the cubes are tapped, however, the LED inside turns on. The cubes come in red, yellow, orange, green, blue or white. The sealed device runs on a lithium battery, providing 12 hours of continuous use. [ Article in Laser Focus World] · University of California-Berkeley scientist Theodore E. Cohn has developed a blinking LED bumper system to help drivers avoid collisions with buses. The invention addresses a common problem that car drivers have, namely being able to correctly judge the distance to, and speed of, large vehicles. The surface of the bumper sports a bar with eight groups of two LEDs, with each group controlled individually. The bar is attached to a radar gun mounted over the rear window of the bus. When a vehicle gets too close, it triggers the light bar, causing the LEDs to light up from the center outward. This pattern simulates the visual experience of rapidly approaching an object and, therefore, draws the attention of the vehicle driver to the presence of the bus. The lighting system has been tested on buses in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Cohn is also contemplating passenger train applications. [Article in The New York Times] · Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have invented a novel type of tunable photonic crystal made of hydrogel-based nanoparticles. The optical properties of these nanoparticles can be adjusted by thermally varying the water content of the particles. When incorporated into a fluid, these particles could be “self-assembled” into a variety of periodic structures capable of transmitting specific wavelengths of light. The fluid containing the nanoparticles can be processed using such standard processes as spin coating, casting and molding. The nanoparticles, which range in diameter from 50nm to 1 micron, are synthesized from poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (pNIPAm) lightly cross-linked with N,N-methylenebis(acrylamide)(BIS). The optical properties are conferred on the nanoparticles by the removal of water by annealing, and then re-absorption of water during crystallization. This process results in an ordered 3-D hexagonal array with the structure necessary for optical properties. The wavelength of the nanoparticles can be controlled through adjustments to nanoparticle hydration. Wavelengths can be adjusted in 1nm increments over a wavelength range of 200nm. This research was conducted by Andrew Lyon and colleagues. Lyons presented the research at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society on April 8, 2002, in the symposium on "Self-assembled Photonic Band Gap Materials." [Article at Global Technoscan] · Oriol Inc. has announced the development of a vertical, GaN-based, blue HB-LED made using Oriol’s proprietary sapphire substrate liftoff technique coupled with a bonded metallic base. The device requires only a single wirebond as the bottom of the chip serves as the second contact. Wafers up to 2 inches in diameter can be made with this technique. When packaged, the HB-LED is expected to produce up to 6 candela at 20mA forward current when using 5mm, 15° viewing angle packaging. The vertical HB-LED is part of Oriol’s GIGABRIGHTtm line. [ Press release posted at CompoundSemiconductors Online] · Researchers at Otto-von Guericke Universitãt Magdeburg (Germany) have invented a way to grow GaN wafers on silicon. Armin Dadgar and coworkers begin by growing a AlN:Si seed layer at low temperatures before initiating GaN growth. Two AlN:Si layers are also grown between subsequent GaN films. The combined thickness of the GaN layers is 2.8 microns, with no cracking visible. A reduction in mechanical stress and the formation of lattice dislocations were monitored using x-ray diffraction. The LEDs produced had a peak emission at a wavelength of 455 nm, with an output power of 152 μW at 20 mA. The research was published in A. Sadgar, M Poschenrieder, J. Blasing, K. Fehse, A. Diez and A. Krost, “Thick, entirely crack-free GaN-based light-emitting diode structures on 2 in. Si(111) using low-temperature AlN interlayers and in situ SixNy masking”, Applied Physics Letters, 80:3670-3672 (May 20, 2002). [ Nature Membership required to access article] · Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and Crystal IS researchers have succeeded in growing a UV LED on a single-crystal AlN substrate. The LED incorporates a GaN/AlGaN multiple quantum-well active region. Light is emitted through the transparent AlN bottom. The emission wavelength is approximately 360nm. The dislocation density of the substrate is less than 103 per cm2. [Article in Optics.org] · Scientists at Philipps University (Germany) and Kaiserslautern University (Germany) have developed a wavelength tunable blue laser that is not GaN-based. Instead, a fan-structured crystal of periodically-poled LiTa03(PPLT) is used to frequency-double a laser-diode emission. A laser emitting in a range from 960 to 980 nm is directed toward a grating, redirected through an aperture and into the PPLT crystal. The wavelength of the light hitting the PPLT crystal is dependent on the position of the aperture relative to the crystal, making the device tunable between 480 and 490 nm. Output power in the blue region is about 50 nW. If an all-liquid crystal array was used in place of an aperture, wavelength tuning could be accomplished without any moving parts. [Article in Opto & Laser Europe] · Princeton University researchers Stephen Chou and colleagues have developed a method to emboss nanostructures on silicon wafers. Using this technique, features smaller than 10 nm can be directly imprinted on the wafer surface, avoiding the need to create these features through etching, electron beam lithography, and self-assembly. The technique is called “laser-assisted direct imprinting” (LADI). LADI involves liquefying the surface of a silicon substrate using pulsed-laser irradiation, and then pressing a quartz mold into the liquefied surface to imprint the nanostructures. LADI has been successful for imprinting both single- and polycrystalline silicon, and the authors expect it to be successful on other substrates, including III-V compound semiconductors. This research was published in S.Y. Chou, C. Keimel and J. Gu, “Ultrafast and direct imprint of nanostructures in silicon”, Nature, 417:835-837 (June 20, 2002). (In addition to his appointment at Princeton, Chou is also founder of the company NanoOpto Corporation, where he served as Chairman until June 18, 2002. NanoOpto makes optical networking components using nano-optics and nano-manufacturing technology.) [ Nature Membership required to access article ] · Sanyo Denki has invented a new method for making GaN-based blue-violet lasers that eliminates the etching step. In this method, after the GaN layers are grown, ions are injected into the layers and electrodes are formed. The final device consists of electrodes sandwiching a three-layer structure consisting of a cladding layer, an active layer and a GaN layer. Compared to conventionally-made structures, the device manufactured by Sanyo Denki is 50% smaller, has a stable beam shape, and reduced noise and operational current. The wavelength emitted is 405nm. Output power is 5 mW and the operational current is 45 mA. This laser is being marketed for optical storage applications. [ Article in Laser Focus World] · Shizuoka University (Japan) scientists have used a method called “two-photon excitation” to make three-dimensional observations of defects in ZnSe blue laser semiconductor crystals. Defects to a depth of 200 µm could be detected in an image area of 64 x 64 µm2. This discovery was published in Y. Kawata, S. Kunieda, and T. Kaneko, “Three-dimensional observation of internal defects in semiconductor crystals by use of two-photon excitation”, Optics Letters, 27(5);297-299 (March 1, 2002). [ Abstract in Optics Letters] · Researchers at the University of Bremen led by Detlef Hommel have produced a blue-violet laser diode on a GaN substrate using a 3x2” CCS MOCVD reactor. This is the first time a European company has achieved an electrically pumped blue laser from GaN-based materials. The research was done in collaboration with a group at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland led by Marc Illegem. The reactor used was the Thomas Swan Scientific Equipment Ltd reactor based on the closed-coupled showerhead principal. [ Press release posted at CompoundSemiconductors Online] · University of Louisville scientist M. Sunkara and coworkers have developed a way of growing gallium nanowires from pools of gallium. Nanowire size was controlled using gas phase chemistry. The gallium nanowires can be grown in bulk by spreading a thin film of gallium in a reactor and exposing it to a gas in an excited state. This research will be presented at the annual meeting of the Materials Research Society in November. [ Press Release]
E. Government Funding Opportunities, Contracts, and the NGLI Two new open solicitations were identified: · Army SBIR Topic A02-243: Computational Nano-Science and Technology Tank Automotive RD&E Center (TARDEC) Closing Date: August 14, 2002 OBJECTIVE: The research is aimed at developing the mathematical modeling and efficient computational tools and procedures for analyzing of epitaxial (i.e., thin films on substrates) film growth. [ Entire SBIR solicitation, Topic A02-243 only]. Contact period is now closed. Applications are currently being accepted. · NSF SBIR/STTR FY-2002 - (EL) Electronics: Microelectronics Manufacturing, Subtopic P: Microelectronics Packaging and Systems Integration Closing Date: January 22, 2003 OBJECTIVE: NSF is interested in research on more efficient means of integrating semiconductor components and devices into systems. The growth in chip density, coupled with the demand for high performance, small size, light weight, and affordable reliability has placed enormous pressure on interconnect technology at all levels. Proposals in intra and inter chip integration, controlled collapse chip connection (C4) or flip chip packing, multi-layer ceramic packaging, multi-chip modules, fine line printed wiring boards and sealing methods are invited. [ SBIR/STTR solicitation]. Inquiries to Dr. Winslow Sargeant, SBIR/STTR Electronics Program Manager, wsargeant@nsf.gov (703) 292-7313. Solicitation Opens: October 1, 2002. Contracts Þ Cermet received a contract to develop GaN single crystal boules from which very high quality substrates can be wafered and polished. The substrates will be used by DoD in the production of high power, high frequency transistors for radar, monitoring and communication systems. [ Press Release] Commercial applications of these substrates include laser diodes and LEDs. The terms of the contract were not disclosed. Þ Cermet was also awarded a contract to develop tunable thin films for UV sensors addressing the issues of defects, tunability and sensitivity. Additional contract details were not disclosed. [Press Release] · Cree has been awarded two DARPA contracts via the Office of Naval Research as part of DARPA’s Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Technology Initiative ( BAA01-35). The first contract is for $8.8 million over 18 months to develop 4” semi-insulating substrates for GaN-based HEMT and SiC-based MESFET microwave devices. Epitaxial processes for substrate manufacturing are also covered. ONR may extend this contract by 6 months and $2.9 million. The second contract, $5.6 million over 18 months, is for the development of low defect density, 4” n-type 4H-SiC substrates and the technology for manufacturing them. High voltage SiC PiN rectifiers and MOSFETs will also be developed. At the discretion of ONR, this contract can be extended by six months and $1.8 million. [ Press Release] · Crystal IS has been awarded a $1.156M contract from DARPA to develop 50 mm AlN substrates for the nitride semiconductor industry. The substrates will have applications in high-density optical storage media and in components for wireless and satellite communications. Improvements in substrate thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity, as well as reductions in defect density, are also specified in the contract. Crystal IS has committed $226,000 to capital equipment purchases for this project. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Virginia Commonwealth University are subcontractors on this project. [ Press release posted at CompoundSemiconductors Online] · EMCORE Corporation has signed a $4M contract with DARPA to develop GaN-based high power, high frequency electronic devices for military applications. Part of the contract covers the development of 4-inch GaN wafers using EMCORE’s GaN TurboDisc technology, which is currently used to produce 2-inch GaN wafers for FETs. [ Press Release] · Uniroyal Technology’s Sterling Semiconductor has been awarded $9M in contracts from DARPA. The two-year contracts cover the development of improved 3- and 4-inch SiC substrates, advanced SiC epitaxy, and SiC semiconductor devices. In addition, conducting and insulating substrates for electronics will also be developed. The contracts will be administered by the USAF labs in Dayton, Ohio. Following the announcement of the contract awards, the sale of Sterling to Umicore USA fell through. Umicore USA is owned by the Belgium materials company Umicore. [ Press release posted at CompoundSemiconductors Online] Next Generation Lighting Initiative (NGLI) · On April 25, 2002, the portion of the Senate bill relating to the Next Generation Lighting Initiative (NGLI) was incorporated into the engrossed Senate amendment of H.R. 4, The Energy Policy Act of 2002. The NGLI is described in Sec. 1213 of the engrossed Senate amendment. Detailed activities related to the bill are available from the Library of Congress’ Thomas database here. The bill is currently in a House-Senate conference committee chaired by Representative Billy Tauzin. · The NGLI was also recently mentioned in a speech made by Secretary of Energy, Spencer Abraham, that described current energy policy and the exciting possibilities of solid-state lighting. The comments were made in a speech to the National Press Club on June 12, 2002. · Science carried an article reviewing the NGLI in the June 7, 2002 issue (v.296) in a “News of the Week” item, entitled “Lighting Initiative Flickers to Life.” The article covers the history of the initiative from its conception (noting the early participation of OIDA, Sandia National Laboratories and Hewlett-Packard) to its current status as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2002. Arpad Bergh of OIDA, Jerry Simmons of Sandia Labs, and Steven DenBaars of UC-SB offered commentary for the article. · The May issue of IEEE Spectrum has featured GaN in its cover story, "The Toughest Transistor Yet". The story was written by Les Eastman (Cornell University) and Umesh Mishra (University of California-Santa Barbara). The emphasis of the article is on the electronics vs. photonics applications of GaN. [ McDonald Report in CompoundSemi News] · An extensive article in the May 27, 2002 issue of Electronic Design, “High Brightness LEDs Shine in Novel Lighting Applications,” covers recent technological advances and challenges in LED lighting. Included in the discussion are activities involved in the Next-Generation Lighting Initiative and work by and products from Lumileds, Cree, California Micro Devices, Toshiba, Toyoda Gosei, Uniroyal, and Nichia. Markarand Chipalkatti of Osram Opto provided some commentary. The article provides an extensive introduction to the technology and terminology of LED lighting. [ Article in Electronic Design] |
|
The information presented in this section has been developed by Perspectives, a firm that specializes in technical and market intelligence, with assistance from Sandia National Labs. NOTE : The provision of summaries and mention of specific manufacturers or products does not constitute an endorsement by Sandia National Laboratories or Perspectives; nor is the information presented warranted or guaranteed by either Sandia National Laboratories or Perspectives. |
|
Point of Contact: Jeff Tsao |
Last modified: |
Web site maintained by: Dorothy Meister |