A.   Developer News

·   Agilent and Lumileds will collaborate on a new series of mid-power LEDs for the automotive, mobile phone and lighting markets.  Lumileds will provide high-brightness LED chips and technology, and Agilent will contribute design, development and system integration expertise, including its patented manufacturing techniques.  The first products from the collaboration are expected to be available in Q4 of 2004.  They will be sold by Agilent, distributed by Future Electronics and use LED chips from Lumileds.  [ Press release ]

·   Aixtron is collaborating with researchers in Belarus to develop silicon-based LED technology for solid-state lighting.  The three-year project is aimed at improving LED performance and exploring silicon as a low-cost alternative to the more expensive sapphire or SiC substrates.  The project, funded by the International Science & Technology Center in Russia, will be conducted by the Laboratory of Semiconductor Optics, Stepanov Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.  [ Press release ]

·   Aixtron sold an AIX 2600G3 MOCVD system to Sony.  The system supports growth on multiple wafer configurations ranging from 3-inch to 6-inch diameters and is able to process various compound semiconductor devices.  The system includes an EpiRAS® 2000TT sensor for in-situ measurement of doping, composition, thickness and true temperature during the epitaxial growth.  [ Press release ]

·   AXT (Fremont, Calif.) reported in a quarterly earnings conference call that virtually all of its substrate lines are now being produced in its facility in mainland China, with approximately 20% still being produced in the USA.  By the first quarter of next year, 100% of its products will come from the China operation, company officials said.  [ Item in CompoundSemi News ]

·   Blue Diode Laser Manufacturing:  NEC, Toshiba, Matsushita, Sharp, and Sanyo all plan to start manufacturing blue diode lasers next year, according to Tokyo's Nihon Keizai Shimbun business newspaper.  Until now, Nichia, which has a licensing agreement with Sony, has been alone in the blue laser market.  Nichia itself has a new building already primed to meet the expected increase in demand for the devices in next-generation data storage applications.  The report says that NEC Compound Semiconductor Devices will begin sample shipments in the first half of 2005, with lasers manufactured by NEC Kansai Ltd. and assembly outsourced to another company in Japan.  Toshiba is reported to have developed production technology to bring the cost of a laser to about $46 per unit.  It is also believed to be starting mass production of lasers in the first half of next year, as well as releasing a DVD recorder.  Matsushita recently released a DVD recorder featuring a blue laser made by Nichia.  It plans to introduce products featuring its own lasers next year, says the report.  [ Item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   Carmanah Technologies received a $1.1 million contract to supply solar-powered LED aviation lights for two air bases in the Middle East for the U.S. Marine Corps.  Applications will include runway edge, threshold, taxiway and obstruction lighting.  The two orders are for a total of more than 1900 units of Carmanah's Model 601 and 700 Series Aviation Lights.  [ Press release ]

·   Color Kinetics signed on four new OEM and licensing partners: Crystal Fountains, a provider of water feature solutions; Electrix Illumination, a manufacturer of architectural lighting fixtures; Grupo G1-V3, a Mexico-based lighting firm; and KIM Lighting, a manufacturer of outdoor architectural and landscape lighting products and division of Hubbell Lighting, Inc.  [ Press release ]

·   Color Kinetics was awarded three new patents in August and early September:  [ Press release 1, Press release 2, Press release 3 ]

Ø       U.S. patent 6,788,011 extends the coverage of the company's core methods for controlling LED-based illumination.  The patent relates in part to an LED-based lighting system comprising a user interface and an addressable controller that receives a network signal, to include such protocols as DMX512, a lighting industry communication standard.
Color Kinetics now holds 35 issued patents and has more than 120 patent applications pending that range from core technology and products to high-level control systems, complete lighting systems, applications and methods of use.

Ø       U.S. patent 6,777,891 relates to a miniaturized, integrated, intelligent solid-state string light with independently controlled individual LED nodes, including technology that is implemented in Chromasic™, the company's proprietary integrated circuit that allows a reduction in the cost, size, weight, and complexity of systems requiring many small light sources.  By refining control down to the singular LED level, this technology enables complex and intricately designed effects that may span many thousands of nodes, making previously unattainable or cost-prohibitive lighting designs possible.  Products that leverage this technology are used in applications such as the lighting of exterior facades, stage and television sets, hospitality venues, and exhibits and displays.

Ø       U.S. patent 6,774,584 relates to color-controllable pool and spa lighting systems, including retrofit systems and custom solutions designed to exhibit the practical and aesthetic benefits of solid-state lighting.  One aspect of the patent relates to controlling the lights based on a detectable condition which, for example, may be a user-controlled interface.  Another potential application is an intelligent light that senses chlorine levels, temperature, or other variables within a pool or spa and displays particular colors in response.

·   A federal judge in North Carolina has dismissed a $3.2 billion shareholder lawsuit against Cree, saying the case against the company was deficient and allowing 45 days for the investor group, with the Louisiana Teachers' Retirement System as lead plaintiff, to file an amended complaint.  The case was a combination of 19 previous class-action lawsuits by shareholders alleging fraud, with a revised complaint filed in January.  [ AP news item in Winston-Salem Journal ]

·   Cree reported record-high revenues and earnings for its fourth quarter and for FY04.  In the fiscal year ending June 27, 2004, Cree earned revenues of roughly $306.9M, an increase of 34% over revenues from the previous fiscal year.  [ Press release, Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   Cree was the subject of feature articles in two major business publications.  The item in Business Week’s online “Focus Stock” section included insight by Standard & Poor's Equity Research Services, as well as a concise overview of the company, products, and product strategies.  Investor's Business Daily featured an interview with CEO Charles Swoboda.  [ Article in Investor's Business Daily (subscription required) , Article in Business Week; see also analysis and commentary in CompoundSemi News ]

·   Cree plans a $300 million expansion of manufacturing and R&D operations near its Durham, N.C., headquarters.  The expansion, to include the expected creation of 300 new jobs over the next five years, will begin this fall and is intended to position the company for growth in its LED chips, XLamp™ and power product lines.  The state of North Carolina has made available about $5.1 million in incentives related to job creation, capital expenditures and R&D activity.  [ Press release ]

·   Cyberlux, a North Carolina-based developer of white lighting systems using GaN LEDs, will acquire Massachusetts-based TrueToForm Ltd. (TTFL), a specialty lighting manufacturer with customers that include hotels, casinos and restaurant chains.  Cyberlux was founded in 2000 and produces emergency lighting augmentation and home safety light products.  TTFL is expected to become the "specialty lighting division" of Cyberlux.  [ Press release ]

·   Cyberlux received U.S. Patent 6,752,515 for a broad range of emergency lighting technology using LEDs as the illumination source.  The awarded patent provides protection across 24 claims for lighting systems capable of generating long-term interim lighting, including the lighting device and associated methods for providing emergency or temporal lighting.  Specifically, the patent addresses an electrochemical lighting system capable of providing prolonged illumination with the use of LEDs as the illumination source.  The patent encompasses lighting devices capable of providing long-term interim lighting via an array of LEDs, the means for providing electrical energy to the LED array, the capability of multi-level light intensity consistent with light longevity and power source relationships including conventional A/C, solar, various electrochemical assemblies or all other means of electrical energy support.  [ Press release ]

·   Epistar, in July, began withdrawing from the blue LED market in South Korea, according to Global Supplier Net.  The move was expected to result in decreased monthly revenues, from NT$300 million in June to about NT$200 million in August.  Company officials said a decision to avoid the price-cutting competition that had dropped the average price of standard diodes to NT$1 per unit was behind the withdrawal.  Epistar, Formosa Epitaxy and a United Microelectronics subsidiary were the three major Taiwanese firms able to break into the South Korean blue LED market, according to the article.  [ Article at Global Supplier Net ]

·   Epitech is ramping up production and has purchased seven of AIXTRON's MOCVD mass production tools.  The company will add large-scale AIXTRON Planetary Reactors for the mass production of AlGaInP-based red, orange, and yellow-green UHB-LEDs, as well as CCS (close coupled showerhead) type reactors for the mass production of GaN-based blue, green, UV and white UHB-LEDs.  All systems will be installed at Epitech's plant in the Tainan Science Based Industrial Park in Taiwan.  Epitech officials said they expect the additional production capacity to improve Epitech's position as a high-end LED Epi-wafer supplier for the complete spectrum of UHB-LEDs, from the deep red to the UV range, including power LEDs for white lighting applications.  [ Press release ]

·   EV Group (EVG), a supplier of wafer-bonding and lithography equipment, received an order from an unnamed U.S. HB-LED manufacturer for an automated and fully integrated temporary bonding cluster.  The EVG system enables processing of wafers well below 100 microns, which is key to making devices for high-intensity LEDs in mobile appliances, and other compound semiconductors, such as power devices and high-frequency devices.  The EVG850 Series systems bond wafers temporarily to allow backside processing, increasing production yield by protecting thin and fragile wafers.  [ Press release at TMCNet.com ]

·   Gentex Corporation is shipping white LED-powered automatic-dimming mirrors, which automatically darken to reduce glare from the headlamps of vehicles approaching from the rear, for several BMW models.  The mirrors use proprietary electrochromic technology to dim in proportion to the amount of headlight glare from trailing vehicle headlamps.  [ Article in CompoundSemi News, Press release ]

·   Harvatek (Taiwan) saw a 20- to 30-million-unit decrease in orders for SMD LED chips in July, attributed to a decrease in orders from its major client, Agilent Technologies, according to an article in DigiTimes.  The company shipped 170 million SMD LEDs that month, with about 130 million used for handset LEDs.  Orders are predicted rise again during August to November, with another seasonal drop in November.  [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   INTRINSIC Semiconductor will acquire Bandgap Technologies, a defense contractor and manufacturer of SiC wafer products, with the intention of increasing its production capacity to serve the SiC and GaN markets, as well as improving upon INTRINSIC’s “distinct intellectual property position,” say company officials.  They anticipated that joint operations would be fully integrated by the end of August 2004.  [ Press release ]

·   Some 96% of patent fees that Japan’s national universities earned in fiscal year 2003 came from inventions related to blue LEDs developed by Professor Emeritus Isamu Akasaki of Nagoya University, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.  Fourteen institutions, including those established jointly by multiple national universities and national colleges of technology, earned a total of about 427 million yen in patent fees.  Of that amount, about 410 million yen came from six patented technologies that Akasaki was involved in developing.  Nagoya University, Toyoda Gosei Co. and the government's Japan Science and Technology Agency jointly have patent rights over the technology.  Patent fees are divided among the three entities in proportion to the ratio of contributions they made to its development.  Six inventors of the technology, including Akasaki, receive part of the patent fees as remuneration for their roles in developing the technology.  [ Article in Mainichi Daily News]

·   Jiangxi Lianchuang Optoelectronic Science and Technology, one of four national semiconductor lighting bases in China, aims to build a complete LED industrial chain covering epitaxial wafer, chip manufacture and packaging.  The company has founded production bases in Nanchang, Ji'an and in Xiamen, Fujian Province, according to Asia Pulse.  The company is teaming up with Japanese partners in developing new LED epitaxial materials and LED lights, and with a domestic university in developing LED automobile lights.  The product line includes LED optoelectronic elements, optotelecommunication devices, optoelectronic couplers, relays, optoelectronic cables, electroacoustic devices and opto-telecommunication systems.  [ Article in Solid-State Technology ]

·   Kopin appears to be considering making some changes to its HB-LED manufacturing business.   Kopin said the CyberLite LED product line has a negative gross margin and its future looks uncertain.  Kopin's CEO John Fan said that the company is "evaluating different business models, including pairing our technology with a lower cost structure."  Fan told analysts that the “current business model for our LEDs is not sustainable.  We are exploring a range of business models that will encourage and enable us to combine superb technology with a low cost structure.  We hope to complete our evaluation by the end of this year.”  CompoundSemi News  noted -- “loosely translated, that means Kopin will either exit the LED business altogether, move its LED manufacturing to Asia, and/or team in some way with one or more established Asian LED manufacturers.”  [ Article in CompoundSemi News,   Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net,]

·   Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology has applied for a patent (WO2004/067677) for a strontium silicate-based phosphor with a europium activator, described in the “Patent Highlights” feature at Optics.org.  The inventors say the yellow-emitting phosphor, which can be used in combination with a blue LED to produce white light, shows a wide emission spectrum and that the main peak can be altered by changing the concentration of europium.  [ Article at Optics.org, Patent application WO2004067677 ]

·   Lumileds has signed 10 European companies to its Luxeon Lighting Network, which offers LED luminaire manufacturer guidelines in order to encourage designers and architects to specify LED products for their projects.  The network's members include James Thomas Engineering, LightProjects, LumiDrives, Philips Luminaires, Nios, Space Cannon, Solar GB, Bocom, Altekno and BREE.  The Network offers the lighting industry's first LED luminaire guidelines that provide a high level of confidence for predictable performance when specifying Luxeon LED lighting systems.  The network will help assure designers, architects and other specifiers who work with Certified Luxeon Luminaire Manufacturers that they receive luminaires capable of delivering the desired lighting effects as well as reliable long-term performance, and luminaire manufacturers and related solution providers can guarantee performance to end users through a clearly defined set of design and development requirements.  [ Press release ]

·   Lumileds says its high-power Luxeon® LEDs are bright enough to replace conventional bulbs on a one-for-one basis in rear vehicle lighting applications.  Although LEDs are common in center high-mount stop lamps, Luxeon LEDs are the first LEDs with sufficient power to light all rear vehicle applications including turn signals, tail lights, brake lights, rear fog lamps and back-up lights, say company officials.  In addition to the usual energy-efficiency and durability advantages of LEDs, Lumileds officials cite safety concerns: because a Luxeon LED lights up more than 1 million times faster than an incandescent bulb, brake lights illuminate much faster and a driver can react more quickly.  At 60 miles per hour, stopping distance is increased by more than 25 feet, enough space to drastically reduce the speed of a collision or avert it all together.  [ Press release ]

·   Lumileds and Epistar settled litigation centering on Lumileds' U.S. patent 5,008,718.  The parties agreed to dismiss all claims and counterclaims in the lawsuit, but the exact terms of the settlement were not disclosed.  As part of the settlement agreement, Lumileds has granted Epistar a limited license to practice several patents in the field of absorbing-substrate AlInGaP LEDs.  The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.  [ Lumileds Press release ]

·   Lumileds’ Luxeon® LEDs will illuminate the world’s first LED backlights for LCD home TVs, which Sony says enables the TVs to deliver truer and richer colors.  The Luxeon light source is integrated into Sony’s 40- and 46-inch QUALIA series televisions, scheduled to go on sale in Japan by the end of the year.  The display system in the QUALIA 005 televisions delivers a color gamut that is 105% of the NTSC color space.  By comparison, conventional technologies can only reproduce 65 to 75% of the NTSC color space.  There are significantly more hues and tones available in a wider color gamut allowing for finer and more exact color definition, according to Lumileds.  The QUALIA 005 is also measured at 150% of sRGB, and the Luxeon LEDs can be used to match Adobe RGB color space, ensuring that on-screen representation matches printed output.  The use of Luxeon also allows for full control of the backlight system so that the white-point, color and brightness can be optimized for every application, such as movies, games and photos.  [ Lumileds Press release, Article in PC Magazine, Article at PC World, Sony press release ]

·   Nichia will collaborate with the Taiwanese LED component manufacturer Opto Tech in the production of InGaN material for blue LEDs.  The move is part of Nichia’s plan to secure the LED supply chain.  Nichia officials said the agreement is part of the company's ongoing process of setting up alliances with Taiwanese manufacturers.  Opto Tech is noted as a major shareholder of the Taiwanese LED developer/manufacturer Highlink, and one of Highlink's major partners.  Reports at CompoundSemi News and DigiTimes suggest that Highlink is a pivotal blue link to the Nichia/Opto Tech licensing and supply arrangement.  Also, Nichia recently revamped its website, which features its slogan, “Ever Researching for a Brighter World.” [ CompoundSemi News: Article 1; Article 2;  Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net; Article at DigiTimes (subscription required) ]

·   Nitronex is now selling GaN-on-silicon epitaxial wafers which use large-area (100mm) silicon substrates.  The company says it intends its new products to allow for widespread GaN-based device commercialization in applications and markets such as high temperature and hall sensors, switches, micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) systems, high frequency monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), military radar and communications applications, as well as radio frequency (RF) power transistors.  [ Press release, The McDonald Report in CompoundSemi News ]

·   OnScreen Technologies, a developer of LED video displays and delivery systems, announced that the company has completed its Phase II design with Solectron, moving toward the launch of its next generation LED video displays.  The company anticipated beginning the manufacture process within 30 days.  Company officials said they expect to deliver their first RediAlert™ portable LED signs during this calendar year.  [ Business Wire item at InvestorIdeas.com ]

·   Dominant Semiconductors (Malaysia) has filed an unfair competition lawsuit against Osram in U.S. District Court in California.  The suit alleges violation of state and federal unfair competition laws, interference with contractual relations, and trade disparagement.  Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that Osram has, since at least 2001, made false and misleading statements about Dominant’s products to Dominant’s customers and end users in bad faith and with intent to irreparably harm Dominant.  Such statements included Osram’s widespread public dissemination, in September 2003, of false and misleading correspondence and letters to customers accusing all of Dominant’s product lines of infringing Osram patents, according to the lawsuit.  Osram also falsely accused Dominant of infringing Osram’s LED chip technology, the suit claims.  Dominant seeks various forms of relief, including an injunction and monetary damages for the dollar volume in sales revenue that it says it has lost and will continue to lose.  Dominant also seeks recovery of Osram’s ill-gotten gains and punitive damages.  The suit follows a similar complaint filed by Osram against Dominant.  [ Dominant Press release, Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net, Article in EETimes Asia  (registration required) ]

·   Osram has received a declaration from distributor American Opto Plus Inc. that it will not import or market any LEDs that infringe Osram’s patent rights.  This declaration relates in particular to products supplied by the manufacturer Dominant Semiconductors Sdn. Bhd. (Malaysia), against whom Osram Opto Semiconductors has filed a lawsuit with the International Trade Commission in Washington for infringement of patent rights.  The patent rights cover two basic technologies for LEDs: conversion technology, which enables white LEDs to be manufactured with only one semiconductor chip by means of a suitable phosphor converter; and technology involved in special designs for electrical connections such as those used for high-power LEDs.  [ Press release at CompoundSemi News ]

·   Picogiga’s sales of compound semiconductor substrates, including GaN-on-silicon wafers, rose by 93% year-on-year to reach €1.6 million - more than the subsidiary's total sales in the entire first half of the previous fiscal year.  Picogiga, a subsidiary of Soitec (France), was previously focused on RF devices applications of its engineered substrates, but is now planning to target optoelectronic devices as well.  [ Item at CompoundSemiconductor.net  ] 

·   France's Riber and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique have jointly set up a process technology center for development of all types of nitride devices.  The center is dedicated to "the development and integration of new growth and characterization processes including (silicon-compatible) GaN-based HEMTs, HFETs, LEDs and laser diodes," according to Riber.  The center, located near Nice, France, features a Compact 21 GaN MBE system and will offer individually tailored training courses.  Riber and CNRS operate a similar laboratory dedicated to phosphide work.  [ Press release at CompoundSemi News, Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net, Article in CompoundSemi News ]

·   Sensor Electronic Technology (Columbia, SC) says it is scaling up production of deep-UV (280 nm) LEDs with a high output power and a low drive current.  According to the company, the devices emit 1 mW continuous-wave output at 280 nm with a drive current of 25 mA.  In pulsed mode, the same devices yield 9 mW when driven at 200 mA.  The company has been working on developing the novel light sources, which could be used in biological agent detection, spectroscopy and water purification, under a DARPA Small Business Innovation Research contract.  [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   Toyoda Gosei has become a co-patent holder of white LED patent number WO02054502, jointly owned by Tridonic Optoelectronics GmbH (Austria), Leuchtstoffwerk Breitungen GmbH  and Litec GbR (both of Germany), with which Toyoda Gosei has been working as a licensee.  The patent, for a blue LED/new yellow phosphor combination for producing white light, has US equivalents in the application stage.  [ Press release, Article in CompoundSemi News, Patent application WO02054502 ]

·   Unity Opto Technology (Taiwan) plans to expand monthly white LED capacity from 10 million to 30 million units in September, based on large orders from major international companies, according to the company.  Unity Opto also plans to offer products for 17-inch display backlights by September.  [ Article in CompoundSemi News reporting on news carried by Digitimes]

·   Veeco Instruments announced the sale of a D180 GaN MOCVD tool to Beijing Changdian Zhiyuan Optoelectronics, a subsidiary of Changjiang Electronics Technology (China).  The company will use the system to develop novel applications for GaN materials.  [ Press release ]

·   Veeco Instruments received a $10 million order from Lumileds for GaNzilla® MOCVD GaN production equipment as part of a multi-year purchase order for additional systems.  Lumileds officials said the purchase was part of the company's plan "to ramp our GaN production program."  [ Press release ]

·   Xilver, a Netherlands-based design firm specializing in LED products for entertainment, display, and architectural lighting, is featured in an article in Lighting Dimensions.  In 2002, Xilver introduced its first product, the Droplet.  The company's team members, an average of 26 years old, have been named “product designers to watch.”  Director, founder, and partner Tommy Voeten discusses issues of brightness, consistency, and market acceptance in Europe.  [ Article at LightingDimensions.com ]

B.   New Products

·   Advance Transformer announced the expansion of its line of signPRO™ drivers for LED lighting systems to include two new damp location-rated drivers for Luxeon™-branded LEDs in each of two input voltages (120v and 230v).  Specially designed for Luxeon products, the new sign drivers are available in 350mA models (for up to 7 or 8 Luxeons) and 700 mA models (for up to 12 Luxeons, 1 Luxeon line or ring, 5 Luxeon III models, or 3 Luxeon V models).  Advance’s new damp location-rated drivers are appropriate for sign settings where moisture could be a concern, such as applications involving self-contained channel letters or raceway installation.  [ Article at Thomas.net Industrial News Room ]

·   Agilent Technologies introduced high brightness surface-mount LEDs for automobile interior and exterior lighting applications.  The Power PLCC-4-packaged LEDs come in a four-pin, leaded-chip carrier and measure 3.2 mm (H) x 2.8 mm (W) x 1.9 mm (D).  The package is a form and fit replacement for similar devices from other manufacturers.  Available colors for the AlInGaP LEDs include red (310-1000 mcd at 50 mA), red (500-1600 mcd at 50 mA), red-orange (400-1260 mcd at 50 mA), orange (400-1260 mcd at 50 mA), amber (400-1260 mcd at 50 mA), amber 500-1600 mcd at 50 mA), emerald green (40-130 mcd at 50 mA).  Colors for the InGaN LEDs include green (310-1000 mcd at 30 mA), cyan (310-1000 mcd at 30 mA), and blue (80-250 mcd at 30 mA).  Typical interior applications include instrument cluster, central console and switch backlighting, while typical exterior applications include high-mount stop lamps, rear combination lamps, side marker lamps and turn signals.  [ Press release ]

·   Agilent Technology introduced a series of extra-bright white InGaN LEDs targeted for the electronic sign and signals market.  The HLMP-CWxx circular-pattern and HLMP-FWxx flat-top extra-bright white LED lamps are available in 15-, 23-, 30-, 50-, 70- and 85-degree circular viewing angles.  The spatial radiation pattern, high luminosity and weather-resistant packaging make the devices suitable for wide field-of-view outdoor applications, where a wide viewing angle and readability in sunlight are essential.  The lamps are supplied in 5 mm (T-1 3/4) through-hole packages.  Possible applications include gaming machines, traffic signals and signs, stadium scoreboards, advertising and other variable message signs.  [ Press release ]

·   Arques Technology introduced charge-pump white LED drivers, the AQ9156B and AQ9153.  These dual-mode 1X - 1.5X switched-capacitor (charge pump) regulators are suitable for white LED backlighting and photo flash applications, according to the company.  The output is a regulated 4.5V, up to 120 mA output current, and capable of driving up to six parallel white LEDs over the typical Li-Ion input voltage range from 3.0V to 6.0V.  They feature an efficient (>80%), 1.5X charge-pump circuit that uses only two ceramic bucket capacitors and two small filter capacitors for VIN and VOUT, allowing a compact, low-profile system design.  The LED brightness can be adjusted by applying a PWM signal to the ENA pin.  [ Press release ]

·   Carmanah Technologies has released the world's first solar-powered, LED-based, self-contained, GPS-synchronized marine light.  The new  Model 701-GPS and 702-GPS marine lights are three-nautical-mile navigation lights that coordinate with GPS satellite time signals to allow any number of units installed anywhere in the world to flash in unison.  Built-in GPS receivers in Carmanah's lights require only one satellite signal to synchronize precisely the beginning of each flash sequence, thereby matching the timing of any other GPS-synchronized light.  Multiple lights outlining features such as port entrances, channels and navigational hazards are easier to follow and to distinguish amidst background lighting when they flash together.  The 700 Series lights are the first solar-powered lanterns using LEDs approved for use in the U.S. Navigational Aid System.  [ Article in PRNewswire ]

·   Catalyst Semiconductor introduced a new high-efficiency white LED driver.  The CAT3604 regulated charge pump is designed to deliver uniform, flicker-free backlighting for LCD displays and keypads.  Optimized for use with lithium ion systems, the CAT3604 maximizes power transfer by achieving efficiencies of up to 93%.  Each output channel is current regulated to provide precise matching of up to four LEDs, guaranteeing even brightness control across the panel.  Soft start, combined with a unique fractional charge pump topology, ensures stable output voltage over the life of the battery by automatically switching between 1x LDO mode and 1.5x boost mode.  Digital inputs provide the user with full control of each LED channel for dimming, or system shutdown, where the device draws less than 1uA.  A 1 MHz fixed frequency control scheme enables the use of small external capacitors.  According to the company, the combination of the CAT3604's high efficiency, low noise, and 4mm x 4mm thin QFN package make it suitable for cell phones, smart phones, PDAs, digital cameras, and portable MP3 players.  [ Press release ]

·   Color Kinetics introduced a new 6-inch square modular lighting unit, iColor Module® FX, which incorporates 9 or 36 tri-color, individually controllable LED nodes mounted on a printed circuit board.  The unit features simple through holes and board-to-board connectors for numerous mounting options to create custom shapes.  The units can be used for scrolling text and images, video and animations.  [ Press release ]

·   CPS Corporation is offering AlSiC, a metal matrix composite said to be ideal for thermal management of high flux LED products, such as signal lamps, back lighting for signs, low profile luminaries, task lighting, and display lighting.  AlSiC has a thermal conductivity value of 200 W/mK and a low coefficient of thermal expansion, unlike copper and aluminum, thus minimizing thermally induced stress, delamination and cracking.  [ Article in CompoundSemi News, Item in CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   Cree announced that its 7090 series XLamp™, a high-power LED product line designed to provide an alternative to conventional sources for general illumination, is now available in production quantities.  This is the first high-powered packaged LED product that Cree has released as part of the lighting product strategy the company announced last fall.  The 7090 series uses a high-power surface mount package, designed to operate at 1 Watt with a typical operating current of 350 mA.  It has a footprint of 7 x 9 mm, with an efficacy in the 25 to 30 lm/W range.  The product is available in blue, green, and white versions based on Cree’s XB-900 chips as the light engine.  The 7090 product is also available in a red version.  [ Press release]

·   CrysTec (Germany) announced 2-inch wafers of two of the most promising candidates for the production of free-standing GaN as a basic material for the development of blue laser diodes and similar nitride applications.  NdGaO₃ (011), NdGaO₃ (101) and LiAlO₂ (100) now complete CrysTec's substrate product program for nitride films, which already consists of sapphire, ZnO, MgAl₂O₄, SrTiO₃, ZrO₂:Y, MgO and silicon.  [ Item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]

·   Jobin Yvon IBH (UK) introduced commercial sub-nanosecond pulsed UV-LEDs, saying the LEDs emit 800 picosecond pulses at 280 and 340 nm, appropriate for a range of biological applications based on time-resolved fluorescence.  The 280 nm device matches absorption maxima of the naturally fluorescent amino acids tryptophan and tyrosine, while the 340 nm device suits experiments using the 337 nm line emitted by nitrogen lasers.  [ Article at Optics.org ]

·   LEDtronics launched 5mm right-angled WedgeLED® Annunciator LED Lamps for illumination for backlit annunciators.  Solid-state circuits and sturdy wedge bases make annunciator LEDs resistant to the stresses generated by automated machinery and heavy equipment, the company says.  The new LEDs replace the following incandescent lamps at their respective voltages: 5V: 56, 79, 84, 86; 12/14V: 18, 37, 73, 74; 24/28V: 17, 85.  Annunciator LEDs come in one-LED and two-LED configurations and in Super Red (630nm), Super Orange (610nm), Super Pure yellow (590nm), Super Green (525nm), Pure Blue (470nm) and Cool White (8000K).  Standard voltage is 28V.  Bi-colored LED versions and other voltages are available as options.  [ Press release ]

·   LEDtronics introduced a new flashlight that supplies 1800 foot-candles of white light from three 1-W Luxeon™ LEDs.  Each LED in the FlashLED FLT-5001 features an onboard collimator that focuses the light into tight beam for an intensity of 75 lumens each.  [ Press release ]

·   Lumileds’ Luxeon® Flash LEDs produce flash illumination on cell-phone cameras up to 12 times brighter than standard devices, allowing flash photography at distances of 1 to 2 meters, the company announced.  The first camera phone with a Luxeon Flash was recently introduced in Europe and models are expected in the U.S. and Asia before the holiday season this year.  [ Press release ]

·   Maxim Integrated Products introduced the MAX1578/MAX1579, the first complete LCD bias and white-LED power supplies with only one inductor and no charge-pump diode, according to the company.  Four regulated outputs supply all the voltages required for small active-matrix, thin-film transistor (TFT) LCDs in handheld devices where minimum external components and high efficiency are important.  The MAX1579 features a temperature-derating function that allows fewer LEDs to generate the same light output.  [ Press release ]

·   Microsemi Corp. announced a new miniature LED driver for powering LEDs in handheld display applications such as wireless phones, pagers, digital cameras, GPS receivers and PDAs.  Designated the LX1995™, the new step-up boost converter is available in a 1.3-mm high and a 1.0-mm high 5-pin package.  The LX1995 driver is available in two options for switch current specifications: the LX1995-1 with a switch current of 325 mA for applications of up to six LEDs; and the LX1995-2 with a switch current of 500 mA for applications up to 10 LEDs.  The driver also is designed to provide automatic brightness control of LED displays when teamed with Microsemi's visible light sensors, such as the LX1971™ and LX1972™.  [ Press release ]

·   Microsemi introduced a new high-efficiency dual mode boost controller for powering LEDs in handheld battery-powered display applications such as pagers, cell phones, digital cameras and PDAs.  The new step-up boost controller designated the LX1994™, uses an advanced dual PFM architecture design that readily accommodates the most efficient operation for either light or heavy current applications.  Its dual mode pulse frequency modulation (PFM) architecture reportedly saves costs and conserves board space.  Use of an external N-Channel MOSFET allows maximum design-in flexibility for application cost/efficiency tradeoffs.  The light sensor interface allows easy addition of automatic brightness control of LED displays and increased system battery life when teamed with Microsemi's visible light sensors, such as the LX1971™ and LX1972™.  The LX1994 driver is available in a choice of two 3mm square 10-pin surface mount packages: the micro lead MLP package and the standard lead MSOP package.  [ Press release ]

·   ON Semiconductor introduced the NCP5007 and NCP5006, integrated white LED boost converters that drive up to five white LEDs in series to simplify and miniaturize color LCD display illumination used in digital cameras, cell phones and PDAs.  The devices operate as DC/DC boost converters which regulate the current through the LED string.  Dimming is accomplished by applying a pulse width modulated signal (PWM) to change the average output current.  In addition to being offered in a compact, low-profile SOT23-5 package, the NCP5007 and NCP5006 incorporate built-in over-voltage protection that eliminates the need for an external zener diode, which simplifies and miniaturizes the circuit.  With an input voltage range of 2.7V to 5.5V, the devices are suitable for battery power applications that use 1-cell Li-ion battery or 3/4-cell NiMH batteries.  The NCP5006 is available in an industry standard pinout compatible with existing platforms.  [ Article in NE Asia Online ]

·   Samsung released LCD monitors featuring 17-inch and 21-inch LED backlights, claiming that the larger device is only half the thickness of comparably-sized monitors, and that the 17-inch version has twice the brightness of competitive models.  Color saturation is at ~92%.  The products were among those Samsung exhibited at the co-located Asia Display '04 and the 4th International Meeting on Information Display held in Daegu, Korea.  [ Press release ]