Solid-State Lighting Issue 26: Selected Business and Technology News (Mid-December 2004 to Early February 2005)

ISSUE 26: BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS (Mid-December 2004 to Early February 2005)

A selection of news appears in this section.

A. Developer News

B. New Products

C. Novel or Interesting LED Applications/Uses

D. Market Information

E. Overviews

F. Research Results

G. Selected Events of Interest

H. Government Funding News and Opportunities

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.

Table of Contents:� Business and Technology News

A. Developer News

� Adaptive Micro Systems was featured in an article in Business Journal titled "Lighting the way."

� Aixtron announced its new board of directors in advance of its merger with Genus.

� Aquatic Research and Development was featured in an article in the Utica Observer Dispatch.

� Arima Optoelectronics is talking with Samsung and a Japanese vendor about possible cooperation in the mid-range and high-end LED sector.

� AXT finalized its $1.4 million litigation settlement with Sumitomo Electric.

� Barco completed a front-serviceable, 9- x 3-foot LED display panel for Finish Line in Brooklyn, N.Y.

� CameraBright announced that it would use Nichia's white LED lamps for its CameraBright!� X1 lighting accessory. �It later launched two new LED-based models in its CameraBright!� X1 lighting accessory product line.

� Carmanah has established a comprehensive tier one North American distribution network for its LED-based traffic lighting products.�

� Carmanah received two contracts: an additional $615,000 order for solar-powered lighting from the U.S. Marine Corps and a $650,000 order to supply LED edge-lit illuminated point-of-purchase signs to a large Canadian retailer.

� Carmanah's LED marine navigation lights won a 2004 Canadian Safe Boating Award for "Best New Marine Safety Product."

� Frederick M. ("Fritz") Morgan of Color Kinetics was featured in an article in IEEE Spectrum Online.

� Color Kinetics announced an agreement with Future Electronics for distribution of Color Kinetics' Digital Light Engines.

� Cotco was profiled in two articles, one in LEDs Magazine and one in The Standard.

� Cree has developed LEDs producing 100 lm/W and 50% wall-plug efficiency.

� Cree might be considering acquisition of Color Kinetics, according to an article in the Triangle Business Journal.

� Cree and Nichia have entered into a patent cross-license agreement relating to white LED technology.

� Crystal IS was profiled in an article in the Albany Times Union.

� Daktronics will build a $5.8 million scoring and display system for the new Busch Stadium.

� Duraled Lighting Technologies plans a bright white LED lighting product, for which it will license Permlight�s patented thermal management technology.

� Edison Electric Institute encouraged the use of energy-efficient lighting, such as LEDs, for holiday decorations.

� Enfis (Wales) plans to launch a range of high power LEDs after bringing in �900,000 in venture funding.

� Enlux Lighting's LED floodlights were featured in an overview article from Knight Ridder.

� Epistar has sued Formosa Epitaxy for patent infringement relating to its indium-tin oxide technology.

� South Epitaxy may acquire Epitech via a stock swap.

� Farlight has applied for an international patent for an in-pavement directional LED luminaire.

� Harvatek (Taiwan) plans to open sales, marketing and product development offices in the Americas and Europe.

� Harvatek has received orders for LEDs amounting to NT$40-50 million in sales through April.

� Harvatek received its first order for white-light diodes from the Kunho Group (S. Korea).

� Honeywell's new Astreon LED systems will be used on Boeing's new 7E7 Dreamliner aircraft.

� Honeywell Electronic Materials is now offering high-quality sapphire wafers up to 100 mm for high-brightness, GaN-based LEDs.

� iLight Technologies was profiled in an article in the Chicago Sun Times.

� Innovalight' s LEDs were featured in a CNBC story on cutting-edge products created with nanotechnology.

� Intertech 2004: Improvements in LED efficacy by Cree, Osram and Nichia were described at Intertech LEDs 2004, as well as Evident's progress in the commercialization of nanocrystals for phosphor converters and emitter devices.

� Kopin has formed a joint venture, called Ko-Brite, with three Taiwanese companies to establish GaN growth capabilities in Taiwan and LED die production capabilities in China.

� Koyo Machine Industries (Japan) has developed a grinding machine for sapphire substrates.

� Keith Evans was named president and CEO of Kyma Technologies.

� Lamina Ceramics reduced prices on its two major LED product lines by up to 59%.

� The LED Alliance and its issues with Color Kinetics' intellectual property portfolio were featured in a number of articles in LIGHTimes and LEDs Magazine.

� A UK-based LED Clusters Focused Interest Group is reviewing a Best Practice Guide document which addresses the measurement issues specific to LED clusters

� Lighting Science and Giuliani Capital Advisors have created a joint venture to support the company's Energy Saving Sharing Program.

� Lighting Science Group will supply its new LEDs to a major Las Vegas hotel and casino.

� George Craford of Lumileds was featured in an article, "Switching off bulbs for LEDs," by the San Jose Mercury News.

� Lumileds' growth was discussed in an editorial in LIGHTimes.

� Lumileds� Luxeon light sources have been used by lighting manufacturer LightGraphix on the luxury yacht Giml�.

� Lumileds announced it will issue an advisory to the solid-state lighting industry regarding its intellectual property.

� Mitsubishi announced its PocketProjector�, lit by three Lumileds� LEDs.

� Mitsubishi Chemical has developed a new fluorescent material for white LEDs.

� Nanosys was featured in an article at the Motley Fool.

� Nichia announced that unnamed US distributors have agreed to stop marketing white LED products which Nichia believes infringe on its U.S. patents.

� NuSil Technology discusses the merits of silicone encapsulants, and reviews techniques in use or under development at Lumileds, Cree, Nichia, Osram, and Emcore.

� Shuji Nakamura and Nichia agreed to an $8.1 million settlement of their lawsuit.

� OmniTech Lighting Solutions was awarded a seed grant from the Maine Technology Institute to develop a multifunction LED flashlight.

� OnScreen Technologies� RediAlert� Rapid Dispatch Emergency Sign� will be featured in editorials in three national trade-specific publications.

� Opto Tech will build a large LED display to promote the Beijing Olympics.

� OptoLum was awarded U.S. Patent 6,831,303, its third in the area of thermal management.

� Oriol's white LED intellectual property brought $1.5 million in an auction held February 3, 2005.

� Osram Opto Semiconductors ' LED portfolio was featured in a company profile article in LEDs Magazine.

� Osram Sylvania has supplied LED headlamps for the Ford Shelby GR-1 concept vehicle.

� Osram Sylvania's patent application for a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)-excited device with blue-emitting phosphor was featured in the �Patent Highlights� column of Optics.org.

� PerkinElmer has acquired Elcos AG, a leading European designer and manufacturer of custom LED solutions for biomedical and industrial applications.

� Permlight and Tempo Lighting reached a settlement in their patent infringement lawsuit.

� Permlight was awarded a new patent for its thermal management techniques.

� Permlight has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ElectraLED.

� Pro-Lite is now distributing Labsphere's SLMS-0400 Series Spectral Lamp Measurement Systems and HLMS-200P Handheld Light Measurement System.

� Rural Lighting:� IEEE Spectrum featured Canadian retirees Anthony and Faith Harckham, who have brought LED-based light to homes in rural areas from Peru to Pakistan.

� StockerYale's COBRA� 500 LED Line Illuminator was awarded the 2004 Photonics Circle of Excellence Award by Photonics Spectra Magazine.

� Reports on the Strategies in Light event, held February 7 to 9, 2005, in California, were published in LIGHTimes and LEDs Magazine.� Highlights of the conference include reports on new developments from Cree, Lumileds, Nichia, Osram, and Toyoda Gosei and others.�

� Super Vision signed license agreements with five companies for its Variable Color Lighting System and its recently acquired Laidman Technology portfolio.

� Technologies and Devices International (TDI) showed prototype AlGaN-on-sapphire templates for UV LEDs.

� Texas A&M University-Commerce is involved in a research project to establish empirical de facto standards for brightness in LED-based sign enclosures.

� The Phoenix Group Corporation has changed its name to Lighting Science Group Corporation.

� TIR Systems announced the completion of two projects in Tianjin and Shanghai in mainland China.

� TIR Systems' Light Pipe system will provide general illumination at Chicago O�Hare International Airport's Terminal 2.

� TIR Systems signed a distribution agreement with The Robert Horne Group to allow its Cox Plastics division to sell TIR�s solid state lighting products.

� Toyoda Gosei has established a new manufacturing subsidiary in San Antonio, Texas.

� University of Illinois � Nick Holonyak was featured in an article entitled, "U. of I.'s Holonyak out to take some of Edison's luster."

� Veeco is conducting an internal investigation of improper accounting transactions recorded at its TurboDisc division.

� Visioneered Image Systems has developed a display technology that counteracts the degradation of LEDs and ensures consistent LED brightness.

B.� New Products:

� Agilent introduced an LED-based optical mouse sensor with improved tracking control.

� Agilent announced an LED-based color management system for backlighting LCD flat-panel TVs.

� Allegro MicroSystems introduced high-frequency boost converters suitable for driving white LEDs.

� Apollo Display Technologies introduced an LCD display featuring white LED edge lighting.

� BivarOpto introduced an ultra-thin surface-mount RGB device for mobile appliance applications.

� BivarOpto introduced a wedge-based warm-white LED.

� Carmanah announced two new and technically enhanced LED edge-lit roadway signs.

� Color Kinetics introduced a number of new and expanded products � an expanded Digital Light Engine line; IntelliWhite� products that combine digital control with advanced white LEDs; iColor� Cove QL, a lower-priced version of its previous product; and Video System Manager.

� Custom Interconnect Ltd has developed novel LED arrays, called CoolLED.

� Coretronic and Chi Mei Optoelectronics introduced LED backlight modules, based on Osram technology, for LCD televisions.

� Dortronics introduced a series of high intensity LED indicators that can be clearly seen even in bright sunlight.

� Dubilier introduced a series of low-cost surface-mount LEDs in red, yellow, orange, and green.

� GELcore introduced a 1-W Tetra� Power White LED lighting system.

� Ichikoh announced a white LED-based, 18-W automotive fog light.

� III-N Technology (Manhattan, Kan.) has developed single-chip power AC-LED lamps that need no power conversion.

� Lamina Ceramics introduced an ultra-high lumen LED array, branded Aterion� White.

� LED drivers/charge pumps: � Drive technology was discussed in several LEDs Magazine articles:� "New drive technology addresses LED efficiency issues,� and "Design considerations for implementating low-cost integrated LED drivers for lighting applications."� In addition, the following selected companies introduced new LE drivers/charge pumps:� Austriamicrosystems, Catalyst Semiconductor, IXYS (Micronix Division), National Semiconductor (two products), New Japan Radio Company, Semtech, Sipex, and Vishay.

� LEDtronics announced 15mm bayonet-based 18-LED and 19-LED lamps for direct replacement of incandescent bulbs #310 and #312.

� LEDtronics introduced the Series SLL003 Ultra Slim Shoebox LED Cluster Light Module.

� Lumileds announced new Luxeon emitters that offer 65 lm to 130 lm in white at 350mA.

� Lumitex has developed a modular light engine that combines high-power LEDs with a Lumitex� woven or UniGlo� fiber optic panel.

� Marktech Optoelectronics announced the availability of Cotco's LP379 series LEDs.

� Minebea will begin mass-producing midsize white LED backlights this summer.�

� My-Tronic (Germany) introduced a new RGB LED product line called Chara.

� Nova Electronics introduced new LED warning signals that feature Osram technology.

� OptiLED introduced its S11 LED pseudo-filament lamp.

� Osram announced new white Micro SIDELEDs for small mobile terminals.

� Osram introduced the PointLED, with a 2 mm diameter and luminous efficacy of 38 lm/W.

� Para Light introduced a line of high-power LED lamps for signage and automotive applications.

� Para Light introduced an enhanced-power LED light strip module.

� Permlight and Chloride Systems have jointly developed an emergency LED lighting system.

� Semiconductor Technology Research released a new software tool, HEpiGaNS, for modeling of GaN crystal growth by HVPE.

� Semiconductor Technology Research offers a software modeling tool, Simulator of Light Emitters based on Nitride Semiconductors (SiLENSe).

� Seoul Semiconductor introduced the Z-Power series of high-power packaged LEDs.

� Seoul Semiconductor introduced an LED that runs on AC without a converter.

� Shenzhen Hongli Opto-Electronics introduced a new series of LEDs available in white, blue, green, yellow or red.

� Shenzhen Mason Technology released 5mm LEDs with brightness ranging from 40 mcd to 0.4 cd.

� Shenzhen Refond announced a new series of surface-mount LEDs for mobile phones.

� Tokyo Denpa began mass-producing ZnO single crystals for use in the fabrication of blue LEDs.

� Tri-O-Light (Netherlands) introduced its LED Mini Flood Light.

� Waldmann Lighting Company introduced a line of waterproof, high-output LED industrial lighting products.

� Zhongshan Silsmart Optoelectronics released super-bright LEDs designed for use in traffic signal applications.

C.� Novel or Interesting LED Applications/Uses:

� Artistic Licence announced a joint venture with Acre Jean to create LED starcloth, called Pixi-Cloth.�

� The Boston Ballet's use of LED lighting in its holiday production of the Nutcracker is discussed in an article in Laser Focus World.

� The British Columbia Wildlife Park chose LEDs for its holiday display.

� A Carnegie Mellon University researcher is using a LED array as a touch-sensitive button.

� The Cartier store in New York City was decorated with bows and tiaras made of LEDs for the holiday season.

� The 140-year old Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, UK, will be lit with more than 3,000 white LEDs.

� LED-based products from Daktronics and Cadillac were used during the U.S. presidential inauguration.

� LED lighting adds to the ambience at an ice skating rink suspended in the Eiffel Tower.

� Element Labs' VersaTUBE linear LED effects fixtures were used on the set of a leading UK television show.

� G-LEC's LED frames were used to celebrate the anniversary of an automobile factory.

� Ethan Fowler, a teenage inventor has developed the "Glo-Glove," a glove fitted with 13 LEDs.

� LED holiday lights from Holiday Creations were featured in an article in National Geographic News.�

� Investor's Business Daily featured an article on the use of LED lighting for illumination on a New York City street.

� James Thomas Engineering provided exterior illumination on an historical building in Bristol, UK.

� LEDs Magazine featured an extensive number of individual case studies on LEDs in various applications, including street lighting, traffic signals, facility and fa�ade lighting, and theatrical lighting.

� Optek Music Systems has developed a guitar with LEDs in its fretboard.

� OptiLED's LEDs lit Jacksonville's Main Street Bridge for the Super Bowl.

� The architectural review committee of Philadelphia's Historical Commission gave conditional approval to an LED lighting plan for the city's Boathouse Row.

� Philips Design has collaborated with the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre at the Royal College of Art (UK) to develop public seating that glows, dims, flashes and changes color.

� The city council of Port Angeles, Wash., approved a "streetscape" including LED lighting for its new Eighth Street bridges.

� Pro-Lite introduced XPression LED name badges.

� Berlin's Transmediale international media art festival opened with Sky Ear, a novel project involving ultra-bright LEDs.

� A Japanese team from the University of Tokyo and the University of Nagoya has invented a cylinder that uses LEDs to display a holographic image.

� The Vincent Thomas Bridge is now lit by 160 solar-powered, LED light fixtures.

D.� Market Information:

� An Agilent executive said he expects RGB LED backlighting to take 10% of the LCD-TV market within two years.

� Compound Semiconductor magazine featured several articles on the markets for LEDs in display applications

� Frost & Sullivan published a market study indicating that LEDs will continue to penetrate the North American automotive market.

� Taiwan's optoelectronics industry production value is expected to rise 34% year-on-year to US$47.17 billion in 2005, according to the Industrial Technology Research Institute.

� Eddie Effron of Permlight discussed the challenges to acceptance of LEDs in lighting markets in an interview with LEDs Magazine.

� A discussion of the market for LEDs in heavy trucks and commercial vehicles by an author from Grote Industries appeared in the February 2005 issue of LEDs Magazine

� Business outlook and other highlights of the Compound Semi Industry Outlook conference held in Dallas were reported in LIGHTimes.

� According to data from PIDA and the Yano Research Institute, South Korea's LED industry grew by 61% in 2004, and is starting to compete with Taiwan in various markets for packaged LEDs.

� According to a PIDA report, Taiwan's photonics industry's output increased by 36% in 2004, to $27.3 billion.

� Taiwan�s Science and Technology Information Center predicts that demand for handset-use LEDs will grow from 5.2 billion units in 2003 to 9.4 billion units in 2006.

� Strategies Unlimited's Bob Steele has forecast that the HB-LED market will nearly double by 2009, to about $7 billion.

� A study by ZING Communications explores attitudes toward LEDs in the specification sales channel.

E.� Overview Articles:

� LEDs Magazine published a summary of the recent Bright Ideas conference.

� EDN published an extensive overview article, "A thousand points of bright: turning up the volume on solid-state lighting."

� EDN Europe published an overview of the state of LED technology, "LEDs make the spotlight."

� III-Vs Review published an overview of the HB-LED industry in Taiwan in its article, "Taiwan refocused."

� Advances in HB-LEDs were featured in "Illuminating Achievements" in Laser Focus World.

� Advance Transformer launched a website, LEDcentral.com, featuring a variety of information on solid-state lighting.

� LEDs Magazine's January 2005 issue included the feature "Benefits and drawbacks of LEDs."

� Joel Dry of OptoLum discusses lighting industry metrics and standards in an editorial at LIGHTimes.

� The LRC's latest newsletter features articles on automotive headlamps; lighting in healthcare facilities; biological effects of light; and more.

� New Scientist published an overview of solid-state lighting, "The search for viable white-light LEDs," in its Dec. 25, 2004, issue.

� LEDs were featured in a segment of All Things Considered on National Public Radio.

� Optoelectronics Report published an article titled "LEDs, solid-state lasers fuel new display trends."

� Terlep Lamp Company discusses a technique to achieve a wide illumination pattern using LEDs.

F.� Research Results

� A Japanese research team from the Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University has developed an inexpensive, ZnO-based blue LED.

� The Journal of Crystal Growth published proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Metalorganic Vapor Phase Epitaxy in its Dec. 10, 2004, issue.

� Researchers at Konan University in Kobe, Japan, have developed a simple chemical method for tuning the color of semiconductor nanocrystals.

� TDI and the Fox Group outline their progress in using HVPE as a technique for growth of UV LEDs.

� Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a controversial theory to explain how InGaN LEDs emit light.

G.� Selected Events of Interest:

� The 2005 CLEO/QELS conference is set for May 22 to 27, 2005, in Baltimore.

� LightFair International is set for April 10 to 14, 2005, in New York City.

� LRC will hold its next LED Lighting Institute April 27 to 29, 2005

� Photonics Cluster (UK), in association with LEDS Magazine, will present "LEDs - Lighting the Way Forward" April 20 to 21, 2005, in Birmingham, UK.

H.� Government Funding News and Opportunities:

� LEDs Magazine has a new webpage on solid-state lighting programs and initiatives around the world.

� China�s SSL Initiative:� Several extensive articles covered past and recent activities associated with this initiative.� The program has already received about $17 million, and major investment is expected when China�s 11th 5-Year plan is unveiled later this year.

� Climate Change Central and Natural Resources Canada are offering a rebate to building owners in Alberta, Canada, who replace incandescent or fluorescent-lit exit signs with LED signs.

� DARPA's Advanced Technology Office issued a Broad Agency Announcement soliciting proposals for R&D, including a topic on solid-state lighting devices and systems.

� DOE signed a memorandum of agreement with the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance.

� DOE released an updated version of its solid-state lighting R&D agenda.

� Highlights of the 2nd Annual DOE Solid State Lighting Workshop held February 3 to 4, 2005, in San Diego are available on the NETL website.

� DOE supplied a new list of funded and completed projects in its Project Portfolio for Solid-State Lighting.

� The FAA is seeking information on LED-based precision approach path indicator systems.

� Los Alamos National Laboratory is making its semiconductor quantum-dot technology available for commercial licensing.

� Optiled�s Bruce Pelton profiles several energy-savings programs such as tax credits and rebates in Oregon, California and Florida, in the LEDs Magazine article, �The ROI of LEDs.�

� RPC Photonics was awarded a $200,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to improve the efficiency, visibility and performance of LED signage.

� Sandia National Laboratories has set up an online database to highlight opportunities to license the lab's intellectual property.

� Siemens Building Technologies has contracted with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to replace lighting at more than 2,500 intersections across the state.

A. Developer News

� Adaptive Micro Systems was featured in an article in Business Journal titled "Lighting the way." The article describes Adaptive's work in programmable LED displays for commercial and industrial applications, noting that factory-floor display boards for plant management are a new application with significant market potential.� Among the company's current products are displays for movie theater box offices; products for transportation applications, such as arrival/departure gates at airports, bus displays, over-the-road highway signs and lottery jackpot displays; and a 58-foot-high sign with an advertising display board at Milwaukee's State Fair Park.� [ Article in Business Journal(No URL available) ]

� Aixtron announced its new board of directors in advance of its merger with Genus.� William Elder, 65, Genus founder, chairman, president and CEO, will join the Aixtron board as an executive VP and will oversee the silicon portion of Aixtron's expanded equipment business.�Wolfgang Breme, currently CFO of Technotrans, will join Aixtron's senior management team as CFO and executive VP in March, replacing Chris Dodson.� The Aixtron board will include Breme, Elder, Paul Hyland as president and CEO and Bernd Schulte as COO and executive VP.� [ News item in LIGHTimes]

� Aquatic Research and Development, a company focused on finding innovative ways to use LED lighting, was featured in an article in the Utica Observer Dispatch.� The three-year-old company has developed aquarium lighting using a blue LED that simulates moonlight for corals and animals that are more active at night.� The company is now looking to expand into the home lighting market, particularly with under-cabinet lighting, officials said.� [ Article in Utica Observer Dispatch ]

� Arima Optoelectronics is talking with Samsung and a Japanese vendor about possible cooperation in the mid-range and high-end LED sector, company president TJ Wang told DigiTimes.�The company wants to compete in high-luminance white LEDs, used in backlight modules and lighting, this year, according to the report.� Arima expects to reach an agreement in the first half of 2005 with the Japanese vendor, who will incorporate Arima�s blue LED chips and AlGaInP LEDs in a variety of applications.� [ News item in DigiTimes (subscription required) ]

� AXT finalized its $1.4 million litigation settlement with Sumitomo Electric, originally announced inOctober as tentative.� The settlement includes a global intellectual property cross-licensing agreement and requires that payment be made in early January 2005, with litigation in Japan to be withdrawn shortly thereafter.� [ Press release ]

� Barco completed a front-serviceable, 9- x3-foot LED display panel for Finish Line in Brooklyn, N.Y. Barco custom fit 12 of its DLITE 7-mm LED Display tiles above the entrance doors to create a display advertising the store's line of shoes and sports attire.� [ News item in LEDs Magazine ]

� CameraBright announced in November of 2004 thatit would use Nichia's white LED lamps for its CameraBright!� X1 lighting accessory.� The $30 CameraBright! accessory attaches to the tripod mount of most cameras and camcorders and gives users a constant light source to supplement the camera'sbuilt-in flash.� The 2.5 x 1.5 x 0.625-inch unit weighs 2 ounces, including four coin cell batteries. �[ Press release ] �The company then announced two new LED-based models in itsCameraBright!� X1 lighting accessory product line in February 2005.� The CameraBright! X1-ER Extended Range provides cooler color temperatures (6,000K), a slender light beam, brightness of 72 cd, and a range of up to 20 ft.� The CameraBright! X1-W Warm White light provides a warmer temperature light (3,000K), a broader light beam, brightness of 25 cd and a range of up to 10 ft.� The accessory gives users a constant light source to frame their pictures, then usethe camera's built-in flash to take the actual picture. �[ Press release ]

� Carmanah has established a comprehensive tier one North American distribution network for its LED-based traffic lighting products.� The company has signed distribution agreements for its solar-powered LED and LED edge-lit traffic products with 11 roadway product distributors, including Brown Traffic Products, Carrierand Gable, Electromega, Gades Sales, Ocean State Signal, Stansell Electric, Synchronex, Texas Highway Products, TrafficControl Products, Traffic Products, and Western Systems .� These distributors are expected to penetrate 35 U.S. states and all of Canada, and negotiations with other distributors to cover the remaining U.S. states are inprogress. �[ Press release ]

� Carmanah has received two new contracts:

� An additional $615,000 order for solar-powered lighting from the U.S. Marine Corps -- the USMC will use more than 1000 units of Carmanah's Model A601 and A702 airfield lights for taxiway edge, helipad edge, runway edge and obstruction lighting at its second largest air base in the Middle East.� [ Press release ]

� Its subsidiary Carmanah Signs will supply about $650,000 in LED edge-lit illuminated point-of-purchase signs to a large Canadian retailer.� Carmanah Signs is also in the process of producing an additional order of 800 point-of-purchase signs for another larger US-based retailer.� [ Press release at Yahoo! Finance ]

� Carmanah's self-contained, solar-powered LEDmarine navigation lights won a 2004 Canadian Safe Boating Award for "BestNew Marine Safety Product" from the Canadian Safe Boating Council.� TheCanadian Coast Guard used Carmanah LEDs to complete the world's first fully illuminated marine navigation system in 2002, comprising 1,650 lighted buoysalong the 23,000-km coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.� [ Press release at CNW Group ]

� Frederick M.("Fritz") Morgan, vice president of engineering at Color Kinetics,was featured in an article titled "Fritz Morgan: LEDs into Gold"as part of a special report on "Dream Jobs 2005" in IEEESpectrum Online.� [ Feature article in IEEE Spectrum Online ]

� Color Kinetics announced an agreement with Future Electronics for distribution of Color Kinetics' Digital Light Engines (DLEs), including controllers and power/data supplies, via Future Electronics' North American distribution network.� The agreement is intended to allow manufacturers to easily integrate Color Kinetics' LED control technology and system infrastructure into their own product lines, backed by support and services from Future Electronics.� [ Press release ]

� Cotco was profiled in two news articles:

� LEDs Magazine -- Cotco in 2004 reported a 16% increase in revenue, expanded its factory space in China by 30%, and launched the 1-W Dorado LED.� [ Article in LEDs Magazine ]

� The Standard, a Chinese business newspaper -- the article discusses Cotco's strategy for taking on competitors such as Philips and the growing markets for LEDs.� Daniel Lau of the HongKong Optoelectronics Association told the reporter that because Philips has such a large business in energy-saving conventional light bulbs, the lighting giant is unlikely to let LEDs replace conventional bulbs in the near future � �They are not going to let it be done away with soon.''� [ Article in The Standard ]

� Cree announced its most recent developmental breakthrough: 100 lm/W and 50% wall-plug efficiency from standard 5 mmLEDs and maximum luminous flux of 60 lm from its 7090 series white XLamp powerLEDs operating at 350 mA.� The announcement was made at the Strategies in Light conference.� [ Press release ]

� Cree might be considering acquisition of ColorKinetics, according to financial analysts quoted in an article in the TriangleBusiness Journal.� Cree could see a $24 million profit from its investment in Color Kinetics and remains one of the largest shareholders of the company, with 12% of shares.� [ Article in the Triangle Business Journal ]

� Cree and Nichia have entered intoa patent cross-license agreement relating to white LED technology, complementing a patent cross-license arrangement between the companies announced in November 2002.� According to a statement from Cree, "Nichia has developed pioneering technology in the field of LED-based white lighting and this agreement gives Cree access to this important technology.� At the sametime, the agreement recognizes the strength of Cree's intellectual property and reinforces both companies' leadership in solid-state lighting." Neither company disclosed detailed terms of the agreement. �[ Nichia Press release, Cree Press release ]

� Crystal IS was profiled in an article in the Albany Times Union.� The company plans to begin making LEDs, to expand its aluminum nitride substrates production, and to move its headquarters, possibly to South Carolina, in 2005.� Crystal IS brought in about $1.5 million in 2004,including $1.1 million in government contracts, up from a total of about $1.2 million in 2003.� The company is now located at RPI's manufacturing incubator in Watervliet and employs 17 full-time equivalents.� [ Article in the Albany Times Union ]

� Daktronics will build a $5.8 million scoringand display system for the new Busch Stadium, future home of the St. LouisCardinals.� The main 40 ft. x 120 ft. scoreboard will incorporate a 32 ft. x 52ft. ProStar� video display and three additional Galaxy� amber LED displays for displaying lineups, stats and other information, as well as graphics andanimation.� Rotating and stationary displays panels will recognize the team�scorporate sponsors.� Fans will also be able to watch highlights and see information on a video display on the back side of the main scoreboard, which faces a gathering area.� The entire system, which also includes displays for out-of-town game information, pitcher stats, advertising, and more, incorporates more than 2.3 million individual LEDs. [ Press release ]

� Duraled Lighting Technologies plans a bright white LED lighting product, for which it will license Permlight�s patented thermal management technology, which is covered by U.S.Patent Nos. 6,578,986, "Modular mounting arrangement and method for light emitting diodes," and 6,712,486, "Mounting arrangement for light emitting diodes," and other pending patent applications. [ Press release ]

� Edison Electric Institute encouraged the use of energy-efficient lighting, such as LEDs, for holiday decorations.� The organization also offers energy-saving tips for consumers and its 2004 survey of electric company energy efficiency programs. �[ Press release, consumer tips ]

� Enfis (Wales) plans to launch a range of high power LEDs after bringing in �900,000 in venture funding.� Enfis representatives said the company will double the size of its workforce to 25.� The company's large-area LED array systems operate at 580nm and more than 35W and are used in health and cosmetic applications.� [ News item in Electronics Weekly ]

� Enlux Lighting 's LED floodlights were featured in an overview article from Knight Ridder.� The article called 2004 "the breakthrough year for light-emitting diodes" and noted that Enlux's floodlight was awarded Popular Science magazine's "Best of What's New" in the Home Tech category.� It also won the new product "Energy Award" and the "Best of Category Award for LED Lamps" at the 2004 Lightfair International conference. �[ Article from Knight Ridder ]

� Epistar has sued Formosa Epitaxy for patent infringement relating to its indium-tin oxide technology.� A spokesperson for Formosa Epitaxy, however, said that professionals had already identified the company�s high-luminance LED technology, with model number FI135-BLSpec: 2006DG23, as not infringing Epistar�s patent No.144, 415. �[ News item in DigiTimes (subscription required) ]

� South Epitaxy may acquire Epitech via a stock swap, according to DigiTimes.� Epitech's main shareholders include United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), which is also a major shareholder of LED-packaging firm Harvatek, and the acquisition will allow the UMC Group to establish a complete supply chain for its LED investment.� Formosa Epitaxy representatives said the company is seeking some sort of cooperation or strategic alliance with South Epitaxy and Epitech. �[ News item in DigiTimes (subscription required) ]

� Farlight has applied for an international patent (WO 2005/011329) for an in-pavement directional LED luminaire, to be used as part of an airfield's lighting system.� The unit contains a light module, a thermoelectric cooler and a power controller connected to the airfield's supply.� The light module uses several high flux LEDs and a non-imaging light transformer which collects and redistributes the light from the LEDs in a predetermined pattern.� The cooler helps to control the LEDs' flux, color and intensity distribution.� The application was featured in the "Patent Highlights" section at Optics.org. [ Patent highlights at Optics.org ]

� Harvatek (Taiwan) plans to open sales, marketing and product development offices in both the Americas and Europe.� PC Yong, formerly of Fairchild Semiconductor, will serve as president and Peter Perniciaro will be VP of sales for Harvatek International. [ News item at Compound Semiconductor ]

� Harvatek has received orders for LEDs amounting to NT$40-50 million in sales through April, including orders for 300,000 white LEDs "for consumer electronics" products in January and another 200,000 for February, according to DigiTimes and LIGHTimes.� [ News item at DigiTimes (subscription required), News item at LIGHTimes ]

� Harvatek received its first order for white-light diodes after licensing the technology from Osram.� Kunho Group, one of South Korea's largest business conglomerates, has agreed to use Harvatek as its top-priority supplier of the diodes.� Harvatek is also expected to begin shipping white-light products to suppliers of back-light modules for LCDs in Taiwan and mainland China this year.� [ News item from China Economic News Service (No URL available) ]

� Honeywell's new Astreon LED systems will be used for anti-collision and navigation exterior lighting on Boeing's new 7E7 Dreamliner aircraft.� Boeing previously named Honeywell to provide the navigation package, the Crew Information System/Management System (CIS/MS) and the flight control electronics for the aircraft.� The four contracts with Honeywell may total more than $2.6 billion over the life of the 7E7 program.� [ Press release carried by CompoundSemi Online ]

� Honeywell Electronic Materials is now offering high-quality sapphire wafers up to 100 mm for high-brightness, GaN-based LEDs.� The company is targeting white LEDs for automotive applications, as well as blue and green LEDs for traffic lights and other uses.� Honeywell now supplies all the sapphire wafers used by Lumileds and Osram.� Demand for blue GaN LEDs is increasing at an annual rate of about 20%, and this growth is expected to continue, according to company officials.� [ Article in Electronic Materials Update (No URL available) ]

� iLight Technologies was profiled in an article in the Chicago Sun Times.� The company is competing with the $2 billion neon lighting business with its LED-based Plexineon product and is reportedly growing at a rate of 60% per year.� The product has been used by food chains such as McDonald's, White Castle, Wendy's and Applebee's, as well as a Mini Cooper billboard in Times Square in New York, the set of the Broadway show "Wicked," Carnival Cruise ships, slot machines made by Chicago-based WMS Gaming, and stage sets for country music star Toby Keith. [ Article in the Chicago Sun Times ]

� Innovalight 's LEDs were featured in a CNBC story on cutting-edge products created with nanotechnology.� [ Story on CNBC ]

� Intertech 2004 � performance records:� Compound Semiconductor magazine reviewed efficacy improvements of high power LEDs presented at the Intertech LEDs 2004 conference in the article "LED makers reveal performance records and high-power products.�� Included in this discussion were Cree, Nichia, Osram, and Rohm Electronics, as well as Evident Technology's progress in the commercialization of nanocrystals for phosphor converters and emitter devices.� Highlights of this extensive article include: �[ Article ]

� Cree described progress with the company�s Xthin XT-27 chips for white light emission, with a color temperature of 6000 K and an efficacy of 82 lm/W at 20 mA, and a flux of 5.2 lm.� At 4600 K, efficacy and flux are improved (92 lm/W and 5.8 lm).� For white LEDs fabricated using a larger chip (900 x 900 x 250 �m), a flux of 67 lm at 350 mA, and an associated efficacy of 57 lm/W have been demonstrated.� At a higher current of 1 A, the efficacy drops to 34 lm/W but the total lumen output from a single chip is 142 lm.� Cree intends to tailor its line-up of LED chips to meet the needs of different applications, and has developed a 500 x 500 μm chip (XB500) designed to run at 125 mA with a radiant flux of 90 mW. This will bridge the gap between the XB900 (200 mW at 350 mA) and the XT270 (64 mW at 20 mA).

� Nichia�s 5 mm surface mounted white LEDs exhibit an efficacy of around 50 lm/W.� Targets for 2007 and 2010 are 70 and 100 lm/W, respectively.

� Osram Opto described progress with the company�s thin-film technology.� Osram uses buried prismatic structures in commercial LEDs to improve extraction efficiency.� The company has reported 614 nm LEDs with an efficacy of 108 lm/W.� Results for larger area AlGaInP devices, high performance AlGaAs thin film devices, and thin-film InGaN emitters are also described.�

� Rohm Electronics exhibited a series of high-power LED packages based on chips from Cree and others; including a 35 lm white LED.� It also displayed side-emitting white LEDs with a brightness of 600 mcd at 20 mA in a surface mount package suitable for thin, full-color LCD designs.

� Evident Technologies discussed its production of nanocrystals meant to replace either the emitter or color-converting phosphor.� It is now working on InP-based nanocrystals suited to LED applications, which are expected to be released commercially during 2005.� The company first expects to impact the LED market a purple LED, with color produced by mixing light from a blue emitter with the red light from down-converting nanocrystals.� The white LED market is a mid-term project for the company, two years from revenue generation.

� Kopin has formed a joint venture company, called Ko-Brite Corp., to establish GaN materials growth capabilities in Taiwan and LED die production capabilities in China.� Kopin expects to cease all LED manufacturing activities by the end of March 2005 and to complete the transfer of its LED operations to Ko-Brite by July 1, 2005.� In addition to Kopin, the principal investors are: Bright LED Electronics Corp. of Taipei, Taiwan; WK Technology Fund, a leading global venture capital firm based in Taiwan; and KTC, a Taiwanese III-V semiconductor manufacturer which is 40% owned by Kopin.� Total capitalization is expected to be $14.5 million.� [ Press release, News item in LIGHTimes ]

� Koyo Machine Industries (Japan) has developed a grinding machine for sapphire substrates used to fabricate blue and white LEDs.� The new machine, the DF-300G, features a fixed whetstone, against which the sapphire substrate is moved horizontally.� This reduces fissuring to cracks of just 4 um, about a quarter of the typical length, so the polishing step can be omitted and total processing time can be halved to around 4 hours, according to the company.� Koyo Machine developed the DF-300G in cooperation with parent firm Koyo Seiko Co Ltd and sister company Koyo Electronics Industries Inc.� It plans to market the machine in the first quarter of 2005 for about 30 million yen (US$285,000). [ News item in Advanced Ceramics Report (No URL available) ]

� Keith Evans was named president and CEO of Kyma Technologies.� The company's management includes co-founders Mark Williams, COO, and Andrew (Drew) Hanser, both originally of North Carolina State University.� Evans was previously with the Wright-Patterson Air Force Research Lab, QED/IQE, Veeco Instruments, SLI, and most recently served as a senior VP at Crystal IS. [ News item at LIGHTimes ]

� Lamina Ceramics reduced prices on its two major LED product lines, cutting by 54% the prices of its 108-lumen BL-2000 5500�K white light engine and its BL-3000 570-lumen 5500�K white light engine.� Prices have also been reduced 26 to 59% on all other BL-2000 models, and by 24 to 55% on the BL-3000 line.� [ Press release ]

� The LED Alliance and its issues with Color Kinetics' intellectual property portfolio were featured in several articles.� The LED Alliance comprises Super Vision, Artistic Licence (UK), and others.� In LEDs Magazine, the article " LED Alliance seeks ammunition for battle with Color Kinetics" reports that the LED Alliance is gaining momentum and has issued a Call for Prior Art in its attempt to show that color-mixing applications were well known when Color Kinetics filed its patents, meaning that many of the claims in the patents lack the "novel and inventive step" essential to qualify for patent protection.� Related articles include " Patent issues cause discontent among LED lighting manufacturers" and " Color Kinetics confident of success in patent disputes." LIGHTimes published an editorial, " Super Vision vs. Color Kinetic Indicative of Typical Growing Pains," and a follow-up piece, " Follow the Lead of the Gentle Giants." �[ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]

� A LED Clusters Focused Interest Group (FIG) was formed in De