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ARCHIVE OF SELECTED HEADLINE NEWS (These links are not maintained) |
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Super Vision has signed two more licensees to its Variable Color Lighting System patent and its Laidman technology portfolio. The two licensees are James Thomas Engineering, Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn., and Worcester, UK, and Xilver, B.V. of Gronsveld, The Netherlands. [ Press release ] |
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March 31, 2005 |
Lumileds announced new Luxeon III LEDs that emit 110 lm (amber), 140 lm (red) and 190 lm (red-orange), triple the performance of previous Luxeon products. The devices are especially important for rear automotive lighting applications, since a single LED will be able to power stop lamps, rear combination lamps and rear fog lamps. Other applications include aviation, manufacturing and "architainment." [Press release 1, press release 2 ] |
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March 31, 2005 |
Edison Opto announced its Edi-Power series of ultra HB-LEDs, available in 5-W to 40-W sizes with monochrome or RGB output. The 1200-lm output of the 40-W Edi-Power is suitable for general illumination, and its small size makes it compatible with many lighting applications. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ] |
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March 31, 2005 |
Color Kinetics introduced eight new products in its OEM line, including additional Digital Light Engines, new power/data modules, and proprietary chips that the company is making available to third parties for the first time. [ Press release ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
UniCAD has released a new version of its CAD package, UniMCO Version 4.0, specifically for designing LED, OLED, RCLED, VCSEL, and optical coating devices. [ News item at Optics.org ] |
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ITRI's Opto-Electronics & Systems Laboratories (OESL) has developed a LED that can operate at 110 V AC without a converter. According to OESL, the AC LED's light output per watt is more than 50% greater than that of an ordinary LED. The patent-pending AC-LED has been demonstrated in blue and green and is suitable for many industrial and consumer lighting applications. [ Press release ] |
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March 2005 |
Toshiba introduced the Technorainbow bendable 6-mm LED video screen, which can curve both convex and concave. [ Press release ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
MRS Spring Meeting News: Alex Zunger (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) discussed doping strategies and rules for difficult-to-dope semiconductors. His talk included discussion of the spontaneous formation of traps, use of multivalent dopants, and cluster doping. [2005 MRS Spring Meeting, News & Highlights, March 29 - scroll to Symposium E] |
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March 29, 2005 |
My-tronic has issued an extensive press release, titled "LEDs' Real Advantages," that details the state of solid state lighting technology. Aimed at consumers, the release addresses issues of cost, lifetime, color, and more. [ Press release ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
Super Vision founder Brett Kingstone has published a book, The Real War Against America (ISBN 0-9755199-2-1, Specialty Publishing), describing his company's intellectual property battle with Chinese competitors. [ Press release ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
Strategies Unlimited predicts the total market for GaN devices to more than double to reach $7.2 billion by 2009, driven by GaN-based laser diodes and electronic devices which are now in the early stages of market growth. The company has published a fourth edition of its report, "Gallium Nitride 2005 -- Technology Status, Applications, and Market Forecasts." [ Press release, report information ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
Nichia will begin selling LEDs for use in personal computers and car navigation systems at the end of March, according to Nikkei.net. Demand for PC and automotive use LEDs is projected at 150 billion yen and 600 billion yen, respectively. [ News item at LIGHTimes ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
Color Kinetics has licensed its intellectual property to James Thomas Engineering in connection with the marketing of James Thomas' Pixel Range line of LED-based products in North America. The Pixel Range includes high intensity solid-state color changing fixtures for architectural and entertainment applications. [ Press release ] |
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March 29, 2005 |
Permlight filed a patent infringement lawsuit against GELcore, asserting that GELcore LEDs infringe Permlight's patents, including U.S. Patent No. 6,712,486, "Mounting Arrangement for Light Emitting Diodes"; U.S. Patent No. 6,578,986, "Modular Mounting Arrangement and Method for Light Emitting Diodes"; and U.S. Patent No. 6,846,093, "Modular Mounting Arrangement and Method for Light Emitting Diodes." [ Press release ] |
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March 28, 2005 |
Permlight and ElectraLED have reached a settlement in the patent infringement lawsuit filed on February 11, 2005, asserting infringement of Permlight's U.S. Patent Nos. 6,712,486 and 6,846,093. ElectraLED received a license under Permlight's patented LED thermal management technology. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. [ Press release ] |
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March 28, 2005 |
Toshiba announced two bright white LEDs for general lighting, ornamental lighting and LCD backlighting. The TL10W02-D produces 60 lumens at about 2 W (500mA), achieved by improved mounting technology for the LED chip and use of a low thermal resistance package with improved heat release characteristics. The company will ship samples in July and start mass-production in October. The 30-lumen TL10W01-D will start sample shipments in June and go into mass-production in July. [ Press release ] |
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March 28, 2005 |
Microvision has filed for patent protection relating to a novel display system architecture that would use an array of low-cost LEDs to enable very high resolution displays with extremely wide fields of view. Potential applications include wearable displays that can simulate the "immersive" viewing experience of a movie theater or a very large high resolution television. The invention would use an array of conventional, inexpensive LEDs and a simple optical system, an improvement over the cumbersome wide field of view near-eye display systems currently available. [ Press release ] |
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March 28, 2005 |
Harvatek introduced two new HarvaLED LEDs for backlighting and illumination applications. The HarvaLED HT-PX76 and HT-PX78 series includes 1-, 2.5- and 3.5-W devices that produce 30 to 100 lm. The HT-P176TW and HT-P178TW are 1-W, white LED devices that deliver a typical output of 30 lm at 0.35 A. HT-P276TW and HT-P278TW are 2.5-W LEDs that deliver 60 lm at 0.70 A. HT-P376TW and HT-P378TW are 3.5-W LEDs that deliver 100 lm at 1.05 A. Both HT-PX76 and HT-PX78 surface-mountable packages feature an integrated thermal management design. [ Press release ] |
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March 28, 2005 |
Agilent will increase the number of employees in its China locations by 36% (from 1,100 to 1,500) by the end of 2005, according to an announcement made at the China Development Forum. [ News item at LIGHTimes ] |
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March 25, 2005 |
The Industrial and Economics Knowledge Center (IEK) of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) predicts that Taiwan's LED production value will grow only 16% on year to about NT$46.96 billion in 2005, compared to 23% growth last year, according to DigiTimes. The production value of Taiwan's LED industry grew at an annual rate of 40-42% from 2001-2003, when the industry began producing GaN LEDs, but complications with the production of white LEDs, such as intellectual property issues, have slowed growth. [ News item at DigiTimes ] |
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March 24, 2005 |
ZDNet.com published an overview article on LEDs as backlights in LCD televisions, titled "Display tech aims for a brighter future." The article quotes market analyst Jed Dorsheimer of Adams Harkness, who expects it will be three to four years before LEDs are used in popular television sizes, such as 42-inch sets, in the sub-$2,000 range. [ Feature article ] |
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March 24, 2005 |
LED lighting was featured in a winning entry in a design contest for a student lounge at Swarthmore College. Student Joey Roth proposed LED lighting for mailboxes both to alert students to new mail and to create a "visually striking wall of randomly illuminated boxes, reminiscent of an apartment building at night." [ News item in the Phoenix student newspaper, design information ] |
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March 24, 2005 |
Intematix announced production availability of the first members of its fully patent-backed phosphor family. The White Lightning Y450™ and the White Lightning Y460™ deliver YAG-equivalent performance and color benefiting many applications requiring bright, vibrant light. These include backlighting, camera flash, automotive lighting, large area signage and architectural lighting. Intematix has licensed its white LED phosphor technology to Advanced Optoelectronic Technology (Taiwan). [Press release 1, 2 ] |
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March 23, 2005 |
The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) awarded grants totaling $600,000 to seven faculty research teams, including one for research by Vladimir Bulovic and his team on a new quantum-dot-based light-emitting device for flat-panel displays. [ Press release ] |
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March 23, 2005 |
Several recent U.S. LED-related patent applications were listed in LEDs Magazine. The applications cover "Driver circuit for LED vehicle lamp" (Osram Sylvania); "Universal light emitting illumination device and method" (Technology Assessment Group); "Light emission control circuit uniformly and non-uniformly controlling a plurality of light-emitting elements"; and "LED lamp" (Matsushita Electric Industrial). [ News item at LEDs Magazine ] |
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March 23, 2005 |
Color Kinetics was awarded its third patent relating to intelligent pool and spa lights. U.S. patent number 6,869,204, "Light fixtures for illumination of liquids," relates in part to mechanical advancements, such as those that enable a thin, surface-mounted light. [ Press release ] |
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March 22, 2005 |
Rohm (Japan) plans to sell ZnO-based blue LEDs as early as 2007, according to a report in the Japanese online newspaper Nikkei.net. The ZnO-based LEDs reportedly will be 10 times brighter than current GaN-based blue LEDs, at one-tenth the cost. Rohm will spend about $10 million to develop the technology over the next three years in collaboration with the Institute of Materials Research at Tohoku University. [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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March 22, 2005 |
Lumileds and Future Electronics joined to form Lumileds Future Electronics, a joint effort to ease development and manufacture of Luxeon-based lighting solutions. Lumileds Future Electronics intends to enable lighting system manufacturers and designers to easily and quickly engineer, prototype and manufacture solid-state lighting solutions. [ Press release ] |
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March 21, 2005 |
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced a new partnership with Boeing to develop innovative and efficient lighting solutions for use aboard commercial aircraft. The LRC and Boeing will collaborate on projects to evaluate current aircraft interior lighting designs and to specify new lighting concepts and requirements. [ Press release ] |
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March 21, 2005 |
Electronics Weekly published an overview of LEDs for automotive headlights, titled "Full beam ahead for LED headlights." The article discusses mounting, beam angle, thermal management and color issues. [ Feature Article ] |
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March 18, 2005 |
University of Tokyo researchers have developed an LED made of strained GaSb quantum dots embedded in silicon that emits infrared light with an external quantum efficiency of up to 0.3%. Susumu Fukatsu and colleagues made the device via molecular beam epitaxy. The research was reported as "A Si-based quantum-dot light-emitting diode" in the March 7, 2005, issue of Applied Physics Letters. [ News item at Optics.org, abstract ] |
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March 17, 2005 |
Evident introduced a line of quantum dots integrated into a series of common resins and polymer matrix materials. EviComposites™ are made of EviDot™ quantum dots engineered into a series of forms designed to be easy to use, to speed the development of new materials and new products by making quantum dot nanomaterials more applicable to common manufacturing processes. [ Press release ] |
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March 17, 2005 |
AXT appointed Philip C.S. Yin as chief executive officer, replacing interim CEO Donald L. Tatzin. Yin most recently served as AIXTRON 's North American general manager. AXT also reduced the workforce at its Beijing, China manufacturing facility by about 15% (100 positions), for an anticipated annual payroll and related expense savings of about $300,000. [ Press release 1, 2 ] |
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March 16, 2005 |
N-Hitech (South Korea) exported more than 20 billion won in display parts to Japanese companies last year, according to a feature article in the Korea Times. N-Hitech makes back light units (BLU) for LCDs, LEDs and lead-free controller boards, and supplies components to companies such as Fuji Xerox and Samsung. The company's annual sales increased last year by 72%, to 26.8 billion won, from 15.6 billion won in 2003. [ News item in the Korea Times ] |
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March 15, 2005 |
Young Electronics Group introduced a line of white LEDs based on a proprietary non-YAG phosphor with the "brightest blue chip" available to produce more than 11cd in a 5-mm LED and 140 L in a 5-W LED, according to a company spokesperson. The LEDs are intended for indoor architectural lighting, decorative lighting, torch lighting, photoflash, traffic signaling and other general applications. [ News item at ElectronicsTalk.com ] |
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March 15, 2005 |
Permlight and Osram introduced a new LED-based system for stopping movie piracy. Permlight's Enbryten Piracy line uses Osram's recently introduced thin film infrared power LED technology to transmit an invisible signal into movie audiences to wash out any silicon CCD-based digital camcorders. [ Press release ] |
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March 14, 2005 |
Catalyst Semiconductor and Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions have signed a non-exclusive agreement to jointly promote each others' products in the systems solutions they offer to their global solid-state illumination customers. [ Press release ] |
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March 14, 2005 |
Toyoda Gosei and TridonicAtco, the lighting components and control gear division of the Zumtobel Group (Austria), have formed a joint venture to advance the development of high-power white LEDs. The joint venture will make high-power LED packages and components for the general lighting market, with a focus on color temperature, tolerance, homogeneous white light and color rendering. [ Press release ] |
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March 11, 2005 |
EPA posted a request for initial proposals for Market-Based Approaches to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Energy Efficiency in Homes and Buildings. Initial proposals are due April 25, 2005; final proposals will be due May 27, 2005. Proposals may address a number of concerns, one of which is "improving energy performance in the residential market through increased use of high-efficiency products" and another is "delivering improved energy performance to existing commercial buildings through technology or practice." More information is available in the synopsis and RFIP. |
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March 10, 2005 |
Arrowhead Research has exclusively licensed new technology in dip pen nanolithography (DPN) from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), with the intent of commercialization. Arrowhead also acquired a 12-month option to exclusively license additional patent applications from Caltech covering nanotube-based scanning probes, lipid membrane fabrication, nanotube-based memory devices, and nanotube strain sensors. The technology could potentially be used for mechanically tunable LEDs. [ Press release ] |
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March 10, 2005 |
Aixtron's merger with Genus was completed after Genus' shareholders approved the merger with a majority of about 61% of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting. [ Press release ] |
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March 2005 |
Agilent's market strategy is discussed in a feature article at Compound Semiconductor magazine. The article notes that the company is targeting the consumer electronics sector, including camera-phone flashes, illuminators for personal hand-held projectors, and backlights for large LCD televisions, to create opportunities for its daughter company Lumileds. [ Feature article ] |
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Blue 2005, the 3rd International Industry Review for LED Technologies Driving the Solid State Lighting Revolution, is set for May 16 to 18, 2005, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Key speakers will include George Mueller of Color Kinetics, H.S. Chung, formerly of Samsung/SEMCO, Patricia A. Martone with Fish & Neave IP Group of Ropes & Gray LLP, and Dr. Robert Steele of Strategies Unlimited. The program will also include updates from key Taiwanese producers such as Epistar, Cotco, OptoTech, ForEpi and others. [ Conference information, editorial at LIGHTimes ] |
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March 10, 2005 |
SAIC has been awarded a DARPA contract to deliver 800 high-performance solid state flashlight prototypes. The flashlights will be supplied to deployed U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq for in-the-field experimental evaluation and feedback. SAIC and SureFire, LLC, a manufacturer of tactical flashlights, have been collaborating for several years to develop new technologies that enhance flashlight performance. The prototypes will use LEDs from Lumileds. [ Press release ] |
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March 10, 2005 |
Taiwan industry: White LEDs from the Taiwan industry are expected to account for 20% of worldwide production value this year, up from 1% in 2004. [ Excerpted item at DigiTimes ] |
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March 9, 2005 |
InnovaLight has moved its operations to St. Paul, Minn., from Austin, Texas. The company's core technology is focused on developing next-generation lighting based on novel luminescent silicon nanocrystals, and is based on work by Dr. Uwe Kortshagen of the University of Minnesota, Dr. Brian Korgel of the University of Texas, and others. [ Press release ] |
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March 8, 2005 |
National Chiao Tung University, in a five-year effort led by Professor Shing-chung Wang, has successfully developed a surface light emitting (VCSEL) blue ray laser from GaN. This is the first such development of this type in Taiwan, and "it also puts Taiwan ahead of leading edge laboratories in the United States and Japan in such research, and propels Taiwan's blue ray laser research to a world-class standard." Compared to other approaches, they claim that their technology is unique in facilitating the mass production of DVD discs and "enables a wide range of applications. In addition to largely raising the amount of information that can be stored on a DVD, if the technology is applied in a monitor, the brightness will be better than that of an LED." It is hoped that the technology will be transferred to local manufacturers after two to three years. [ Item at III-Vs Review, item from DigiTimes ] |
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March 8, 2005 |
The Keystone Group has developed FlareAlert™, a battery-operated, LED-based safety flare visible for miles from both the ground and the air. The device uses 12 high-output LEDs, and is now available in red, with blue, green, yellow and white versions to be available later this year. [ Press release ] |
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March 7, 2005 |
Alfred University's School of Engineering received a $10 million endowment from Kyocera Corporation (Japan) for its program in advanced ceramics, biomaterials and photonics. The research initiative funded by the gift will complement ongoing collaborations between the university and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) at the University at Albany - SUNY. Alfred University participates as a member of the CNSE and other joint nanotechnology enabled collaborations in a number of areas, including solid state lighting. [ Press release ] |
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March 7, 2005 |
Toshiba has developed a fluorescent substance for white LEDs that can be used in conjunction with blue LEDs to create a white light that is close to natural sunlight, according to a report from Asia Pulse and LIGHTimes. Products containing the new material, which emits 1.7 times the brightness of conventional white LEDs, could be available in two to three years, according to the reports. [ News item at LIGHTimes ] |
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March 7, 2005 |
Kyma Technologies has expanded its GaN substrate product line to include both conductive and semi-insulating (SI) GaN substrates, ranging in size and shape from 10 mm x 10 mm squares to 3-in. diameter rounds, all with dislocation densities below 10 7 cm-2 (some as low as mid 10 5 cm-2) and with improved surfaces. The company is also developing 4-in. diameter SI GaN for use in microelectronic device applications. [ Press release ] |
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March 4, 2005 |
Dr. Jong Ram Lee of Pohang University of Science and Technology (Korea), in cooperation with Seoul Optodevice, has developed a very bright, vertically configured blue LED, which Seoul Optodevice will soon release as a 10-W lamp. The electrode structure of the group's previous blue LED was horizontal, and brightness and lifetime were diminished when it was activated at high power. The new LED has a light power 3.5 times greater than the previous device. [ News item at ATIP.org ] |
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March 4, 2005 |
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced that its researchers are working on a Solid State Radiance Calibration Source: "… compact sources can be used for both initial characterizations and for periodic measurements to determine that the SSE [size-of-source effect] has not changed. This invention describes the design, construction, and characterization of a unique LED-based radiance source. Different diffuser materials are assessed for spatial and angular uniformity." [ FBO special notice, Reference-Number-SN0305 ] |
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March 3, 2005 |
Japanese lighting manufacturer Ryoukou has created an artificial cherry tree lit by 7,600 white LEDs. The Attachment Tree weighs half a ton, stands 6 meters tall, and has a branch span of 5 meters. [ News item at Engadget.com ] |
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March 3, 2005 |
LED lighting from Color Kinetics and Main Light Industries will be used in a number of concert tours this summer. Main Light's Soft-LED™, an intelligent LED-based drapery that combines Color Kinetics' solid-state lighting technology and control systems with Main Light's expertise in stage lighting, is lightweight and easy to install, and reduces the cost typically associated with large-scale video and lighting backdrops. [ Press release ] |
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March 3, 2005 |
The Higher Education Funding Council is to grant research funds of about £16m to the University of Bath (UK), representing a 20% increase, which will support continued research in a number of areas, including investigation of "new forms of LED lighting." [ BBC News item ] |
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March 1, 2005 |
Soitec announced that it has generated, in collaboration with its Picogiga division, a single-crystal, thin-film GaN-on-insulator substrate, which it says is the world's first. The breakthrough is an important step forward in enabling the development of high-performance blue and white LEDs, as well as for improving current and future device performance in radio-frequency and discrete power applications. The development was made using Soitec's proprietary Smart Cut™ layer-transfer and wafer-bonding technology. Picogiga says commercialization is not expected until 2006 or 2007. [ Press release, news item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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March 1, 2005 |
OnScreen Technologies launched the RediAd™ product line of bright LED signs for retail point-of-purchase advertising. The first product, called "The Living Window," displays a bright three- to six-line text message through a 15 to 30-square-foot, lightweight, see-through sign that can be placed in any window without blocking the view in or out. Wireless control means amber alert and other emergency messaging can be shown when necessary. [ Press release ] |
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March 1, 2005 |
Clarity Lighting has installed three light walls in the Executive Briefing Centre at Microsoft UK in Reading. The Microdex walls, which measure 3.2 x 2.7 m, 4.8 x 2.7 m, and 4.1 x 2.7 m, use 1-W Luxeon linear RGB multiLEDS. The walls are intended to allow Microsoft to take advantage of the positive mood enhancing properties evoked by colored lighting, and to maximize the ambience and aesthetics of the new, contemporary-styled briefing facility. [ Press release ] |
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March 2005 |
LED backlighting of LCD televisions was the topic of the cover story, "LED Backlights Boost LCD TV Color," in the March 2005 issue of Nikkei Electronics Asia. Sony may see the new technology as its "next Trinitron," while Toyoda Gosei and Showa Denko are hoping to compete with Lumileds in this market, according to the article. [ Article at Nikkei Electronics Asia ] |
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March 2005 |
Compound Semiconductor Magazine has published an article on the IP legal battle between Nichia and Shuji Nakamura, "Nichia marches on, Nakamura licks wounds and pays lawyers," in its March 2005 issue. [ Article at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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February 28, 2005 |
Furukawa (Japan) will begin making 2-in. GaN substrates at the end of this year, according to a report at Nikkei.net. The company is planning to produce 5000 to 6000 units per month by 2008, or about $77 million in sales per year, and will target next-generation DVD applications. [ News brief at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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February 28, 2005 |
Agilent and Lumileds introduced the first three products in the new Envisium mid-power LED family. The Envisium Power PLCC-4 (plastic leaded chip carrier) surface-mount LEDs are intended for automotive exterior lighting, and other applications including mood lighting and highlighting, garden lighting, and illuminated signs and signals. The devices are available in red, red-orange and amber and produce up to 1580 mcd luminous intensity and 4300 mlm total flux at 50 mA. [ Agilent press release ] |
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February 28, 2005 |
BivarOpto introduced a Right Angle SMT LED indicator capable of replacing traditional PCB through-hole LED assembly displays. The device measures 2.4 x 3.2 mm, features InGaN performance characteristics, and is packaged with a lens centerline 1.4 mm from PCB surfaces for optimal light emission. It features peak wavelengths of 470 to 660 nm, axial intensity from 140 to 160 mcd at 20 mA, and a forward voltage and current rated at 4.0 Vf at 20mA. [ Press release ] |
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February 25, 2005 |
A feature article in the Baltimore Sun, "LEDs might light up our lives," discusses LEDs as replacements for incandescent light bulbs. The overview article quotes Fred Schubert of RPI and Jeff Tsao of Sandia National Laboratories. [ Feature article in the Baltimore Sun (registration required) ] |
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February 25, 2005 |
The Alliance for Solid-State Illumination Systems and Technologies (ASSIST) has published recommendations for defining and measuring LED life for lighting. The publication, "ASSIST Recommends: LED Life for General Lighting," proposes a definition for the life of LED products for lighting based on light output depreciation and appropriate light levels for different types of lighting applications. The group recommends 70% lumen maintenance (i.e., a 30% reduction in light output over time) as the useful life for general lighting applications and 50% lumen maintenance for decorative lighting applications. ASSIST is an LED industry group organized by RPI's LRC. [ Press release, publication ] |
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February 24, 2005 |
ABI Research has published a new study, "LEDs and Laser Diodes," which analyzes major LED and laser diode markets, technologies, and players, and reviews external factors that may affect the growth of the LED industry. According to the study, by 2010 the global LED market may consist of two segments: a highly commoditized market in simple, inexpensive LEDs for mass-produced goods, and another sector dealing in high-end, high-tech innovations. [ Press release, report information ] |
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February 22, 2005 |
Lighthouse Technologies introduced the P12-Enhanced Resolution (ER) indoor/outdoor LED panel, which uses advanced digital processing to enhance resolution to include more detailed information on a smaller screen. The P12-ER has a 12.5 mm dot pitch resolution, allowing more images, graphics and text to be displayed on 25 mm panels. The P12-ER is the first LED panel to combine the benefits of Lighthouse's M4 color uniformity, 14-bit grayscale, and resolution-enhancing technology, and is intended for advertising and stadium applications that require mid-size screens with high resolution for longer viewing distances. [ Press release ] |
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February 21, 2005 |
John Adinolfi of Leotek reported on the large municipal market for LEDs in applications other than traffic signals, according to an article at LIGHTimes. Adinolfi told attendees at the recent Strategies in Light conference that for every 1,000 people in the U.S., there are 140 non-highway, road low-light lamps, totaling an estimated $14.8 billion for the 50 W LED market alone. For street name signs, the retrofit market is $144 million and the new install market is about $2 billion, he said. [ News item at LIGHTimes ] |
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February 2005 |
An overview of China's national initiative for solid-state lighting was published in LEDs Magazine, based on a presentation by Ling Wu, director of the China Solid-State Lighting Program Office at the Strategies in Light conference. The program has already received 140 RMB ($17 million) from central government, and 15 research institutions and more than 50 enterprises are involved. Major investment in SSL is expected when China's 11th 5-year plan is unveiled in July 2005. China's solid-state lighting roadmap is set to be unveiled at the China SSL Forum in Xiamen, April 12 to 15, 2005. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ] |
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February 2005 |
Forge Europa will distribute Cree's Xlamp™ LEDs under a new agreement with Cree granting Forge Europa exclusive distribution rights in a number of territories. [ Press release ] |
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February 2005 |
2nd Annual DOE Solid State Lighting Workshop (Feb. 3-4 in San Diego): Highlights of the workshop, attended by more than 170 representatives from industry, research institutions, universities and national labs, are described in an article available on the NETL website. The workshop provided an interactive forum for shaping and prioritizing DOE's SSL research and development activities. Participants reviewed, discussed, and prioritized more than 65 R&D tasks and subtasks within the DOE SSL R&D agenda. Presentations made at the workshop are available online, as well as reference documents, which include the 2005 project portfolio (full list of workshop materials ). The complete workshop report will be posted in March. [ Workshop highlights ] |
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February 2005 |
DOE signed a memorandum of agreement with the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance on February 2 to establish a partnership that will help support the development and commercialization of SSL technology. [ Information on agreement, memorandum of agreement, NEMA press release (2/18/2005)] |
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February 2005 |
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 ballet chose the lighting system, which included products from Color Kinetics and Osram, in part to save floor space in the smaller theater it used this year. [ Article in Laser Focus World ] |
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February 22, 2005 |
Custom Interconnect Ltd has developed novel LED arrays, called CoolLED, from 300x300µm bare UV LED die on a metallized ceramic substrate. The device features a looser pitch than most arrays, as well as cup-shaped reflectors around the die, thus increasing light output by 80 percent and decreasing heat. [ News item in Electronics Weekly ] |
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February 22, 2005 |
Osram introduced the PointLED, with a 2 mm diameter and luminous efficacy of 38 lm/W. At 0.775 mm high, the device can be sunk completely in the printed circuit board. The white LED has a typical brightness of 800 mcd at a beam angle of 120°. [ Press release ] |
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February 21, 2005 |
Cotco was featured in an article on LED technology in the Chinese business newspaper, The Standard. The article discusses the small company's strategy for taking on competitors such as Philips and the growing markets for LEDs. [ Article in The Standard ] |
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February 18, 2005 |
My-Tronic (Germany) introduced a new RGB LED product line called Chara, which includes the Chara LED Lightball (see product description ). The new line is compatible with My-Tronic's DecoLED systems and with DMX 512. [ Press release ] |
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February 17, 2005 |
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a controversial theory to explain how InGaN LEDs emit light. Professor Colin Humphreys says observations made by the Cambridge materials science team, which specializes in electron microscopy, suggest the indium clusters previously thought to be responsible for light emission are actually an artifact of the microscopy used by other researchers and not inherent in the heterostructures. In addition, the Cambridge materials science department has set up a 15-member team to investigate why green LEDs are significantly less efficient. [ Article at ElectronicsWeekly.com ] |
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February 16, 2005 |
Lighting Science Group Corp and Giuliani Capital Advisors have created a joint venture intended to accelerate the deployment of Lighting Science's patent-pending Optimized Digital Lighting™ (ODL) technology under the company's Energy Saving Sharing Program, which enables organizations to use ODL products without any upfront capital expenditures and to share the energy savings with the joint venture. The joint venture will finance and deploy the ODL technology in lighting applications owned and operated by municipalities, public utility corporations, universities, large malls, parking lots and other organizations with significant lighting requirements. [ Press release ] |
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February 16, 2005 |
OptiLED introduced its S11 LED pseudo-filament lamp, a product intended to replace incandescent S11 glass light bulbs. The S11, which consumes less than 0.5 W, is suitable for marquees, retail, hospitality, staging and residential lighting and is available in red, green, blue, amber and white. [ Press release ] |
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February 16, 2005 |
South Epitaxy (Taiwan) 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. [ News item in DigiTimes ] |
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February 15, 2005 |
The Vincent Thomas Bridge at the Port of Los Angeles is one of the few bridges in the world to be illuminated by LEDs and, according to developers, the first such bridge installation in the world to combine LEDs with a solar PV system. The bridge is now lit by 160 solar-powered, LED light fixtures. [ Article in RenewableEnergyAccess.com News, Vincent Thomas Bridge Lighting website, LEDtronics page ] |
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February 15, 2005 |
CameraBright announced two new LED-based models in its CameraBright!™ X1 lighting accessory product line. The CameraBright! X1-ER Extended Range provides cooler color temperatures (6,000 K), 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 (3,000 K), a broader light beam, brightness of 25 cd and a range of up to 10 ft. [ Press release ] |
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February 14, 2005 |
Osram will provide technology for new LED warning signals from Nova Electronics. The new Nova SLWIC3 contains 56 wide-angle, high-intensity OSRAM Power TOPLED®s in a novel split-array arrangement and represents an innovation in emergency warning light design due to the thin packaging, high light output and surface-mount capability. [ Press release ] |
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February 14, 2005 |
February 14, 2005 A teenage inventor has developed the "Glo-Glove," a glove fitted with 13 LEDs whose beams can be directed using the hands and fingers. Ethan Fowler, 14, of Manchester, England, won the regional heat of the Audi Innovation Award and will compete against 23 others for the national title. [ News item in Manchester Online ] |
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February 11, 2005 |
Reports on the Strategies in Light event, held February 7 to 9, 2005, in California, were published in LIGHTimes and LEDs Magazine. [Articles in LIGHTimes- item 1, item 2, item 3; article in LEDs Magazine ] Highlights include: · Alan Thompson of LIGHTimes says he sees a "perfect storm" brewing for the HB-LED market, brought on by overcapacity and heavy reliance on cell phone sales. · Tony van de Ven of Lighthouse Technologies said that using video screens for billboard advertising is now financially feasible, and that the technical challenges of creating large LED screens have largely been overcome. · Sidney Chu of Cotco discussed issues with traditional backlighting using CCFL, EEFL, or FFL, including heat stress, color deterioration, non-uniform brightness due to curvature on large screens, and environmental issues, and explained how these problems can be overcome with RGB LED arrays. · Rüdiger Müller of Osram discussed growth in miniature projection systems, flat-panel display backlights, automotive headlights and general lighting, applications which require improved color uniformity, increased surface brightness and reduced cost. · Jason Posselt of Lumileds said cost targets of less than 1 cent per lumen are achievable within the next five years. Lumileds also announced a redesign of its Luxeon high-power LED product ( see February 9 headline, below ). · Chris James of Cree showed a timeline graph detailing Cree's progress in the "lumens per wafer" metric for white LEDs. Cree representatives also acknowledged that although production of its 100 lm/W source is not imminent ( see February 8 item, below ), the company expects production white LEDs of 50 lm/W this year. · Shuji Muguruma of Nichia outlined the company's application focus, which covers four main areas: lighting, displays, automotive and mobile, with a different product set for each and said his company has a 5 W package producing 200 lumens on its product roadmap for lighting. · Bill Kennedy of Toyoda Gosei presented a new power SMD LED, due to enter production in April 2005, which includes a 1 x 1 mm chip, the phosphor, and a package measuring 3.4 mm x 2.8 mm x 1.2 mm deep that provides "superior" heat dissipation.
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Representatives from Taiwan and Korea said they are committed to IP protection, but IP concerns were repeated throughout the conference.
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February 11, 2005 |
Shenzhen Mason Technology released 5mm LEDs with brightness ranging from 40 mcd to 0.4 cd. Rated at 1.9 V to 2.5 V, the LEDs have a rated forward current of 20mA, viewing angle of 120° and a lifespan of 80,000h, and are available in a variety of colors. [ Press release (registration required) ] |
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February 11, 2005 |
Permlight has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ElectraLED, alleging that ElectraLED's "FLEX" LED system infringes Permlight's patents, including U.S. Patent No. 6,712,486, "Mounting Arrangement for Light Emitting Diodes" and U.S. Patent No. 6,846,093, "Modular Mounting Arrangement and Method for Light Emitting Diodes." [ Press release ] |
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February 10, 2005 |
PerkinElmer has acquired Elcos AG, a leading European designer and manufacturer of custom LED solutions for biomedical and industrial applications. The transaction combines Elcos' visible LED technology platform and strong customer and application base with PerkinElmer's global sales, application and support organization, and will provide significantly greater growth opportunities for the Elcos technology, according to the company. [ Press release ] |
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February 10, 2005 |
OnScreen Technologies' RediAlert™ Rapid Dispatch Emergency Sign™ will be featured in editorials in three national trade-specific publications, Law Enforcement Product News, Police and Security News and Fire/EMS Product News. The RediAlert product line includes highly visible, portable LED signs that can be powered and transported by any vehicle, set up by one person in a few minutes, and controlled remotely from a variety of encrypted wireless technologies. [ Press release 1, Press release 2, product information ] |
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February 9, 2005 |
Lumileds announced the upcoming expansion of its high power Luxeon line with emitters that offer 65 lumens in white at 350mA, 185°C allowable junction temperature, and a JEDEC moisture sensitivity level of 2a. The company also says that the product line will feature "the world's best light output with performance in white of 65 to 130 lumens." Designed to simplify the process of incorporating Luxeon light sources into lighting assemblies and end-user products, these new emitters represent a complete redesign of the Luxeon package, according to the company. The new products will be available this summer in white and in seven colors. [ Press release ] |
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February 9, 2005 |
Lumileds announced it will issue an advisory to the solid-state lighting industry regarding its intellectual property pertaining to the manufacture and assembly of mirror substrate LEDs. The action comes in response to reports that certain die manufacturers and LED packagers are violating Lumileds' patents, according to the company. [ Press release ] |
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February 9, 2005 |
Kopin has formed a joint venture company with strategic and financial investors, 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. [ Press release, news item in LIGHTimes ] |
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February 9, 2005 |
Cree and Nichia have entered into a 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 same time, 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 ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Mitsubishi announced its PocketProjector™, one of the world's smallest LED projectors. Weighing 14 ounces and fitting into a coat pocket, the projector is lighted by three Lumileds™ LEDs and intended for use with a notebook computer, portable DVD player, or gaming console. It will be available in July 2005. [ Press release ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Pro-Lite is now distributing Labsphere's SLMS-0400 Series Spectral Lamp Measurement Systems and HLMS-200P Handheld Light Measurement System. The products enable users to easily determine the optical properties of small light sources such as LEDs, miniature lamps and laser diodes. [ Press release, news item at Physicsweb.org ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Berlin's Transmediale international media art festival opened with Sky Ear, a project involving helium-filled balloons equipped with ultra-bright LEDs that changed color and intensity as they interacted with electromagnetic waves from television broadcasts, police radios and other wireless communication devices. [ Article in DW-World ] |
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February 7, 2005 |
TIR Systems' Light Pipe system will provide general illumination for the Departure and Arrival levels of Chicago O'Hare International Airport's Terminal 2. TIR has also been chosen to replace an existing conventional lighting system in the Cobo Hall Tunnel in downtown Detroit. The two contracts total $2.9 million. [ Press release ] |
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February 3, 2005 |
Researchers at Konan University in Kobe, Japan, have developed a simple chemical method for tuning the color of semiconductor nanocrystals. The method, developed by Kensuke Akamatsu and colleagues, involves a chemical treatment using 1-decanethiol that gradually blueshifts the emission from nanoparticles of cadmium telluride without affecting the particle size. This research is published as "Band gap engineering of CdTe nanocrystals through chemical surface modification," in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. [ News item in Nature, abstract ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Strategies Unlimited's Bob Steele has forecast that the HB-LED market will nearly double by 2009, to about $7 billion. Steele also reported that the market grew 37% to $3.7 billion in 2004, and that white LEDs for backlighting of full-color displays saw 75% market growth in 2004. The report was made at the Strategies in Light conference. [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Cree announced its most recent breakthrough: 100 lm/W and 50% wall-plug efficiency from standard 5 mm LEDs and maximum luminous flux of 60 lm from its 7090 series white XLamp power LEDs operating at 350 mA. The announcement was made at the Strategies in Light conference. [ News item at LIGHTimes ] |
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February 8, 2005 |
Lamina Ceramics claims to have set another world's record with its ultra-high lumen LED array, branded Aterion™ White. The 28,000 lumen solid-state device uses 1,120 LEDs, is 5" square, and powered by 1,400 watts. It produces a CRI of 80. The array radiates no heat in its light beam and features instant-on, instant re-strike and fully dimmable capabilities. [ Press release ] |
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**Funding Opportunity** |
DOD has released the 2005 STTR solicitation. One MDA topic is "Wide Bandgap Material and Device Development" (MDA05-T016), which has this objective - "develop wide bandgap (SiC and GaN) semiconductor devices for efficient, reliable, high power electrical generation, control, conversion, and distribution systems for ground, airborne and space applications." DOD will begin accepting proposals beginning March 15, 2005 with the deadline for all proposals being April 15, 2005. [ See also program solicitation ] |
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Event |
Photonics Cluster (UK), in association with LEDS Magazine, will present a two-day event focusing on the technology and applications of high brightness light-emitting diodes, "LEDs - Lighting the Way Forward". The seminar is set for April 20-21, 2005 in Birmingham, UK. [ Event information ] |
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Event |
LightFair International, the world's largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show, conference and institute, is set for April 10 to 14 in New York City. The program includes several workshops and seminars on LEDs: "LED Technology", "LEDs with Architectural Applications: Wallwashing," and "LEDs…Innovation, Application, and Product Evolution." [ Event brochure, summary press release (Oct. 2004)] |
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February 7, 2005 |
Dubilier introduced a series of low-cost LEDs in red, yellow, orange, and green, in 3mm and 5mm diameters, with radial leads. The line includes surface-mount chip LEDs in industry standard 0603 and 0805 sizes and high brightness units providing up to 8,000 Mcd light. [ News item at EETimes Asia (registration required), product information ] |
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February 3, 2005 |
Carmanah received an additional $615,000 order for solar-powered lighting from the U.S. Marine Corps. The USMC will use more than 1,000 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 ] |
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February 2, 2005 |
iLight Technologies was profiled in an article in the Chicago Sun Times. iLight has taken on the $2 billion neon lighting business with its LED-based Plexineon product. The firm is reportedly growing at a rate of 60% per year. In a related article, Nick Holonyak (University of Illinois), called the "father of the LED", was interviewed. [ Articles ] |
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February 2, 2005 |
III-N Technology (Manhattan, Kan.) has developed single-chip power AC-LED lamps that need no power conversion and can be plugged directly into standard power outlets or lamp sockets. Hongxing Jiang, who founded III-N Technology with his fellow Kansas State University professor Jingyu Lin, made the announcement at the recent Photonics West conference. [ News item in LEDS Magazine ] (See also Seoul Semi item, below ) |
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February 2, 2005 |
BivarOpto introduced an ultra-thin surface-mount RGB device featuring individual addressable die for exact color mixing and matching, suitable for backlit keypads and LCDs used in handheld and mobile appliance applications. The tri-chip RGB design comprises one AlGaInP and two InGaN/SIC chip dies, with peak wavelengths of 635, 520 and 465 nm. [ News item in LEDs Magazine ] |
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February 1, 2005 |
Shenzhen Lanke Electronics Co. Ltd (China), a manufacturer of LEDs and LED products, was profiled by Global Sources Electronic Components. The company has a monthly capacity of 70 million LED lamps and 10 million SMD LEDs, and plans to significantly increase exports this year. [ Article ] |
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February 1, 2005 |
Permlight and Chloride Systems have jointly developed an emergency LED lighting system based on its patented floor, path of egress, and thermal management technology. Using Permlight's LED Light Engine technology, Chloride Systems, a division of the Genlyte Group, developed a complete emergency lighting systems package that includes LED luminaires, battery back-up, and power outage detection circuitry. [ Press release ] |
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February 1, 2005 |
Taiwan's optoelectronics industry production value is expected to rise 34% year-on-year to US$47.17 billion in 2005, due to increased global demand for optical display and optical storage products, according to the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). [ News item from ShibuiNews ] |
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February 1, 2005 |
Harvatek (Taiwan) plans to open sales, marketing and product development offices in both the Americas and Europe under the banner of Harvatek International. [ News item at Compound Semiconductor ] |
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February 1, 2005 |
Carmanah announced two new and technically enhanced LED edge-lit roadway signs, the Model R409 Edge-Lit LED Street-Name Sign and the Model R450 Edge-Lit LED Traffic Sign. [ Press release ] |
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February 2005 |
Frederick M. ("Fritz") Morgan, vice president of engineering at Color Kinetics, was featured in a special report on "Dream Jobs 2005" in IEEE Spectrum Online. [Article - " Fritz Morgan: LEDs into Gold" ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
Tri-O-Light (the Netherlands) introduced its LED Mini Flood Light, a waterproof spot suitable for lighting objects or for indoor or outdoor decorative lighting purposes. The spotlight uses Luxeon high power LEDs and is equipped with a 45-degree lens. [To get to product information, click on "products" sidebar link, then on "LED Mini Flood Light" link. Product sheet (pdf) is here. ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
TIR Systems announced the completion of two projects in Tianjin and Shanghai in mainland China. TIR supplied products from its Destiny series to illuminate the 52-meter high Full Moon Tower at Galaxy Park, a leisure park in Tianjin, and supplied its Light Pipe product as a key feature in the exterior lighting of the Azia Center in Shanghai. [ Press release ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
RPC Photonics was awarded a $200,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to improve the efficiency, visibility and performance of LED signage. The grant is to extend RPC's patented Engineered Diffuser™ technology into a film designed to shape and control light. The Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is collaborating on the project. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
OptiLED's Linear Optical Array LED lamps light Jacksonville's Main Street Bridge as part of the city's beautification effort in anticipation of the Super Bowl in Florida. Spanning 1,680 feet over the St. Johns River, the bridge, which was completed in 1939, carries traffic traveling on Route 1. [ Press release ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
LEDtronics introduced the Series SLL003 Ultra Slim Shoebox LED Cluster Light Module, a low-profile fixture (1.5" high) that weighs only 14 lbs. The module features 400 incandescent white 5mm LEDs mounted on a PCB, and consumes 20 W, emits 656 cd and 700 lumens, and has a color temperature of 3000K - 3500K. Optional LED colors are red, green, orange, yellow, cool white and blue. [ Press release, data sheet ] |
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January 31, 2005 |
Harvatek has received orders for LEDs amounting to NT$40-50 million in sales, including orders for 300,000 white LEDs "for consumer electronics" products this month and another 200,000 for next month, according to DigiTimes and LIGHTimes. [ News item at LIGHTimes, news item at Digitimes ] |
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January 29, 2005 |
Texas A&M University-Commerce is involved in a research project to establish empirical de facto standards for brightness in sign enclosures based on LED lighting and power technologies. OptoEngineering of Tulsa made a donation to the department for the purchase of light measuring equipment. [ Article in North Texas e-News ] |
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January 29, 2005 |
Optek Music Systems has developed a guitar with LEDs in its fretboard to help players learn where to put their fingers to produce desired notes, chords or songs. The invention was featured in Modern Guitars magazine. [ News article ] |
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January 28, 2005 |
Climate Change Central and Natural Resources Canada are offering a cash rebate to Alberta, Canada's multi-residential building sector to replace incandescent or fluorescent-lit exit signs with LED signs. The new program, running until April 30, 2005, gives a $25 rebate for each of the first 100 signs replaced in a building and $15 for every sign thereafter, to a maximum of 1000 signs. [ News item from GreenBiz.com, |