2005 Archived Selected Headlines of Solid-State Lighting Headlines News

November 30, 2005	Lamina Ceramics introduced the BL-4000 Warm White LED light engine, which produces 95 lm at a 3000 K color temperature and consumes 5.3 W. The device is intended as an alternative to halogen and tungsten incandescent lamps. [ Press release ]
November 29, 2005	Strategies Unlimited analyst Bob Steele said that out of a total of 30 companies selling epitaxial wafers and/or HB-LED chips into the market in 2004, the top three suppliers accounted for over half of the sales of these materials. In the latest analysis of the industry by the company, Steele also said that while more than 100 companies are now selling HB-LEDs at different levels of the supply chain, there is still room for innovative new entrants. [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]
November 28, 2005	Agilent has completed the sale of its stake in Lumileds to Royal Philips Electronics for about $950 million, plus repayment of $50 million of debt from Lumileds. The divestiture is one in a series of actions Agilent announced in August. [ Press release ]
November 25, 2005	Epistar president Biing-jye Lee discussed LED market trends, Epistar's merger with United Epitaxy, competition with South Korean and Chinese LED makers, and more in an interview published in DigiTimes. Lee said he sees mergers as "the future trend for the Taiwan LED industry." [ News item at Digitimes - no URL available ]
November 23, 2005	Osram has increased the luminous efficacy and extended the color palette of the Power TopLED. In addition to amber (617 nm), Power TopLEDs are now available in yellow (590 nm), orange (606 nm), red (625 nm) and super red (633 nm) in the previous brightness levels and also in brighter versions. The orange Power TopLED, for example, is available in 3 lm and 7 lm versions. The new LEDs are up to 150% more efficient than before. [ Press release ]
November 22, 2005	Researchers at Seoul National University have more than doubled the output power of GaN-based LEDs by using a holographic process that etches a two-dimensional photonic crystal into the device. The holographic method creates an array of air holes within the device and is better suited for large area processing with high throughput than is electron-beam lithography. Research results were published in Applied Physics Letters as "Enhanced light extraction from GaN-based light-emitting diodes with holographically generated two-dimensional photonic crystal patterns," by Dong-Ho Kim, et al. (87 203508). [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net, abstract ]
November 22, 2005	DOE released the Solid-State Lighting (SSL) Product Development funding opportunity. The National Energy Technology Laboratory (Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Building Technologies Program) is soliciting applications in support of this SSL program area. The objective of the Product Development opportunity is to solicit applications from industrial organizations to examine certain high-priority product development activities that will advance the state-of-the-art of SSL used for general illumination applications. Technical activities are to be focused on a targeted market application with fully defined price, efficacy, and other performance parameters necessary for success of the proposed product. [ Announcement; solicitation ]
November 21, 2005	Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) executive director Michael Lebby expects the HB-LED market to grow to more than $7 billion by 2009, led by rapid growth in noncommunications markets such as mobile appliances, signs and displays, signals, illumination and particularly the automotive industry. Lebby, speaking at SPIE's Optics East 2005 meeting held in October in Boston, said white LEDS will likely appear in consumer vehicles in 2007 or 2008 as headlights, interior lighting, day-running front sidelight, indicator lights and backlights for dash consoles. [ News item at Photonics.com ]
November 21, 2005	Taiwan's National Central University (NCU), Optical Science Center, has purchased an Aixtron Thomas Swan 3x2" Close Coupled Showerhead GaN epitaxy reactor. The system will be used to provide high quality GaN-based epitaxial materials for research on a wide range of LED structures. [ Press release ]
November 21, 2005	Researchers at Brown University have developed what they say is the first directly pumped silicon laser by changing the structure of the silicon crystal through a novel nanoscale technique. The team, led by engineering and physics professor Jimmy Xu, created a template of anodized aluminum which they used as a mask while drilling holes in the silicon using an ion beam. Research results were published in an advanced online publication of Nature Materials. [ Press release ]
November 18, 2005	University of Exeter researchers have discovered that the light-extraction system that allows butterfly wings to emit blue-green light is analogous to that used in LEDs. A team led by Pete Vukusic found that the efficient extraction of fluorescence from wing scales of African Swallowtail butterflies is facilitated by a two-dimensional photonic crystal slab that uses a multilayer to help control emission direction. Research results were published as "Directionally Controlled Fluorescence Emission in Butterflies," by P. Vukusic and I. Hooper, in the Nov. 18, 2005, issue of Science. [ Press release, abstract ]
November 15 & 22, 2005	Researchers at Meijo University of Science and Technology (Nagoya, Japan) have developed a white LED that reportedly achieves 130 lm/W, according to LIGHTimes and Nikkei Business Daily. The team, led by Satoshi Kamiyama, made the device from a purple LED with a phosphor coating, using a SiC substrate. [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net, news item at LIGHTimes ]
November 15, 2005	Formosa Epitaxy introduced a green LED chip that reportedly achieves 60 lm/W. The chip, which the company says is the world's brightest green LED, is intended for use in RGB LEDs for large-size panel backlighting. [ News item at Digitimes (registration required)]
November 14, 2005	Osram has licensed its white LED technology to Lednium (Australia). The agreement allows Lednium to use white LEDs containing blue-emitting InGaN chips and a phosphor converter in its multi-chip, geodesic-dome-shaped LED lamps. [ Press release ]
November 14, 2005	KLA-Tencor introduced the Candela CS20 automated wafer inspection system aimed at HB-LED manufacturing. The system combines four detection methods (optical profilometry, scatterometry, phase shift and reflectometry) to inspect transparent wafers and epi layers for micro-pits and other defects, non-destructively and at throughputs of up to 25 wafers per hour. [ News item at NE Asia Online ]
November 10, 2005	MPP Corp. (Osceola, Wisc.) has agreed to stop manufacturing products which Nichia claims infringe its LED patents. Some distributors are now marketing products with labels indicating they contain Nichia LEDs inside, which the company apparently sees as a satisfactory solution. [ Nichia press release ]
November 10, 2005	Lumileds filed patent infringement complaints against Epistar and United Epitaxy at the U.S. International Trade Commission and in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Lumileds accuses Epistar's omnidirectional mirror adhesion AlGaInP LED products and UEC's metal bond and glue bond AlGaInP LED products of infringing one or more of Lumileds' U.S. patents 5,008,718; 5,376,580; and 5,502,316. Epistar and United Epitaxy have denied the claims. [ Press release, news item at LIGHTimes ]
November 9, 2005	NanoMarkets and CIR expect the combined HB-LED and UHB-LED market to grow from $5.0 billion in 2006 to $10.8 billion in 2010 and $17.4 billion in 2013, according to the recently published market report, "The Global Market for HB-LEDs." NanoMarkets analysts Lawrence Gasman and Robert Nolan also stress that for SSL to penetrate mainstream lighting applications, the industry must address a range of problems, including more transparency and cooperation between different levels of the industry supply chain; a greater marketing emphasis on the consumer benefits of LEDs; and new characterization standards. [ Press release, news item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]
November 8, 2005	OptiLED introduced its S6 LED pseudo-filament lamp, intended to replace incandescent S6 glass light bulbs. The 0.5W lamp is available in red, green, blue, amber, white, and warm white. The OptiLED S6 is suitable for applications including marquees, retail, hospitality, staging and residential environments that require a bright-colored lighting effect while offering low power consumption and heat output. [ Press release at CompoundSemi.com ]
November 8, 2005	Edison Opto (Taiwan) was awarded government funding to develop a 100 W white LED with an output of 7000 lm and a luminous efficacy of 70 lm/W. Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, Department of Industrial Technology, will subsidize part of the cost of the $600,000 project. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
November 7, 2005	Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has prioritized eight industries, including LED lighting, for developing "green" energy sources, with the aim of boosting the overall annual production value of such industries to NT$159.3 billion by 2010, according to the "Green Energy Industry Plan" just completed by the ministry. To encourage the development of these industries, which also include solar power, solar water heating systems, wind power, bio-diesel fuel, hydrogen powered fuel cells, freezing and air conditioning, and gasoline/electric hybrid autos, the MOEA will provide incentives and expects to induce private investments worth NT$24.6 billion. [ News item at Taiwan Headlines ]
November 7, 2005	Showa Denko launched GaN-based LED chips in near ultraviolet, for use in general white lighting, and in green, for backlighting of large LCD screens. The near-UV flip-chip LED achieves 14 mW at about 400 nm and was created by means of the UV-LED epitaxial wafer technology developed as part of the high-efficiency electro-optic conversion compound semiconductor development program (the "Light for the 21st Century" project) of the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The new green LEDs have a face-up structure and emit 6.5 mW (400 mcd) at 505 nm (bluish green) and 6 mW (500 mcd) at 525 nm. [ News item at JCN Network ]
November 7, 2005	Nitto Denko has developed a nano-scale YAG phosphor material using a physical vapor process suited to mass production, in collaboration with an unnamed U.S.-based venture company. The material has an average particle size of 40 nm and an internal quantum efficiency of 70%. [ News item in LEDs Magazine ]
November 2005	Toyoda Gosei has disclosed that the phosphor material used in its blue LED (and other chips producing white light) is a barium ortho-silicate (BOS) material, rather than the conventional YAG-based phosphor. Toyoda Gosei has developed four BOS phosphors by tweaking the ratio of constituents, and has found that using more than one yellow phosphor with a blue LED allows for adjustments to the final white color. [ "Improving White LED Yield with Two Types of Yellow Phosphor" in Nikkei Electronics Asia ]
October 27, 2005	Everlight Electronics (Taiwan) plans a $14.9 million expansion in 2006, according to DigiTimes and LEDs Magazine. Everlight's total monthly LED capacity will increase from 372 million units to 650 million units by the end of 2006, according to company chairman Robert Yeh. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
October 26, 2005	Tekcore, Epitech, and Advanced Optoelectronics Technology Inc. were ranked among Deloitte's "Fast 50 Technology Companies in Taiwan." LED manufacturer Tekcore, which increased its revenue 1043% in the last three years, was also selected for Deloitte's "Top 500 High-Tech Growth Companies in Asia-Pacific Area." Epitech and Advanced Optoelectronics also had large increases in revenues in the past three years (702% and 415%, respectively). [ News item at LIGHTimes ]
October 26, 2005	Seoul Semiconductors introduced the Z-Power P3 series of high-power LED packages, including a white LED that achieves a luminous efficacy of 40 lm/W and luminous flux of 52 lm at 350 mA. The P3 Warm White emits 35 lm, which the company says is the world's brightest. The series also includes a package containing eight high-power red, green, blue, white, warm white, amber, cyan, and royal blue chips. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
October 26, 2005	Nichia introduced a line of 200-lm and 400-lm white LEDs, and new Rigel products, including one whose efficacy does not fall dramatically for warmer white devices. The mid-power Rigel is a 150 mA, 0.5 W device with an efficacy of 38 lm/W for cool white (4600-9000 K) and 31 lm/W for the warm white incandescent-equivalent (2800 K). The 1.0 W Power Rigel (40 lm, 350 mA) is expected to become the most cost-effective power white LED on the market, according to a Nichia spokesperson. Nichia has also developed 200-lm (5.5-W) and 400-lm (11-W) devices for automotive forward lighting, under the name Kirameki. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
October 26, 2005	NeoPac introduced a new 80-W NeoBulb� Combo series product, called Array, that is based on a matrix array design with a double-row module of 10 LEDs at 8 W each. The Array emits more than 2,000 lm, and can be used in a variety of indoor and outdoor settings. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
October 25, 2005	U.K.'s Department of Trade and Industry will send a group to Japan and the U.S. to look at emerging solid-state lighting technologies and assess their potential for use in the U.K. Representatives from academia and industry will spend 10 days in each country in November and December. [ News item in Leeds Today ]
October 25, 2005	SemiLED, a new GaN-based LED company, was started by Trung Doan and Chuong Tran. The U.S.-funded startup has headquarters in Silicon Valley, with operations in Taiwan. The company's first product is MvpLED (Metal Vertical Photon Light Emitting Diode), a GaN-based vertical LED. [ News item at LIGHTimes ]
October 21, 2005	Former Cree co-founder Neal Hunter and others have founded a company, temporarily named LED Lighting Fixtures Inc., to develop LED-based lighting fixtures. The new company plans to open offices in North Carolina and Hong Kong and is now being funded by the founders: Hunter, Gerry Negley, Antony van de Ven, and Tom Coleman. [ News item at Photonics.com ]
October 20, 2005	Cree's quarterly revenue exceeded $100 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2006, a new record. The $103,856,000 quarterly revenue represents an 8% increase over the same period last year. [ Press release ]
October 19, 2005	Osram demonstrated a laptop display featuring LED backlighting which draws 5.5 W and achieves a luminance of 220 cd/m2, outperforming conventional units that need 8 W to 10 W to produce an average luminance of 200 cd/m2. The demonstration was made at the Flat Panel Display Fair in Yokohama. [ Press release ]
October 19, 2005	Nitto Denko has developed a YAG phosphor in the form of a nanopowder for use in the fabrication of white LEDs, according to The Nikkei Business Daily and LIGHTimes. The development, made in collaboration with an unnamed U.S. venture company, should result in less light scattering, greater light emitting efficiency, and lower power consumption than with conventional phosphors. [ News item at LIGHTimes, company press release ]
October 18, 2005	Researchers at Vanderbilt University have developed quantum dots that emit warm white light. The pyrolytically synthesized CdSe nanocrystals exhibit broadband emission (420-710 nm) that covers most of the visible spectrum while not suffering from self absorption. Research results were published online as "White-Light Emission from Magic-Sized Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystals," by M.J. Bowers et al., Journal of the American Chemical Society, Oct. 18, 2005. [ Press release, abstract ]
October 14, 2005	Permlight Products has begun shipping its Enbryten Under ENBU Series of dimmable LED under-cabinet lighting fixtures for residential applications. The ENBU Series, which features Cree's XLamp Power LEDs, is the first production product to use Permlight's new phase control dimmable technology that operates on line voltage (120VAC) and works with any off-the-shelf dimmer. [ Press release ]
October 14, 2005	Optek Technology has signed a solid-state lighting research and development, manufacturing and marketing agreement with Lednium, an Australia-based advanced LED manufacturer. Optek will develop a series of solid-state lighting products using Lednium packaging technology, according to the agreement. [ News item at Photonics.com ]
October 14, 2005	Dominant Semiconductors introduced the 1-W Nova-LED series in blue, true green, yellow, red and white. Target applications include automotive signals, channel lighting, general lighting and more. [ News item at EETimes Asia ]
October 13, 2005	Pira-Intertech launched a biweekly newsletter, "LEDs in lighting and display news," which tracks the latest developments in backlighting and solid-state lighting applications for LEDs. Pira International, a UK-based supplier of information and business solutions, recently acquired Intertech, a conference organizer based in Portland, Maine. [ News item in LEDs Magazine; subscription information ]
October 13, 2005	Japan's Fisheries Agency plans to expedite the use of LED-based fish-collecting lamps to shield fishermen from the impact of crude oil price surges, a decision made at the inaugural meeting of a public-private council for promoting the use of such lamps. [ News item at Japan Today ]
October 6, 2005	JP Sercel Associates (JPSA) has developed a scribing process for four-inch LED wafers. The process uses JPSA's ChromaDice ultraviolet diode-pumped solid-state laser system, which delivers high-speed wafer scribing with typical yields greater than 99 percent at very low operating costs, according to the company. [ News item at Photonics.com ]
October 2005	LEDs Magazine published a feature article on the many patents, cross-licensing agreements and infringement lawsuits involving the "big five" white LED manufacturers, and the future of smaller companies in the industry. The article, "Small companies fight for a foothold in white LED sector," by Andrew Phillips of phconsult Ltd, features a helpful diagram of key intellectual property relationships, and concludes that it may be possible that no company holds a valid patent for a white light source involving a blue LED and a standard YAG:Ce phosphor. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]
October 2005	LEDs Magazine published a feature article on multi-watt LED light engines. The article, "Multi-watt LED light engines offer challenges and opportunities," by Gareth Jones of Enfis, discusses issues such as niche market applications and design challenges, and concludes that standardization of arrays, connectors, optics, thermal management systems and electronic designs are necessary to reduce costs. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]
Event	The U.S. Department of Energy will hold a workshop on solid-state lighting on Feb. 1-3, 2006, in Orlando, Fla. The workshop is intended to bring together SSL experts to address the multi-disciplinary, multi-industry, science-to-market challenges facing SSL technology. The workshop provides a forum for sharing updates on DOE's SSL portfolio, projects, and progress. The agenda will include a series of brief presentations from researchers involved in DOE-funded projects. Additional information is forthcoming. [ No URL available ]
Funding Opportunity	DOE's FY06 SBIR solicitation includes topics relevant to solid-state lighting. Topic 24, "Solid-State Light Emitting Diodes for General Illumination," includes projects in high efficiency visible and near UV (>380 nm) semiconductor materials for LED-based general illumination technology; high efficiency materials for OLED-based general illumination; advanced phosphors for UV or blue LEDs; and advanced materials for thermal management in III-nitride LEDs. Topic 22, "Nanotechnology," includes a subtopic on solid state lighting in buildings. Proposals are due Dec. 2, 2005. [ SBIR information]
October 17, 2005 issue	Forbes Global published a feature article on China's adoption of solid-state lighting for energy savings. The article, "Lighten up," by Bob Johnstone, quotes Robert C. Walker of ELite Optoelectronics, who predicts that China will be the first country to make the move to LED-based lighting, with other Asian countries second, Europe third, and the U.S. last to adopt it. Wu Ling, director of the China SSL alliance, expects Beijing's next five-year plan to contain a major increase in spending on SSL R&D (roughly $17 M has been spent since January 2003). Thus far, Ling estimates that $725 M in private and public funding has been invested in China's domestic SSL industry. [ Feature article in Forbes Global ]
October 10, 2005	Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Korea) plans to begin marketing LEDs for backlighting and general illumination next year. The company, which now makes LEDs for mobile phone applications, will initially focus on LED backlighting for car navigation systems and 40-inch LCD TVs, and will eventually produce a full line of LED backlighting products. [ News item at EE Times ]
October 10, 2005	Lumileds reports that in the seven years its products have been used by Dialight, not one LED has failed in the field. Dialight uses Lumileds' Luxeon LEDs in traffic signals and other products, and has used more than 17 million Luxeon light sources without incident or failure since 1998. [ Press release ]
October 7, 2005	Epistar Corp. and United Epitaxy Co. have officially merged under the Epistar name, which is expected to be the world's largest supplier of AlGaInP LEDs. Combined production facilities have a total of 80 MOCVD machines, and combined total monthly output of 300 million blue LEDs and 25 million HB LEDs, apart from AlGaInP LED production. [ News item at Global Sources ]
October 6, 2005	Aixtron AG completed the installation of a Thomas Swan 19x2" Close Coupled Showerhead GaN production reactor at Blue Photonics, Inc. (Walnut, CA). The new system will be used to produce high quality GaN-based epitaxial materials for a variety of products including high-power transistors, blue laser diodes, high efficiency blue, green and white LEDs, and solar-blind photo-detectors. BPI is a start-up company specializing in GaN-based materials. [ Press release ]
October 2005	The MRS Bulletin's Science Policy section featured "Searching for a U.K. Energy Policy with LEDs." The item notes Cambridge University researcher Colin Humphrey's comments on support of LED lighting by the U.K. government at a recent London meeting of the photonics community. According to author Michael Kenward, Humphreys' message was that "if the United States can put more than $50 million into its next generation lighting program, while the Korean government plans to spend $100 million between 2005 and 2008 to develop an LED industry, why will the United Kingdom not provide support?" [ Article ]
September 30, 2005	The Chinese Academy of Sciences plans to build 10 interdisciplinary research bases to promote scientific innovation, in the areas of information technology, space technology, advanced energy technology, nanotechnology and other new materials, life sciences, advanced bioengineering, advanced agriculture, ecological and environmental technology, resources and marine biology. An outline for building the research bases will be worked out in November, with the plan scheduled to begin in early 2006. [ News item at Small Times ]
September 29, 2005	Rensselaer's Lighting Research Center has been selected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to join its "Centers of Excellence" program. The LRC will apply its expertise in the area of solid-state lighting and vision science to provide new lighting solutions that benefit the aviation industry, as part of the Center of Excellence for Airport Technology. [ Press release ]
September 29, 2005	Seoul Semiconductor plans to market to Japan its high-brightness white LEDs for backlighting in LCD monitors and TV sets, according to Nikkei Business Daily and LEDs Magazine. The company has set up an office in Japan and plans to use local agents such as Kaga Electronics Co. and others. Shipments of white LED samples have already begun, and the company will also market its RGB backlight LEDs in Japan. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
September 28, 2005	Researchers at Ohio University and the Universitat Aut�noma de Barcelona have used scanning tunneling microscopy to study the surface structure of cubic gallium nitride, and their findings bring into question the existence of linear Ga tetramers. The new research could help scientists learn how to use cubic gallium nitride as a new semiconductor for lasers, display technologies, and bright blue LED applications. Research results were published as "Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Surface Simulation of Zinc-Blende GaN(001) Intrinsic 4� Reconstruction: Linear Gallium Tetramers?", H.A.H. Al-Brithen, et.al, Physical Review Letters (95), 146102, 2005. [ Press release, abstract ]
September 28, 2005	The European Commission (EC) has launched a new project, Merging Optics and Nanotechnologies (MONA), to coordinate research in those fields. The project, which is part of the Sixth EU Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP-6), is led by CEA-LETI, the Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies, based in Grenoble, France, and includes industry and research organizations from six European countries and regions. Aixtron is one of the participants. [ News item at Photonics.com ]
September 27, 2005	Infinilux introduced a light engine that produces 150 lm of white (6500K) light. The InfiniPower, the first in a planned series, is a 2.40" (61mm) diameter module based on Cree XLamp� technology that incorporates a proprietary 0.157-inch (4 mm) thick metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB), for thermal management. The InfiniPower IP-3 Series operates on 9-12 VDC at 350 mA and features a standard 100-degree viewing angle. [ Press release, data sheet ]
September 22, 2005	University of Victoria in British Columbia (Canada) researchers have developed a composite material that generates white light by up-conversion when pumped by a 980-nm laser. The color of the emission can be tuned by adjusting either material concentrations in the nanoparticles or the relative concentrations of nanoparticles themselves. Research results were published as "Bright White Light through Up-Conversion of a Single NIR Source from Sol-Gel-Derived Thin Film Made with Ln3+-Doped LaF3 Nanoparticles," S. Sivakumar, et.al., Journal of the American Chemical Society 127 (36), 12464 -12465, 2005. [ See "The Next Great White Hope?" news item at materials@Nature.com - Nanozone (registration required), abstract ]
September 22, 2005	Cree is now taking orders for 100 mm (4-inch) n-type SiC substrates and epitaxy material. The availability of single crystal SiC in the100-mm format may allow Cree's customers to double the number of devices produced per wafer compared with current production on 3-inch material, according to the company. [ Press release ]
September 21, 2005	Ya Hsin Industrial (Taiwan) has signed a licensing contract for white LEDs with Osram, according to LEDs Magazine and DigiTimes. Other Taiwan-based LED makers that have recently licensed Osram's white-LED patent technology include Harvatek, Everlight Electronics and Lite-On Technology. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
September 21, 2005	Researchers at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Tsukuba and the Tokyo University of Science have developed a new class of GaN semiconductor thin films, termed semipolar and nonpolar GaN, which are expected to allow higher wall-plug efficiencies in LEDs and laser diodes based on them. The research was performed as part of the Nakamura Inhomogeneous Crystal project, headed by UCSB's Shuji Nakamura and supported by the Japanese Science and Technology Corporation's Exploratory Research and Advanced Technology (ERATO) program. [ Press release ]
EVENT	The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) plans an "International Symposium on Solid State Lighting, LED and Illumination Design" to be held Sept. 26, 2005. The symposium aims to introduce the latest developments and applications of illumination technologies and address business opportunities for local manufacturers. Industry experts from the U.S., Spain, Singapore, China's Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong will present updates on market trends and technologies. [ News item at People's Daily Online ]
EVENT	"The Future of Light: The 9th Annual Executive Symposium on Emerging Business Opportunities in Photonics" will be held November 10, 2005 at the Photonics Center at Boston University. Leading industry and government experts will present their perspective on the current status and future outlook of the photonics industry. The objective is to provide the audience with insight into how photonics will impact the society/economy over the next five to ten years. [ Symposium information ]
September 15, 2005	A U.S. District Court has dismissed the lawsuit filed by Super Vision against Color Kinetics, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 4,962,687. The court determined that Super Vision was not the owner of the patent but a non-exclusive licensee, with no right to enforce the patent. [ Color Kinetics press release ]
September 14, 2005	Dow Corning announced the formation of a new Light Management group to commercialize the company's photonics innovations. It aims to help customers develop and commercialize applications that rely on the emission, transmission, amplification, detection, modulation and switching of light. The initial focus of the group includes commercializing encapsulants and lenses for LEDs as well as materials for optical assemblies, fiber optics and light pipe/guidance applications. [ Press release ]
September 12, 2005	Japan's Environment Ministry will offer subsidies to switch to LEDs starting in FY06, according to Nikkei Net Interactive as reported in LIGHTimes. The program will pay businesses up to one-third of the cost of installation of LEDs for lighting needs. [ News item at LIGHTimes ]
September 8, 2005	Taiwan LED makers have seen unit prices for handset keypads with blue LEDs decrease by half this year, according to a Digitimes article as reported in LIGHTimes. The unit prices decreased from NT$1.3-1.5 to NT$0.7-0.8, and sources predict they could fall to NT$0.55. [ News item at LIGHTimes ]
September 7, 2005	Intematix has entered into agreements with two Taiwanese companies for use of its white LED phosphor. Edison Opto will use Intematix's White Lightning Y450/Y460 phosphor in its core and emerging businesses, which include applications such as power LEDs, LCD backlighting, camera flashes, emerging general illumination and architectural solutions. ProLight Opto Technology Corporation will license the phosphor from Intematix for use in a variety of applications in the white LED market. [ News item at EETimes Asia, article at TMCNet, news item at LIGHTimes ]
September 7,2005	Toshiba has developed a portable LED pocket projector that can be used to connect to 3G multimedia handsets. The LED projector weighs 565 g; features SVGA (800 x 600) resolution using a 0.55-in. digital mirror device (DMD) chip; has a contrast ratio of 1500:1; and uses USB connectivity. The projector is set to be available by year-end, and will sell for 999 euros (about $1,250). [ News item at PC Pro ]
September 7, 2005	Super Vision plans to open a new training center for its customers and distributors in October 2005. The project is focused on showcasing its new SaVi� brand LED lighting systems and controls and the latest in fiber optic lighting products. The new center features a 64-seat classroom, and retail, commercial, signage and residential application vignettes where customers can see the products in use. [ Press release ]
September 7,2005	Dominant Semiconductors (Malaysia) launched a new range of white LEDs using a non-YAG phosphor encapsulated with "superior" epoxy. The LEDs are suitable for use in general lighting, backlights in mobile phone displays, mobile flash LEDs, and car instrument panels. The products are offered in a variety of packaging and a wide range of spectra under the CIE curve. [ News item at EETimes Asia (registration required) ]
September 6, 2005	The Indian government plans to set up nanoelectronics centers at the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay (IITB) and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore (IISc). The centers will develop a variety of technologies, including GaN devices at IITB. Both centers will operate under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Development Program. [ News item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]
September 6, 2005	BivarOpto introduced a 3-W LED module that features 90-lm brightness with improved thermal management properties. Based on the latest Cree XLamp technology, the new LK3 series is provided in a compact ready-to-use module that is packaged onto a metal core PC-board (MCPCB) base, using standard reflow technologies to achieve electrical and thermal connections without epoxy. The device is available in wavelengths from 465 nm to 635 nm, and also in white to 8,000 K. [ News item at EETimes Asia ]
September 5, 2005	Epson has developed a prototype mini-projector using an LED light source. The mini-projector, which has a 13.8 by 10.3 cm footprint and weighs 500 g, was shown at the IFA trade show in Berlin, Germany. The company has no immediate plans to market the device. [ News item at Physorg.com ]
September 2, 2005	Neo-Neon has received a U.S. patent for its flexible LED cable lighting system, LED Duraflex Mini Flat. U.S. patent 6,914,194, "Flexible LED cable light," describes a flexible LED cable light which has a flat insulation body, at least two wires embedded in parallel in the insulation body, multiple LEDs connected in parallel electrically to the two wires and a protective layer covering the insulation body. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
September 2, 2005	Cree announced that XLamp 7090 LEDs in development have demonstrated maximum luminous flux of 86 lm and 70 lm/W at 350 mA. This represents a 43 percent increase in brightness compared with the maximum luminous flux of white XLamp 7090 power LEDs currently in production. The press release quotes Steve Johnson, head of the Lighting Research Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, as saying "these performance results indicate that the LED industry is at least two years closer to achieving the holy grail of 150 lumens per watt." [ Press release ]
August 31, 2005	Philips Research has developed a fabric that incorporates multicolored LEDs. Potential applications of the SMS Fabric include displaying text or images from a cell phone message. The LED substrates are also capable of displaying Windows Media Player-style visualizations and feature responsive sensors so that the patterns of diffused light displayed can change according to how they are handled. Philips showed prototypes of the fabric at the Internationale Funkausstellung 2005 consumer electronics show in Berlin. [ News item at TravelGizmo, item in Philips' Password Magazine ]
August 31, 2005	Color Kinetics received a fourth patent relating to intelligent pool and spa lights. U.S. patent 6,936,978, "Methods and apparatus for remotely controlled illumination of liquids," relates to remote control of a variable color (hue, saturation) and intensity of light output from an LED-based pool or spa light. [ Press release ]
August 31, 2005	Accent Optical Technologies has developed a novel etch process for electrochemical CV (ECV) carrier concentration profiling of p-doped GaN. "Achieving a high concentration of holes in p-type GaN is one of the most critical steps in the manufacture of HB LEDs," say the company. ECV profiling directly measures the electrically active carrier concentration, which has direct influence on key performance parameters such as forward voltage and contact resistance. The new method produces a flat and consistent etch profile that enables ECV profiling of complete device structures, according to the company. [ Press release ]
August 31, 2005	In the article, "Light bulbs - the neglected power consumer," author Paul Mighetto of Berkeley Reclaimed Light reports that LED light bulbs combining high-power devices and excellent thermal management can replace standard incandescent bulbs and overcome the drawbacks of LED fixtures. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]
August 30, 2005	Nanosys has licensed two patents from MIT covering technology to allow semiconductor quantum dots, or nanocrystals, to be used as down converting phosphors for white and colored light emission. U.S. Patents 6,890,777 and 6,914,265, both titled "Quantum Dot White and Colored Light Emitting Diodes," were issued in May and July 2005 and cover "critical features of quantum dots, including fundamental new compositions of matter to significantly increase performance and capability." [ Press release ]
July/August 2005	Two research firms recently published reports on the LED industry: Ø iSuppli Corp. published a market analysis report that concludes LEDs will become a significant part of the general purpose lighting market, but not until 2010. Price erosion in the backlighting market means suppliers will need to search for new markets, but most are not yet ready for commercialization, according to the report. This will slow growth in the HB-LED sector to an estimated 10% this year, compared with a recent average of about 50%. The ultra high brightness LED (UHB-LEDs) market was worth about $100 million in 2004, according to the report, and by the end of the decade, UHB-LEDs will command an estimated market of $2.3 billion. This figure would represent around 32% of a total LED market worth $7.4 billion in 2010. [ News item in Compound Semiconductor ] Ø Strategies Unlimited published "High-Brightness LED Market Review and Forecast - 2005," its sixth report on LED applications and markets. The market for HB LEDs has grown at an average annual rate of 46% since 1995, reaching $3.7 billion in 2004, according to the report. In recent years, much of this growth has been driven by the increasing use of HB LEDs in mobile appliances, and this segment accounted for 57% of the HB LED market in 2004. [ Press release ] Ø LIGHTimes commented on the two reports in an "Apples to Oranges Comparison of LED Market Predictions." [ News item in LIGHTimes ]
August 25, 2005	Roxboro (Huntingdon, U.K.) will focus on its LED lighting business, Dialight, after selling its electronic measurement business Solatron to Ametek Inc. for �42.1m cash, and returning �46.6m to shareholders. Dialight (New Jersey) is established in the road and rail signals sector and is a market leader in the emerging solid state lighting sector where LED technology is replacing conventional light sources, according to the company. [ Article in the Cambridge Evening News ]
August 24, 2005	Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center studied chromaticity shifts due to dimming in high-power white LEDs. Both continuous current reduction and pulse-width-modulation dimming schemes were studied. Under either scheme, phosphor-coated white LEDs showed small chromaticity shifts while an RGB mixed-color system suffered large chromaticity shifts. Research results will be published as "Impact of dimming white LEDs: Chromaticity shifts due to different dimming methods," by Dyble, M., N. Narendran, A. Bierman, and T. Klein, Fifth International Conference on Solid State Lighting, Proceedings of SPIE 5941, 2005. [ Research summary ]
August 23, 2005	Yokohama Electron (Japan) introduced a new line of high-power LED lighting devices. The CupLight, TopLight, PositionLight, and custom StarLight modules are available in production volumes and in a range of single colors, including UV, and all-in-one RGB package styles providing multi-color dynamic digital white. Power ratings vary from 0.2 W for a miniature Surface Mountable Device (SMD) to 15 W for a custom high radiance flat plate illuminator. [ Press release at PRWeb ]
August 22, 2005	The Taiwanese government will funnel at least NT$1.6 billion (US$49.84 million) into the development of six emerging technologies, according to comments made by Premier Frank Hsieh at the recent Strategic Review Board meeting, reported in Taiwan Economic News. Hsieh also "instructed the government sector to take the initiative to adopt the development results of the new six emerging technologies so as to stimulate the investment willingness of private enterprises. For instance, Hsieh noted, the government units can cut power consumption and meet related requirements from the Kyoto Protocol if they "adopt white-light LED light fixtures." [ News item at Taiwan Economic News ]
August 22, 2005	Technologies and Devices International (TDI) has demonstrated novel 2-inch diameter InN-on-sapphire templates and InN/GaN heterostructures, a significant step in the development of advanced HVPE technology for group III nitride products. The new process, developed in collaboration with the Army Research Laboratory and Texas Technical University, allows deposition of InN epitaxial layers or 3-dimentional nano-size structures in a controllable manner. [ Press release at Market Wire ]
August 22, 2005	A U.S. District Court granted all of Color Kinetics' motions for summary judgment against Super Vision, finding not only that Super Vision's claims were invalid but also that the company was infringing Color Kinetics' patents. The ruling means that no trial will be held. The ruling pertains to a group of five Color Kinetics patents, three of Super Vision's current color-changing LED products, and two products that are no longer sold. [ Press release, news item at LEDs Magazine ]
August 19, 2005	Sololuce Srl (Milan, Italy) has developed a new LED light engine based on chip-on-board (COB) technology. The Power Giant delivers 560 lm at 15 W with a color temperature of 3500K by using 16 large, high-power (1 x 1 mm) chips, with an approximate power of 15 W. Sololuce plans to mass produce the platform by the end of 2005, and to achieve more than 800 lumens in warm white (3500K) by mid-2006. [ News item at LEDs Magazine ]
August 18, 2005	Researcher Ji Ung Lee and a team at GE Global Research have developed an "ideal" carbon nanotube diode that operates at the "theoretical limit," or best possible performance. The GE team formed the p- and n-regions by using an electrostatic doping technique using two separate gates that couple to two halves of a single carbon nanotube, and discovered that an ideal diode could be realized by suspending the middle portion of the carbon nanotube where the carrier recombination occurs. Research results were published as "Photovoltaic effect in ideal carbon nanotube diodes," in Appl. Phys. Lett. 87 073101. [ Press release, Abstract ]
August 18, 2005	LED lighting was the focus of a feature article in the *Boston Globe, "Living in color: The lighting of the future comes in a rainbow of dazzling shades," by Cate McQuaid. The article describes an early-adopter home which uses LED light fixtures for background lighting and spotlighting art. Experts from Color Kinetics, Cree and RPI are quoted. [ Feature article in the Boston Globe* ]
August 17, 2005	Young ECC Electronics introduced new lines of white LEDs based on non-YAG phosphor technology. The move was intended to satisfy a demand for cheaper white LEDs that do not infringe on Nichia's patents, according to company officials. Young ECC claims their products will produce more than 11 cd in a 5 mm LED and 140 lm in a 5 W LED. The LEDs are suitable for decorative lighting, indoor architectural lighting, torch lighting, camera flash, traffic signaling and other lighting applications. [ News item in EETimes Asia ]
August 11, 2005	Nichia announced an essay contest with a $25,000 prize. The contest, billed as a search for "The Next Big Thing," invites entries from individuals 18 years and over on the topic, "How can electronics contribute to environmental solutions?" Entries will be accepted until Sept. 9. [ News item in III-Vs Review, contest information ]
August 2005	Heat dissipation concerns are discussed in a feature article in LEDs Magazine, "Protecting high brightness LEDs from thermal stress," by Alan Buxton and Ho Wong of Zetex Semiconductors. The article addresses junction temperature control, buck converter operation, and adding thermal control, and concludes that relatively simple and low-cost electronics can help protect HB LEDs from heat stress. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]
August 2005	Eyeleds has introduced its Outdoor Pro line of products for the garden architecture business. The products are based on the same technology as their indoor counterparts, Eyeleds' "flat" LED lighting systems for flooring. The round-fitting Eyeleds Outdoor contains three SMD LEDs and is available in white, blue and amber. A 40-LED Eyeleds chain (50 m long) can be run from a single 12 V transformer. [ News item at Gulf Construction Online ]
August 2005	Obstacles to adoption of LEDs as replacements for incandescent light bulbs are discussed in a feature article in LEDs Magazine, "Light bulbs - the neglected power consumer," by Paul Mighetto of Berkeley Reclaimed Light. In order for LEDs to compete with incandescents, heat intensity and dissipation must be comparable to that of a standard incandescent bulb, Mighetto says. [ Feature article in LEDs Magazine ]
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY	DOE issued two solicitations for SSL research: "Solid State Lighting Core Technologies" (FOA) and "Research Call to DOE National Laboratories: Research and Development Activities to Support Solid-State Lighting Core Technologies" (Lab Call). The solicitations seek proposals for applied research in these areas: LED high-efficiency semiconductor materials; LED device approaches, structures and systems; OLED materials issues; and OLED packaging, encapsulation and fabrication. Proposals are due Oct. 18, 2005. [ FOA summary and full announcement; Lab Call ]
August 16, 2005	Two Taiwanese LED manufacturers, Epistar and United Epitaxy Company (UEC), plan to merge, according to filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange, as reported by DigiTimes and CompoundSemiconductor.net. The new company will go by the name Epistar. The merger will take effect on December 30, 2005, and every 2.24 shares of UEC will be swapped for one Epistar share. [ News item in CompoundSemiconductor.net ]
August 16, 2005	Agilent introduced a family of high-brightness, white LEDs in the industry-standard PLCC-2 (plastic leaded chip carrier) and Power PLCC-4 surface-mount form factor. These white LEDs are drop-in replacements for the Osram TopLED and Power TopLED products in automotive interior lighting applications, according to the company. [ Press release ]
August 16, 2005	Cyberlux announced that the U.S. Patent Office had awarded protection for the Company's "Apparatus and Methods for Providing an Emergency Lighting Augmentation System." [ Press release ]
August 15, 2005	Philips (Netherlands) will buy Agilent's 47% stake in Lumileds, giving Philips a controlling 96% interest in the company, which was created in 1999 as a joint venture between Philips and Agilent. Completion of the transaction is expected in the fourth quarter of 2005, subject to regulatory approval. [Philips press release, Lumileds press release ]
August 12, 2005	Osram is offering a "LED kit for electricians," a system that comprises three LINEARlight modules, appropriate driver, feeders, connectors and optics. The kit is suitable, for example, for marking walkways, for effect lighting, for cabinet lighting and as decorative lighting. [ Press release ]
August 11, 2005	Toshiba has developed a LED for cell phone cameras that helps eliminate white balance problems typically caused by camera flashes, according to reports in Nikkei Net and LIGHTimes. [ News item in LIGHTimes ]
August 11, 2005	Cree announced that its fiscal year 2005 revenue reached $389 million, a 27 percent increase over the 2004 figure. Net income for the year increased 57 percent to $91 million, or $1.18 per share, compared to the previous year. [ Press release ]
August 10, 2005	Color Kinetics announced that it has joined the Next Generation Lighting Industry Alliance. [ Press release ]
August 9, 2005	Toyoda Gosei plans to develop and market high intensity, white LED chips for automotive headlights by 2008, according to Nikkei Net Interactive and LIGHTimes. The company expects to increase the efficiency of its white LED chips from their current 40 to 50 lm/W up to 100 lm/W by 2008, allowing more compact headlights requiring few LED chips. [ News item at LIGHTimes ]
August 2005	The Energy Policy Act of 2005 was signed into law on August 8th (see below for legislation). Implications of the bill for solid-state lighting and research were reported in a number of articles and publications, including: Ø" U.S. Energy Bill provides funding for solid-state lighting" (LEDs Magazine, Aug. 5) Ø "Next Generation Lighting Initiative Started With Passage of Energy Bill" (LIGHTimes, Aug. 3) Ø "U.S. Energy Bill Promises Some Boosts for Research" (requires subscription) (Science, Aug. 5) Ø "US energy bill pushes research but fails to cut consumption" (requires subscription) (Nature, Aug. 4) Ø "NEMA hails passage of U.S. comprehensive energy bill" (Control Engineering, Aug. 2)
August 3, 2005	A class action lawsuit brought against Cree by its shareholders was dismissed by U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. The complaint, filed in 2003 against Cree and some of its current and former employees, claimed that the company's share price was artificially inflated by a number of false statements to the marketplace. The dismissal applies to all of the plaintiffs and all of the claims still pending. A related lawsuit brought by former Cree CEO Eric Hunter against the company was dropped in November 2003. [ Press release, news item at CompoundSemiconductor.net ]
August 2, 2005	Intematix announced a LED phosphor partnership with Unity Opto (Taiwan) based on Intematix' White Lightning Y460� and Y450� phosphor solutions. [