OptoLum
Ensures Stature in White LED Thermal Management with Second Key Patent
November 21, 2004...Special Report on Strides
in Thermal Management of LEDs: We're all getting more intelligent when
it comes to using HB-LED technology, especially as they're applied as
true high end solid state light sources. One of the aspects of intelligent
LED applications in solid state lighting, which a powerful young Phoenix,
Arizona USA-based startup called OptoLum appears to now control, is
superior expertise regarding the thermal management of integrated LEDs
into light fixtures and lamps, even LED packages. OptoLum, a systems/sub
systems integrator of high end LEDs, such as Lumileds Luxeon line, holds
the key "536 patent" on thermal management of white LED based
light sources. OptoLum has recently been awarded a follow-on USA patent,
#6,815,724 that extends their core patent to now include intelligent
control and monitoring technology for LEDs utilizing heat sinks in both
active and passive systems. (Ref: news release.) The 3 year old startup
is already in production with a growing and impressive list of OEM and
VARs manufacturing for them custom, thermally optimized, solid state
lamps and light fixtures. In addition, OptoLum is actively reaching
out to colleagues and competitors through licensing of their thermal
management IP as a means of helping catapult the SSL industry toward
more rapid prominence through white LED implementation. LIGHTimes 2nd
Page members can access the full Special Report on Thermal Management
of LEDs and details about the OptoLum patents...
Cree
Licenses Portfolio of AlN Bulk Growth IP to Crystal IS
CompoundSemi News Staff
November 23, 2004...Crystal IS Inc. of Watervliet, New York USA has
been granted a patent license agreement by Cree Inc. of Durham, North
Carolina USA that covers a portfolio of patents involving crystalline
aluminum nitride (AlN) manufacturing technology. Crystal IS is a noted
supplier of ultra-low defect density native aluminum nitride (AlN) single
crystal substrates. Cree is the owner of extensive IP relating to just
about everything to do with wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technology,
most notably SiC and the Group III Nitrides. The license to Crystal
IS is "non-exclusive with most favored status," and the wording
of such legal documents is critical. The topic of WBG semiconductor
and the current business climate for that wide range of technologies
will be the topic of our opening day of the annual CS Outlook conference,
December 6th, in Dallas, Texas. Crystal IS Senior VP of Business Development
and CMO, Keith Evans, is organizing the WBG Business Opportunities Workshop.
Both Keith and Crystal IS founder, President and CEO, Leo Schowalter,
will be attending the whole of CS Outlook, Dec. 6-8th.
While
the agreement with Cree covers quite a few patents, the four primary
ones relating to AlN bulk growth that appear especially relevant to
Crystal IS/Cree agreement appear to be: 6,296,956 covering bulk single
crystals of aluminum nitride, 6,086,672 covering growth of bulk single
crystals of aluminum nitride: silicon carbide alloys, 6,066,205 covering
growth of bulk single crystals of aluminum nitride from a melt and 6,045,612
covering growth of bulk single crystals of aluminum nitride. "Among
other things, this extensive licensing arrangement will give us greater
flexibility in expanding our AlN substrate manufacturing capability
and represents an important milestone in securing our business strategy,¡±
commented Leo on the newly inked deal with Cree. ¡°Growth of our intellectual
property portfolio is critically important for our future and significantly
benefits from this agreement with Cree. Our past achievements, the recent
closing of our first venture financing round, plus this key licensing
agreement together position Crystal IS to better serve the advanced
III-nitride device community over the long term." Leo assisted
us in our GaN 101 workshop back in 2001. His company is doing truly
leading edge work in native nitride substrates.
Keith
Evans, who has long been regarded as a key catalyst in the WBG arena,
hailing originally from the US Air Force's prestigious Wright Labs,
added in regarded to the Cree deal, "We are hopeful that our customers
and potential new customers will see this agreement with Cree as an
important step in our company¡¯s growth ¨C one which enhances our long
term viability in the marketplace.¡± Keith's contributions to the WBG
industry thus far are enormous, with a colorful career in senior management
and top of the line strategic planning still ahead. We heartily encourage
you to attend the CS Outlook conference, and especially Keith's WBG
Business Opportunities Workshop so you can see for yourself what the
latest trends in the WBG field really are, and to get to know Keith
and his team of expert WBG workshop contributors better.
Harvatek
Secures Osram Opto Phosphor Packaging License
November 23, 2004...Packaged LED device manufacturer, Harvatek of Taiwan,
has officially secured a license from Osram Opto of Germany for the
packaging of white LEDs. Harvatek will continue to source its blue spectrum
LED die from Cree Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA, and the Osram
license covers phosphor packaging of blue spectrum LED die, which, by
the phosphor coatings, are made into white LEDs. According to Taiwan
analysts, Harvatek will pay an upfront fee of NT $200m, with a variable
4-7% fee on related die sold and Harvatek expects to sell around 125-150KK/month
heading into Q-1 of 2005. According to a DigiTimes report on Nov. 19th
covering the news, the President of Harvatek, Billy Wang, said that
the Osram licensing deal means that Harvatek will now be able to add
two kinds of white-LED chips to its product lineup, and that "the
white LED chip segment will become a major sales driving force for Harvatek
over the next two years." LIGHTimes 2nd Page members can access
more on ...
South
Epitaxy Goes Public on the Taiwan Stock Exchange
November 23, 2004...South Epitaxy, a Taiwan based LED epiwafer and device
manufacturer, officially goes public on Wednesday, Nov. 24th, on the
Taiwan Stock Exchange. According to a DigiTimes report South Epitaxy
expects to see a 20% growth in both sales and profits in 2005 and is
voicing optimism about the anti-static LED and high-voltage LED markets
which they are targeting. South Epitaxy's products are geared for handset-related
applications, with sales from epiwafers for handset keypads reported
to account for 33% of the company's total current sales, while sales
of high-luminance ITO (indium-tin oxide) blue-LED chips for handset
backlighting accounts for 39.6% of current sales.
Agilent
Signs MOU to Explore Establishing Wireless R&D Center and HB-LED
Manufacturing in Korea
November 23, 2004...According to a report in The Korean Times, Agilent
Technologies of California USA intends to establish a research and development
center in Korea aimed at studying wireless applications. Last Tuesday,
a meeting between Korean Information-Communication Minister Chin Dae-je
and Agilent's CEO, Edward W. Barnholt, a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) was signed that would establish the lab, which will serve as Agilent's
Asia-Pacific regional hub for product development and regional technical
support. "Depending on the Korean government's response, the final
decision will be made on the wireless design center," said Mr.
Barnholt said after attending a breakfast meeting with the Federation
of Korean Industries. Included in the MOU were plans for Agilent to
also investigate the commercial viability of building a high-brightness
LED (light-emitting diode) manufacturing center in Kwangju, in Southern
Korea. The MOU between the city of Kwangju and Agilent is evidently
in line with the Korean government's "scheme of fostering the Kwangju
region as the nation's cluster of optical industries."
University
of Tokyo "Discovers" New Blue Metallic Compound
November 22, 2004...Researchers at the University of Tokyo, under the
lead of Professor Shinichi Okoshi, have come across a new metallic compound
whose magnetic forces changes according to the ambient humidity. According
to a report via Nikkei Net the compound is called a Prussian blue magnet,
and is said by the scientists to be the first substance discovered to
have this quality, though there are substances whose magnetic force
changes according to the temperature, the researchers said. The Prussian
blue magnet, also called a cyano-bridged cobalt-magnesium-chromium metal
assembly, appears pink when the humidity is high and blue at low humidity.
In the experiments, the magnetic force of the compound lessened as the
humidity dropped, and fell to zero when the humidity was about 7%. When
the humidity was further lowered, the direction of the magnetic field
reversed and the magnetic force started increasing.
Chinese
Quantum Dot Targets 1300nm with InAs/GaAs Approach
November 22, 2004...A research group from Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS), headed by Prof. Niu Zhichuan from the State Key Laboratory for
Semiconductor Superlattice and Microstructures which is affiliated with
the CAS Institute of Semiconductors (ISCAS: link to English version)
has taken a route away from InP-based materials and developed a GaAs-based
long-wavelength laser device of InAs on GaAs to create a self-assembly
quantum dot laser with lasing wavelength of 1.33 ¦Ìm under continuous-wave
operation mode at room temperature. The achievement is being hailed
as the most important achievement in the field of GaAs-based near-infrared,
long-wavelength materials and devices in China in recent years (). The
group elected to diverge from using InP-based materials due to what
they term are "a host of major difficulties" noting that the
technology of optoelectronic integrated devices has become a hot topic
in the world and that the near future the optical fiber communication
network will be dominated by optoelectronic integrated devices in order
to meet the increasing demands for higher-speed, more reliable and stable
operation of data transferring and processing systems.
"Therefore
it (the world) is in urgent need of developing new functional materials.
GaAs-based semiconductors are acting as a good choice for developing
such devices. The most important kinds of GaAs-based semiconductor materials
working for near-infrared wavelength from 1.2 to 1.7¦Ìm are in the form
of InAs self-assembled quantum dots, GaInNAs and GaInNAsSb quantum wells.
The quantum dot structures attract scientists for their top performance
as they excel in a high-speed operation with lower power consumption
and new functions. The quantum wells are new multi-element compounds
noted for their temperature stability. In recent years, these new semiconductor
materials became a research focus in the most developed Western countries,"
the group stated in the official CAS news release, which includes considerable
details of their work, motivation, and implementation vision to which
we refer our interested CompoundSemi News readers.
Densen
Cao
CAO Group, Inc.
8683 South 700 West
Sandy, UT 84070
801-256-9282 ext 5598
801-495-5598 (direct)
801-256-9287 (fax)
www.caogroup.com
