07/10/2012 

Soitec partnered with Silian to jointly develop GaN template wafers using hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The resulting GaN template wafers will reduce the cost of manufacturing LEDs.

07/06/2012 

We at Solid State Technology have compiled the best conference reports so far this year, in the lead up to SEMICON West 2012, next week in San Francisco.

07/05/2012 

Sapphire grown in ARC Energy’s proprietary CHES yields 5% brighter LEDs than the industry standard, according to the company’s study.

07/03/2012 

LED makers Cree Inc. (NASDAQ:CREE) and SemiLEDs Corporation (NASDAQ:LEDS) have agreed to end their respective patent infringement litigation against each other.

06/29/2012 

Silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors will see 38% CAGR through 2022 thanks to power and efficiency advantages over silicon devices, according to MarketResearch.com.

06/29/2012 

Cambridge NanoTech entered a licensing agreement with Ghent University in Belgium to commercialize an ALD particle coating technology that uses thermal and plasma processes.

06/28/2012 

SEMICON West 2012 will take place July 10-12 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA. Following is a preview of the LED and OLED events taking place during SEMICON West, from contributor Paula Doe, SEMI Emerging Markets.

06/27/2012 

Canon Inc. launched the FPA-3030i5+ i-line stepper for manufacturing MEMS and energy-efficient “green” devices such as power semiconductors in solar and wind applications and LEDs.

06/26/2012 

Edwards (NASDAQ:EVAC) introduced the new iXH645H dry pump, optimized for metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, a key step in LED and compound semiconductor manufacturing.

06/26/2012 

JP Sercel Associates Inc. released the IX-6168-PS picosecond-laser-based micromachining platform, using lasers with 5-500 picosecond pulse lengths.

06/21/2012 

To support the next cycle of LED manufacturing, tools such as MOCVD, plasma etch, lithography, and others must undergo cost efficiency and yield improvements, says Yole Développement. Trends include migrating to larger wafers, silicon substrates, and tools developed specifically for LED fab, rather than retooled from semiconductor manufacturing specs.

06/20/2012 

PLANSEE has developed a pressed-sintered tungsten crucible with an ultra-smooth surface to avoid sapphire ingot or crucible damage in the Kyropoulos method.

06/13/2012 

Guangzhou (China) Lightfair Conference is the biggest lighting fair in Asia. Citi analyst Timothy Arcuri notes trends in LED manufacturing and pricing ahead of China’s subsidy program going into effect.

06/12/2012 

Lattice Power Corporation started volume production of its new-generation gallium nitride (GaN) high-power LEDs on silicon substrates.

06/12/2012 

High Tech Lights is participating in a “Reshoring Initiative” by bringing job positions from China to the US for LED and laser diode scientists, manufacturing and assembly workers, and R&D staff.

06/11/2012 

A balance of LED demand and supply in 2012 is based on the downward-stabilized price of sapphire wafers. More ingot suppliers are coming online, with new entrants in Korea and China, providing a broader supplier base for LED makers, shows Displaybank.

06/07/2012 

Veeco Instruments added 3 new models of its TurboDisc MOCVD systems for HB-LED production: TurboDisc MaxBright M and MHP, and TurboDisc K465i HP.

06/03/2012 

LED specialist Marl will install the DEK Horizon 03iX print platform to adapt to new circuit board size requirements, and will use the VectorGuard stencil system and Nano-ProTek.

06/01/2012 

A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics and NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) will collaborate on 200mm GaN-on-Si process and technology development for high-voltage power devices.

06/01/2012 

Kyma Technologies demonstrated a 10" AlN on sapphire template, manufactured on its plasma vapor deposition on nanocolumns technology. The 10” sapphire substrate was provided by Monocrystal.