CompoundSemi Online - The Original Compound Semiconductor Industry Newspaper

June 16, 2003...It was with great honor that CompoundSemi Online awarded five wonderful gentlemen the first-ever CompoundSemi Pioneer Awards for their work in helping make blue spectrum devices real enough, needed enough, and wanted enough to be the commercial success they are today. Their story begins the first chapter of what really went into "Pioneering the Blue Spectrum"... a story I've finally started writing, thanks to these amazing pioneers. "Draft 1" (for want of a better tag), is posted for the pleasure and scrutiny of our readers. The beauty of online-only publishing, which is what we do here at CompoundSemi Online, is that you can add your comments and reactions, and we can literally tidy it up a bit more before letting the rest of the world know what we know. So give it a read, and send me your reactions. If you forget where to find it, it's under "Editorials" titled, simply, Pioneering the Blue Spectrum. I also want to publicly thank my good friend, Bill Kroll, President and CEO of Matheson Tri-Gas for helping host this momentus event. He's a great MC! In case you weren't there, we share with you the highlights...

History buffs at Blue 2003 were amazed to find that LEDs were actually "discovered" in 1907, and they were reminded that the initial R&D roots for GaN-based blue LEDs went back to the mid 1950's at RCA Labs, and we all know that the blue laser (violet, really) breakthrough artist is Shuji Nakamura, who attended Blue 2003 and gave an excellent Friday am presentation with Steve DenBaars on "What's Next?" Shuji was fittingly honored at our Celebration of the Blues highlight evening during Blue 2003. Shuji Nakamura will clearly go down in history as the most colorful hero in the brightest, most promising semiconductor sector.

Joining Shuji in the Winners Circle last Thursday evening were Michael Shur, Norm Schumaker, John Edmond, and Bob Steele. The inscription on the awards read: For Extraordinary Contributions to Blue Spectrum Development... and Faith in the Future. A picture of the actual awards will be posted on our site shortly.

There are many blue spectrum pioneers who deserve to be honored, all of whom will eventually be publicly recognized by CompoundSemi and their stories made public and archived on CompoundSemi Online. Two in particular were unable to attend Blue 2003 to receive Pioneer awards, but their contributions are so important, they simply have to be noted from the outset. The first is George Craford, the lead catalyst at Lumileds Lighting, whose vision began at Hewlett Packard Labs in Palo Alto, California USA. The second is Max Yoder of the US DoD's Office of Naval Research who saw to it the field was adequately funded and that the research community was finally expanded to include Eastern European scientists. The story of these technology champions will be reserved for next time. The five people personally in attendance and honored at Blue 2003, collectively tell the rest of the compelling Blue Spectrum success story.

Michael Shur was in the initial wave of Russian scientists to emigrate to the USA to further his considerations of the fundamental nature of this remarkable compound semi material called GaN. GaN is the common denominator behind today's hot applications. Educated in Russia, Michael Shur, Ph.D., holds the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts Professorship in the Electrical Computer and Systems Engineering Department at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, New York USA. Michael's original contribution was "solid fact," revealing the appropriateness and realities of applying GaN solutions to a myriad of solid state lighting challenges. His Introduction to Solid State Lighting, co-authored by Arturas Zukauskas and Remis Caska, is now THE textbook in this quickly evolving, truly revolutionary field. Michael Shur's many achievements are a reminder of the incredible scientific strides that were being made on both sides of the old Iron Curtain during the so-called "Cold War," which compelled scientists to work in parallel… but in isolation from one another. Those days are finally behind us. No individual, no country, need work in isolation ever again. Michael Shur was honored because he represents the power and potential of international synergy.

Norm Schumaker was the original founder of Emcore Corporation. All of today's blue spectrum GaN-based LEDs and LDs are created in epitaxial processing tools, like Emcore's cleverly named GaNzilla. Emcore was founded by visualizing what would be required to create reproducible, high brightness photonic devices and outstanding electronic devices in volume quantities. Others were quick to follow Emcore's lead, with most focusing on customized R&D tools, but two companies in particular-Emcore and Aixtron-created progressively larger scale MOCVD reactors that eventually facilitated the mass production of LED and LD devices in all colors of the visible and UV. If it weren't for the fierce competition between these two companies, the blue spectrum field wouldn't be where it is today... and we'd probably have to wait yet another 20 years. Norm had the vision; he fought the fight. After retiring from Emcore he has gone on to oversee an advanced lithography startup called Molecular Imprints. Norm Schumaker represents the power of reproducibility. Without reliable repeatability, you simply have science. If you have a product people want and need, and you can make it for less than you can sell it, you have the criteria for commercial success.

John Edmond accepted the third Pioneer Award on behalf of his fellow co-founders of Cree, most notably the trio of Calvin Carter, John Palmour and John Edmond. Their technical efforts helped create the first true, commercial blue spectrum LEDs that found their way into soft, cool, pleasing lighting in eye-sensitive interior environments like elevators and the interior of automobiles. While SiC blue spectrum devices continued to get brighter and less expensive, the GaN breakthroughs of Shuji Nakamura changed the scene. At the time of his breakthrough work, Shuji was leading Nichia's development in Anan, Japan. Shuji proved that a layer of GaN on top of a suitable host substrate could help move the blue spectrum from behind the elevator and auto doors into the bright outdoors. About 1994, devices made of SiC on native substrates began to move more heavily towards the robust electronic applications which required materials that could handle especially harsh environments. GaN on SiC, and/or GaN on sapphire soon ruled the blue spectrum. The trio at Cree are still together on the front lines at the company they helped found. They represent the classic American entrepreneurial 'Dream Team,' proving to us all, once again, that dreams really can come true.

Bob Steele was our surprise recipient and he was, indeed surprised, proving that too many people take the business of crunching out accurate forecasts too much for granted. Robert Steele, Ph.D., has been with Strategies Unlimited since the mid-1980s and he's seen it all, and reported it all… with tremendous accuracy and sensitivity. One of the primary reasons that particular market research firm is so highly regarded is because of Bob Steele. As Director of Optoelectronics Programs at Strategies, Bob has pioneered responsible reporting of the evolution of blue spectrum devices. Bob Steele represents the importance of patience, accuracy, and objectivity. And he adds that personal touch, which continues to help foster a spirit of inclusiveness, cohesiveness, and cooperation that distinguishes the international blue spectrum community.

Shuji Nakamura, as stated at the beginning of this totally true, very enlightening story, has become one of the most noteworthy and most colorful technology heroes to hit the high tech world for some time. While he may not have "invented" the LED nor blue spectrum LEDs and LDs as you can see by the stories of his fellow CompoundSemi Pioneers, he certainly made today's devices possible… and popular. And he did it with a persistent faith in his material of choice-GaN-employing a growth process everyone wanted to emulate. Imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery, and virtually everyone in today's solid state blue spectrum community is following the lead Shuji originally established while at Nichia in Anan, Japan. Now, a USA professor of materials and director for the Center for Solid State Lighting and Displays at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) in California, Shuji has achieved what the academic community enjoys calling "a golden sandbox." In addition to holding the CREE Chair, Shuji was most recently awarded an ERATO grant by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation. This Japanese government grant amounts to approximately $16 million and is being used to help establish a strong infrastructure of native bulk GaN material, which is deemed key to widespread commercial use of GaN in such devices as semiconductor lasers and electronic transistors.

Shuji believed in GaN from the start, and was attracted to that particular compound combination for the reason so many, especially in Asia, have adopted that material. GaN is one of the most environmentally benign semiconductor materials on earth. While it may be at the heart of disrupting the lighting, storage, and even the electronic industries, it's looked upon kindly by Mother Nature. No wonder GaN-based blue spectrum devices are "The Mother Lode." Shuji is a strong proponent of environmental solutions to the myriad of ills that plague the Earth. The environmental ramifications of moving to new energy sources, like GaN based devices to satisfy the world's increasing appetite for brighter lights, are incredible and far-reaching. But Shuji's message is the simple truth all of us need to remember: Work within the laws of Nature-not against them. There's a reason the blue spectrum is so appealing. It is the color of the sky, the water, the trees, the grass, and the UV spectrum only non-human plants and animals seem to see. Mother Nature Rules. Shuji Nakamura represents the power of true innovation when it's combined with a profound respect for the environment. Shuji Nakamura represents a cause Asians traditionally and naturally embrace. Isn't it time the rest of the world does too?

Our congratulations again to our first five winners of what we hope to be a coveted honor in compound semi industry history. It was a privilege and pleasure to have you all attend our event, and it was the world's privilege to have you take your rightful place in high tech history.

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CompoundSemi Honors Five Pioneers at Blue 2003