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Editorial: Perspective on Cree's Suit Against Its Alma Mater
... On October 8th, lawyers representing Cree, Inc. of Durham North Carolina USA filed a 17 page suit in the Superior Court of Wake County North Carolina, suing North Carolina State University (NCSU) for breach of two written contracts (an option agreement and a licensing agreement) allegedly involving what turns...
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Cree Sues Alma Mater (NSCU) Over GaN-Related Licenses to NitronexNovember 10, 2004...A very interesting suit was filed recently by
Cree Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA against the university from which it
sprang in 1987, North Carolina State University. Complete details and a full
perspective of this newest Cree suit can be found in our November 10th editorial,
Perspective
on Cree's Suit Against Its Alma Mater. The editorial appears, this issue, on your viewing left. Note that further perspective
on this will be included in our upcoming issue of LIGHTinsight, which is a monthly
supplement for our LIGHTimes
2nd Page members. Strategies Unlimited Releases New Nanophotonics StudyNovember 10, 2004...The fledgling field of "nanophotonics" is slated to fuel a number
of different markets related to the compound semi industry, but as Tom Hausken,
Director of Optical Component Research at Strategies
Unlimited of Mountain View, California USA reminds those chasing this field,
"It turns out that the real challenge will be to identify the market
opportunities, and size the investment to fit them." His findings are
included in Strategies' new study titled Nanophotonics: Assessment of Technologies
and Market Opportunities. And Tom will be a featured speaker on Wednesday
morning (Ref:
Module 7 on the agenda), December 8th at our upcoming Compound
Semi Outlook conference in Dallas, Texas where he'll elaborate on the topic.
Title of Tom's talk at The Outlook is: Nanotechnology Convergence
in the Compounds -- What it Means for the Industry. As stated in that talk
preview, Nanotechnology has become a buzzword for raising funds and publishing
papers, but it is also the target of over $4 billion in government financed
R&D worldwide in 2004. The R&D funding is very real, but the path to
commercialization in compound semiconductors has been much less clear. Tom's
talk will discuss the technologies, the near-term and more speculative market
opportunities, and some of the strategies that will be needed to succeed to
commercialize nanotechnology products using compound semiconductors.
As noted in the company
news release announcing the study, the type industries underscored are as
diverse as HB-LEDs, the flat panel business, solar cells, a wide array of sensor
based products. According to the study, nanotechnology may improve the efficiency
of high brightness LEDs in multiple ways to accelerate this $4 billion, high-growth
market, and help move LEDs into the realm of general illumination. Companies
pursuing carbon nanotube displays may be able to catch the largest bounty of
all, a piece of the $60 billion, high growth flat panel business. Nanotechnology
may finally bring breakthroughs in solar cells to lower manufacturing cost to
levels competitive with other energy sources. And a wide array of nanophotonics-based
niche sensor products, particularly biomedical sensors, add to a sizable business,
with the potential for an as-yet unidentified blockbuster product.
Lumileds Partners with Parent to Develop Modular LED Solutions for Automotive IndustryNovember 10, 2004...Lumileds Lighting of San Jose, California USA, and Royal Philips Electronics,
one of Lumileds parents (the other being Agilent) have announced a new partnership
arrangement to jointly develop and market new modular LED lighting solutions
for the automotive industry. The new lighting solution auto industry package
will incorporate Lumileds Luxeon LED technology with the design,
development and integration expertise from a Philips division called Philips
Automotive Lighting, which is geared specifically to provide the SSL industry
with automotive lighting solutions. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Bookham Clarifies Focus on Life Sciences IndustryNovember 10, 2004...Bookham's New Focus division in San Jose, California USA is having a go at
diversifying its markets and leveraging its core optical component prowess into
a new line of optical filters for the life sciences industry. Bookham already
supplies that industry with low-noise detectors, ultra-stable optomechanics,
high-performance optics, precision lasers and OEM photonics subassemblies. The
new optical filter line is called "Clarity" and they're fluorescent
filters that have been created in collaboration with Bookham's Thin Film Products
Group. “Optical filters are widely used in life science analytical and
diagnostic instruments for fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, DNA sequencing,
microarrays and other fluorescence applications,” stated Steve Turley,
Bookham's Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). “The introduction of these
filters further enhances the Bookham New Focus position as an experienced supplier
to the life-sciences market, with multiple tier-1 OEM customers for filters
as well as for other products such as optomechanics. The ability to deliver
a range of highly differentiated and technically advanced enabling products,
like the Clarity™ fluorescence filters, for this market will greatly benefit
life-sciences OEMs.” Clarity filters underscore their signal-to-noise
performance capability and are targeted to enabling rapid fluorescence measurements
and higher instrument throughput for OEMs and their customers. Company
news release November 10, 2004...The annual Lasers and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS)
2004 meeting is taking place in Puerto Rico this week and as part of the show,
Alfalight Inc. of Madison, Wisconsin USA is announcing what they say is a new
world record for power conversion efficiency in 976 nm diode laser bars. Developed
with support from the USA's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
under the Super High Efficiency Diode Sources (SHEDS) program, Alfalight has
demonstrated a 50 watt, 976 nm laser bar with 71% power conversion efficiency
(PCE) at 25°C and 73% efficiency at 10°C. These results were presented
by Manoj Kanskar, Alfalight's VP of R&D at the Wednesday morning. According
to Alfalight, their achievement puts Alfalight well ahead of schedule in the
Phase I SHEDS challenge to deliver 65% PCE diode laser bars to DARPA by March
of 2005, and approaches the 80% PCE targeted for September 2006 as part of SHEDS
Phase II. “The efficiency of high-performance diode lasers developed
through the SHEDS program is critical to the development of high power diode-pumped
laser systems that are important to both DARPA and to the commercial laser industry,”
commented Dr. Martin Stickley, SHEDS program manager at DARPA. Next step for
Alfalight is integrate these unique high-efficiency Aluminum-Free Active-region
(ALFA) diode laser designs into their next generation of commercial products.
Technical details and more about the SHEDS program are in the company
news release. Osram Opto Debuts New Products at ElectronicaNovember 10, 2004...Electronica 2004
is underway this week in Munich, Germany and among the compound semi/solid state lighting
industry players exhibiting new products is Osram Opto Semiconductors. Press
releases describing the new line of products (and usual great Osram pictures)
are listed
on the Osram website beginning with a demonstration of Osram's latest lighting
at the stand itself, which is lit entirely by LEDs, making it appear to glisten
with fascinating effects and atmospheric pools of light. The new products include
a new MIDLED package for infra-red components tailored to applications that
require tightly focused infra-red light but do not have the space for a large
component complete with a lens. Osram will also be presenting an entire portfolio
of high-power lasers for the automobile industry and their Golden Dragon warm
white LED in various shades of white. Osram is also featuring their new Advanced
Power TopLED which is the latest addition to the series of super-bright
light sources. In terms of Osram light output, this new line ranks between the
Power TopLED and the Golden Dragon.
Finally, and as announced
earlier in November, Osram has their new Pictiva OLED line geared for
sharper displays. That particular news
release is worth the read... vintage Osram... in that it begins: "The
familiar theme tune starts up, the soundtrack bursts into life and the latest
cult film starring James Bond, agent 007, hits the screen. The film provides
a battery of special effects, with a stunning blend of action, drama and eroticism.
The sound designer has spent hours at the mixing desk in the studio matching
the pictures to the music and the sound effects. Working such long hours at
a mixing desk is tiring work, but help is at hand..." Gist of that
one is that a company called Fairlight is now equipping the displays on its
largest Constellation-XT audio mixing system with OLEDs from the Pictiva range
from Osram Opto Semiconductors. Application
stories like that keep this business fun.
Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
For submissions or content suggestions, you can contact us using
editor -at - compoundsemi.com
For more information and to reserve promotion space contact
Info7 -at - compoundsemi.com
or call +1 (512) 257-9888 |
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The
McDonald Report
Commentary & Perspective...
Perspective on Cree's Suit Against Its Alma Mater
Jo Ann McDonald, Founding EditorNovember 10, 2004...On October 8th, lawyers representing Cree, Inc. of Durham North Carolina USA
filed a 17 page suit in the Superior Court of Wake County North Carolina, suing
North Carolina State University (NCSU) for breach of two written contracts (an
option agreement and a licensing agreement) allegedly involving what turns out to
be a litany of GaN related technologies licensed by NCSU to Nitronex over recent
years. From an initial look at the 17 page document, a copy of which LIGHTimes
has obtained and is studying, Cree seems to assert that NCSU had the legal responsibility
to give Cree what amounts to first right of refusal before any such licenses
should have been issued to any company other than Cree, which NCSU evidently
did not do in the case of various IP-related licenses to Nitronex.
It is important to keep in mind that the suit is against NCSU, not Nitronex.
Co-founders of both Cree and Nitronex attended NCSU, all of whom studied under
famed professor and Wide Bandgap (WBG) materials and device pioneer Robert F.
(Bob) Davis. Among the technologies developed by the outstanding cadre of Davis
students over the years was a WBG pendeoepitaxial growth technique. Pendeo
technology is clearly at issue in this new case of Cree v.s. NCSU. Cree founders
preceded Nitronex founders in their tenure at NCSU. NCSU holds an equity position
in Nitronex which was one of the first spinoffs from NCSU's Entrepreneurial
Development Center startup incubator. Professor Davis has since left NCSU as
have IP managers and NCSU legal counsel who participated in the original agreements
and contracts involved.
The newly filed litigation appears to be an additional step in totally clarifying
IP rights as GaN-related technologies move into the wider area beyond GaN HB-LEDs
grown on SiC or sapphire substrates. At stake appears to be manufacturing techniques
that create devices that may be years in the making, but potentially lucrative
for all concerned. Included are GaN-based blue spectrum LDs and GaN materials
deposited on large diameter silicon substrates. LIGHTimes
2nd Page members can access details and perspective ...
Blue Lasers and SubmarinesNovember 10, 2004...The role of blue lasers in submarine detection, communication and possible
warfare really hasn't been discussed in the press, but that rather intimidating
applications sector should probably come to the surface some time, and maybe
the time is now. In an article today in the Japanese press... Japan being a
country pledged to restrain from having a military after its surrender in World
War II, is coping with the pesky problem of evidently having a nosy, unidentified
submarine in its coastal waters. (Ref: Nov. 10th Nikkei
Net article) Now, I'm neither a war expert nor a technologist, but I
am a journalist and we journalists love putting together pieces of a puzzle
and speculating on what the resulting picture might reflect, should the pieces
fit together reasonably well. The reason an article like this is in the editorial
slot (vs news), is that we needn't be right about our conclusions to call it
"editorializing." Often, the criteria is that it's simply "interesting"...
and there's no topic more interesting to this technology journalist than blue
laser diodes. (Ref: Sept
29 news and Sept
14 editorial)
Obviously, and as often reported in these pages, blue LDs take us a quantum
leap in memory storage and delivery (next gen DVD and hard disk apps, etc.)
and, as I recall Shuji Nakamura pointing out in that memorable videotaped interview
I held with him in 1999, when he was still at Nichia, (ref: our 101
Video Workshops) blue lasers also have application potential in submarine
warfare. Although Shuji elaborated on their potential in submarine warfare,
I declined to include that on the tape feeling that the Japanese government
might not appreciate underscoring that potential, give their non-warlike position
in the world. Seeing the Nikkei article
today, I couldn't help but think that maybe blue lasers, which are still really
only available from Japanese manufacturers, such as Nichia and Sony, are already
in the queue for submarine detection, at least. After all, the USA's
Navy and Missile Defense Agency have been a traditional major backer of blue
LD research and development, so there must be something to the submarine angle.
Interesting puzzle and potential application area...
If you have questions about the
solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or have news
or views to share, I'm Jo Ann McDonald, Editor of LIGHTimes and CompoundSemi News.
Feel free to contact me directly, anytime. 
My direct tel at the ranch is
+1-325-463-5345
From time to time Jo Ann may comment on companies in which she holds a
modest investment - be sure to read
her disclosure at some point in time... |
