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May 18, 2006...While most all high-tech businesses have embraced India as an important market,
only a handful of companies seem to have done so among HB LED makers. Osram has been one of
the pioneers in this, and the company is now considering opening a second manufacturing
facility in India, according to an article
in India Times. The plant would add to the multiple manufacturing facilities the
company has in the region including: three in China, one in Indonesia, two in
Japan, and one in Korea.
Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Verigy Prepares for IPO by JuneMay 16, 2006...Agilent’s semiconductor test subsidiary, Verigy Pte. Ltd. will maintain its previously
announced plans to file an IPO by June, an EE Times article
indicated. According to the company's S-1 Registration Statement with the US Securities
and Exchange Commision (SEC) for the initial public offering (IPO),
Verigy plans to move towards a contract manufacturing or outsourcing model to
cut costs and gain profitability. Verigy hopes to raise $115 million in the
IPO. (Ref: Coverage).
Kieth Barnes took over the company earlier this month. (Ref: Coverage) Bookham Division To Showcase Electro-Optic Products at CLEO 2006May 15, 2006...A division of optoelectronics company Bookham, New Focus is expanding its offering
of what it calls its Simply Better photonics solution including a range of new
laser and electro-optic products to be launched at CLEO 2006. New Focus is featured
a new line of electro-optic modulators that incorporate a patent-pending design
to achieve twice the efficiency over traditional modulators. The modulators
come in new KTP versions which the company says offer five times the optical
damage thresholds of lithium niobate modulators.
The other products to be on display include:Avalanche photodiode (APD) receivers,
stable wave and velocity tunable lasers, and picomotor actuators. The Avalanche
Photodiode (APD) receivers are new high-speed photoreceivers designed for ultralow-light-level
detection applications. The StableWave and Velocity Tunable Lasers reportedly
have more than double the selection of StableWave tunable lasers, new models
of the New Focus Velocity tunable lasers and new low-noise Velocity laser controllers.
New Focus is also showcasing their tiny picomotor actuators that are designed
specifically for remote-actuation applications. Company
News Release Avago Introduces OptocouplerMay 16, 2006...Avago Technologies of San Jose, California USA, has introduced what it claims
is the fastest 3.3 volt optocoupler. According to the company, it features low
pulse-width distortion and -40C to +105C temperature range operation. The company
says that the speed of the 3.3 or 5 volt optocoupler of 25 megabaud (MBd) makes
it ideal for high speed data transmission applications. Company
News Release Crystal IS Announces Release of Native 2-Inch AlN SubstratesMay 15, 2006...Crystal IS of Washington D.C. has announced the release of 2-inch native aluminum
nitride (AlN) wafers at the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association
(OIDA) Nitride LED and Laser Technology Forum in Palo Alto, California USA,
May 11th. The company says the technology is especially suited for ultraviolet
(UV) solid state lighting and lasers and next generation RF power transistors.
According to the company, the primary applications for the substrates include:
architectural lighting, backlighting, automobiles, and emerging applications
in medicine, projectors, biosensors, and general pupose lighting. The company said that the optoelectronics and solid state lighting industry
experts at the OIDA Forum discussed the current market from nitride-based optoelectronic
components such as: high brightness (HB) LEDs and solid state ultra violet (UV)
sources. Additionally, the forum reportedly covered the technical benefits of
various crystal growth and substrate technologies, the future of high efficiency
UV and green LEDs and lasers, packaging, thermal effects for nitride based LED
laser sources, the lack of standards in these areas, and issues surrounding
the intellectual property of the technology. Company
News Release Color Kinetics Awarded Costs and Attorney Fees in Super Vision Case
Scott McMahanMay 15, 2006...In what the presiding judge called an “exceptional” patent
litigation case, LED technology company, Color Kinetics of Boston, Massachusetts
USA, was awarded costs and attorney’s fees in its case against Super Vision.
Color Kinetics estimated the costs and attorney fees over the four years of litigation
totaled $1.4 million. (Ref: List
of Related Articles). According to the judge's ruling,
"I conclude without hesitation that this case is 'exceptional,' and that
Super Vision has perpetrated a 'gross injustice' by its egregious abuses of the
discovery phase and vexatious litigation strategy. An award of attorneys' fees
is appropriate to remedy the 'gross injustice' Color Kinetics has suffered at
the hands of Super Vision's vexatious and bad faith litigation."
Bill Sims, President and CEO of Color Kinetics said , "We are very
pleased with the Court's decision, as the order provides satisfying vindication
for Super Vision's behavior over the past four years." According to
the ruling, “Color Kinetics moves for attorneys' fees on the unusual
condition that it waive its claims as to damages and willful infringement.”
Color Kinetics said it will request that the court issue a permanent injunction
against infringement of the asserted patents. LIGHTimes SecondPage members can access the extended version of the article. SatCon Announces 2.3 Megawatts of Total Inverter Purchase Orders; Losses Narrow for Quarter
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 11, 2006...SatCon, a power electronics company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts
USA, has reportedly received multiple purchase orders from four new customers
for 13 commercial grade inverters. The total output of the inverters in the
orders comes to 2.3 megawatts (MW). The company said the total includes an order
from one of the largest photovoltaic integrators in North America. Another customers
was operating a trial unit, decided to purchase a follow-on order for three
commercial grade inverters. David Eisenhaure, SatCon’s Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer said that he expects the percentage of the company’s
annual revenues coming from photovoltaic inverters to double this year to 20
percent. Company
News Release
In other company news, the company reported a 15.5 percent lower net loss for
the quarter for the second quarter of fiscal 2006 compared with same quarter
a year ago. “I am pleased with the progress we are making towards transitioning
into a products-oriented business,” commented David Eisenhaure, chairman
and CEO. “I am also encouraged by the market reception
for our alternative energy products. Our commercial grade solar inverters continue
to gain market traction and represent approximately 15 percent of our total
corporate revenues for the year-to-date, compared with 10 percent in the prior
year.” Company
Earnings Release LED Lighting Fixtures Lures Two Top Cree Executives
LIGHTimes StaffMay 11, 2006...Neal Hunter, chairman and CEO of LED Lighting Fixtures (LLF), has apparently
lured two top Cree executives to work for his startup company. Mike Rogers,
former vice president of sales at Cree, was appointed president of LLF, and
former Cree CFO, Cynthia Merrel has joined LLF as CFO. According to LLF, Rogers
managed a wide range of sales, marketing, customer service, and distribution
functions in public and private companies during his 25-year career.
Cynthia Merrell, a certified public accountant, has joined LLF as chief financial
officer. Most recently, she served as chief financial officer and treasurer
for Cree, Inc. The company says that Ms. Merrell brings nearly 25 years of experience
to LLF and has solid experience in raising and managing capital, communicating
with investors and dealing with all aspects of finance and accounting. Recently
another executive, Mike Fallon, reportedly joined the company in the position
of vice president of sales and marketing. Mr. Fallon is the former VP of sales for
CooperTools, a $500 million division of Cooper Industries.
Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Osram Claims Laser Bar Breakthrough
CompoundSemi News StaffMay 11, 2006...Osram Opto Semiconductors reported that that a collaboration with laser specialists
Dilas Diodenlaser GmbH achieved a laser bar performance breakthrough. Osram claimed
that its laser bars have set a new world record of 808 nanometers (nm) with an
optical output of 120 watts (W). The collaboration is part of the Brilliant High-Power
Laser Diodes for Industrial Applications (BRILASI) research project. The BRILASI
project was initiated by the Association of German Engineers, an agency of the
German Ministry for Education and Research, to develop highly efficient and reliable
diode lasers for industrial applications. Osram Opto Semiconductors serves as
the project's coordinator. Additional members of the project team include laser
system specialists and representatives from research institutes.
According to Osram the high-performance laser bars prototypes are for a new
generation of diode lasers which are designed primarily to pump solid-state
lasers in applications such as automobile industry welding. Osram touts the
laser bars increased system output with the same service life or smaller, more
reliable systems with the same output. The company says that diode lasers can
now perform the applications previously reserved exclusively for solid-state
lasers such as surface processing. "With output of 120 W, these new
lasers will double the value achieved for current 808 nm wavelength solutions,"
said Ellen Sizemore, North American director, LED and IR Products Group, Osram
Opto Semiconductors. "This ten-percent efficiency increase is a direct
result of the combined efforts of Osram's expertise in chip fabrication and
Dilas' skills in assembly and cooling systems." Company
News Release Cree Signs Supply Agreement With Seoul Semiconductor; Enters Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement
Scott McMahanMay 9, 2006...Cree Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA, announced that it has signed a five
year supply agreement and has entered into a patent cross-licensing agreement
with Seoul Semiconductor. The patent cross-licensing agreement gives Seoul Semiconductor,
a Korean-based company headquartered in Seoul, the right to use Cree’s
white LED patent (US patent # 6,600,175).
During the first five quarters of the agreement, Seoul Semiconductor has committed
to purchase a minimum of $40 million of Cree LED products. According to Cree,
commitments for subsequent periods will be negotiated annually. The agreement
extends through June 2011. Cree says that an extension of up to five years is
possible if certain sales conditions are met. Content continues for LIGHTimes SecondPage members... Our news features are reported
by the CompoundSemi News staff writers.
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