Blue LEDs burn brighter: News from SDK

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Showa Denko reckons its new blue light-emitting diode (LED) basedon gallium nitride (GaN) has the highest brightness level on themarket. SDK will start marketing the product next year for suchgrowing applications as mobile phones, outdoor displays,illumination and automotive devices. The new 12mW LED with a flipchip structure has been developed by combining SDK'sproprietary technologies for the production of compoundsemiconductors and hard disk media.

Compared with the existingproducts on the market, the new LED has additional advantages oflow forward voltage and low electricity consumption.

Thus, thenew product is expected to be used in backlighting of liquidcrystal displays (LCDs) and in photoflash units for mobilephones.

Furthermore, as the unique flip chip structure providesbetter heat dissipation and higher reliability, the new productwill find applications in automotive devices and generalillumination.

SDK is now constructing a plant in Chiba to produce30 million units a month of GaN-based blue LED chips.

Sampleshipment will begin in November this year.

Commercial productionwill start next year, and the company plans to sell 30 millionunits per month by year-end.

SDK is planning to expand theproduction capacity to meet a growing demand and to increase theannual sales to Y20 billion in 2008.

GaN LED chips, which emitnear ultraviolet to green light at wavelengths of 360-530nm, arenow used mainly in backlighting for LCDs and keypad light sourcefor mobile phones.

Blue LEDs can be combined with fluorescentmaterials to provide white lighting.

With the improvement inpower, demand for blue LEDs will increase rapidly for use in carheadlights and general illumination.

Furthermore, blue LEDs canbe combined with GaN green LEDs and aluminium indium galliumphosphide (AlInGaP) red LEDs for use in colour displays andbacklighting of LCD TV screens.

It is therefore predicted thatthe market for GaN LEDs will continue to grow at an annual rateof 20% or more.

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Blue LEDs burn brighter

Showa Denko reckons its new blue light-emitting diode (LED) based on gallium nitride (GaN) has the highest brightness level on the market.