IQE's NanoGaN granted laser and LED nanocolumn patents

Cardiff, England--IQE, a global supplier of semiconductor epitaxial wafer products and wafer services to the semiconductor industry, announced that NanoGaN Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of IQE, was granted two separate patents in relation to its nanocolumn technology for the production of blue and green lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Patent 2008-549935 was granted by the Japan Patent Office to NanoGaN. The title of the patent is "Growth method using nanostructure compliant layers and HVPE for producing high quality compound semiconductor materials." This patent protects the Group's proprietary nanocolumn technology for producing high-quality, free-standing gallium nitride (GaN) substrates, which are critical for manufacturing high-quality blue and green semiconductor lasers and ultrahigh-brightness LEDs for solid-state lighting (SSL).

A second patent No.2446471 titled "Production of semiconductor devices" was granted by the UK patent office to protect the manufacturing of semiconductor devices including laser diodes, LEDs, and solar cells, directly onto the nanocolumn platform, thus expanding the number and type of substrates that can be used for epitaxy. The production of blue and green semiconductor lasers and ultrahigh-brightness LEDs requires stable, high-quality substrates with minimal crystalline defects such as threading dislocations to increase yield and reduce manufacturing costs.

IQE acquired NanoGaN in October 2009 with the aim of assisting in completing the development of commercial products and transferring the technology to its high-volume production facilities. IQE says its NanoGaN acquisition complemented and enhanced its product portfolio by accelerating the Group’s strategic plans to develop a leadership position in the emerging high-growth markets for laser projection, high-definition optical storage (including Blue Ray products), high-resolution laser printing, and SSL for industrial, commercial, and residential lighting. It is envisaged that NanoGaN’s core technology may also be used to further enhance IQE’s leading position in the supply of GaN products for high-power RF applications.

SOURCE: IQE; www.iqep.com/news-2010/aug_04_10.asp

--Posted by Gail Overton; [email protected]; www.laserfocusworld.com