Editorial: Blue 2003 is Happening!
 
... Once in a Blue Moon (literally and figuratively), a technology defies all the odds... even a lingering worldwide economic downturn. Our GaN-based Blue Spectrum LED and laser diode technology is doing just that. As quantified and qualified at Strategies in Light (Strategies Unlimited's prestigious annual LED-insider event) held earlier...
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FCC Rules for Relief to Last Mile Marketeers

February 24, 2003...Broadband communication sector people addressing the USA's challenging "last mile" market (referred to in acronym land as Fiber to the Home, or "FTTH") received a welcome message recently from the USA's Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In a major ruling late last week, the FCC provided regulatory relief for those addressing FTTH. For the complete details, direct from the source, we refer you direct to the FCC website. For recommended press coverage on the ruling, we refer you to LightReading's "Fiber Players Giddy over FCC Ruling."

Taiwan's NCU Develops Violet Laser Diode

February 24, 2003...Those closely following the development of blue spectrum laser diodes (LDs) will be interested in knowing the technical details of the violet LDs recently developed by the National Central University (NCU), which is located in Chung-Li, Taiwan. The development was made using an Aixtron 200/4 RF MOCVD system. Aixtron of Aachen, Germany, has been working with NCU on the project for three years. Initial target applications for the new electrically pumped violet LDs are for use in next generation DVD drives noted to enable reading and writing functions on Digital Versatile Discs that can store up to 27GB to date (e.g. 13 hours of TV broadcasting), deemed a "quantum leap" forward from today’s DVDs drives that employ 640nm laser diodes and which have a maximum storage capacity of 4.7GB. NCU’s laser diode emits at 410 nm and shows lasing above threshold currents of 10kA/cm². The device consists of a 5µm x 1000µm index guided ridge wave-guide laser structure, which is grown directly on a sapphire substrate. The buffer layer consists of 2µm GaN and 1.5µm AlGaN (xAl ~ 8%). For more details that feature facts and recent capabilities of GaN MOCVD technology development, we direct you to Aixtron's website and their company news release on the NCU development, which includes excellent detailed pictures of the violet laser diode at work and how the Nitride-based LD was designed and grown in the MOCVD platform.

February 23, 2003...Confirmation has just come in, via a recent report in Nikkei Business Daily, that Hitachi Cable is making progress in their previously stated plans to begin mass production of their 2 inch GaN substrates targeted for the commercial blue spectrum LED and laser diode markets. Hitachi's production line is located in the company's Ibaraki Prefecture factory in Japan. Stated plans are that Hitachi Cable will begin marketing their new GaN substrates this spring, and that their production capability is projected to reach approximately 300 "units" per month in 2004. Note that these 2 inch starting substrates are not "bulk GaN" grown from a starting seed, which is the conventional way single crystal starting substrates are grown that are made of silicon and mature compound semi materials, such as GaAs and InP. To date, GaN substrates are still not commercially available in single crystal "true" bulk GaN, i.e. conventionally grown "boules". Although researchers from various labs around the world continue to work on the challenging task of perfecting single crystal GaN "boules," deemed the most desirable starting substrate for extremely high end applications such as electronic devices and very high end blue spectrum lasers, the type substrate Hitachi is producing is widely regarded as quite acceptable for growing today's blue spectrum LEDs and laser diodes (LDs). Hitachi's "GaN substrates" employ what the compound semi industry refers to as a "lift off" technique that separates the GaN layer from what's referred to as its "starting template." Specifically, Hitachi's GaN substrate growth process involves laying down a thin film of "perforated titanium oxide" onto a sapphire base. The GaN crystal layer is then grown on top of the perforated titanium oxide and, after cooling, the GaN layer is then removed from the template. The technique is referred to by Hitachi as "void-assisted separation" or "VAS" and was described in detail this earlier year by Hitachi Cable in the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, specifically, volume/page: "2003 Pt.2 (1A/B) L1)".

RIMSA Advances Luxeon White LED Use in Surgical "Cold Light" Applications

February 21, 2003...A systems integrator of Lumileds Lighting, called RIMSA P. Longoni S.r.l. , which is based in Italy, has developed a surgical lap with 100% "cold light" and a white LED lifetime rating of 50,000 hours. The RIMSA medical lighting application, which RIMSA calls their "Pental LED" was achieved using Lumileds' advanced LED Luxeon blue spectrum technology, specifically their Luxeon V White LEDs. The new RIMSA surgical lamp will be released in Q3 of this year, soon after the next shipment of Luxeon V White LEDs from Lumileds, which is based in San Jose, California USA, make their way to Italy. The application is one of considerable interest to our blue spectrum development community as white LEDs are designed into more and varied systems. RIMSA's Pental LED product essentially equips surgeons with a cooler, longer-lasting and more energy-efficient alternative to conventional halogen-based instruments. The goal of the design was to create a cool LED light beam. RIMSA selected Lumileds’ Luxeon V because it can generate sufficient light for a surgical environment with only five emitters. At 120 lumens per emitter, the five-emitter configuration will give the PentaLED lamp a light output of 600 lumens with 50,000 lux. The inherent energy efficiency of LEDs will allow the PentaLED lamp to operate with only 25W of power, a third of that required by a comparable halogen lamp. The use of solid-state illumination will also allow the lamp to last up to 25 times longer than halogen products, leading to less frequent replacement and lower costs over the long term. Plus, the cool LED light beam will increase physician comfort in the operating room and help prevent the open wound area from drying out, thereby eliminating the need to keep the area humid for the patient’s safety. And, the intrinsic characteristics of LEDs will also allow for instant “on” at full brightness. We thank Lumileds for again sharing another good apps story, and direct our readers and journalist colleagues to Lumileds' company news release for more information on their Luxeon LEDs, and to RIMSA's website for technical details on the Pental LED.

VPEC Expands Epiwafer Foundry Offering to PIN Diffusion Service

February 18, 2003...Taiwan epiwafer foundry Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co., Ltd (VPEC) is now offering a new 4" InGaAs/GaAs PIN photodetector epiwafer processing diffusion service. The additional service for planar device fabrication includes VPEC's well-controlled Zn-diffusion by MOCVD, which features noteworthy uniformity and reproducibility over the traditional ampoule tube diffusion process traditionally offered photodetector component designers. VPEC's special technique offers the capacitance variation of less than 3% across a 2" wafer and run-to-run average capacitance drift less than 5%, a most crucial factor in making high-speed photodetectors of high quality and yield. VPEC's service also includes the standard cleanroom chemical process with mass-production type wet bench and spin dryer, PECVD SiNx/SiO2 deposition used for diffusion mask and AR-coating, and ICP-RIE dry etching. VPEC can provide processed epiwafer as well as pure epi, to as-diffused and/or AR-coating passivated. Company news release.

Eblana Photonics of Ireland Raises $4.5 Million More

February 20, 2003...Eblana Photonics, the Irish based provider of advanced laser products for broadband access communications, recently secured a $4.5 million investment in a 'Series B' fundraising which was led by TLCom Capital Partners, the London-based pan-European venture capital firm that specializes in the communications and information technologies sector. This round brings the total funds raised by Eblana Photonics, founded in December 2000, to $7.75 million. Existing investors, ACT Venture Capital and Enterprise Ireland, also participated in the financing. For those unfamiliar with Eblana Photonics, it was original founded to commercialize technology developed in a photonics research program involving Trinity College Dublin, the Irish National Microelectronics Research Centre (NMRC) and Enterprise Ireland. According to James O'Gorman, CEO of Eblana Photonics, "This major investment is a milestone in Eblana's evolution in supplying cost-effective high quality laser products for use in cost sensitive Access applications." For those tracking the current European investment climate, TLCom's new relationship with Eblana Photonics marks TLCom's first investment in Ireland. Colin Watts, General Partner at TLCom Capital Partners commented, "TLCom sees the technology and products being developed by Eblana as key enablers to the emerging optical broadband markets, which will drive the next generation of residential telecommunication services." Company news release.

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