Toshiba's white LED package
Bridgelux is selling its gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si)?technology and related assets to Toshiba. The news comes as the two companies announced that they will expand their licensing and manufacturing relationship.
In January, 2012, the two companies entered into a Joint Development and Collaboration Agreement for the development of GaN-on-Si LED technologies. That relationship led to Toshiba announcing impressive performance levels for 8" GaN-on-Si LED wafers and mass production of white LEDs based on the technology. Both of these milestones were achieved using Bridgelux's crystal growth and LED device technologies as well as Toshiba's silicon processes and manufacturing technologies.
The enhanced partnership will make for an expanded collaboration developing new LED chip technologies based on the jointly developed GaN-on-Silicon technology, as well as for a manufacturing arrangement securing Bridgelux a source of supply for GaN-on-Silicon-based LED chips. As part of the agreement, the companies will increase production at a factory in Japan to make LEDs based on the techology.
Production of LED chips is typically done on two to four-inch wafers with an expensive sapphire substrate but Toshiba and Bridgelux have developed a process for manufacturing gallium nitride LEDs on 200mm silicon wafers. The use of GaN-on-Si technology to produce LED chips, has allowed Toshiba to replace sapphire substrates and make the chips on a more cost-competitive silicon substrate.
The agreement includes Toshiba hiring a research team of nearly 40 people from Bridgelux who will continue working at the US company's headquarters in Livermore, California.
Brad Bullington, CEO of Bridgelux said the latest agreement, announced this week, "allows us to focus on what we do best, and what we think the market needs most at this point in time" which is "bringing to market LED-based solid state lighting technologies alongside a proven global scale semiconductor manufacturing partner."
Makoto Hideshima, executive vice president of semiconductor and storage products company, corporate vice president of Toshiba said: "Entering a new phase of our relationship with Bridgelux, we will be able to accelerate the scaled manufacturing of 8" GaN-on-Silicon LED wafers, which will position both companies for strong growth in our respective LED businesses."
