25 May 2012 Seren wins $230k UK R&D grant to speed commercialization of LED technology
UK-based university IP commercialization company Fusion IP plc says that its LED technology portfolio company Seren Photonics Ltd (which was spun off from the University of Sheffield in February 2010) has won a $230,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK government’s national innovation agency. The grant will be used to fund a project based on nano-technology to further increase the amount of light emitted from high-brightness (HB) LEDs.
Developed by professor Tao Wang of the University of Sheffield, Seren’s new processing technique can increase an HB-LED’s luminous efficacy and reduce heat generation under normal running conditions. Demonstrations of the patent-pending technology have resulted in a significant increase in light output compared to untreated devices, it is claimed, so that either much brighter lamps can be manufactured or the power consumption of lamps can be reduced.
The TSB grant will be used to develop a second additive nano-particle technology that will further increase the LED’s efficiency. The technology, which has been demonstrated in a laboratory environment, will be developed into a process compatible with modern manufacturing techniques before being offered under license to Seren’s future manufacturing partners. “The money will enable us to accelerate the transfer of Seren’s latest nano-particle technology into a fit-for-purpose manufacturing process,” notes CEO Dr Carl Griffiths.
Seren’s technology is targeted at the large and fast-growing white-light HB-LED markets, such as back-lighting for laptops and TVs, signs and displays, as well as domestic and architectural lighting. This market is currently worth an estimated $15bn and is set to grow to $20bn by 2014, says Seren.
HB-LEDs are set to replace incandescent bulbs as governments around the world bring in legislation banning the manufacture and sale of incandescent lamps, and as concerns increase about the poor light quality and environmental contamination fears from compact fluorescents, the firm adds. The rate of adoption is expected to accelerate as the brightness of HB-LEDs increases and the cost of manufacture falls.
