Toshiba to Start Mass Production of White GaN-on-Si Based LEDs
Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will start mass production of white light-emitting diode (LED) on a production line that the company will construct in the 200mm wafer facility at Kaga Toshiba Electronics Co. Ltd., a production base for discrete products in northern Japan. Mass production will start from October 2012.
The energy efficiency and long life of white LED is winning wide-scale application in general purpose lighting, TV backlighting, etc. and significantly boosting market size: from 700-billion yen (8.75-billion U.S. dollars*1) to a projected 1-trillion yen in FY2013.
Toshiba is applying GaN-on-Silicon*2 technology to the development of white LEDs, and has collaborated with Bridgelux Inc. a leading developer and promoter of LED lighting technologies and solutions, in white LED chip development since January 2012. The combination of Bridgelux’s crystal growth and LED chip structure and Toshiba’s advanced silicon process and manufacturing technology has succeeded in developing a prototype chip with a maximum optical output of 614mW. Toshiba will build on this achievement to start mass production of white LEDs.
Toshiba positions white LEDs as a next generation growth area in the discrete business. By advancing the establishment of white LEDs production in addition to power devices, a current strategic focus product area, Toshiba will enhance the discrete business.
”We are committed to our engineering joint development partnership with Toshiba. And we are very excited about our progress with GaN-on-Silicon technology. As Bridgelux plans for the commercialization of GaN-on-Silicon technology, we are negotiating with Toshiba as well as other potential partners who are very interested in manufacturing for the technology leader in the space. Toshiba is clearly a world-class manufacturer and a leading candidate for us. Bill Watkins CEO Bridgelux has always believed in a partner-centric model. The Gan-on-Silicon program is no different. We may choose to engage with a technology partner who doesn’t ultimately turn into a manufacturing partner and it may be a technology and a manufacturing partner but we’re still working through that.” said Brad Bullington, VP of Corporate Strategy at Bridgelux and adds, “Toshiba’s confidence to move so quickly into manufacturing is an affirmation of their high confidence in the Bridgelux technology.”
