Enabling bulb-like brightness for LEDs

and process technology
for white HB-LEDs for applications that request LEDs
with

bulb-like brightness such as
Illumination, Automotive and LCD-Backlighting

environment
Research 3x2” MOCVD reactor
Manual LED processing tools
Set of characterization

tools

Pilotline in Dortmund, Germany:
State-of-the-art cleanroom environment
Volume 19x2” MOCVD reactor
Full chip processing line
Analytical lab

LED lamps

improved as the displays have changed from green to yellow

and blue and to full colour.
Use of colour screens is expected to grow to 75% by 2007.
Historical colour backlight market shares (in millions of cell phone units) :
28/400 in 2000
the market share estimated to be 430/600 in 2006.

Back lighting for cell phones and LCD:

reduced dimensions
multicolour interior
lighting options
system cost savings
Annual market

growth rates in this segment are expected to be in the 10 to 15% range.

Interior and exterior automotive lighting:

video displays
exit signs
Large signs and displays:

worth of $12 billion.
The HB LEDs will compete with incandescent

lamps by 2007 and majority of fluorescent lamps by 2012.

LEDs offer the wide range of advantages:
high efficiency,
low power consumption
lower operating temperatures
the non-use of mercury
extended lifetime (about 10 years)
new design utilities

HB LEDs for Lighting:

direction in many countries including USA, Canada, Japan, and Germany.

One of the reasons is the potential advantages that can be derived from LED-based lighting from the point of energy saving.

In United States, the financial support for the Next Generation Lighting Initiative (NGLI) has been included in a Senate Energy Bill, and this technology was declared as vital for National Security interests.

The national project named ‘‘The Light for the 21st Century’’ has been also organized and funded by government in Japan.

Energy savings in USA due to penetration of HB LEDs in everyday life:
2002 – 9.6 TWh per year (1TWh = 1,000,000,000 kWh)
2015 - 970 TWh per year – equivalent to ~ 100 large power plants

Violet Lasers for next generation DVD high density data storage

systems and high resolution printing/copying
High power and low noise transistors for radars, cellular networks, satellite TV and communication, environment-monitoring systems;
Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes and detectors for

displays
UV lamps
spectro-fluorometry

high-resolution optics
counterfeit detection
chemical detection

UV air purifier
photo-catalytic reactions
medical applications

Emerging applications:

Unlimited
2005 : $4.0 Billion
Automotive,
14%
Mobile
appliances,
52%
Signs/Displays,
14%
Illumination,
6%
Other, 12%
Signals, 2%

Unlimited
Short-term driving product (2007-2008):
1. Backlights for large LCD displays and

LCD monitors
Technology target: at least 3-4 times less lumen cost (higher brightness and/or less cost)
2. Auto headlamps: growth forecast 8% in 2006, compared to 3.7% in 2004
Technology target: Reliability (temperature, humidity) is of major importance
Long-term driving products:
Lighting will reach $1 billion in 2010
Technology target: ~ 10 times less lumen cost (higher brightness and/or less cost)

University (LETI)
Optoelectronics Department at

A.F. Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute

1998: PhD in Physics from A.F.Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute
Working for Cree EED, TDI Inc.

1999: joint to European Research center (St. Petersburg and Bath (UK)) of Arima Optoelectronics Corporation (Taiwan) Development of industrial technology for GaN LEDs.

Company together with a group of Finnish entrepreneurs claiming

specialization in fund raising for technology start- ups. Start up capital was 8,000 Euro.

Basis for OptoGaN: understanding of the problems limiting LED performance and existing of ideas how to overcome them

Main questions during fund raising with VCs (Критерии венчурных фондов):

- Team (Команда)
- Market (Рынок)
Requirements for proof of technology (Подтверждение технологии)
Requirements for IP protection (Патенты)
Competitive advantage (Преимущества перед конкурентами)
Customers (Потребители)

Main problem for high-tech start-up: expensive facilities are required for technology proof (наличие дорогостоящего оборудования)

do development at University basis (разработка на базе университета) “+”: access

to the facilities required, proof of basic technology, patents; “-”: sharing of IP rights with University (в Финляндии права принадлежат изобретателю);

to get funding and rent facilities from service providers (аренда оборудования)
“+”: fabrication of IP clean product prototype;
“-”: very costly;

- to build own production line (собственное производство)

facility (Установление контактов с Университетом Техн.)

Joint application to Finnish Technology

Agency (TEKES) to finance industrial oriented research (Получение финансирования совместного проекта от ТЕКЕС)
- win-win situation: University gets substantial funding, Company access to facility (Университет получает финансирование, Компания – доступ к оборудованию)
- proof of basic technology was achieved (ОптоГаН получил возможность начального экспериментального подтверждения базовых идей)

Approach taken by OptoGaN (utilization of Finnish innovation system):

OptoGaN’s approach

risk is high, especially for VCs (большой риск)
“+”: possibility to

get substantial ownership at low valuation (возможность получить значительную долю в компании по низкой стоимости)

Professional assessment of technology potential and market value is extremely important (Чрезвычайно важна профессиональная оценка потенциала и реализуемости технологии, а также ее возможное место на рынке)

Role of business angels

(VNT Management). Investment was shared with TeSi (Finnish Industrial Technology

Investment Fund) – governmental fund whose main task is to share risks with private investors. Company also received substantial grant from TEKES.


ОптоГаН получил финансирование от частного венчурного фонда, менеджмент которого имел значительный технический и индустриальный опыт. Со-инвесторам выступил Финский Индустриальный Технологический Фонд (TeSi) – государственная венчурная компания, задача которой разделять риски с частными инвесторами и содействовать развитию технологических компаний. Компания также получила значительный грант от ТЕКЕСа (40-50% общих затрат).