Germany-based Evonik Industries and Taiwan-based Cristal Material Corporation have formed a new joint venture named Evonik Cristal Materials Corporation. The opening ceremony was held last week in Taipei, Taiwan, and Patrik Wohlhauser, chairman of Evonik Degussa GmbH's management board, announced that Evonik Cristal Materials will focus on manufacturing high-quality glass lenses for next-generation LEDs, which will marketed under the Savosil™ brand.

Welcome speech from Patrik Wohlhauser, chairman of Evonik Degussa GmbH's management board

"The LED market will see many new areas of application open up. Evonik Cristal Materials Corporation will help its customers develop new technologies faster, technologies such as UV LEDs to sterilize water, LEDs in automobiles, and LEDs for general lighting," said Patrik Wohlhauser. "Participating in the joint venture offers Evonik an attractive opportunity for forward integration along the entire supply chain in the growing LED market," added Wohlhauser. The lenses produced by the joint venture will be sold to LED manufacturers.

The LED lenses will be produced using Evonik's patented SiVARA™ Sol-Gel technology, which allows glass lenses of consistent quality to be manufactured in any desired shape. The process recently received the Frost and Sullivan European Technology Innovation Award. Major applications will be high bright LED lighting, concentrator photovoltaic, automotive lighting, and optics.

Ershien Tsai, chairman of Cristal Material Corporation, stated, "glass produced by the SiVARA™ Sol-Gel technology is an ideal LED optics solution and is highly reliable." It also offers the phosphorous in the lenses outstanding protection against humidity and heat during operation and is thus ideal for outdoor lighting.