Today Dow Corning Corporation’s Electronics group introduced its newest silicone encapsulant, Dow Corning ®OE-6636, designed for overmolding (compression molding) and dispensing processes. The product provides for a high refractive index (RI) of 1.54 which enables better light output (see Appendix 1, below), has a low moisture uptake, improves thermal aging  and light resistance, and possesses better adhesion to typical substrate for LED packages such as Poly Phthal Amid.

Nanometrics Incorporated (Nasdaq:NANO), a supplier of advanced process control metrology systems used primarily in the manufacturing of semiconductors, solar photovoltaics and high-brightness LEDs, today announced orders for one VerteX(TM) and multiple RPMBlue(TM) photoluminescence (PL) mapping metrology systems. The VerteX system is expected to be qualified into a new HB-LED development line, and the RPMBlue systems are expected to be qualified into the high-volume manufacturing line of a different customer.

Yasufumi Fujiwara, professor of Osaka University in Japan, has recently created a prototype red LED element by using gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor. Though blue and green LED elements using GaN semiconductor have already been commercialized, this is the first time that a red LED element has been prototyped by using GaN semiconductor, Fujiwara said.

New developments in gallium nitride (GaN) LEDs could lead to a revolution in lighting for the home and office in five years, says a leading UK materials scientist, Professor Colin Humphreys of Cambridge University.

Edison Opto, a Taiwan based high power LED packaging manufacture, will debut the latest Federal module series.

Led by Soo-Young Park, a professor of organic materials for photonics at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University in Korea, researchers from Seoul National University and University of Valencia in Spain have developed the world’s first pure white LED.

In Britain, a student from Brunel University has developed an LED spotlight that can vary its beam without the need for a lens or reflector. The principle of the lamp, invented by Matthew Nourse, is to mount LEDs on a series of leaves. These can then be collectively tilted towards - or away - from the beam axis by turning a collar on a screw thread. Linkages connect the collar and the leaves. 

The Inamori Foundation today announced that Dr. Isamu Akasaki will be among the 25th annual laureates of its Kyoto Prize, an international award honoring significant contributions to the scientific, cultural and spiritual betterment of mankind. Dr. Isamu Akasaki This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Kyoto Prize - a major milestone in the history of the award, which is presented on November 10 each year in three categories.

A young Kelabit scientist has co-invented the world's fastest spontaneous Light Emitting Transistor (LET) and Light Emitting Diode (LED). Gabriel Walter, 32, an electrical engineering doctor from the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign (UIUC), scored both a national and personal breakthrough in technology by co-inventing light emitters capable of transmitting at speeds of up to 7GHz. For more than 40 years, the scientific community believed that efficient spontaneous light device cannot be operated at bandwidths larger than 1 GHz.

Korean researchers have developed a new, simpler white LED that shows promise as a more efficient and stable source of pure white light for improved illumination of homes and offices. The new approach yielded what the scientists describe as the most efficient and stable source of pure white light ever achieved.

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), fabricated with layers of organic polymers, are flexible and use less power and less expensive materials than liquid crystal displays. However, OLEDs are expensive to produce-- because the polymers react easily with oxygen and water, they have to be created in high-vacuum chambers--and they need extra protective packaging layers to make sure that once they're integrated into display devices, they don't degrade when exposed to air or moisture.

QD Vision, developer of nanotechnology-based products for lighting and displays, yesterday announced it has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract by the U.S. Army as part of its Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD). Combined with new, additional funds for a Phase I option period, the award totals $775,000.

Progressive Cooling Solutions is taking a Russian technology for keeping satellite electronics cool and bringing it down to earth to cool LEDs. The US-based company has raised $1.5 million in seed funding from Siemens Technology-to-Business to mesh two technologies – micro loop heat pipes developed by Russian scientists, and a "silicon wick”, which is a silicon membrane with pores about 5 microns wide and 500 microns deep, developed by company founder and CTO Ahmed Shuja while at the University of Cincinnati.

The Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University and Universal Display Corp. recently announced a breakthrough in advancing displays with organic light-emitting diodes.

Wavien, Inc., a U.S.-based lighting provider, recently announced the introduction of its highly efficient "Premien" white LED technology for front projector applications. The output efficiency of the patented Premien technology is up to two times higher than competing LED technologies, with no reduction in lifetime.

Royal Philips Electronics will cooperate with BVB Substrates, a horticultural supplier based in the Netherlands, to develop LED lighting-based applications for greenhouse-based flower and vegetable cultivation. The two companies have signed a memorandum-of-understanding for combining their respective strengths in the development.

Scientists of the West Virginia University Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, have been developing the next generation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting that will be much more efficient than anything now on the commercial market. The study was the subject of an initial grant based on IC INOVA’s LED design and funding. A recent memorandum of understanding between the WVU Research Corporation and IC INOVA, a Japanese company, demonstrates their support in the progress of the WVU LED research.

The Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University and Universal Display Corporation yesterday introduced the first a-Si:H active matrix flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display to be manufactured directly on DuPont Teijin's polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) substrate.

Solomon Systech Ltd, a semiconductor company providing display IC products and system solutions based in Hong Kong, has announced the SSD1306, an OLED driver designed for saving total system cost. With only three capacitors and a built-in charge pump, the device can support the OLED module at high performance using a low voltage supply of 3.3V to 4.2V.

Seiko Epson Corporation today announced it has established inkjet technology that enables the uniform deposition of organic material in the production of large-screen organic light-emitting diode (OLED) televisions. The new technology is said to represent a major step toward the realization of 37-inch and larger full-HD OLED TVs by resolving the uneven layering that had previously been an issue with the inkjet method.

Obducat’s new lithography system is ready to be launched. The system, named Sindre 400, is the world’s first fully automated system for high volume manufacturing of LEDs. Sindre 400 is a vital contribution to the development within CleanTech, since, thanks to greatly increased energy and material efficiency, it reduces the use of natural resources.

After introducing aluminum casing (CLG family) and fully enclosed plastic casing (PLN, ELN, LP family) LED power supplies, MEAN WELL launched another new product category, open frame type – PLP family, for the “low cost” and “built-in” installation of LED lighting related applications. PLP-30/60 series are 30W/60W switching power supplies with 90~264VAC universal input range.

Scientists have developed a method to make lettuce darker and healthier using ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Steven Britz of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and his colleagues used low-power LEDs that exposed lettuce to ultraviolet B (UVB) light for 43 hours. The lettuce was noticeably darker than plants not exposed to the UVB. They have not quantified this effect, but the lettuce darkening increased with the intensity of the light. Darker lettuce, like spinach, is known to be more nutrient dense than its lighter counterparts, such as iceberg.

Researchers of the University of Tokyo in Japan have created a flexible organic electroluminescent display (OLED display) that can be stretched and folded like rubber without influencing the image quality or damaging the display.

Researchers at the Technical University of Dresden and Novaled AG have collaborated to create a 90 lm/W OLED luminaire. The OLED has a brightness of 1,000 cd/m2 according to the researchers. The OLED light engine with a 3-D light extraction technology reportedly achieved an efficacy of 124 lm/W.

NeoPac Opto launches NeoPac Universal Platform (NUP) and Standard Solid-State Light Sources for accelerating adoption of LEDs for illumination applications

Korean scientists announced Monday they have developed a new kind of highly efficient light emitting diode (LED) that can help develop next-generation displays and computer chips. The research team of Seoul National University said they have perfected a new production method that can produce high-quality green quantum dot LEDs with superior brightness and purity characteristics that are easier to make than existing products. The development was published in the latest edition of "Advanced Materials," and was featured in the April 22 issue of "Asia Materials."

Lumitex, Inc. announces the establishment of its West Coast R&D Center in Irvine, California, and Asian manufacturing center in Taipei, Taiwan to help develop, apply and produce illumination solutions using patented LED and fiber optic technologies for electronics applications on the West Coast and in Asia.

Intematix Corp., a innovator in phosphors, LED components and solid state lighting modules today announced the release of a new series of high-efficiency power LEDs.  The new Cetus “E-series” products boast efficacies of up to 100 lumens per watt (lm/w) for the cool white versions, and 97 lm/w for warm white, and will facilitate wider adoption of LEDs in general and outdoor lighting.

The Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics introduced Thursday the world’s first OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes) -based interactive lighting concepts during the Euroluce International Lighting Fair in Milan. Interactive in use, the concepts boast ultra flat shapes, soft light-effects and design possibilities never before seen in lighting products, making lighting an experience in itself rather than mere illumination.