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Friday, November 21, 2008
Sharp and Nichia Enter into LED and Laser Diode
Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement
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Sharp and Nichia have entered<
This cross-licensing agreement grants each other the
right to use inventions related to LEDs and laser
diodes covered by the vast number of patents owned
by the respective companies in Japan and in major
countries.
LEDs feature long service life and low power
consumption, and are increasingly expected to be the
strongest candidate for the next generation of
lighting devices. At present, LEDs have been adopted
mainly for use in backlights for mobile phones and
PDAs, but in the future, they are expected to gain
acceptance not only for general illumination
applications, but also for use in large numbers in
the backlights of LCD TVs and for automotive
lighting.
At the same time, laser diodes have long been the
key device used in recording and playback of optical
disks such as CDs and DVDs. Today, as HDTV images
become increasingly familiar, demand is growing
rapidly for blue-violet laser diodes as
indispensable devices in recording and playback of
terrestrial digital broadcasts, and for Blu-ray Disc
recorders and players.
Sharp launched development of LEDs in 1968 and began
mass production in 1970. In addition, Sharp was the
first in the world to begin mass production of
infrared laser diodes for CDs in 1982, and in
February of this year, initiated mass production of
250-mW, pulsed-output, high-power blue-violet laser
diodes, one of the highest levels in the industry.
By working toward development of a
vertically integrated business model based on these
two devices, including LED lighting and Blu-ray Disc
recorders, Sharp is aiming to create uniqueproducts in the future that feature both devices at their core.
By entering into this cross-licensing agreement,
Sharp and Nichia will be aiming to create even
higher-performance LEDs and laser diodes, enabling
the two companies to respond to rapidly expanding
market demand. |
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