May 21, 2012 – Bridgelux Inc., a global developer of LED lighting technology and solutions, and Toshiba Corporation, a leading semiconductor manufacturer, announced today that they have successfully developed an industry-leading 8-inch *GaN-on-Silicon LED chip just a few months after signing a joint cooperation agreement earlier this year. This LED chip, measuring 1.1 mm², delivers excellent performance with a voltage of less than 3.1 V at 614 mA and 350 mA. Bridgelux and Toshiba plan to further accelerate their joint development efforts for LED chips, which are seeing increasing demand due to global LCD panels and lighting systems.

Toshiba also invested in Bridgelux to enable both companies to jointly secure innovative technologies in the field of Solid State Lighting (SSL). This investment is expected to further enhance the efforts of both companies in the SSL industry by boosting Bridgelux's GaN-on-Silicon LED chip technology development capabilities based on Toshiba's advanced semiconductor process and manufacturing technology development capabilities.

"Bridgelux CEO Bill Watkins said, 'Toshiba and Bridgelux are already collaborating on technology development, and this equity investment will bring us one step closer to a strategic relationship that will enable both companies to achieve their shared goal of lowering the cost of SSL solutions targeting the general lighting market.'"

Makoto Hideshima, Vice President of Toshiba’s headquarters and Senior Vice President of the Semiconductor and Storage Products Company, said, “We are pleased to have achieved the industry’s best 8-inch GaN-on-Silicon LED performance through joint development with Bridgelux. Both companies will continue to pursue the development of advanced technology with the goal of commercializing the technology.”

What is GaN-on-Silicon technology?
LEDs typically use sapphire or silicon carbide substrates as starting materials, which are more expensive than silicon. The resulting high production costs are hindering the widespread adoption of LED lighting in residential and commercial buildings. However, using a technology to grow gallium nitride (GaN) on inexpensive large silicon wafers not only makes it applicable to the latest semiconductor manufacturing but also allows for a cost improvement of approximately 75% compared to currently used methods.