Toyoda Gosei Mass Produces Violet LEDs
Source: Nihon Keizai Shimbun
NAGOYA, Japan. Toyoda Gosei Co., a resin and rubber parts maker, said Wednesday it has started mass producing violet light-emitting diodes, becoming the world s first company to do so.
Initially, the Toyota Motor Corp. affiliate will combine the LED with an optical catalyst for use in car air purifiers. The LED will later be used in home electronics and lighting equipment, with the firm targeting annual sales of 1 billion yen in two to three years.
Toyoda Gosei has already mass produced green, blue and blue-green LEDs. The 380 nanometer wavelength of the violet LED is shorter than other LEDs. (One nanometer equals one billionth of a meter.) Researchers at the firm added special materials in forming layers of gallium nitride to produce the violet light.
The company and Nichia Corp. are suing each other over alleged LED patent infringements. In July, the Tokyo District Court ordered Toyoda Gosei to suspend production and sales of blue LEDs, and the firm has taken the case to a higher court.
"We have developed violet LED technology without using any knowledge subject to court action," a company official said. Toyoda Gosei has applied for patents covering 20 violet LED technologies.
The auto air purifier will decompose organic substances in the air into water and carbonic acid by exposing a titanium oxide optical catalyst to light from a violet LED.
The device has been installed in Toyota s remodeled Mark II passenger car released in October. It is more eco-friendly than purifiers which use ultraviolet ray lamps, Toyoda Gosei claims, and will eventually be installed in other Toyota cars and household equipment.
(From the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Thursday morning edition)
