Osram grants LED patent license to Everlight
Osram and Everlight Electronics have signed a patent license contract under which Everlight will manufacture and sell a number of LED products based on Osram s patents.
Specifically, Osram has granted Everlight a royalty license to manufacture and sell surface mountable (SMT) LEDs emitting white and coloured light.
SMT mounting forms are very small and allow for easy further processing in industrial series manufacturing. Osram holds patents for several mounting forms and packages for SMT LEDs.
Everlight will also be free to manufacture white LEDs based around conversion technology, in which blue InGaN chips are combined with a suitable fluorescent converter. Again, Osram holds patents in these areas.
Typical applications include backlighting for mobile phone and car radio displays.
"Over the years, we have built up a very strong position and have a good deal of intellectual property at our disposal," explained Ruediger Mueller, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors. "We are willing to grant licenses to other companies.
Mueller also said that the demand for SMT LEDs and white LEDs is growing so quickly that, for capacity reasons, Osram Opto Semiconductors "is not able to provide all the products the market is calling for".
Last year, Osram signed a patent cross-licensing agreement with Nichia and also licensed its white LED manufacturing technology to Rohm.
The agreement with Everlight marks the first time that Osram has entered into a contract with a company from Taiwan.
