In brief: Nichia, Intense and Comlase
Nichia settles two more disputes
Japanese LED manufacturer Nichia says that it has resolved another two disputes over its highly-protected intellectual property.
The disputes involved the US companies JM Group and ASP, Inc., both of which Nichia said had purchased LEDs or products containing LEDs that infringed Nichia's patents.
A lawsuit with ASP was avoided after the US company told Nichia that its Asian LED supplier wrongly claimed to have licensed Nichia's patents.
Having initially denied any infringement, JM Group settled after the case went to the Federal Court.
Both JM Group and ASP now buy LEDs compliant with Nichia's intellectual property.
Printing focus for Intense
Intense, the UK company that makes laser arrays based on its quantum well intermixing (QWI) technology, has developed a laser module platform aimed at next-generation digital printing.
Called INSlam, the module platform features arrays of individually-addressable lasers and can be customized for specific printing applications including thermal printing, marking, coding and photographic printing.
Intense is demonstrating INSlam at the Laser 2005 trade show in Munich this week.
New Comlase VP to drive reactor development
Comlase, the Swedish company that specializes in developing process technology for semiconductor laser production, has hired Olof Sahlén as its new VP of engineering.
Sahlén will direct development of the company's next-generation Nitrel process reactor, which is aimed at high-volume applications.
The reactor is said to increase manufacturing yield, performance and reliability by eliminating device failures that result from facet oxidation.
Sahlén was previously at the Swedish photonics company Optillion, and also worked at Ericsson's fiber-optics research center.
