Bridgelux powers up LED integration strategy
The burgeoning LED illumination business looks set to gain another player as Bridgelux pours funds into evolving beyond simply being an LED chip manufacturer.
“We can bring significant improvements in performance and cost by using our expertise in integrating our chip technology into solid state lighting products,” said Brian Fisher, director of corporate marketing at Bridgelux.
The Sunnyvale, California, based company has recently gained $30 million in venture capital funding and a $10 million debt facility that it said would help finance this move(see related stories).
Today Bridgelux s revenue comes from the sale of its high-power LED chips, which it grows in home-built MOCVD reactors, and it will continue to invest in this business. Current customers include mobile device, display backlight, camera flash and street light manufacturers.
However, Fisher says that integrating chips into assemblies and packaged modules is at the core of Bridgelux s strategy. He says the quality of the company's GaN epitaxial growth and chip manufacturing knowledge give it a key advantage in LED lighting.
This message was echoed by Jim Diller of VentureTech Alliance, the venture capital firm that led the recent funding round, who now joins Bridgelux's board.
“Bridgelux s team features an impressive roster of seasoned individuals, with combined experience in the LED, IC, compound semiconductor materials, lighting and consumer electronics sectors,” Diller said.
Fisher believes that this range of knowledge allows Bridgelux exceptional control of how the die are handled in assembling products for the lighting market and how they perform in the final assembly.
“Our chips are designed with the end lighting solution in mind,” Fisher said. “The design is optimized for high light-extraction efficiency and good heat dissipation at the lowest possible cost.”
“Bridgelux can deliver a superior product.”
