Graphene-on-SiC - ISOM

NEWS REVIEW
Aledia grows 3D GaN LEDs on 8 inch silicon
ceA-Leti spin off Aledia, has made its
first Gan LeDs on 8 inch (200mm) silicon
wafers. the cost of Aledia’s LeD 3D
chips based on microwires is expected
to be four times less than traditional
planar (2D) LeDs.
Aledia has announced its firstround
financing totalling €10 million
(approximately $13 million) with Us and
european investors, which was closed
in 2012. Aledia solves the important
cost issue in the very large and growing
LeD market. the continued integration
of LeDs into new applications, such
as general lighting, depends on LeDs
becoming available at substantially lower
prices than today.
the company claims its microwire
technology enables the steep cost
reduction that is vital for the further
transition to LeD. the Aledia LeD
technology, made on large silicon
wafers and with very low materials
cost, represents a cost-disruptive
solution to this problem. Also, the new
LeD technology is compatible with
silicon cMOs technology and will be
manufactured directly in existing highvolume
silicon foundries.
“since our financing last year, we have
scaled up our microwire manufacturing
process and transferred it to 8 inch
(200mm) silicon wafers. We can now push
forward to optimise the performance of
these products and bring them to market,”
points out Giorgio Anania, Aledia cofounder,
President and ceO.
Investors in Aledia’s first-round
financing included sofinnova Partners,
a european venture capital fund and
an active investor in energy; new-York
based Braemar energy Ventures, a Us
energy technology investor with various
investments in the LeD and illumination
area; Demeter Partners, a francebased
cleantech investor; and ceA
Investissement, the venture capital arm of
ceA, france’s commissariat à l’energie
Atomique et aux energies Alternatives.
“this is an innovative technology that
can have a disruptive effect on the LeD
market,” adds Jiong Ma, partner at
Braemar energy Ventures. “Braemar is
committed to investing in companies
like Aledia that have developed a
breakthrough approach to LeD lighting
to accommodate a rapidly changing
market. We are excited about the future
opportunities this investment will bring
and the expansion of Aledia’s market
presence and product offerings.”
“We are proud to participate in the new
venture of Giorgio Anania, a successful
entrepreneur already well known to
sofinnova, and of an outstanding
technical team, that could revolutionise
the large and growing LeD market, both
in cost and performance,” continues
Alessio Beverina of sofinnova Partners.
“We believe that the development of
LeD lighting is an important element
of energy-efficiency in our economies
- lighting representing approximately
20 percent of all electricity usage. A
technology able to make a significant
breakthrough in the cost-effectiveness of
using LeDs and thereby accelerate their
adoption will have a major environmental
and financial impact,” concludes sophie
Paturle, partner at cleantech specialist
Demeter Partners.
12 www.compoundsemiconductor.net April/May 2013