LED patents:

Osram grants licence to Rohm

MUNICH, Osram GmbH, Munich, and Rohm Co. Ltd., Kyoto, recently signed a patent licence contract. Osram granted Rohm a licence for Osram solely owned patents comprising the manufacture and sale of Light Emitting Diodes (LED), which are using light conversion technology.

This technology which was developed by the Osram Opto Semiconductors enables above all white LEDs to be produced using blue emitting InGaN (Indium Gallium Nitride) based chips and a suitable fluorescent converter.

"Over the years, we have built up a very strong position in the area of white LEDs and have a good deal of intellectual property at our disposal" explains Dr. Rüdiger Mueller, CEO of Osram Opto Semiconductors. "We are basically willing to grant licences to other companies. The demand for white LEDs is growing so quickly, that for capacity reasons we are not able to provide all the products the market is calling for."

Typical applications of white LEDs are backlighting for displays used in mobile phones and car radios.

About Osram
Osram GmbH, Munich, is one of the world’s three largest lamp manufacturers. Its wholly owned subsidiary Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Regensburg, offers a range of solutions based on semiconductor technology for lighting, sensor and visualisation applications. It operates facilities in Regensburg (Germany), San José (USA) and Penang (Malaysia). In the fiscal year 2001 (ending September 30) total sales of Euro 329 million were generated by some 4000 employees. Further information is available at www.osram-os.com.

About Rohm
ROHM CO., LTD., was established in Kyoto, Japan, in 1958, designs and manufactures integrated circuits (ICs) and other electronic components. ROHM’s product lineup includes monolithic ICs, power modules, transistors, diodes, light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser diodes, resistors, capacitors, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), thermal heads, image sensor heads, and LED displays. In the fiscal year 2002 (ending March 31), consolidated net sales of JPY 321,265 million were generated by some 15,000 employees. Further information is available at www.rohm.com.

Press contact:

OSRAM

Christian Bölling
Tel: +49-89-6213-2597
Fax: +49-89-6213-3457
Email: c.boelling@osram.com