Cree Research and Philips sign joint agreement; new laser diodes will increase optical storage capacity; ARPA provides $4 million funding.DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 1995--Cree Research, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : CREE) and Philips Laboratories-Briarcliff (a Division of Philips Electronics North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. Corporation) today announced the signing of a joint agreement to develop blue laser diodes based on nitride materials grown on silicon carbide silicon carbide, chemical compound, SiC, that forms extremely hard, dark, iridescent crystals that are insoluble in water and other common solvents. Widely used as an abrasive, it is marketed under such familiar trade names as Carborundum and Crystolon. wafers. Noting the potential critical impact on future military systems, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA ARPA - Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency ), a division of the U.S. Department of Defense, is providing $4 million in funding to Cree for the two year effort. Subject to the finalization of an additional agreement, Cree and Philips will cost share $4 million, bringing the total amount of funding for the program to approximately $8 million. Blue laser diodes are a key technology component for optical record/playback systems. The blue laser diode, because of its shorter wavelength, can be focused to a smaller spot size on a disc, thereby increasing the number of tracks available for memory storage. "In a systems market that is constantly looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. ways to increase storage capacity the blue laser is a significant missing link," stated Neal Hunter, president, Cree Research. "Blue and ultraviolet lasers are not only important for high density commercial memory systems but also for critical military applications such as lightweight countermeasure systems, covert communications and chemical-biological battlefield reagent detection." "We're excited about joining with Philips which has an excellent track record in optoelectronic devices and optical storage systems," Hunter said. Diego Olego, Philips Laboratories blue laser research department head stated, "The joint Cree-Philips effort will push the state of the art of gallium nitride An alloy of gallium and nitrogen (GaN) that is used in semiconductor devices for lasers and LEDs, including blue lasers. Gallium nitride has the thermal and chemical stability required in laser applications. See gallium arsenide. (GaN) material and device technology to implement GaN injection lasers. The robust properties of GaN thin films combined with Cree's realization of bright GaN blue light emitting diodes on silicon carbide (SiC) wafers and Philips Laboratories expertise in wide band gap optoelectronic devices bode well for the successful demonstration of blue and ultraviolet GaN lasers." Philips Laboratories is home to more than 300 scientists and engineers whose technical activities support the business interest of Philips Electronics companies in North America and overseas. The R&D facility, which is in its 50th year of operation, focuses primarily on seven areas: material engineering, microelectronics, television, integrated circuit integrated circuit (IC), electronic circuit built on a semiconductor substrate, usually one of single-crystal silicon. The circuit, often called a chip, is packaged in a hermetically sealed case or a nonhermetic plastic capsule, with leads extending from it for design, software engineering, multimedia and manufacturing automation. North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. based Cree Research, Inc. is the world leader in the development of silicon carbide (SiC) based semiconductors which have potential advantages in certain optoelectronic, power, high temperature, RF and microwave and nonvolatile memory See non-volatile memory. applications. Cree owns outright or licenses exclusively 27 patents related to its process and device technology. CONTACT: Shelton Associates Jodi Shelton or Audrey Cassady, 214/239-5119 |
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