EV Group (EVG) develops manufacturing technologies for even brighter LEDs

EVG offers solutions for the entire LED manufacturing chain.

EVG offers solutions for the entire LED manufacturing chain.

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2014 was awarded on December 10, 2014, to three Japanese researchers for the development of blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Only through the development step from red and green to blue LEDs, which enable the production of white light, did LED technology achieve a breakthrough as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional incandescent lamps. EVG is working on the latest manufacturing solutions to make LED products even more cost-effective and powerful.

The EV Group (EVG), a manufacturer of specialized machines and process solutions for the semiconductor industry, microsystems technology, and nanotechnology, headquartered in St. Florian am Inn with branches in the USA, Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan, was a member of the PICO consortium (PICO = Photonic Integration for Coherent Optics) for many years. In this research consortium of leading universities and renowned industrial companies, led by Nobel laureate Professor Nakamura of the University of California in Santa Barbara, intensive work was carried out to further develop blue LEDs to market maturity. In the cleanrooms of the renowned University of California, there is also a wafer processing system from EVG.

"We warmly congratulate the Nobel laureates in physics on this unique award. The ambitious researchers laid the foundation for the development of today's LEDs. We are very pleased that the energy-saving light sources are gaining even more public awareness through the Nobel Prize," said Dr. Werner Thallner, Executive Operations and Financial Director of EVG.

EVG has been active in the LED market for many years and now counts 4 of the top 5 manufacturers among its customers. EVG offers solutions for the entire manufacturing chain of LEDs and has launched several systems in recent years that were specifically developed to increase global LED production capacities. In addition to a specialized mask aligner for lithography applications and a wafer bonding system with the highest throughput, EVG also developed a unique technology for nanostructuring various material surfaces in LEDs. This enables significantly higher light output from LEDs, further reducing energy consumption.

The future belongs to LEDs

Backlighting for flat-screen displays, mobile phone display lighting, lighting applications in automobiles, or in households and public areas: LEDs are no longer to be missed in our lives. The new light sources are characterized not only by an 85% reduction in power consumption compared to conventional incandescent bulbs but also by a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours. In many cases, the lifespan of an LED even exceeds that of the device itself. Additionally, LEDs emit little unnecessary heat compared to incandescent bulbs. Since more than a quarter of the world's electricity consumption is used for lighting purposes, LEDs significantly contribute to conserving resources.