Seoul Optodevice teams with SET to produce deep-UV LEDs

Date Announced: 06 Jul 2006 -- Seoul Optodevice in Korea Forms Strategic Alliance With a World Leading Company of Deep Ultraviolet (DUV) LEDs in USASeoul Optodevice Co., Ltd. (SOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor Co. (SSC), located in Ansan City, Kyunggi-do, Korea, has entered, as of July 1st, into a strategic partnership with Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETI), based in Columbia, SC, USA. SSC has taken an equity position in SETI. SETI is a world leader in the development of deep ultra-violet (DUV) LEDs based on III-Nitride semiconductor materials and has been supplying DUV LEDs since 2004.A conventional ultraviolet lighting source, the mercury lamp, consists of various wavelengths with much noxious wavelength, which can trigger more function to animals and plants, while UV LED emitting essential wavelength is effective and applicable to the life so it has cured skin disease and many others. UV LED is a semi-permanent semiconductor specializing in slim size, low power consumption, environment-friendly components; it is becoming popular all over the world.This market expects to be quickly replaced by DUV LED. Current DUV mercury lamp market is estimated $3 billion in 2006 and will reach $5 billion in 2009 with CAGR of 20%. SSC is the largest packaging house of visible LEDs in Korea and is ranked 9th in the world by the 2005 edition of Strategies Unlimited with LED production capacity of 3 billion pcs/year of application items such as back light units for cellular phones, large display panels, automotive illumination and general lighting.SOC has been growing epitaxial wafers and fabricating for LED chips and achieved AC LED chip, which was the world first product, and now has expanded its business field up to deep UV by partnering with SETI.SETI is the only company in the world that can produce epitaxial wafer of the highest power with peak emission wavelengths in the DUV ranging from 247nm to 340nm. In compliance with the agreement hereafter SETI and SOC will continuously cooperate to develop, manufacture, and sell UV LED as well as supply solely DUV in the world.In market segment and role description of manufacturing, SOC will take on the task of manufacturing standard products for high volume markets and will be responsible for product sales world-wide, except North, Central and South Americas. SETI will be distributing DUV LED components in the Americas and high-end products worldwide.SOC also announce that they are ready to take order right now, anyone or any company which wants to buy DUV LED can visit and purchase through their e-store of www.biouvledstore.com. Also it is welcome to visit their website of www.biouvled.com."Strategic alliance between SOC/SSC and SETI will allow us to combine the high volume manufacturing capabilities and global marketing and sales network of SOC/SSC with the technological superiority of SETI in the field of deep UV LEDs. It is expected that the two companies will take advantages of both companies' strength and produce synergy." said Dr. Jae Jo Kim, Executive Vice President of SOC. "This will accelerate bringing of low-cost and high-quality products to the market and meeting demands of customers in the emerging deep UV application."

Contact
Catherine Woo, Seoul Optodevice Co, Ltd. 148-29, Gasan-Dong, Geumcheon-Gu, Seoul, 153-801, Korea Phone: 82-2-2106-7390, 82-2-2106-7317 Fax: 82-2-858-5537 E-mail : [email protected]

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Web Site:http://www.biouvled.com