Here are the Japanese versions of the articles....
nni.nikkei.co.jp
Sunday, December 17, 2000
Rohm To Enter Blue LED, Chip Laser Markets
KYOTO (Nikkei)--Rohm Co. (6963) said Saturday it will tie up with U.S. semiconductor maker Cree Inc. to enter the markets for blue light-emitting diodes and semiconductor lasers.
Demand for blue LEDs, used as the light source for cell-phone displays, is expected to grow rapidly because they produce brighter light at low levels of power consumption.
The two companies aim to begin selling their jointly developed LEDs by next summer in world markets.
Rohm has enlisted the U.S. company to stay above the fray of a patent dispute between two Japanese firms, Nichia Corp. and Toyoda Gosei Co. (7282), over the use of blue LED technology.
Rohm aims to capture about 20-30% of a light-emitting diode market valued at some 50 billion yen a year, assuming that use of blue and other LEDs will increase in non-IT fields.
The Japanese and U.S. companies intend to jointly develop and market blue semiconductor lasers within two to three years.
Cree will supply silicon carbide materials it has developed for use in blue LEDs and semiconductor lasers. The materials help reduce the size of LEDs. Rohm will offer Cree rights to use its patented technology for reducing the power consumption of LEDs in the U.S. for five years.
nni.nikkei.co.jp
Saturday, December 16, 2000
Rohm Sues Nichia Over Chip Technology In U.S.
WASHINGTON (Nikkei)--Rohm Co. (6963) on Friday filed a lawsuit with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging that Japanese firm Nichia Corp. and its U.S. subsidiary have infringed its patents for semiconductors used in light-emitting diodes, informed sources said.
Rohm is calling for Nichia to stop importing its products to the U.S. which the major Kyoto-based producer claims are made using its proprietary technology.
Uses for the chips include drive units for cell-phone batteries. |
