25 April 2011

Cree signs SiC materials license agreement with Nippon Steel

Cree Inc of Durham, NC, USA, which manufactures silicon carbide (SiC) substrates as well as power devices, has entered into a global SiC materials license agreement with Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp.

Nippon Steel Corp and affiliates including Nippon Steel Materials Co Ltd have been given the right to manufacture and sell SiC materials for electronic device applications. Over the lifetime of the agreement, Cree will receive certain financial considerations from Nippon Steel. Cree was also granted rights to Nippon Steel’s relevant SiC-related patents. No technology transfer between the parties was included.

SiC is used in the production of a broad range of lighting, power and communication components, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs), power switching devices and RF power transistors for wireless communications. SiC devices are currently used for solar inverters, high-voltage power supplies and power conditioning in industrial power applications.

“Cree is a pioneer in SiC materials technologies, resulting in energy-efficient power switching devices and high-brightness LEDs,” claims Cree’s chief operating officer Steve Kelley. “We are pleased that Nippon Steel joins us in supporting the electronics device industry with licensed SiC materials,” he adds.

“Nippon Steel has been conducting intensive R&D on SiC materials over 20 years,” says Dr Misao Hashimoto, Nippon Steel fellow and director of the Advanced Technology Research Laboratory. “The good working relationship between Cree and Nippon Steel enabled us to achieve our commitment for growing the global SiC market.”

See related items:

Nippon Steel to start SiC wafer production

Tags: Cree Nippon Steel SiC SiC substrates

Visit: www.nsc.co.jp

Visit: www.cree.com