- News
29 January 2018
Aledia completes €30m Series-C financing round
© Semiconductor Today Magazine / Juno PublishiPicture: Disco’s DAL7440 KABRA laser saw.
Aledia S.A of Grenoble, France, which is developing light-emitting diode for display applications based on ‘WireLED’ three-dimensional (3D) nanowire GaN-on-silicon technology that is claimed to cut manufacturing costs compared to conventional planar (2D) LEDs, has closed a €30m ($36m) Series C financing round with Intel Capital as a new investor, joined by most existing investors including Braemar Energy Ventures, Demeter, the Ecotechnologies Fund of Bpifrance (the French national industrial bank), IKEA Group, Sofinnova Partners and Supernova Invest.
“Today more than 3 billion people interface to the Internet with mobile displays, and LED technology is expected to be used in a majority of these displays in the next few years,” notes Aledia’s CEO, chairman & co-founder Giorgio Anania. “The unique advantages that 3D LED technology delivers position it as the driver of a once-in-a-generation shift,” he reckons. “This financing round and collaboration with Intel reflect this potential and underscores the interest that our 3D nanowire-on-silicon technology is getting in the mobile-display market and from leading global technology-investment firms.”
Based on technology originally developed by the CEA-Leti nanotech research institute in Grenoble, Aledia is developing a new generation of LEDs manufacturable on large-diameter silicon wafers (200mm/8-inch, scalable to 300mm/12-inch) in existing microelectronics foundries and targeted at mobile display applications. The technology is expected to lead to displays that are more energy-efficient, much brighter and more manufacturable at moderate cost. The silicon-based technology is also well suited to the integration of microelectronics, the firm says.
Aledia is working on next-generation displays with several large industrial partners. It is also developing large/existing displays (smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc) as well as smaller, newer displays for VR/AR/MR and smartwatch applications, using its megapixel integrated silicon chips.
Anania says that the Series C financing will support its plans to significantly accelerate the speed of its LED technology development, including acquiring critical equipment.
“Energy efficiency, display quality and cost are three critical characteristics of mobile consumer electronics displays, and we feel Aledia’s 3D LED technology, based on large-area silicon fabrication, can impact this space,” comments Gregory M. Bryant, senior VP & general manager of the Client Computing Group at Intel. “We’re excited to work with Aledia to innovate display technologies across client platforms.”
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