News: Optoelectronics
12 January 2021
Kyocera completes acquisition of SLD Laser
Kyocera Corp of Kyoto, Japan (which manufactures fine ceramic components) has completed its acquisition of SLD Laser of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA (formally Soraa Laser Diode Inc).
Soraa Laser was spun off in 2013 from Soraa Inc of Fremont, CA, USA — a developer of solid-state lighting technology built on ‘GaN on GaN’ (gallium nitride on gallium nitride) substrates — and was co-founded by Dr Shuji Nakamura (the 2014 Nobel Laureate in Physics), Dr Steve Denbaars, Dr James Raring and Dr Paul Rudy.
With 169 staff (as of 31 August) and facilities in both Santa Barbara and Fremont, CA, SLD Laser develops, manufactures and markets high-efficiency, high-luminance GaN laser-based products for automotive & mobility, specialty lighting, consumer, and industrial applications. The firm’s LaserLight sources have safety certifications from both ANSI/UL (American National Standards Institute/Underwriters Laboratories Inc) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission). SLD Laser is also ISO 9001 certified and automotive compliant to IATF 16949.
SLD Laser has now commenced operations as a subsidiary and group company of Kyocera Corp, under the name Kyocera SLD Laser Inc (KSLD).
“Leveraging our spirit of innovation and strength as a Kyocera group company, we are dedicated to the safe and successful application of laser-based innovations for high-brightness illumination and displays,” says KSLD’s president & CEO Dr James Raring. “Together with Kyocera, we will continue the pursuit of our ‘Beyond Lighting’ vision to pioneer LaserLight products in applications such as precision sensing, high-speed LiFi communication, industrial processing, and biomedicine.”
Kyocera Corp says that, together, they aim to attain synergies by integrating KSLD’s GaN expertise with Kyocera’s production technologies and R&D capabilities in fine ceramic-related businesses.
For the All-Digital Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2021), KSLD is hosting live virtual meetings (featuring its 2021 Prism Award nominated LaserLight products) by appointment from its Silicon Valley light tunnel and showroom (12–15 January).
SLD launches first dual-emission white/IR LaserLight source for automotive and consumer applications
Kyocera acquiring Soraa spin-off SLD Laser
TDK Ventures invests in GaN laser light firm SLD Laser
SLD Laser achieves first UL certification for laser lighting
