Meanwhile, the Digitimes website reports that Taiwan-based chip supplier Tekcore and Korea-based LED packager Seoul Semiconductor are planning to form a joint venture. Seoul Semiconductor and its subsidiary Seoul Optodevice will have a 51% share, with Tekcore owning the remainder.

Seoul Semiconductor is already Tekcore's largest customer for LED chips, and the cooperation will allow Tekcore to develop overseas business markets and receive patent licensing for white LEDs.

United LED selects Veeco's MOCVD tools

Veeco Instruments Inc. (Nasdaq: VECO) has announced that United LED Shan Dong Corp., (ULED) a China-based joint venture between United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) and Epistar, has placed a multi-tool order for Veeco's TurboDisc K465i MOCVD systems.

The systems will be installed at ULED's facility in Jining City, China as part of the company’s HB-LED manufacturing ramp.

Tzu-Chi Wen, Vice President, Epi factory of United LED, commented, "We are pleased to add Veeco systems to our production facility because of their demonstrated leadership in MOCVD technology. The K465i provides the process performance and lowest cost of ownership needed to advance ULED's position as a provider of LED devices for various lighting applications."

Oxford Instruments sells etch and deposition systems to Optogan

LED maker Optogan, based in Landshut, Germany, has placed a multi-system order for Oxford Instruments’ etch and deposition systems. These include PlasmaPro System133 ICP and PlasmaPro 800Plus RIE etch systems, and a PlasmaPro 800Plus deposition system.

The PlasmaPro System133 process tool offers up to 27 x 2-inch batch etch capability for GaN-on-sapphire wafers, while the PlasmaPro 800Plus tools are a flexible solution for plasma etching and deposition processes on large wafer batches of up to 43 x 2-inch wafers, in a compact footprint, open-loading system.

“Optogan has successfully operated one of our systems for several years, and has now chosen further production systems for their large batch, high yield and high speed capabilities,” said Mark Vosloo, Sales and Customer Support Director, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology.

Hans-Peter Ehweiner, Managing Director of Optogan GmbH, said: “We have been working with Oxford Instruments’ systems successfully for several years. High throughput, repeatability, and excellent local customer support are the key factors to ensuring our strong growth of LED chip manufacturing in Germany.”

Beiji Haotian Technology adds Aixtron systems

Aixtron is supplying two AIX 2800G4 HT deposition systems in the 42x2-inch configuration and three AIX G5 HT deposition systems in the 56x2-inch configuration to Beiji Haotian Technology Co., Ltd, a new customer based in YiXing city, Jiangsu province, China.

JiaYe Yang, Vice President of Beiji Haotian Technology Co., said: “Large-scale investment for our LED epi business… involves cooperation with Tsinghua University, who will make a technology transfer from an Aixtron Planetary Reactor platform to our new systems.”

Tsinghua University is involved in a new LED patent technology transfer and long-term cooperation agreement entitled the "Arctic Haotian high-power HB LED Chip Project“ which will take place in the Jiangsu Yixing Economic Development Zone and provide long-term production, R&D and training support.

A major project investment of about 473 million yuan (about EUR 51.5m) for 1W high power chips is planned in the period up to May 2011. Phase II of the LED production project should be completed by the end of 2012 with an additional investment of 500 million yuan (about EUR 54.5m). This will include ten new MOCVD units and supporting production lines. The total investment for 1W high power chips is nearly 1.42 billion yuan (about EUR 155m).