Masimo acquires Spire Semiconductor

Masimo Corporation (Nasdaq: MASI), has acquired substantially all of the assets of Spire Semiconductor, LLC, a manufacturer of advanced LEDs and other advanced component-level technologies.

The Spire business will be operated by Hudson, NH-based Masimo Semiconductor Inc., which specializes in wafer epitaxy, foundry services and device fabrication for biomedical, telecommunications and consumer products and is a newly-formed, wholly-owned subsidiary of Masimo Corp. The acquisition gives Masimo an advanced ability to develop custom components, accelerate development cycles, and optimize future product costs.

Spire Corporation CEO and Chairman of the Board, Roger Little stated, "Spire Semiconductor has developed a superior intellectual property portfolio and advanced optoelectronic technology that is well suited for Masimo's groundbreaking noninvasive patient-monitoring technologies.

Seren Photonics raises $2.8 million in equity funding

Fusion IP plc (AIM: FIP), the university IP commercialization company, has announced that Seren Photonics Ltd, its LED technology company, has raised GBP 1.8 million ($ 2.8 million) in equity funding to enable Seren Photonics to transfer its technology to its first manufacturing partner. The first manufacturing agreement is with an Indian manufacturer.

Seren’s new processing technique, developed by Professor Tao Wang from the University of Sheffield, has been demonstrated in tests to greatly increase the efficiency that an LED converts an applied voltage into light and significantly reduces heat generated under normal running conditions. The patent-pending technology can lead to LEDs with higher light output or lower power consumption than existing devices. The company targets mainstream white-light LED markets including back lighting, signs and displays, as well as architectural and street lighting.

The $2.8 million in funding will be used to purchase capital equipment for LED pilot-scale development and to create an engineering team for the technology transfer of Seren’s processes to its technology partners.

Quantum Wafer purchases additional Aixtron MOCVD systems

Aixtron SE has announced that Quantum Wafer Inc. has ordered three additional MOCVD tools that will be used to grow high-brightness LED wafers based on gallium nitride (GaN) materials.

“We have been very impressed with the performance of the two 42x2-inch Aixtron G4 MOCVD systems that we purchased in 2011,” said Shu Yuan, general manager of Quantum Wafer Inc. “We therefore wish to add more equipment from Aixtron, as we implement the next step in our strategic plans."

Quantum Wafer is a provider of semiconductor wafers used to manufacture LEDs located in the Zhujiang Delta Industry Area of China.

Spring City awarded patent for thermal management and optical systems

Spring City Electrical has been issued a United States Patent that covers its CoolCast thermal management system and the CrossFire optical system of the company’s line of LED luminaires.

Patent No. 8,104,929 states that "the cast-metal dome roof and the LED light engines, wherein the light engine’s conductive metal substrate is in conformal contact with a portion of the inner surface of the roof such that the roof provides increased heat-sink mass and the outer surface of the roof provides a heat-dissipating surface area outside of the housing.

"Preferred embodiments include a street light wherein two LED light engines are mounted at about 20 and 160 degrees to a line parallel to the street segment to produce as asymmetric light profile that reaches over and along the street for an effective distance, but does not extend very far on the side away from the street."

The patent has been incorporated into 18 of Spring City’s classic fixtures. Fixtures with the technology have been installed at the US Military Academy, Indiana University, Cornell University, Johns Hopkins University, American University, and the cities of Topeka, Chicago, and Boston.