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| February 18, 2008 |
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Mitsubishi Chemical to Take Over Technologies and Facilities
for the Near-Ultraviolet LED Business |
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| Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
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Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation
(“MCC” Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshimitsu Kobayashi)
announced today its decision to take over the gallium nitride (GaN)-based LED
technologies and associated facilities from Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd.
(“MCI” Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Toshihiko
Igarashi) and MCI's subsidiary, Dia LED Co., Ltd. (Head office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo;
President: Hiroaki Murata), effective March 31, 2008, and will also conclude
a technology and facility transfer agreement with these two companies. MCC will
relocate the facilities now in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, to its Tsukuba
Plant.
With their thrifty power consumption, solid-state lighting products are becoming increasingly important as a promising means for addressing global warming and reducing CO2 emissions. The white LED business in Japan evolved into a significant new market last year. White LED demand is growing for lighting products and for backlight used in LCD TVs. The market is set to reach ¥800 billion in scale in 2010.
Positioning solid-state lighting as one of the "nurture" businesses in its current mid-term management plan, MCC has sought to develop and commercialize phosphors and GaN substrates as key materials for high-intensity white LEDs. As a result of these efforts, MCC successfully mass-produced phosphors for high-intensity LEDs, creating white light closer to natural sunlight, and began manufacturing and marketing the products in 2006. It is also testing mass production of its GaN substrates with a plan to begin sales in fiscal 2008.
With this agreement, MCC will be obtaining access to technologies for near-ultraviolet LED chips, to complement the phosphors for high-intensity white LEDs, GaN substrates and high-durability encapsulants that have been areas of focus for MCC. This will enable MCC to significantly step up the development and commercialization of white LED materials. MCC is resolved to bolster this businesses going forward, as it seeks to transform itself into the world's leading supplier of high-performance white LED materials.
| For further information, please contact |
Public Relations and Investor Relations Department
Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation |
| Tel: +81-(0)3-6414-3730 |
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Company profile
1. Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd.
| 1) Establishment: |
June 28, 1917 |
| 2) Head office: |
4-1 Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| 3) President & CEO: |
Toshihiko Igarashi |
| 4) Capital: |
19.2 billion yen |
2. Dia LED, Co., Ltd.
| 1) Establishment: |
January 1, 2005 |
| 2) Head office: |
4-1 Marunouchi 3-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Amagasaki Works:
8 Nishino-cho, Higashi-mukojima, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo |
| 3) President: |
Hiroaki Murakami |
| 4) Capital: |
1.025 billion yen |
| 5) Sales: |
60 million yen (fiscal 2007) |
| 6) Employees: |
39 |
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