"Gallium Nitride and its Transformation of the Lighting Industry" - Dr. Mike Krames

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Abstract: The invention of the transistor in 1947 inspired research in semiconductor materials other thangermanium and silicon, including compound III-V “direct-bandgap” semiconductors that could efficientlyemit light. It was a student of transistor-inventor John Bardeen, Nick Holonyak, Jr., who explored alloyengineering aspects of these compounds that eventually led to the first demonstration of a practical visible-spectrum light emitting diode (LED) in 1962. Since then, several compound semiconductor materialssystems have been developed for LEDs, the most important of which is the (Al,Ga,In)N system whichdemonstrated blue-emitting LEDs for the first time and for which the Nobel Prize in Physics was awardedin 2014. This rather unusual material system is now the backbone of solid-state lighting, which hastransformed the flat-planel display industry, and has now penetrated about 50% of the traditional (i.e.,incandescent, fluorescent, discharge) general lighting market, delivering enormous savings in energyconsumption. This seminar will tell this story, including details of III-Nitride optoelectronic device physics,and look at what we might expect in the future for III-Nitride based photonic devices and their applications. 

Biography: Dr. Mike Krames has more than 25 years ofcompound semiconductor materials, device, and applicationsexperience, with emphasis on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) andlaser diodes. He is currently president of Arkesso, LLC, aconsulting firm in Silicon Valley focusing on wide bandgapsemiconductor materials, devices and applications. Dr. Krames’previous roles include Chief Technology Officer of Soraa Inc.,and Executive Vice President of Advanced Laboratories atPhilips Lumileds (previously Lumileds Lighting, a joint venturebetween Hewlett-Packard Company and Royal PhilipsElectronics). He also has served on numerous advisory boardsand boards of directors. His core expertise is in visible-spectrumcompound semiconductor optoelectronic materials and devices.Dr. Krames played a key role in the launch of the first high-powerLED platform for illumination (LUXEON®) and has made manycontributions to the advancement of LED technology for solid state lighting in the areas of III-nitride epitaxy, device physics, emitter design, down-conversion materials,and applications. Dr. Krames has published over 80 papers and has been granted over 100 U.S. patents. Heholds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and is a Distinguished Alumnus with a B.S. degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering fromthe University of Texas at Austin. He is Chair of the LED Conference at SPIE Photonics West and is aFellow Member of IEEE.