In late 2011, two researchers from CEA-Leti started an LED company in Grenoble, France, called HelioDEL (“DEL” is the abbreviation for the formal French term”Diode Electroluminescent”, which translates as “Light-Emitting Diode”, or “LED”). They want to double LEDs’ light output per unit area unit and chop the cost per lumen by 90% .
“The main barrier to market take-off for LED lighting is the excessive cost of emitting diodes. With the current technology , it costs € 40 to €45 for a LED light equivalent to a 100 W filament bulb. Our goal is to reduce the cost of our LED equivalent to €10 or €12 “, says co-founder and Director of Operations Xavier Hugon .
HelioDEL are bringing to an industrial stage the pioneering technology developed for five years at CEA- Leti.
Called WireLED , the source of light is formed by a forest of gallium nitride nanowires grown on the substrate. This 3D topology gives three to five times the light emitting surface compared to a planar LED emission structure. And to reduce costs , manufacturing is based on a 30-cm silicon substrate versus today’s maximum of 10 cm. All LED manufacturers are considering the 30-cm silicon substrate for the future. But even if all makers go to the larger substrate, says Hugon, HelioDEL “ keep a competitive advantage by a factor of 4 or 5 , because our manufacturing process is faster and consumes less material “. The operation of growing nanowires on the substrate will be carried out in a factory of their own, and the finishing will be outsourced to semiconductor foundries . The company have six people and is hosted on the Minatec Campus . The identity of investors and the amount of money committed remain secret . The first products are scheduled for release near the end of 2013 .
