Intematix discovered a new phosphor portfolio, with adding green aluminate (GAL) and red nitride materials, could act on LED manufacturers to develop warm-white lighting for general illumination or TV backlighting, and avoided the patent issues.
A leader of Intematix noted, Intematix new phosphors added LED makers a new choice when they used yellow YAG (yttrium aluminium garnet) phosphors to create white light. when combined with the red phosphors, the GAL material allowed the lighting market to achieve much-higher-efficiency, much-higher-color-rendering, warm-white applications. It is similarly that the GAL material worked and yellow phosphor in creating white light from a blue LED source. The phosphors for LEDs would ship in 1Q11, though it was not clearly that quantify the efficiency and color-rendering advantage.
Intematix had own patent on the new materials, which contained unique ions that improved the efficiency of the product and differentiated from all other red nitride phosphors.
Recently, Nichia enforced red nitride and other patent, which resulted in patent issues. Nichia had a YAG application patent and most companies which made white LEDs using YAG needed a license from Nichia.
But now, the LED makers could buy a YAG phosphor from Intematix. The new phosphors were based on Intematix IP which allowed them to be more freely used than former phosphors that had limitations. That’s means, Intematix customers would be free to use the new materials without licensing an application patent from Nichia, OSRAM (the holder of TAG or terbium aluminum garnet application patents), or others.