UV LED maker Sensor Electronic Technology Inc (SETi) of Columbia, SC, USA has completed product qualification and shipped the first SMD-packaged UVTOP devices from its new high-volume manufacturing line.

The milestone is the result of the first phase of SETi’s growth, begun in October 2011 with a $20m investment into a new dedicated volume production facility and an expansion of its Advanced Technology Center. The first LEDs delivered from the new line were UVC LEDs operating at 275nm for disinfection applications, giving customers access to germicidal UVC LEDs intended for consumer markets.

Mainstream disinfection markets are very cost sensitive, but SETi says that it has set a new pricing structure for standard SMD UV LEDs manufactured through the new line to compete with traditional light sources. “The new volume production facility has allowed SETi to focus a part of its business solely on manufacturing, which has reduced costs through operational methods and yield improvements,” says president & CEO Dr Remis Gaska. “We are passing these savings directly to the customer to enable new market opportunities,” he adds. UVC LEDs are now available as standard SMD products at prices similar to conventional white LEDs, enabling new product opportunities to take advantage of UV LEDs and enter new consumer markets, reckons SETi.

“We have been working with manufacturers of consumer products for the past few years, and soon we will see UV LEDs in our homes disinfecting water, air and surfaces and keeping our food fresher for longer,” comments Gaska.

Additional wavelengths are being qualified through SETi’s high-volume manufacturing line, and 310nm LEDs are expected to be available by fourth-quarter 2013.