News

14 April 2009

 

Seoul Semiconductor licenses UV LED patent for portable forgery detector

Korean LED maker Seoul Semiconductor has reached an agreement with industrial optical component developer M-Vision to license patents related to a portable fluorescent forgery detector.

Picture: Portable fluorescent forgery detector.

The portable fluorescent forgery detector is widely used for identifying forgery of bank notes, securities, passports, gift coupons, and ID cards by commercial banks and financial companies, as well as transportation companies, self-employed firms and small businesses that mainly transact securities. Demand is expected to grow significantly as counterfeit money raises concerns around the world.

Forgery detection has mainly used ultraviolet (UV) mercury lamps, but UV LEDs provide good lifetime, durability, output power and eco-friendliness, says Seoul Semiconductor. With increasing restrictions on environmentally hazardous materials, UV lamps are being rapidly replaced by UV LED products in the market, says Seoul Semiconductor. Also, unlike existing UV mercury lamps, which can only detect forgery in dark conditions, UV LEDs can easily identify forgery even in bright places.

The technology being licensed was jointly developed by Korea Minting & Security Printing Corp (KOMSCO) and Seoul Semiconductor subsidiary Seoul Optodevice Co Ltd, which was established in 2002. As well as blue- and green-emitting gallium nitride-based LED chips, Seoul Optodevice has developed and commercialized 310nm, 280nm and short-wavelength 255nm UV LED chips.

Seoul Optodevice claims to have installed the industry's first commercial production facilities for short-wavelength deep UV LEDs, with investment from Sensor Electronic Technology Inc (SETI) of Columbia, SC, USA through a a strategic partnership agreed in July 2006. Seoul Optodevice claims to be the only firm to have commercialized short-wavelength deep UV LEDs so far, and reckons that it will be difficult for other firms to develop commercial UV LEDs without recognizing the patent rights of Seoul Semiconductor and Seoul Optodevice.

Seoul Optodevice will receive licensing royalties from M-Vision's sales of the portable fluorescent forgery detector incorporating its technology.

Picture: Portable fluorescent forgery detector in action.

 

 

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UV LED market to grow to $250m in 2015

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