News: LEDs
1 September 2021
Porotech appoints former Arm executive as chief commercial officer
Gallium nitride (GaN) material technology developer Porotech (a spin-out from the Cambridge Centre for Gallium Nitride at the UK’s University of Cambridge) has appointed former Arm executive Helen Adams as chief commercial officer (CCO). During her 11 years at Cambridge-based chip designer Arm, Adams rose to become vice-president of sales for Europe and the Asia Pacific region, leading a team delivering $1bn annual sales revenue.
“With a track record of success in technology sales and sales management in the semiconductor industry, Helen is an excellent fit for our growing business,” reckons CEO & co-founder Dr Tongtong Zhu. “We are already seeing high levels of demand for our products, and in June we raised £3m to fund further development work. Helen’s appointment is the next step along our scale-up trajectory.”
Porotech says that, due to its micro-LED production technique using porous gallium nitride (GaN), its display technology enables brighter, sharper, more vivid micro-displays for even the smallest devices. The technology offers performance improvements that are suitable for mass production yet can be customized for individual needs.
Despite only spinning out in January last year, Porotech has been generating revenue for 13 months, with a string of repeat orders. The firm says that it is working with some of the biggest global names in display technology. In November 2020, it launched the first commercial native red indium gallium nitride (InGaN) LED epiwafer for micro-LED applications. In August, the firm announced its first partnership – with China-based micro-LED display technology firm Jade Bird Display (JBD).
Micro-LEDs represent next-generation technology for displays in products such as smartphones and smartwatches, as well as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets. They are particularly useful in outdoor settings, where sunlight can often make existing displays difficult to see clearly.
Porotech says that its next step is to expand its novel approach to integrate InGaN-based red, green and blue (RGB) micro-LEDs for full-color micro-displays, and ultimately create ‘smart’ pixels that can be controlled independently for responsiveness and accuracy for things such as AR gestures.
Porotech teams with micro-LED panel firm Jade Bird Display
Porotech raises £3m to fund development of micro-LED production technique
Porotech launches first native red InGaN LED epiwafer for micro-LEDs
Porous GaN firm Porotech completes £1.5m seed round
