| OptoGaN, a supplier of high brightness LEDs based in Espoo, Finland, was acquired earlier this month by Onexim, a Russian financial group.
OptoGaN’s Finnish and German operations have become part of the OptoGaN Group, a joint venture established by Onexim, the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO), and the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant (UOMP). The JV was officially approved by the three investors during the Nanotechnology Forum in Moscow in early December.
According to Onexim and RUSNANO, the JV is aimed at creating a production company in Russia for next generation lighting based on GaN semiconductor chips. Products will include LED chips, lamps, and lighting systems.
Industrial production of GaN chips will be done within the special economic zone in St. Petersburg, Russia, while the assembly of LED lamps and lighting systems will be performed in Yekaterinburg, Russia, at newly built production facilities next to UOMP.
OptoGaN’s management considers the deal a significant step towards commercializing its gallium nitride (GaN) technology and establishing itself as a mass production LED company. Its chip production technology was created by Vladislav Bougrov and Maxim Odnoblyudov, who founded the company in late 2004. |
