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Nichia Corporation
 
 
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The is a Japanese chemical manufacturing company that is most widely known for producing phosphors, including light-emitting diode
Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode , is an electronic light source. The LED was discovered in the early 20th century, and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962....
s (LEDs).

The Nichia Corporation was founded by Nobuo Ogawa (?? ??, 1912-2002) in 1956. One of his famous decisions was to support Shuji Nakamura
Shuji Nakamura

Shuji Nakamura , is a professor at the Material Department of the UCSB College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara .Nakamura graduated from the University of Tokushima in 1977 with a degree in electronic engineering, and obtained a master's degree in the same subject two years later, after which he joined the Nichia Corp...
 (1954- ) to do research on gallium nitride light-emitting diodes when it was generally considered a very risky business. It turned out to be a great success.






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The is a Japanese chemical manufacturing company that is most widely known for producing phosphors, including light-emitting diode
Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode , is an electronic light source. The LED was discovered in the early 20th century, and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962....
s (LEDs).

The Nichia Corporation was founded by Nobuo Ogawa (?? ??, 1912-2002) in 1956. One of his famous decisions was to support Shuji Nakamura
Shuji Nakamura

Shuji Nakamura , is a professor at the Material Department of the UCSB College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara .Nakamura graduated from the University of Tokushima in 1977 with a degree in electronic engineering, and obtained a master's degree in the same subject two years later, after which he joined the Nichia Corp...
 (1954- ) to do research on gallium nitride light-emitting diodes when it was generally considered a very risky business. It turned out to be a great success. However, the company achieved a certain amount of notoriety for awarding a bonus of ¥20,000 Yen (US$180) to Shuji Nakamura
Shuji Nakamura

Shuji Nakamura , is a professor at the Material Department of the UCSB College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara .Nakamura graduated from the University of Tokushima in 1977 with a degree in electronic engineering, and obtained a master's degree in the same subject two years later, after which he joined the Nichia Corp...
 for his invention of the first high brightness blue-light LED, which was based on gallium nitride. Nichia later settled out of court with Nakamura for ¥840 million Yen (US$7 million), in what was then the highest bonus ever awarded by a Japanese company.

After Nobuo Ogawa, the company was headed by Eiji Ogawa (????, son-in-law of Nobuo Ogawa). Nichia Corporation's competitors include Seoul Semiconductor
Seoul Semiconductor

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd is a Korean company manufacturing LED devices. The company is listed on KOSDAQ.In November 2006 Seoul Semiconductors announced it would be the first company to start selling in quantities LED light sources that can be plugged directly into 110V or 230V AC source....
, Cree Inc.
Cree Inc.

Cree Inc. is a Durham, North Carolina based, United States corporation which manufactures semiconductor materials and devices. After the recent market turmoil, CREE now commands one of the highest trading multiples on the Nasdaq stock exchange....
 and Philips Lumileds Lighting Company
Philips Lumileds Lighting Company

Philips Lumileds Lighting Company is the manufacturer of Luxeon, a high-power light-emitting diode . It is a division of Philips.History...
.

In January, 2006, Nichia launched a lawsuit against rival LED
Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode , is an electronic light source. The LED was discovered in the early 20th century, and introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962....
 manufacturer Seoul Semiconductor
Seoul Semiconductor

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd is a Korean company manufacturing LED devices. The company is listed on KOSDAQ.In November 2006 Seoul Semiconductors announced it would be the first company to start selling in quantities LED light sources that can be plugged directly into 110V or 230V AC source....
, alleging design patent
Design patent

In the United States, a design patent is a patent granted on the ornamental design of a functional item. Design patents are a type of industrial design rights....
 infringement.

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