Bridgelux touts "penny per lumen" energy efficient LEDs

Bridgelux and QD Vision are two companies aiming to consign inefficient filament bulbs to history

Two companies making advances in LED technology received significant funding last week. Bridgelux, which makes high-efficiency LED components, received $40m and plans to expand its business model to incorporate solid-state lighting assemblies. Meanwhile, QD Vision, which is working on quantum-dot LED technology, received an undisclosed amount from CIA-founded venture firm In-Q-Tel.

Bridgelux's selling point is a technology which enables epitaxial material (an interface between a substrate and the thin film on top of it) to grow in a way that encourages the chip to operate in a more energy efficient manner. " This capability is unique in the LED industry and sets Bridgelux apart from others in the solid-state illumination marketplace," said spokesperson Brian Fisher.

The company hopes to release products in the second half of this year costing a penny per lumen, by using its higher-efficiency components to increase the number of usable lumens available in the packaged product. It will also be packaging its own components into assemblies designed for specific lighting applications.

In contrast, QD Vision's Quantum Light technology uses nanoscale crystals that emit light when stimulated with photons or electrons. The technology is designed to be printed onto a variety of surfaces using something akin to inkjet methods, said company spokesperson Mel Webster.

Bridgelux received $30m in private equity funding and around $10m in bank credit. VentureTech Alliance led the round, which included existing investors DCM, El Dorado Ventures, VantagePoint, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital and Harris & Harris Group.

QD Vision's Webster would not say how much funding it has recieved, but the latest round joins $5m in funding that the company has raised from government agencies since early 2007.