Nichia, Emcore Settle Laser Patent Lawsuit

Emcore Corp. has settled the patent infringement case brought by Nichia Corp. of Japan regarding a semiconductor laser.

The companies said that Emcore has agreed to acknowledge the validity of Nichia’s patent and pay for past damages, while Nichia has granted Emcore a nonexclusive, royalty-bearing license for the technology. The amount of damages was not made public.

Nichia filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in June 2013, alleging Emcore infringed on its patent titled, "Semiconductor Laser Having Optical Guide Layer Doped for Decreasing Resistance" (No. 7,295,587).

Emcore provides compound semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the fiber optics and space solar power markets. Nichia develops LEDs, bluish-purple laser diodes and nitride-based semiconductors.

For more information, visit www.nichia.co.jp and www.emcore.com.