Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: RUSNANO, ONEXIM and the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant establish the joint company to manufacture the new generation lighting products

Home > Press > RUSNANO, ONEXIM and the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant establish the joint company to manufacture the new generation lighting products

Abstract:
The establishing documents have been signed by Anatoly Chubais, Director General of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO), Mikhail Prokhorov, President of "ONEXIM Group" Ltd. and Sergey Maksin, Director General of the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant (UOMP).

RUSNANO, ONEXIM and the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant establish the joint company to manufacture the new generation lighting products

MOSCOW, Russia | Posted on December 3rd, 2008

The project is aimed at creating a highly technological industrial production of a new generation lighting systems based on the gallium nitride semiconductor chips. The final product will be LED chips, LED lamps and lighting systems, the brightness of which is comparable with the best world analogues. The record low amount of defects in semiconductor layers allows the devices to work without losing effectiveness with high-density currents, enabling the good brightness to price ratio for LED chips.

The unique chip production technology was created by the founders of the German-Finnish company OptoGAN Vladislav Bougrov and Maxim Odnoblyudov who were students of the Nobel prize winner, member of the Russian Academy of Science (RAS) Zhores Alferov. The successful establishment of a new enterprise will allow to return one of the most promising projects developed by the Russian scientists back to Russia.

The total value of the Corporation's investment into the project will reach 1 776 million rubles, 323 million rubles of which will be given in the form of a contribution to the chartered capital and 1 453 million rubles in the form of a loan. RUSNANO's equity share in the joint company will be equal to 17%, UOMP's share will be 33% - 1 share, ONEXIM Group's share will be 50% + 1 share.

It is expected that the annual revenue will reach about 6 000 million rubles by 2013.

Industrial production of heterostructures (multilayer structures consisting of semiconductors with different zone structure and varying lattice parameters) will be situated in Saint-Petersburg within the special economic zone. The LED chips, lamps and lighting products assembly will be located in Yekaterinburg, on the basis of the lighting products subdivision of the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant.

The project received a positive resolution from scientific & technical, patent, and production-technological expertise arranged by RUSNANO. The attractiveness of the project from the investment point of view was also confirmed by experts.

Development of LED lighting products is a very promising direction for investment due to high rates of market growth because of increasing consumer demand. The lighting products based on the semiconducting nanoheterostructures substitutes the traditional light sources, such as incandescent, fluorescent and other lamps. Using the LEDs will allow to reduce significantly the consumption of electric power and increase the simplicity of lighting systems' operation. It will also free up quite an amount of power capacity.

Reference:

LEDs or light emitting diodes are semiconducting units emitting light when the electric current is passing through them.

LEDs were invented by Oleg Losev, a Russian scientist, who first discovered and studied the crystal diode fluorescence in the middle of 1920s. The developer of LEDs based on the multilayer nanometer heterostructures was member of RAS Zhores Alferov, who was awarded the Noble prize in 2000 for his works.

LEDs have no glass bulbs and filaments thus having the high mechanical durability and reliability. Absence of heating elements and high voltages guarantees high level of power and fire safety. Subminiaturization and light distribution built into LED allow for creating flat, compact and convenient for installation lighting devices.

The market of LED lighting products is actively developing and drives out other light sources. The world market of LED lighting products is growing at 37% per year as the growth of the world lighting engineering market (all light sources) reaches 5% per year. Nowadays LED lamps occupy already at least 3.5% of the Russian lighting systems market.

The world market of LEDs equaled $4.2 bln. in 2007 and is forecasted to reach the level of $12 bln. in 2012 growing at an average annual rate of 23%. The Russian market of lighting products comprised more than 50 billion rubles in 2007 and is growing annually by 13% on average.

At the present state of the Russian market, LEDs are mainly used in the light signalling devices (traffic lights etc.), for illuminating the architectural facilities, in automotive industry (headlights and taillights). The lighting products based on the traditional light sources will be most likely substituted with LEDs, at first, in the segments of HCS object illumination, street, commercial building and industrial object illumination.

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About Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies
The Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) was founded under Federal Law No.139-FZ dated July 19, 2007 for «implementation of the government policy in the sphere of nanotechnologies, innovation infrastructure development in the sphere of nanotechnologies, implementation of projects on creating perspective nanotechnologies and nanoindustry». The Corporation resolves this objective acting as a co-investor in nanotechnological projects with a significant economic or social potential. The Corporation’s financial involvement at early stages of projects reduces risks of its partners – private investors. The Corporation participates in establishment of the nanotechnological infrastructure objects, such as shared use centers, business-incubators and early-stage investment funds. RUSNANO chooses the first-priority directions in investment based on long-term development forecasts (foresights) developed by the leading Russian and world experts. In 2007 the Government of the Russian Federation allocated 130 billion rubles for the Corporation’s activity. The management bodies are the Supervisory Council, Board of Directors and Director General. RUSNANO Director General is Anatoly Chubais.

ONEXIM Group is a private investment fund founded by Mikhail Prokhorov in May 2007. The company invests into mine and metallurgic sector, power engineering branch, including hydrogen power engineering and nanotechnologies as well as in the sphere of financial services, mass media and real estate.

The diversified investment portfolio of the group currently includes or controls the assets of the following companies:

* Polyus Gold – the largest gold mining company in Russia
* UC RUSAL - the world’s largest aluminium and alumina producer
* MC Intergeo - mining company
* TGC-4 - Territorial Generation Company is the key enterprise in the Energy system of the European part of Russia
* Open Investments – one of the largest real estate developers in Russia
* Management Company Rosbank – the market leading asset manager
* Soglasie – one of the largest insurance companies in Russia
* Mediagroup JV - new generation media
* APR Bank - a universal Russian commercial bank

FSUE “PA “The Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant named after E.C. Yalamova” (UOMP) is a leading enterprise in Russia in the sphere of designing and manufacturing the optical and electronic complexes for all types of armed forces and military structures as well as has a wide range of civil instrument engineering. UOMP creates the optical and electronic equipment for all-day-round operation using the last achievements in optics, microelectronics, laser, thermal image engineering and precision electro-mechanics. The plant has got a high production potential. The enterprise structure includes the Central Design Bureau, branched chain of service & sales and design affiliates in the Russian regions as well as in Switzerland, China and Belorussia. The scientific and technical potential of UOMP allows for manufacturing up-to-date devices and equipment certified as per the European quality standards and meeting the strictest requirements of the customers.

Russian Business Consulting (RBC) is the general information partner of the first Nanotechnology International Forum.