National science and technology awards, 2015 unveiled the other day. “High efficiency silicon substrate GaN based blue light-emitting diode” accomplished by Professor Jiang Fengyi and his team from Nanchang University won the only first prize in National technological invention award. This invention firstly realizes silicon-substrate LED industrialization worldwide, and opens up the third way of international LED lighting technology, which is regarded as “China Chip”. The generating of “China Chip” turns China into the third country in the world who masters independent intellectual property technology in field of Blu-ray LED.

In Prof. Jiang’s lab, there are palm-sized bases of circular silicon wafer, on which semiconductor materials develop layer by layer, with dozens of chips distributed evenly. Silicon substrate LED chips illuminate mysterious blue light that projects onto fluorescent powder, forthwith soft white light shooting out. LED technology came out in the year of 1962. In 1993, sapphire substrate GaN based blue LED developed by Japan allowed LED for lighting formally, which won 2014 Nobel Prize. In 1995, the USA developed silicon-carbide substrate GaN based blue LED, and it won 2013 US President Technology Invention Award. When Japan and US made breakthroughs in LED technology, a youth in his early 30s was long for his China Blu-ray dream. This man is Jiang Fengyi, lead professor for “High efficiency silicon substrate GaN based blue light-emitting diode”, and vice-president of Nanchang University. He has been striving for the Blu-ray dream for 20 years. The words “brighter and lower heat” has always been on the wall of his lab and reminding him this objective.

Prof. Jiang said, “I brought up these words, and warn myself to always be calm rather than having a rush of blood to the head. When a thought suddenly coming into mind, people must be excited, are you going to carry it out immediately? No, I won’t. At that moment I’ll cool myself down and tell myself not having heated brain. Long-term thinking is a must, and so are feasibility analysis and appropriate time.”

Back to the year of 1996, Jiang Fengyi started up his Blu-ray dream with a 500,000 RMB loan in a 40m² laboratory at corner of the first floor in physics building of Nanchang University. At that time he was developing China’s LED by tracking Japan’s Sapphire technology. After four years, this national “863 Plan” project successfully trial-produced sapphire substrate Blu-ray, Green-ray, and Purple-ray LEDs. Jiang was not satisfied by this result, but was soon trapped in new worries. Domestic LED lighting markets become large with increasing downstream firms, while LED technology patents are absolutely monopolized by Japan and the US, which is fatal for the development of China’s LED industry. Therefore, Jiang made a decision that not being a follower to foreign technology; we are going to research and develop “China Chip”.

“It is known that we were not able to produce kerosene rather than import it in the past, and kerosene lamp was called “overseas oil lamp” at that time. We have no excuse to use “overseas LED lamp” or “overseas semiconductor lamp” in the new age. Due to this reason we gave up tracking foreign technology 12 years ago. Before that we had been tracking it for 7 years, and then we decided to innovate to carry out LED lighting--China’s LED creation.” Prof. Jiang was a little excited while talking about China’s creation.

In 2003, Jiang Fengyi selected technical approaches of silicon substrate GaN. By the year of 2004, their team had made a breakthrough in silicon substrate blue LED, with an over 40% electro-optic conversion rate and luminous efficacy of 150 LPW. So far silicon substrate blue LED has been awarded 147 authorized patents, of which 47 items are international patents. China becomes the only country in the world who realizes mass production of silicon substrate LED chips, breaking the monopoly of Japan and the US. It was formed a worldwide three-way race pattern of LED technology, while “China Chip” was born in name and in fact.

Prof. Jiang said, “after achieving initial results in research, industrialization should be carried out immediately. Although the technology was not that mature then, I had strong belief in final success by gradual perfection in process of industrialization. We are not talking about carrying out industrialization based on a 100% perfect research result, no, we are talking about implementing it bravely and decisively right after a staged achievement. Along with the industrialization, technology and product performance can be both improved.”

“China Chip” lying on table in lab is meaningless; carrying out its industrialization is equivalent to international competitive strength. In 2006, Lattice Power (Jiangxi) emerged as the times required, which initialized the industrialization of silicon substrate LED technology. Today, 12 enterprises based on silicon substrate LED technology gather in city of Nanchang, forming a whole-industry-chain cluster. At present there are over 300 users of silicon substrate blue LED products, with application of home lighting, street lamp, color screen, nixie tube, indicator lamp and so forth.

When being asked how to judge of himself, Prof. Jiang thought for a while and answered, “a scientific and technical worker with market awareness shall be a proper judgment. I do research and make technology innovation in a market-oriented way rather than an imaginary way. I won’t make efforts on anything the market doesn’t need; this is why I can achieve a final effect on each of my work so that contribute to products and company.”

At the end of the year 2015, Jiangxi was inspired by a blueprint planning of building up “Nanchang Optical Valley”. Jiangxi provincial government has made a decision to build Nanchang as a national LED optical valley—national leading R&D, manufacturing and application base with international core competence for LED whole industry chain. This is supposed to be a new growth point of industry development within “the 13^th five-year-plan” period. By the year of 2020, main business income of province-wide LED industry will be quadrupled compared to that of 2015. The gross amount will surpass 100 billion RMB, accounting for 15% of nationwide income, within which the income of the whole industry chain of silicon substrate LED technology will achieve 50 billion RMB.

Prof. Jiang said, “that is what we call it ‘industry’, with which it is possible to make our LED technology stronger, illuminating China, and then the world.”

(Xinhua News Agency reporter Peng Jing reports in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province)