Can silicon come to the rescue for Blu-ray?

The Blu-ray people face a big problem: those blue lasers are a pain to make.

(Credit: Shimei Semiconductor)

Shimei Semiconductor has developed a blue LED grown on a silicon substrate, according to EE Times. Now, blue LEDs are grown on a sapphire substrate.

The prototype LED emits 450-nanometer wavelength blue light.

Shimei says it plans to start popping samples out for manufacturers in April. It is preparing production lines capable of churning out three million of these a month. Shimei will also examine the possibility of producing red and green LEDs with their technology.