Type an address to search for nearby blocks
Whitepaper
Explore More
Sign Up / Log In
Semiconductor History | Nichia Anan — The Blue LED’s Bright Success and Bitter Patent Fight
· 1993-11
Personal memoryBy kevin · · updated · Report an issue
Search by address
Search
Loading...
Highlighted Moments
Featured Memories
Find memories left by people near you.
Distribute Bounty
Total to distribute
0 MR
Qualifying memories
0
This will distribute the bounty equally among all qualifying memories. This action cannot be undone.
Cancel Bounty
Refund amount
0 MR
Are you sure you want to cancel this bounty? The remaining amount will be refunded to your account.
Success!
Operation completed successfully.
Error
Something went wrong.
Back to map
Back
This memory is part of
Semiconductor History | Nichia Anan — The Blue LED’s Bright Success and Bitter Patent Fight
kevin
11/29/1993
Listen
Directions
On November 29, 1993, Nichia announced its high-brightness blue light-emitting diode at a Tokyo press conference. The device had emerged from the company’s gallium-nitride work in Anan, where Nichia had begun developing metal-organic chemical-vapor-deposition equipment for blue LEDs in 1989.
Blue was the missing practical color. Red and green LEDs already existed, but an efficient blue source made full-color displays possible and, when combined with a phosphor, enabled bright white light. Nichia’s own chronology records volume production and sales of its high-luminous blue LED in 1993 and development of a white LED in 1996.
The good story is one of patient, contrarian industrial research. Gallium nitride was difficult to grow with useful crystal quality, yet a relatively small chemical company funded equipment, epitaxy, and device work long enough for Shuji Nakamura and his colleagues to turn laboratory progress into a manufacturable product. The Nobel Prize in Physics later recognized Nakamura together with Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano for the blue-LED breakthrough.
The bad story is the dispute over how a corporation should reward an employee-inventor. Nakamura sued Nichia in 2001 over compensation. A Tokyo District Court judgment in 2004 produced an enormous valuation, but the parties settled on appeal in 2005 for about ¥840 million covering a much wider group of inventions. The result became a national test case for Japan’s employee-invention system.
Neither side of that conflict erases the other. Nichia supplied capital, manufacturing discipline, co-workers, and a route to market; Nakamura supplied exceptional technical judgment and persistence. The commercial triumph exposed how poorly ordinary salary and bonus systems can describe a contribution that changes an industry.
This photograph shows Nichia’s present Anan headquarters campus, not the room used for the 1993 announcement or a preserved blue-LED laboratory. The pin marks the corporate site where the development program was based; the press conference itself took place in Tokyo.
Sources: [Nichia corporate history](https://www.nichia.co.jp/en/about_nichia/history.html); [Nobel Prize 2014 press release](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2014/press-release/); [Shuji Nakamura’s Nobel biography](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2014/nakamura/biographical/); [WIPO Magazine on Japan’s IP strategy](https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo_pub_121_2007_03.pdf); [University of Tokyo study of the blue-LED lawsuit](https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/abas/13/6/13_299/_pdf).
Photo: Mti, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Related Memories
Memory Marks
You marked this memory as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Thank you for alerting us of this Memory. We will review within the next 24 hours.
Save to Collection
Semiconductor History | Nichia Anan — The Blue LED’s Bright Success and Bitter Patent Fight
New Collection
No collections yet
Create one above to get started
0
Do you want to remove this memory from the collection?
Do you want to save
changes?
changes?
The changes you made have been saved
Root to Blockchain
Do you want to root this memory to IPFS with 1 Metablox Coin?
You currently have Metablox Coins
Root to Blockchain
You need 1 Metablox Coin to root this memory to IPFS.
You don't have enough Metablox Coins
Uploading to Blockchain…
Preparing your memory for IPFS. Please don't close this window.
Upload Failed
Something went wrong while connecting to IPFS. Your Metablox Coin was not deducted. Please try again later.
Push New Version
Create a new version of this memory, preserving its current state on IPFS.
Cost: 1 Metablox Coin
You currently have Metablox Coins
New Version is on its way to the Blockchain!
Your updated memory will be available on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Your Memory is on its way to the Blockchain!
You'll be able to access it on IPFS within 10 minutes.
Uploading your memories
Are you sure you want to
delete this memory?
delete this memory?
Are you sure you want to delete this memory?
Keep
Delete
Take Photo
Add your photos
Add more photos
Preview your memory
Uploading your memory
You have successfully preserved a memory!
We detected that you have a Blox in your crypto wallet! We will import the Blox into your account.
Click on done below to complete the import.
Welcome Back!
Sign in to preserve cherished moments
Don't have an account?
Welcome!!
Sign up and start preserving cherished moments
Password Recovery
Enter the email associated with your account
Check your inbox
Use the link in the email to reset your password
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
Would you like to level up
?
?
Cost
MetaRent
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
reached Level !!
MetaRent / day
Max Storage
Coins Earned
+
Add your
photos
Tell us about this
Moment
Description (Optional)
/140 characters
Where is this moment?
location
Try searching for: Golden Gate Bridge, Miami Beach, or an address.
Uploading your moment
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
You have successfully preserved a memory!
Your moment is now
on .
Uploading
exoangel
Hidden in 91hrs
Global Blox
Aug 31, 2026
Sprouts sandwich
exoangel
Hidden in 66hrs
Global Blox
Aug 30, 2026
Sunday beach time
exoangel
Hidden in 67hrs
Global Blox
Aug 29, 2026
Weeekend scene
exoangel
Hidden in 45hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Feeding the birds
exoangel
Hidden in 21hrs
Global Blox
Aug 28, 2026
Shrimp fried rice
You marked this moment as
InspiringHeartwarmingEnjoyableSolemn!
You have 0 Memory Marks left to give today
Nice work! You have given out all your memory marks today!
Come back tomorrow or own more Blox to get more daily Memory Marks!
Choose your payment method
Buy with Metablox Credit
Do you want to mint Blox with Metablox Credit?
Which Crypto would you like to use?
Payment confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain. This usually takes under a minute.
Check your Metamask extension
Step 1: Click "Confirm" to give Metamask permission to access your crypto
Important: When the extension shows up, scroll down and hit "Confirm" to mint.
Important: You must change the suggested gas fee to High in order to process the transaction.
DO NOT refresh or close the page before seeing this.
We're processing your order...
This sometimes takes a few mins.
Please bear with us 💪
DO NOT refresh or close the page
Contact the Devs
We're very sorry this happened
Your transaction record has been submitted to our team. We'll solve this situation ASAP
Purchase Confirmed!
Your Blox is being minted on-chain and will appear in your profile shortly.
Log in or sign up to claim your Blox.
How many credits do you want to buy?
$100 USD = 1 Metablox Credit = 1 Blox.
Use Metablox Credit to mint any Blox you want on the map.
expand_more