Sharp Starts Blue Laser Diode Production
Japanese consumer electronics maker Sharp Electronics said on Tuesday it has started the commercial production of blue laser diodes, used to read and write data on high-definition optical discs. The diodes can be used in DVD players based on the Blu-ray format, championed by Sony, as well as competing HD DVD technology, promoted by Toshiba. Sharp, which is entering the market dominated by Sony and unlisted Nichia, plans to bring the monthly capacity to 500,000 units by the end of 2007, spending several billion yen.