KYOCERA to Acquire 100% Ownership of California-Based SLD Laser

Kyocera’s fine ceramics to create synergies with new expertise in gallium nitride

KYOTO, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto, hereafter “Kyocera”) today announced that it has concluded an agreement with California, U.S.-based SLD Laser (formally named Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.) to acquire 100% ownership of SLD Laser. Under the agreement, SLD Laser plans to begin operating as a Kyocera group company upon approval of regulatory authorities.^{* 1}

SLD Laser is a world leader in the commercialization of gallium nitride (GaN) based laser light sources and was established in 2013 as a technology startup. SLD Laser has won commercial success by developing, manufacturing and marketing innovative laser-based products with high efficiency and luminance for mobility, specialty lighting, consumer, and industrial applications. It has obtained safety certifications from ANSI/UL^*2 and IEC^*3 for its high-brightness laser light sources, and is dedicated to the safe and successful application of laser-based innovations.

SLD Laser was recently ranked 7^th in Fortune magazine’s “2020 Best Workplaces in Manufacturing & Production^TM,” ^*4 having promoted an employee-centric corporate culture since its founding.

Kyocera is committed to expanding and developing its business as well as contributing to the growth of various industries through creating new products and cultivating new markets, aiming to attain great synergies by integrating SLD Laser’s advanced GaN expertise with its own production technologies and R&D capabilities in fine ceramic-related businesses.

For more information regarding SLD Laser, please visit https://www.sldlaser.com/

Overview of SLD Laser
Company name	Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.
Location	Goleta, California, U.S.A.
Established	2013
Number of employees	169 (As of August 31, 2020)
Sales bases	U.S., Germany, Japan, China
Key products	GaN (gallium nitride) based laser diode products

*1 Operation will start after receiving the approval from regulatory authorities regarding national antitrust and investment regulations
*2 American National Standards Institute / Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
*3 International Electrotechnical Commission
*4 https://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/manufacturing-and-production/2020?category=small-and-medium

About SLD Laser (formally Soraa Laser Diode, Inc.)

SLD Laser is a world leader in the commercialization of gallium nitride (GaN) based laser light sources for automotive, mobility, specialty lighting, consumer, and industrial applications. The company is ISO 9001 certified and automotive compliant to IATF 16949, and operates facilities in Santa Barbara, CA and in Fremont, CA. SLD Laser’s innovative high luminance laser light sources are UL and IEC safety certified, and are utilized in a myriad of applications including automotive & mobility, specialty & portable illumination, entertainment & outdoor lighting, projection displays, biomedical & industrial imaging, 3D printing & material processing, as well as next generation sensing & communications. SLD Laser was founded in 2013 by Dr. Shuji Nakamura, 2014 Nobel Laureate in Physics, Dr. Steve Denbaars, Dr. James Raring, and Dr. Paul Rudy.

About KYOCERA

Kyocera Corporation (TOKYO:6971, https://global.kyocera.com/), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics (also known as “advanced ceramics”). By combining these engineered materials with metals and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of industrial and automotive components, semiconductor packages, electronic devices, smart energy systems, printers, copiers, and mobile phones. During the year ended March 31, 2020, the company’s consolidated sales revenue totaled 1.6 trillion yen (approx. US$14.7 billion). Kyocera is ranked #549 on Forbes magazine’s 2020 “Global 2000” list of the world’s largest publicly traded companies.