# An Interview with John Edmond - Luciferous LED Lucubrator

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2011-11-29
- Length: 1h 04m
- Episode: 71
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/the-amp-hour-71-luciferous-led-lucubrator/

## Summary

John Edmond, co-founder and Director of Advanced Optoelectronics Technology at Cree, explains the company's vertically integrated manufacturing of silicon carbide-based LEDs and its evolution from a university research project to a global leader. He details the technical advantages of silicon carbide substrates over sapphire, the company's bootstrap funding history, and the pivotal role of Volkswagen in scaling LED adoption for automotive dashboards. Edmond also discusses the current state of LED efficacy, the challenges of competing with subsidized CFLs, and Cree's expansion into power electronics and full lighting fixtures.

## Chapters

- [0:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=28) Introduction and Cree's Vertical Integration
- [4:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=263) Silicon Carbide vs. Sapphire Substrates
- [12:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=737) Founding Story and Early Funding
- [21:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=1264) First Major Customer: Volkswagen
- [24:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=1457) Manufacturing Locations and Global Strategy
- [28:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=1721) LED vs. CFL Economics and Tipping Point
- [51:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=3064) LED Efficiency, Stokes Loss, and Heitz's Law
- [41:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator#t=2468) Power Devices, Testing, and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Test & measurement](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/test-and-measurement)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Cree (company)
- Volkswagen (company)
- Osram (company)
- Siemens (company)
- Mitomo (company)
- Kotko (company)
- Rude Lighting (company)
- Nichia (company)
- Toyota Gosei (company)
- Home Depot (company)
- Energy Star (other)
- Lighting Faxe (other)
- NC State University (company)
- Office of Naval Research (company)
- Silicon Carbide (material)
- Gallium Nitride (material)
- Sapphire (material)
- UT190 (tool)

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- [AV & ADAS: Shall the Twain Ever Meet? | AI & Academia — a Fitful Fit | SiC ‘Em](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2019-12-06-av-adas-shall-the-twain-ever-meet-ai-academia-a-fitful-fit-sic-em) (EE Times Current)
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## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2011-11-29-an-interview-with-john-edmond-luciferous-led-lucubrator. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.