IBeam Materials
NMSBA proved critical in my company’s early stage, when we were still developing the technology.
Imagine large-area, high-resolution, super-bright displays that are so incredibly thin and flexible they cannot be manufactured using current-day practices. Located in Santa Fe, iBeam Materials is currently refining a technology that may result in innovations related to lighting, display, and wearable electronics. iBeam Materials was founded in 2011 by Vladimir Matias, a former scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, based on the Laboratory’s technology.
Today’s light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are limited by the need for substrates that are small, rigid and complex. The technology developed by iBeam, with contributions by both Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, enables the creation of LEDs directly on flexible, large-area, and low-cost metal foils.Matias asked NMSBA for help with evaluation of his samples by electron microscopy. NMSBA paired Matias with Los Alamos scientist Terry Holesinger, a former colleague, who performed SEM (scanning electron microscopy) and STEM (scanning transmission electron microscopy) characterization of Matias’ gallium
nitride samples. Holesinger provided detailed microstructural characterizations of these highly engineered samples to assist iBeam with process optimization.
As a result of the Los Alamos collaboration, along with assistance from Sandia under a Department of Energy grant, iBeam is one step closer to delivering their
first product in 2018. Matias intends to target the horticulture lighting industry first and then expand into other lighting and display markets. The future is bright for iBeam’s super-bright and flexible LED illumination devices.