Michael R Krames
Opnovix Corp, USAFor pioneering contributions to high-efficiency visible spectrum light-emitting diodes and energy efficient solid-state lighting.
Michael (Mike) Krames is a pioneer in III-V compound semiconductor materials and devices, including high-power LED technology with contributions that have helped shape the modern solid-state lighting and display industries. His work has spanned fundamental device physics, product innovation, and technology commercialization, impacting applications ranging from consumer electronics to automotive lighting.
Mike developed an early interest in engineering and computer science and eventually attended graduate school, though he initially found purely academic research to be lacking in stimulation. This changed when he enrolled in an undergraduate optoelectronics course taught by Nick Holonyak, Jr., at the University of Illinois. After the first lecture, he was captivated. Holonyak’s combination of deep knowledge, practical insight, and historical perspective on semiconductor innovation made a lasting impression. Following the course, Mike joined Holonyak’s laboratory after navigating a delicate transition from his existing research group.
He describes Holonyak’s lab as an environment of extraordinary creative freedom, where students could design and fabricate their own semiconductor devices from the ground up. Working closely with the students focused on epitaxy, Mike and fellow device researchers tailored material structures for specific applications, gaining hands-on experience across the full device development process. During this period, Mike focused on laser-based photonic integrated circuits based on integrated semiconductor waveguides, developing both technical depth and a systems-level perspective on optoelectronic devices.
After completing his PhD, Mike visited Silicon Valley to interview at Hewlett-Packard’s Optoelectronics Division in San Jose, California. Initially uncertain about the opportunity, he was encouraged by former alumni from Illinois, including Drs. Fred Kish and George Craford, to explore the work being done there. At the time, LEDs were not widely viewed as a viable path for general illumination, but Mike quickly recognized the long-term potential. He joined HP as one of the first engineers dedicated to developing watt-class LEDs, focusing on improving efficiency to enable practical lighting applications.
In 2000, HP’s optoelectronics business was spun into Lumileds through a joint venture with Philips Lighting. Recognizing the need for longer-term innovation, the company established an advanced research group, which Mike stepped up to lead at the founding stage. He was given the opportunity to build and lead this team, growing it to approximately 40 researchers over the course of a decade. The group focused on developing advanced devices and intellectual property and transferring these into product development.
During this period, Mike and his team contributed to several industry-first applications, including LEDs used for backlighting in early iMac systems, cell phone camera flash, and automotive forward lighting, such as the Audi R8. These innovations eventually moved into general lighting applications and played a key role in accelerating the global adoption of LEDs across consumer and automotive markets, ultimately contributing to the widespread transition from traditional lighting technologies to solid-state solutions.
Mike later joined Soraa, a company founded by Shuji Nakamura, Steve DenBaars, and Jim Speck from UCSB, with the goal of developing LEDs based on bulk gallium nitride substrates. This approach enabled significant improvements in device performance, including the demonstration of a violet high-power LED with approximately 84% power conversion efficiency, operating near 100x the current-density of traditional LEDs based on sapphire. While the technology achieved remarkable performance, high substrate costs limited its broader commercial adoption, highlighting the ongoing trade-offs between performance and scalability in advanced semiconductor materials.
In 2015, Mike founded Arkesso, a consulting firm through which he has advised companies on technology strategy, team development, fundraising, intellectual property, and litigation. This role has allowed him to engage broadly across the semiconductor and photonics ecosystem while maintaining a focus on high-impact opportunities.
Building on decades of experience in III-nitride materials and devices, Mike later founded Opnovix Corp., a semiconductor startup focused on addressing one of the most persistent challenges in optoelectronics: achieving high-efficiency emission across the entire visible spectrum using III-nitride materials. While blue emission is highly efficient, performance in the green and red regions has historically been limited due to strain and material quality challenges. Opnovix aims to overcome these limitations through advances in coherently relaxed InGaN material, called Native InGaN®, with the potential to enable next-generation lighting, display, and laser technologies.
Throughout his career, Mike has consistently worked at the intersection of scientific discovery and real-world impact, helping to translate advances in semiconductor physics into technologies used at a global scale. His ongoing work continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in optoelectronic materials and devices, with the goal of enabling the next generation of high-performance photonic systems.
Photo courtesy of Michael Krames
Profile written by Samantha Hornback
