Record performance figures for nonpolar and semipolar LEDs have been reported by researchers at the Solid State Lighting & Display Center (SSLDC) at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Japan Science & Technology Agency’s Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology program (JST ERATO).

Steve DenBaars, part of the UCSB team that also includes Shuji Nakamura, James Speck and Umesh Mishra, says that the team believe this to be "one of the biggest fundamental breakthrough in GaN emitters in several years."