Seoul Viosys Co., a subsidiary of South Korea’s leading light emitting diode (LED) developer Seoul Semiconductor Co., announced on Thursday that its compound semiconductor technology successfully achieves 99.9 percent sterilization of COVID-19 in 30 seconds.

The Korean UV LED solution provider said tests were conducted by its U.S. affiliate Sensor Electronic Technology (SETi) in cooperation with a Korea University research team by using its compound semiconductor Violeds technology.

In the study, Violeds technology was used to show just how strong the sterilization effect can be on COVID-19 when exposed to Violeds photons for 30 seconds. This is the world’s first test to demonstrate photonic sterilization of COVID-19.

The study also found the coronavirus became even more sterile when placed closer to the photon with longer exposure time. The Violeds technology has already proved to be successful in sterilizing 99.9 percent of harmful bacteria such as E. coli, staphylococcus aureus, pseudomonas aeruginosa, and pneumococcus, according to Seoul Viosys.

Seoul Viosys said that this study proved Violeds technology can directly sterilize COVID-19, suggesting its applicability in various electronic devices such as air cleaners, air conditioners, and refrigerators. The technology is expected to contribute to preventing the spread of COVID-19 around the world, the company said.

On Friday, Seoul Viosys stock jumped 29.74 percent to 12,650 won, as of 09:12 a.m.

Violeds, compound semiconductor technology, is the brand name of technology that utilizes UV LED for sterilization and deodorization functions. This concept clean technology has been developed by Seoul Viosys with SETi since 2005 to prevent germ proliferation using a light source without the need of chemicals that could be harmful to humans.

Violeds technology, which has been recognized for its excellent sterilization and stability, has also been used to clean environments for astronauts at NASA’s space station in the United States.

Until now, general commercial applications have been limited, as their lifetime was too short for prolonged use. However, since 2019, new patented technology has extended the previous life span by 50,000 hours, making it now the optimal solution for air purification and water sterilization products, Seoul Viosys said in a statement.

Seoul Viosys and SETi focus solely on compound semiconductors. They hold more than 14,000 patents in addition to spending over $100 million a year on research and development.

By Choi Hee-seok and Minu Kim

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