It seems there’s another breakthrough in LED lighting every week. Most recently, Osram Opto Semiconductors claims to have set a world record in the lab for brightness and efficacy of white LEDs.
The company has fabricated a white- LED prototype using 1-mm² chips capable of delivering a peak brightness value of 155 lumens and an efficacy of 136 lumens per watt (see the figure). The prototype exhibits this performance under standard operating conditions while accepting a forward current of 350 mA. And with color coordinates at 0.349 (CX) and 0.393 (CY), the component produces a color temperature of 5000 K.
Osram credits a combination of recent advances in materials and related technologies for allowing the creation of a matched system consisting of optimized chip technology, a highly efficient light converter, and a special high-performance package. The prototype also can support higher operating currents. For example, at a drive current of 1.4 A, it can output as much as 500 lumens of white light.
“It was the successful combination of know-how in different fields that led to these new records in efficiency and brightness,” says Osram CEO Rüdiger Müller. “Starting with the light converter, we will be gradually moving the new developments into production.”
IN THE WORKS According to Osram, patents are on the way, with production beginning thereafter. The company sees great potential for the technology in automotive designs, LED projection as blue and green chip versions emerge, and any other applications that require high-power LED lighting.MAT DIRJISH
OSRAM OPTO SEMICONDUCTORS
www.osram-os.com