Trends

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Trends in Horticulture Lighting

Cree has been a leader in general lighting applications for over 20 years and has customers ranging from restaurant chains to global government agencies. Paul Scheidt began his career in Cree in 2005, working on the development of their lighting applications. During this time, he has seen an increase in the horticulture lighting application. LED professional spoke to Paul Scheidt about horticulture lighting and what he thinks is behind this recent trend. He also shares his views of what he thinks the future holds for both Cree and horticulture lighting applications. Read more »

Quantum Dot Based White LEDs for General Illumination

Colloidal quantum dot based white LEDs can be integrated into commercial products meeting the stringent reliability requirements for general illumination and providing LED efficiency gains of 5% to 15% over commercial phosphor based LEDs at CCT’s ranging from 5000 K to 2700 K. Unlike earlier demonstrations, the QD material is applied in an on-chip configuration resulting in drop-in fit, form, and function compatibility to existing LED based luminaires and lamps. Ken T. Shimizu, Director, Novel Technologies and Devices, Research and Development, M. Böhmer, D. Estrada, S. Gangwal, S. Grabowski, H. Bechtel, E. Kang, K. J. Vampola, D. Chamberlin, O. B. Shchekin, and J. Bhardwaj from Lumileds showcase the advantages of on-chip QD LEDs: A commercial lamp at 3000K color temperature and 90 CRI is substituted with QD based LEDs resulting in a system level efficiency gain up to 17%, attributed to the reduced blue LED droop from the lower drive current and the lower heat sink temperature when compared to the standard phosphor based LED lamp output. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Medical | Sep 12, 2017

Challenges when Designing LED-Based Illumination Systems in Medical Applications and Diagnostics

LEDs have become indispensable in medical technology and dentistry. But the requirements placed on these lighting products are very high: Minimized size, high, application specific color rendering index, efficient temperature management, usability and excellent disinfection opportunities are all extremely important. Prof. Paola Belloni from the Steinbeis Transfer Center Illumination Optics and Lighting Engineering and Furtwangen University, and Alexander Gärtner from the Faculty of Mechanical and Medical Engineering of the Furtwangen University discuss the requirements for different applications such as endoscopy, surgeries, dental devices, and photodynamic therapy. Further topics are the development of a self-disinfecting operation interface with edge-lit UV-A LEDs, and a new optimization approach, taking into account the reflection and absorption properties of human tissues. Read more »

Measurement of Angular and Spatial Resolved Spectral Rayfiles

The enhanced complexity of modern lighting systems has increased the importance of realistic light source models during the optical design process of LED-based luminaires. I. Rotscholl, Research Associate, K. Trampert, C. Neumann, I. Leopoldo Sayanca from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, U. Krüger and F. Schmidt from the TechnoTeam Bildverarbeitung GmbH, propose a method to enhance the often used LED light source model “rayfile” towards a “spectral rayfile”. A spectral rayfile would be a model that associates each ray with its own spectrum and therefore describes varying spectra as a function of angular direction and spatial starting position. The PMBS (physical motivated basis spectra) method is based on the assumption that each LED spectrum consists of a weighted sum of individual basis spectra, for instance those of individual semiconductors and phosphors. There is no need for any special measurement equipment but a classic nearfield goniophotometer and some off-the-shelf optical filters. This method requires at least one spectral measurement and just a minimum of goniophotometric measurements with different optical filters. Finally, the authors demonstrate the potential of this method by applying the concept on a typical LED and compare the results to the often used Blue/Yellow approach in terms of accuracy and applicability. Read more »

CIE Calls for Focused Research Efforts to Support Healthful Lighting Recommendations

Not so long ago, vision scientists thought that light detection - photoreception - was exclusively performed by rod and cone cells in the retina. Photobiologists, however, conclusively demonstrated otherwise with the identification of the intrinsically photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) [1]. Whereas rods and cones detect pattern and color, and send this information to the visual cortex, ipRGCs (of which we are learning there are several subtypes) detect irradiance, and route their information to many brain structures. The most thoroughly studied of these is the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus, location of the central circadian clock, where the light and dark signals trigger the offset and onset of production of the hormone melatonin. As shown in figure 1, however, ipRGCs also project to other structures, about which, as yet, we have little information. Read more »

Brave New World and the Dualism of Light(ing)

The lighting business has been quite predictable over a long period of time. Technical changes were introduced slowly, dominated by a handful of leading companies, and mostly due to new, but not disruptive light sources. The life of engineers was mainly determined by a manageable number of parameters: Lighting requirements, light source parameters, costs, product dimensions, and the odd, required feature. Read more »

Technologies | LEDs | Light Generation | Perovskite | Sep 06, 2017

Green Light from 2D Formamidinium Perovskites for Ultra-Fine Display Colors

Chemical engineers from ETH Zurich have succeeded in generating ultra-pure green light for the first time. The new light-emitting diode will pave the way for visibly improved color quality in a new generation of ultra-high definition displays for TVs and smartphones. Read more »

Technologies | Light Conversion | LEDs | Quantum Dots | Aug 23, 2017

1000 Hour Quantum Dot LED Milestone Surpassed by Quantum Materials Corp

Leading American Cadmium Free Quantum Dot manufacturer Quantum Materials Corp announced successfully surpassing the 1000 hour continuous on-time durability test for the Company's cadmium-free quantum dots in a remote light emitting diode (LED) application. The testing has been conducted with red and green quantum dots encapsulated in resin and mounted to blue emitting LED's (see diagram below), which are similar to the type of LED's used in standard LCD display back light units (BLU). Read more »

EcoDesign Directive | Reports | Resources | Jul 24, 2017

Energy Requirements for Lighting Systems Lead to Enormous Energy Savings and Improved Quality of Light

Based on results from the Ecodesign Preparatory Study on Lighting Systems (ENER Lot 37), the Directorate-General on Energy will possibly present in the upcoming months specific policy proposals that will very positively influence the lighting system design for buildings and roads. If implemented, the EU-28 total annual electricity saving potential of 48-56 TWh/year in 2050 will exceed the saving potential of the existing EcoDesign Directive 245/2009 on lighting products in the tertiary sector. Read more »

SoC Technologies in Lighting - Today’s Landscape and Tomorrow's Practices

A system-on-chip (SoC) quite suddenly became an important component in the lighting industry, fueling IoT innovation and opening new opportunities, while at the same time bringing disruption and new challenges. With rapid advancements in wireless communication, the impact of connected technologies on the lighting business will only keep increasing. This means deeper integration with SoCs and more attention from silicon vendors as they start competing for market share in this promising segment. But what is the current state of SoC design from the lighting perspective? Are chipmakers keeping up with the growing expectations for wireless lighting control solutions that are mature and truly reliable? When developing its complete Bluetooth software stack for professional lighting, Silvair worked with a number of different SoCs. Therefore, Piotr Winiarczyk, Wireless Solution Architect, and Szymon Rzadkosz might have found the answers to these questions. Read more »

LED Driver Miniaturization - Opening New Opportunities for Solid State Lighting

While LEDs have significantly improved over the past decade, driver technologies have not kept pace and are, in some respects, the limiting factors for new applications. Size is a particular issue. Dramatically increasing the switching frequency helps to reduce size but often causes other issues or is costly. Mickey Madsen, CEO of Nordic Power Converters, explains how his company has overcome the hurdles and made it feasible by designing very high frequency LED drivers. Read more »

LED-Retrofit Based on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si Field- Effect Transistor Drivers

Efficient driver technologies for LED systems are still a relevant topic. Several new approaches are proposed and new technologies are under development. Andreas Zibold, PhD student at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF, and his co-authors, M. Kunzer, R. Reiner, B. Weiß, P. Waltereit, R. Quay, J. Wagner, and O. Ambacher demonstrate the suitability of AlGaN/GaNon- Si field effect transistors (FETs) for their use in LED drivers. The transistors are tested in an isolated buck converter and an efficiency of 86% is measured for the full converter circuit. The driver circuit is combined with an LED module based on a laser-structured Aluminum Nitride (AlN) ceramic board onto which 21 high power white-emitting LED chips are mounted. This combination resulted in an LEDRetrofit lamp with a total light output of 2676 lm at an efficacy level of 119 lm/W. The results compare favorably to state-of-the-art commercial solutions. Read more »

CIE Research Strategy on Defining New Calibration Sources and Illuminants

In photometry and radiometry, traceability of measurements requires appropriate calibration sources and transfer detectors. A major challenge is the technological revolution of lighting products towards LED lighting and the ban of incandescent lamps. This raises concern about the availability of incandescent photometric standard lamps in the future while the prices of such standard lamps are already increasing. In addition, calibration conditions should ideally be chosen to be as close as possible to the measurement conditions. Furthermore, the number of LED lighting measurements in laboratories and in the field has significantly increased, while the calibration of photometers is still done using incandescentbased standards. Therefore, it is important to investigate the pros and cons of replacement of conventional standard lamps with new solid-state technology. Peter Blattner and Tony Bergen, Division 2 Director and Secretary respectively, explain how CIE has defined the research topic “New Calibration Sources and Illuminants for Photometry, Colorimetry, and Radiometry” to address these concerns. Read more »

Tech-Talks BREGENZ - Jamie Singerman, Future Lighting Solutions

We recently sat down with Jamie Singerman, Worldwide Corporate Vice President, and Patrick Durand, Technical Director for Future Lighting Solutions, a leading provider of Solid-State Lighting technologies, engineering expertise and online simulation and design tools, to discuss the company’s differentiators and their views on the ever changing lighting market. Read more »

Technologies | Laser Technology | Jun 30, 2017

World’s Brightest Laser Sparks New Behavior in Light

Physicists from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are seeing an everyday phenomenon in a new light. y focusing laser light to a brightness 1 billion times greater than the surface of the sun — the brightest light ever produced on Earth — the physicists have observed changes in a vision-enabling interaction between light and matter. Read more »

Technologies | Manufacturing | LEDs | Jun 29, 2017

High Conductive Foils Enabling Large Area Lighting

Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP as one of the leading partners for research and development for surface technologies and organic electronics and Sefar AG, a leading manufacturer of precision fabrics from monofilaments, developed a roll-to-roll processed large area flexible OLED during a joint project. Read more »

Technologies | Simulation Tools | Jun 21, 2017

Future Lighting Solutions Launches the Usable Light Tool for UV and Horticulture Applications

Future Lighting Solutions, the world-class leader and innovator in demand creation, marketing and distribution of solid-state lighting technologies, announces the inclusion of non-visible LEDs and horticultural LEDs to its Usable Light Tool (ULT). Available free of charge to engineers worldwide, the ULT enables lighting designers to simulate usable light from LEDs, allowing the user to make critical LED selection decisions. Read more »

Technologies | LEDs | Light Extraction | Jun 12, 2017

Innovation Extends the Lumen Extraction Limits of RGB and White LEDs in Excess of 53%

EVATEG Energy Efficient Electronics and Lighting Technologies Center recently demonstrated a new optical extraction technology for RGB and phosphor coated LEDs to extend the limits over 53%. Read more »

Andreas Weisl on the Future of Seoul Semiconductor

Andreas Weisl is Managing Director and Vice President Sales SEOUL SEMICONDUCTOR Europe GmbH. Read more »

Business | Company News | Innovation | May 20, 2017

SORAA Sky Wins Prestigious LIGHTFAIR International Innovation Award

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology and illuminator of the world’s most renowned historical buildings, museums, hotels, and luxury shops, announced the company’s consumer-focused SORAA Sky bulb has won an LIGHTFAIR International 2017’s Innovation Award. Read more »

Variability in LED Production and the Impact on Performance

LEDs are subject to manufacturing deviations, which have an impact on the end product. Benoit Bataillou and T. Merelle, guest authors from Pi Lighting, review the surprisingly large impact on LED performance and light quality. They used traditional as well as modern indicators like CRI and TM-30 as well as the latest circadian indices to measure. The results are explained by spectral modeling and a variability study. They show the large impact on CRI, even with small deviations inside the same bin. Read more »

Smart LED System in Package through Wafer Level Integration Approach

It is believed that LEDs will dominate all lighting applications in the near future. Integration and packaging are the two critical issues that, if resolved, will enable efficient and reliable solutions for lighting requirements. Z. Kolahdouz, H. van Zeijl, and G. Q. Zhang from the Institute of Microsystems and Nanoelectronics (DIMES) at the Delft University of Technology, and M. Kolahdouz from the Thin Film Laboratory and Nano-Electronics at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of the University of Tehran show that wafer level packaging is a promising method to ensure lower cost, higher scale, and superior yield. A new integration approach of a smart unit of LED lighting is introduced: LED System in Package (SiP). Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Optics | May 16, 2017

Ultrathin Direct-Lit LED Module with Beam Shaping Thin-Film Optics

Thin, high quality, LED light panels are still a challenge. LED professional’s scientific partner, CSEM, investigated and developed a new approach with its partners, GAIKER-IK4 and BASF-SE. The authors, Oscar Fernández and Rolando Ferrini, from CSEM, Leire Barruetabeña, from GAIKER-IK4, and Sorin Ivanovici from BASF SE, present a solution that uses low-cost and spectrally poor, ultra-cool white LEDs in conjunction with optical color conversion foils, to transform the output to a high-quality light. They also describe a combination with added lime and red LEDs for a color tunable solution. Read more »

Resources | LpR Article | Research | Light Conversion | May 16, 2017

New Glass-Based Phosphors for White Light-Emitting Diodes

Phosphors were always the key component of high quality white LED light. With the increased effîcacy and the higher power capabilities of blue high power LEDs, the phosphors become even more important for reliability, color consistency and overall light quality. Franziska Steudel, Florian Wagner, A. Charlotte Rimbach, Bernd Ahrens, Peter W. Nolte and Stefan Schweizer, scientists at the Fraunhofer Application Center for Inorganic Phosphors, a Branch Lab of Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, investigated different glass and ceramics based phosphors for white LEDs. Read more »

CIE Fosters Co-Ordination of Global Research and Standardization on Temporal Light Modulation

Dr. Jennifer Veitch, recently convened the CIE Stakeholder Workshop for Temporal Light Modulation Standards for Lighting Systems. Below is the exclusive report she provided on the workshop findings and the attitude of the CIE towards this important issue. Read more »

Technologies | Light Conversion | LEDs | Quantum Dots | May 15, 2017

Industry Breakthrough: Narrow Emission QD's Improve Warm White LED Performance and Improve Color Rendering

In an interview with LED professional at the Lightfair International in Philadelphia, Dr. Jy Bhardwaj, CTO at Lumileds, explained the advantages of the Quantum Dots technology. Lumileds will launch the first QD LED within the next few months. Read more »

Standardization + Regulation | Technology | Apr 29, 2017

LEDOTRON: Digital Dimming Technology for a New World of Lighting Convenience

LEDOTRON is the name of the new digital standard for dimming systems designed for LED and compact fluorescent retrofit lamps. The innovative digital dimming and regulation technology was developed in collaboration with OSRAM and is to be passed as the IEC 62756-1 standard end of this year.The participants at the LEDOTRON press conference at the BAU trade fair in Munich in January 2013 were presented with the advantages of the LEDOTRON technology. Read more »

Technologies | Displays | Drones | Apr 27, 2017

DOCOMO Develops World's First Spherical Drone Display

NTT DOCOMO, INC., in a continuing quest to create innovative new business, has developed a spherical drone display - an unmanned aerial vehicle that displays LED images on an omnidirectional spherical screen while in flight - which DOCOMO believes to be a world first. Read more »

Technologies | Optics | Waveguides | Apr 18, 2017

Method to Control Light Propagation in Waveguides

A team of Columbia Engineering researchers, led by Applied Physics Assistant Professor Nanfang Yu, has invented a method to control light propagating in confined pathways, or waveguides, with high efficiency by using nano-antennas. To demonstrate this technique, they built photonic integrated devices that not only had record-small footprints but were also able to maintain optimal performance over an unprecedented broad wavelength range. Read more »

Technologies | LEDs | Light Generation | Apr 18, 2017

New Cree NX Technology Platform Redefines LED Performance for Next Generation Lighting Systems

Cree announces a major LED breakthrough with the revolutionary NX technology platform that will power the next generation of Cree’s lighting-class LEDs. The NX technology platform enables the new Extreme Density (XD) LED family that delivers up to four times higher lumen density than Cree’s previous generation of high power LEDs. This new technology platform makes possible innovative new designs, eliminating current constraints for a wide spectrum of lighting applications such as color-mixing, directional lighting and industrial lighting. Read more »

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