Trends

Offline Lighting Voice Controller — An Alternative to Voice Assistants

The historical evolution of light control by users started with a mechanical switch followed by potentiometer and dimming, touch panels and touch screens, gesture and movement detection control, and ending with voice. Voice control are mostly online speaker independent like Alexa, Google Home and Siri. But there are privacy and security concerns. Filip Michalski, Electronic Engineer, and Cezary Skotak, CEO, from Cezos describe a speaker independent offline voice controls system, explain the technology and discuss the pros and cons. Read more »

LpR Article | Research | Health + Environment | Environment | Jul 30, 2020

The Adverse Ecological Impacts of Light Pollution: LEDs' Role in Mitigation

With the negative effects of artificial light at night on ecosystems increasingly well-understood, attention is now turning to the ways in which these impacts can be mitigated through uptake of novel technology and lighting strategies. Dr. Callum J. Macgregor, post-doctoral research associate at the Department of Biology of the University of York, and Dr. Darren M. Evans from the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences of the Newcastle University, discuss the current evidence for costs and opportunities associated with uptake of LED lighting and highlight important directions for future investigation. Read more »

Temperature Profiling of Secondary LED Optics by Infrared Thermography

Over the last few years, the power density of white LEDs has increased dramatically. Whilst there are large efforts to optimize the thermal management and thus the temperature stability of the LEDs, less attention is paid to the temperature of the secondary optic. Peter W. Nolte, Franziska Steudel, Bernd Ahrens, Nils J. Ziegeler, Frank Drees, Horst Rudolph, and Stefan Schweizer from the Fraunhofer Application Center for Inorganic Phosphors, the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, and the Innovations-and Technologycenter GmbH, TRILUX Group respectively, have approached this issue. They investigated the temperature profiles of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PC) secondary optics and they discuss the results. Read more »

On Life Cycle Assessment to Quantify the Environmental Impact of Lighting Products

The lighting industry has made great efforts to increase energy efficiency around the world with a strong participation from governmental organizations, multilateral organizations and agencies. However, energy consumption is not the only aspect that needs to be considered for transforming the lighting industry. Víctor Ferreira, Deidre Wolff, and Cristina Corchero from Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) will explore relevant environmental metrics to help inform the reader about circular economy and Industry 4.0 strategies to achieve a sustainable lighting product. Read more »

ALLOS and KAUST Are Working on High Efficiency Nitride-Based Red LEDs on Si

ALLOS Semiconductors has engaged in a collaboration with Prof. Ohkawa and his team at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) for realizing high efficiency nitride-based red LEDs on large diameter silicon substrates. In the collaboration the teams are addressing fundamental issues like the large lattice mismatch and the quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) which are preventing the adoption of red nitride-based LEDs for practical industry usage. In particular, for the emerging field of micro LED displays there is a strong demand to enable red LEDs on large diameter wafers in addition to the established blue and green color LEDs in the nitride system in order to reduce manufacturing complexity and cost. Read more »

Research News | IR | Health + Wellbeing | Jun 29, 2020

Australian Associated Press Recently Wrote: Red Light Could Improve Over-40s' Eyesight

A small LED torch that emits deep red light could help improve declining eyesight, scientists have said: A study by University College London, involving a small sample size of 24 people, has shown that staring at long wavelength light for three minutes every day can "significantly improve vision" in those aged 40 and above. Read more »

Touchscreens Are Going 3D with University of Bristol's Innovative New Spray-On Technique

Inspired by the way an artist creates graffiti on a wall and using a novel combination of sprayable electronics and 3D printing, the technique, called ProtoSpray, allows the creation of displays on surfaces that go beyond the usual rectangular and 2D shapes. Read more »

Repro-light Consortium Deliver Intelligent Optics

Bartenbach's interdisciplinary team this week announced the successful engineering of two unparalleled optic designs. Driven by the scope of the Repro-light project, "To successfully initiate transformation in the European LED lighting industry, by creating the 'Luminaire of the Future'." Bartenbach was tasked to deliver a novel optical system, and is pleased to present two new "LED Light Tile Optics (LLT)". Read more »

Printed Perovskite LEDs – An Innovative Technique Towards a New Standard Process of Electronics Manufacturing

A team of researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has succeeded for the first time in producing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) from a hybrid perovskite semiconductor material using inkjet printing. This opens the door to broad application of these materials in manufacturing many different kinds of electronic components. The scientists achieved the breakthrough with the help of a trick: "inoculating" (or seeding) the surface with specific crystals. Read more »

Research News | Technologies | LiFi | Jun 15, 2020

CEA-Leti Researchers Break Throughput Record for LiFi Communications Using Single GaN Blue Micro-Light-Emitting Diode

CEA-Leti today announced its researchers have broken the throughput world record of 5.1 Gbps in visible light communications (VLC) using a single GaN blue micro- light-emitting diode (LED). Their data transmission rate of 7.7 Gbps achieved with a 10 µm microLED marks another step toward commercialization and widespread use of LiFi communication. Read more »

Pushing Photons - Metasurface Design Methods Can Make LED Light Act More Like Lasers

UC Santa Barbara researchers continue to push the boundaries of LED design a little further with a new method that could pave the way toward more efficient and versatile LED display and lighting technology: In a paper published in Nature Photonics, UCSB electrical and computer engineering professor Jonathan Schuller and collaborators describe this new approach, which could allow a wide variety of LED devices — from virtual reality headsets to automotive lighting — to become more sophisticated and sleeker at the same time. Read more »

Signify | Ecodesign | Labeling | Company News | May 25, 2020

Signify: New EU Ecodesign and Energy Labeling Regulations Are Met

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), confirms that its leading lighting portfolio will meet the new EU Ecodesign and Energy labeling regulations, which will affect all lighting products in the EU Member States from September 2021 onwards. The new regulations are representative of the enormous transition that has taken place in the lighting industry. As the world leader in lighting, Signify offers both a leading innovative LED-based product portfolio and a wide conventional product assortment that meet the stricter requirements. With this, we will continue to serve our customers with the highest quality and energy efficient products. Read more »

White Paper | Optronic | Calibration Sources | Trends

Continuous versus Discrete Calibration Sources: Consideration for Use

Rapid advancements in the field of solid-state lighting have presented opportunities for the use of LED-based systems for calibrations typically performed with lamp-based sources. Their highly efficient and long-lived performance, rapid power up, and compact size have made LED-based sources an attractive alternative for lamp-based calibration systems. However, replicating the precision performance of lamp-based system, particularly in terms of the output intensity and stability, pose several challenges for LED-based calibration systems. Read more »

Executive Summary on "A Study on the Perception of Full Spectrum LEDs" Published

From a LED producer's perspective, it is essential to have knowledge about the perception of LEDs by human beings. To consolidate existing and gain new knowledge on recently introduced Full Spectrum LEDs, which claim to bring natural light quality into electric lighting appliances, the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (Germany) conducted a study in cooperation with three main LED manufacturers Nichia (Japan), Seoul Semiconductor (Korea), Toshiba Materials (Japan) and the LED gear supplier Lumitronix (Germany). Read more »

SSL | SSL-Research | Award | Dr. Shuji Nakamura | May 07, 2020

Congratulation, Shuji Nakamura for Another Prestigious Award – The 2020 NAS Award

On April 26, the 2020 National Academy of Science (NAS) Award for the Industrial Application of Science was awarded to Shuji Nakamura, a professor in the department of materials at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). Read more »

Austrian Tech University Graz Revolutionizes 3D Metal Printing Using LEDs

A technology developed at Graz University of Technology uses LED instead of laser sources for the additive manufacturing of metal parts and optimizes 3D metal printing in terms of construction time, metal powder consumption, equipment costs and post-processing effort. Read more »

Fundings + Projects | Research News | Office Lighting | Health + Wellbeing | May 04, 2020

Repro-Light Consortium Announce Intelligent Workspace Lighting Concept

The pioneering design team at Bartenbach unveils a brand-new intelligent lighting concept set to revolutionize workspace personalization. It is set to deliver a truly user-centric, workspace lighting blueprint for lighting designers to transform workspaces for healthier living. The story began with Bartenbach's involvement in the Repro-light project consortium, funded through the European Commission's Horizon 2020 work program. The scope of the project, "To successfully initiate transformation in the European LED lighting industry, by creating the 'Luminaire of the Future'." Part of this remit was to develop a new customizable lighting system. Read more »

Full Spectrum LEDs Outperform Standard LED Lighting, Study Shows

Full Spectrum LED products outperform conventional solutions, according to a study into the visual impact and perceptual performance of LED lighting by the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) in Stuttgart, Germany. Read more »

Environment | SSL | Health + Environment | Research News | Apr 06, 2020

Light Pollution Suppresses Melatonin Production in Perch

Melatonin controls the body clock – high melatonin levels make us feel tired in the evening. However, the hormone also plays an important role in animals' biological rhythms. Artificial light at night – light pollution – can suppress the production of melatonin in fish, even at very low light intensities, a finding established by researchers from IGB. Read more »

SSL | Technologies | Research News | UV | Disinfection | Apr 02, 2020

Seoul Viosys and SETi's Violeds Technology Proves 99.9% Sterilization of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in 30 Seconds

Seoul Viosys and Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. ("SETi"), leading global innovators of UV LED products and technology, announced that it has been successful in achieving 99.9% sterilization of coronavirus (COVID-19) in 30 seconds. Tests were conducted with the research group of Korea University, Korea's top rank university, by using a compound semiconductor Violeds technology that is being mass-produced. Read more »

SSL | Technologies | Light Generation | Mar 25, 2020

Advanced "Super-Planckian" Material Exhibits LED-Like Light When Heated

Could there be a new kind of light in the universe? Since the late 19th century, scientists have understood that, when heated, all materials emit light in a predictable spectrum of wavelengths. Research published this week in Nature Scientific Reports presents a material that emits light when heated that appears to exceed the limits set by that natural law. Read more »

HCL-Research | Health | Applications | Feb 24, 2020

LRC Evaluates Hybrid UV/Blue Light Lighting System to Reduce Healthcare-Associated Infections

People who visit hospitals are expecting care and treatment, not additional complications, yet approximately 1 in 25 patients contract healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in U.S. hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Standard cleaning procedures usually involve manual application of detergents and disinfectants. Unfortunately, the efficacy of these manual cleaning procedures can vary considerably. In fact, less than 50% of patient room surfaces are properly cleaned. Read more »

SSL | Technologies | microLEDs | Displays | Feb 13, 2020

Compound Photonics and Plessey Create microLED Display Modules from Bonded Wafers

Compound Photonics US Corporation (CP), a leading provider of compact high-resolution microdisplay solutions for Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) applications, and Plessey Semiconductors Ltd. (Plessey), an embedded technologies developer at the forefront of microLED technology for AR and MR display applications, today announced they have produced the first fully addressable microLED display modules resulting from their previously announced strategic partnership to develop and introduce GaN-on-Silicon microLED based microdisplay solutions for AR/MR applications. Read more »

Transparent Material Considerations for UV Optics in Horticultural Lighting Applications

Advancements in UV LED technology have begun changing the horticultural lighting landscape. Research is still ongoing to discover the extent of benefits and best practices of using UV light in horticulture. Using optics in tandem with UV LED light systems can help reach performance goals and optimize growing. Although there are several UV- transmitting materials available, not all are equivalent or able to meet the requirements for UV applications. Justine Galbraith, glass engineer, and Sharayah Follett, market development manager at Kopp Glass, Inc. discuss the performance considerations of various UV-transmitting materials and how application challenges are addressed by integrating optical elements. Read more »

Hermetic Polymer-Free White LEDs for Harsh Environments

AlGaInN-based white LED can easily achieve lifetimes of up to 100,000 h depending on junction temperature and current density. However, state of the art silicone encapsulated LEDs with powder-based phosphors reveal a strong dependence of field lifetimes on environmental conditions such as humidity, corrosive gas and air pollutant exposure. Dr. Michael Kunzer, Group Leader LED Modules at Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics and his colleagues, Ralf Schmidt, Andreas Zibold, Vasileios Georgiou-Sarlikiotis, Michael Arnold and Isabel Kinski propose luminescent ceramics as an interesting alternative to polymer-dispersed phosphors. This provides entirely new opportunities for the manufacturing of white LEDs. The authors explain the properties and advantage of this hermetic, light converting cap material and how to completely avoid polymers. Read more »

A New Approach for Fast and Accurate Measurement of Light Emitting Diodes Junction Temperatures

LpR 73 Article, page 48: Junction temperature of LEDs is one crucial parameter to being thoroughly observed. In this paper, Ahmet Mete Muslu, Onuralp Isil and Prof. Mehmet Arik from the Energy Efficient Electronics and Lighting Technologies Center (EVATEG), Department of Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering Ozyegin Universitywill at first describe the importance of Tj for LED systems including RGB and white LEDs. Then they will present techniques from literature and recently in-house developed novel methods and a new Junction Temperature Measurement Device (EVAtherm). Results in selected general lighting and automotive lighting applications will be demonstrated. Read more »

Flickering Light Mobilizes Brain Chemistry that May Fight Alzheimer's

For over a century, Alzheimer's disease has confounded all attempts to treat it. But in recent years, perplexing experiments using flickering light have shown promise. The promise of flickering light to treat Alzheimer's takes another step forward in this new study, which reveals stark biochemical mechanisms: 40 Hertz stimulus triggers a marked release of signaling chemicals. Read more »

ENABLED – A New Funded Research Program to Design Fluorescent Proteins for White LEDs

A joint research project between Spain, Italy and Austria will work to replace inorganic phosphor filters in LEDs by those nature uses deed down the sea. The ENABLED project, coordinated by the Spanish research center IMDEA Materials Institute, has a budget of € 2.7 million euros, will run for the next 3 years and is funded by the European Commission under the Future and Emerging Technologies programme. Read more »

Technologies | Light Generation | LEDs | Phosphors | Jan 22, 2020

Researchers from Hokkaido University Let Europium Shine Brighter

A stacked nanocarbon antenna makes a rare earth element shine 5 times more brightly than previous designs, with applications in molecular light-emitting devices. - The europium Eu(III) complex with nanocarbon antenna emitting fine red light. Read more »

Technologies | Horticulture | Standardization | Jan 09, 2020

Researchers Call for Greenhouses LED Lighting Standards

While LED lighting can enhance plant growth in greenhouses, standards are needed to determine the optimal intensity and colors of light, according to Rutgers research that could help improve the energy efficiency of horticultural lighting products. Read more »