White Papers

White Papers

White Paper | Technology | Feb 27, 2013
PI's New LED-Downlight Reference Design Achieves High-Performance Dimming While Further Reducing Component Count
PI's New LED-Downlight Reference Design Achieves High-Performance Dimming While Further Reducing Component Count Power Integrations, a world leader in high-efficiency, high-reliability LED driver ICs, today announced RDR-347, an LED-downlight reference design. The new circuit demonstrates the capabilities of the recently launched LYTSwitch™ IC family, which offers the industry’s best high-end dimming performance from a single-stage LED driver– together with all the associated efficiency, space and cost benefits that the single-stage approach brings. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Feb 14, 2013
Cree Sets New R&D Performance Record with 276 Lumen-Per-Watt Power LED
Cree, Inc. delivers another industry first with a barrier-breaking 276 lumen-per-watt white R&D power LED. This significant milestone exceeds Cree’s previous R&D industry record of 254 lumens per watt and demonstrates Cree’s continued commitment to innovate and accelerate the adoption of LED lighting. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Feb 01, 2013
New Patent Aims to Improve Light Distribution of Tubular Lamps and Luminaires
New Patent Aims to Improve Light Distribution of Tubular Lamps and Luminaires Appropriate even light distribution in LED replacement tubes respectively tubular LED lamps and luminaires is still one of the weak points of LED lighting. Recently the interesting patent application "Light distribution using tapered waveguides in LED-based tubular lamps as replacements of linear fluorescent lamps" covering that topic became a granted patent, with patent number US8,348,467 B2. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Jan 30, 2013
New Options for Transparent Contact Electrodes
New Options for Transparent Contact Electrodes Found in flat screens, solar modules, or in new organic light-emitting diode (LED) displays, transparent electrodes have become ubiquitous. Typically, they consist of metal oxides like In2O3, SnO2, ZnO and TiO2 . Read more »
White Paper | Standardization + Regulation | Jan 10, 2013
SEMI's LED Standards Committee HB-LED Standard Published
After the formation of the high-brightness light-emitting diode (HB-LED) Standards Committee in November 2010 the committee was working hard on HB standards. The committee is happy to announce that it now has approved its first standard, SEMI HB1: Specifications for Sapphire Wafers Intended for Use for Manufacturing High Brightness-Light Emitting Diode Devices. Developed by the HB-LED Wafer Task Force, SEMI HB1 defines and specifies the physical geometry of 150 mm diameter sapphire wafers used in HB-LED manufacturing. HB1 covers dimensional, wafer preparation, and crystallographic orientation characteristics, as well as the appropriate measurement methods. The document was approved by the HB-LED Committee during the North America Fall 2012 meetings, recently completed procedural review and will be published soon. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Jan 09, 2013
Scientists Mimic Fireflies to Make Brighter LEDs
Scientists Mimic Fireflies to Make Brighter LEDs The nighttime twinkling of fireflies has inspired scientists to modify a light-emitting diode (LED) so it is more than one and a half times as efficient as the original. Researchers from Belgium, France, and Canada studied the internal structure of firefly lanterns, the organs on the bioluminescent insects’ abdomens that flash to attract mates. The scientists identified an unexpected pattern of jagged scales that enhanced the lanterns’ glow, and applied that knowledge to LED design to create an LED overlayer that mimicked the natural structure. The overlayer, which increased LED light extraction by up to 55 percent, could be easily tailored to existing diode designs to help humans light up the night while using less energy. The work is published in a pair of papers today in the Optical Society’s (OSA) open-access journal Optics Express. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Jan 03, 2013
DoE Releases CALiPER 2012 Year in Review Report
DoE Releases CALiPER 2012 Year in Review Report The CALiPER program has tested more than 500 products since its inception in 2006, revealing a variety of performance trends, holding manufacturers accountable for claims, and identifying concerns that limit adoption. Over the past six years, the LED marketplace has changed substantially; previously relegated to niche status, LED products are now a viable alternative in many product categories and market share is expected to grow rapidly. Starting in 2012, Summary Reports focus on a single product type or application. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Dec 11, 2012
Research and Markets Offers LED Lighting - Key Patent Analysis: Remote Phosphor
LEDs, which are semi-conductor devices that convert electricity into light by the properties of compound semi-conductors, have higher energy efficiency and cost less for replacement due to longer lifetimes than existing lighting systems, and have high resistance to impact or vibration. Furthermore, LEDs have advantages in terms of energy saving and protection of the environment since they do not use toxic substances such as mercury, which give an impetus to their market entry as new lighting systems to replace existing lighting systems. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Dec 05, 2012
Power Integrations Sets New Standard for Power Density in LED-Driver Reference Design for T8-Tube Replacement
Power Integrations Sets New Standard for Power Density in LED-Driver Reference Design for T8-Tube Replacement Power Integrations, the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today announced two new reference designs describing high-efficiency, non-isolated, high-power-factor (PF) LED drivers for T8 tubes. The designs feature low component count and leverage simple magnetics and single-sided boards yielding industry-leading power densities of 14.2 W/in³. Based on the LNK460KG LED driver from Power Integrations’ LinkSwitch-PL family of ICs, the circuits detailed in DER-337 (high-line) and DER-345 (low-line) use single-stage non-isolated topologies which result in a profile of only 8 mm - small enough to be mounted behind the LEDs in the T8 tube. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Oct 10, 2012
Fan Efficiency, An Increasingly Important Selection Criteria
Fan Efficiency, An Increasingly Important Selection Criteria How important is fan efficiency in the selection of a cooling system? Selecting a cooling fan is no longer about airflow and noise. The true test for a design engineer is the understanding that by selecting an efficient cooling fan system savings in cost of ownership can be realized. NMB Technologies Corporation, a Minebea Group Company, has released a new white paper on that issue. Read more »
White Paper | Standardization + Regulation | Oct 03, 2012
EMerge Alliance Releases Version 1.1 of Occupied Space Standard
Progress continues toward integrated standards for DC microgrids in buildings SAN RAMON, CALIF. (October 2, 2012) – The EMerge Alliance – an open industry association leading the rapid adoption of safe direct-current (DC) power distribution standards for commercial buildings – today announced it has updated the EMerge Alliance Occupied Space standard, the first application platform model for the utilization of low-voltage DC power in commercial interiors. The EMerge Alliance Occupied Space standard creates an integrated, open platform for power, interior infrastructures, controls and a wide variety of peripheral devices to facilitate the hybrid use of AC and DC power within commercial buildings. Version 1.1 includes several important updates to voltage limits, recommended cable sizes and other requirements to assist companies developing products when using the standard. These changes are backwards compatible and maximize the interoperability and efficiency of EMerge Alliance Registered products. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Sep 11, 2012
SMART-Project Aims to Develop Logic and Light on a Chip Using GaN-on-Si Technology
The research project Low Energy Electronics Systems (LEES) has started its work with a kick-off meeting. The program’s initiator is the renowned Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Center based in Singapore. The LEES team consists of eminent research and science specialists and is targeting the development of cuttingedge technology to increase energy efficiency and advance high-tech industries that complement microelectronics. Two AIXTRON CRIUS® 1x200 mm systems, which the project managers ordered early this year, will form the technological foundation basis for the LEES project work. They will be available for use in the project from the fourth quarter of 2012. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Aug 30, 2012
Power Integrations Unveils A19 LED Driver Reference Design Targeting 100 W Incandescent Bulb Replacements
Power Integrations Unveils A19 LED Driver Reference Design Targeting 100 W Incandescent Bulb Replacements Power Integrations (Nasdaq:POWI), maker of the most efficient, longest-lasting off-line LED driver ICs, today announced DER-323, a reference design for an 18W, 88%-efficient, non-isolated A19 LED driver based on LNK460VG, a low-profile IC from the company's LinkSwitch™-PL family. The design is suitable for a 100 W incandescent bulb replacement and is optimized for low-line (90 VAC to 135 VAC) operation. The circuit is low-cost, requiring only a simple single-sided board and 25 components. No potting is necessary and the transformer is replaced by a low-cost inductor. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Aug 02, 2012
SWITCH CEO Reveals Best-Kept Secret in LED Lighting
SWITCH CEO Reveals Best-Kept Secret in LED Lighting Tracy Bilbrough, CEO of SWITCH Lighting™, the first company to offer a full family of LED replacements to the incandescent A-Lamp, today revealed for the first time key details behind the company’s core technology to a group of industry insiders during a speech at the LED Show. Bilbrough also introduced SWITCH’s new LQD Cooling System™. Read more »
Fundings + Projects | White Paper | Aug 01, 2012
Researchers Study How to Avoid Charge Traps in Plastic Electronics
Researchers Study How to Avoid Charge Traps in Plastic Electronics Plastic electronics hold the promise of cheap, mass-produced devices. But plastic semiconductors have an important flaw: the electronic current is influenced by “charge traps” in the material. These traps, which have a negative impact on plastic light-emitting diodes and solar cells, are poorly understood. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Jul 31, 2012
Cree Announces 170 Lumen-Per-Watt LED Light Bulb Demonstrator
Less than one year after showcasing the 152 lumens-per-watt concept LED bulb, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE) delivers a new performance benchmark with the 170 lumens-per-watt (LPW) prototype LED light bulb. The innovations behind the high-performance 170 LPW LED bulb are enabling significantly higher efficacy and lower cost for Cree’s luminaire portfolio and demonstrate Cree’s continued commitment to accelerate the adoption of LED lighting by addressing initial cost and payback – key barriers to widespread LED lighting adoption. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Mar 28, 2012
DOE Releases GATEWAY Report on Museum LED Retrofit Lighting
DOE Releases GATEWAY Report on Museum LED Retrofit Lighting The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the final evaluation report from a retrofit of track lighting used to illuminate a special photography exhibition at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. During the demonstration, 12W LED PAR 38 lamps replaced 60W halogen PAR 38 30° flood lamps on a one-for-one basis across three adjacent gallery spaces. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Mar 13, 2012
Research and Markets Releases "Smart Lighting 2012" Report
The Research and Markets report provides an analysis of the worldwide smart lighting market and builds on NanoMarkets’ extensive six-year experience of analyzing the solid-state lighting industry. The report shows how new value is being created in the lighting market by adding enhanced electronics and intelligent luminaires and how such product strategies will be able to build on the massive trend towards introducing CFLs, LEDs, OLEDs and other forms of energy efficient lighting. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Mar 13, 2012
Diamond Brightens the Performance of Electronic Devices and LEDs
Diamond Brightens the Performance of Electronic Devices and LEDs Two new studies performed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have revealed a new pathway for materials scientists to use previously unexplored properties of nanocrystalline-diamond thin films. While the properties of diamond thin films are relatively well-understood, the new discovery could dramatically improve the performance of certain types of integrated circuits by reducing their "thermal budget." Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Mar 07, 2012
Flexible Organic LED (OLED) Lighting Reaches High Energy Efficiency
Flexible Organic LED (OLED) Lighting Reaches High Energy Efficiency Chemical group Solvay and Holst Centre have demonstrated high efficiency flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) lighting tiles with a surface area of 69cm². These large-area demonstrators contain several layers deposited by solution processing at Holst Centre and additional layers applied by conventional vacuum deposition at Solvay. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Mar 06, 2012
At High Environmental Temperatures and at Very Low Power LED's Wall Plug Efficiency Exceeds 100%
At High Environmental Temperatures and at Very Low Power LED's Wall Plug Efficiency Exceeds 100% For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes. Although scientifically intriguing, the results won’t immediately result in ultra-efficient commercial LEDs since the demonstration works only for LEDs with very low input power that produce very small amounts of light and emits primarily in the invisible IR range of 2.4 µm. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Jan 13, 2012
Success in Research: First Gallium-Nitride LED Chips on Silicon in Pilot Stage
Success in Research: First Gallium-Nitride LED Chips on Silicon in Pilot Stage Researchers at Osram Opto Semiconductors have succeeded in manufacturing highperformance prototypes of blue and white LEDs, in which the light-emitting gallium-nitride layers are grown on silicon wafers with a diameter of 150 millimeters. The silicon replaces the sapphire commonly used until now without a loss in quality. Already in the pilot stage, the new LED chips are to be tested under practical conditions, meaning that the first LEDs on silicon from Osram Opto Semiconductors could hit the market in just two years. Read more »
White Paper | IP, Reports & Roadmaps | Jan 11, 2012
DOE Releases Consortium Report on LED Street Lights
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the final report from a demonstration of LED technology in ornamental post-top street lights, conducted in Sacramento, CA. This report provides an overview of the evaluation of four different LED replacement products using computer simulations, field measurements, and laboratory testing. The evaluation was conducted by DOE’s Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium in collaboration with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the City of Sacramento, with additional support from City consultant Mary Matteson Bryan. Read more »
White Paper | Technology | Dec 15, 2011
Independent Study Demonstrating that Pink Sapphire Produces Highest Transmission Colorless Epi-Wafers
Independent Study Demonstrating that Pink Sapphire Produces Highest Transmission Colorless Epi-Wafers GT Advanced Technologies Inc. announced the release of a case study that details the findings of a series of blind material studies conducted to evaluate the impact of sapphire color on the LED manufacturing process. The studies demonstrated that all sapphire, regardless of source, exhibits color at the core level, that the pink hue of GT Advanced Sapphire Furnace (ASF™) material is not indicative of impurities, and that pink ASF sapphire does not have an adverse affect on the LED manufacturing process nor does it require extra steps or incremental costs to remove the pink hue. In addition, it was demonstrated that GT ASF pink sapphire material makes the lowest absorption, highest transmission epi-wafers of the samples examined. Read more »
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