Editorial:
LEDs at Light Fair - Everybody selling, but who's buying?
... Mission assignment: Sort through the zillion or so exhibits in the Las Vegas Convention Center to find the companies that claim they are serious about selling solid state lighting fixtures or enabling technologies/modules that bring LED-lighting to everyone's life. In 2007, that narrowed the field to about 1/2 the... Read the editorial...
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Philips' Ihor Lys Named 2008 USA National Inventor of the Year for SSL Breakthrough LIGHTimes Staff
June 3, 2008...Philips Solid-State Lighting Solutions of Burlington, Massachusetts USA, announced that its chief scientist, and Color Kinetics co-founder, Dr. Ihor Lys has been named 2008 National Inventor of the Year. The Intellectual Property Owners (IPO) Education Foundation selected Dr. Lys for the award for his invention of Powercore technology that integrates power management and data management within a fixture.
The company says that the patented Powercore technology increases electrical efficiency and lowers production costs.
The company points out that Powercore eliminates the need for external low-voltage power supplies and special cabling that were historically required to operate solid-state lighting systems. For this reason, the company contends that Powercore reduces installation cost and complexity while making these fixtures far easier to use in existing lighting environments. According to the company, the realm of solid state lighting requires that LEDs must be integrated into precisely integrated systems that can be adapted to existing infrastructure. Power management is a critical component of a well designed LED-based lighting system, the company indicated.
Dr. Lys co-founded Color Kinetics in 1997, which was later acquired by Philips. During his ten-years with Color Kinetics, prior to its acquisition, Dr. Lys led the development of the company's breakthrough Chromacore and Chromasic technologies. Chromacore and Chromasic technologies control color mixing with LED light systems to produce any color of light and color temperature of light. Philips Solid State Lighting Solutions says these technologies continue to support and differentiate Philips' solid-state lighting systems today. The company notes that Dr. Lys has been a prolific inventor, having contributed to more than 50 issued patents and numerous patent filings.
June 3, 2008...Solei Systems of Boca Raton, Florida USA, announced that the company has been awarded another patent for its already patented LED tanning technology. The company predicts that LED tanning will revolutionize the tanning industry. Solei Systems’ UV LED-based tanning bed is reportedly scheduled for release later this year.
The company boasts that the LED-based tanning technology reduces the electricity and air conditioning consumption by about 80 percent compared to conventional UV tanning lamps. Also, according to the company, the new system has a lifetime of about 100,000 hours compared to a typical life of 700 hours for a conventional tanning bulb.
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OLEDs Predicted to be in Future Computer Displays of Any Shape LIGHTimes Staff
June 3, 2008...Queen's University Computing professor Roel Vertegaal, predicts that the shape of things to come in the computer world will not be just flat. The professor is developing prototypes of new "non-planar" devices in his Human Media Laboratory.
Dr. Vertegaal said that not only will new displays take on flexible forms we've never imagined such as soda cans with browsers displaying RSS feeds and movie trailers, computers of the future will respond to our direct touch and even change their own shape to better accommodate data, for example, folding up like a piece of paper to be tucked into our pockets.
Dr. Vertegaal cites three recent developments in computer technology that have allowed inventors to move beyond the rigid, rectangular design of current devices. These are advances in touch input devices, the development of flexible displays using OLEDs, and kinetic organic interfaces that change shape in three dimensions according to a computational outcome.
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The
LED Supply
Chain Conference Epi,
Chips and Devices...
June 8-9 Hsinchu, Taiwan
When
markets are uncertain, winning companies in growth markets push
forward while the incumbent technologies pull back. Now is the
time to press the advantage, and knowledge and updated connections
are what you need to do it. To help you use your time most efficiently,
this 7th Annual international event has been moved to early June
as a lead-in for the 2009 Taiwan Photonics Festival later that same
week. Senior executives from the key industry players will gather
as we examine the complete vertical market, from leading manufacturers
and developers of advanced materials and processes, to packaging
and packaged devices. Before you meet the
crowds, get focused on the key market and technical developments
you need to know. Visit www.BlueTaiwan.com
for all the details.
Leadis Technology Announces Family of Inductorless 200 mA, LED Flash/Lamp Drivers LIGHTimes Staff
June 3, 2008...Leadis Technology, Inc., a developer of color display drivers, power management ICs, and white/RGB LED drivers, announced today the sample availability of the LDS8620 and the LDS8621, a new family of inductorless 200 mA, dual-output LED flash/lamp drivers. They come in low-profile (0.8mm), space-saving 3x3mm TQFN packages.
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May 29, 2008...Philips Lighting has introduced its new Fortimo family of downlight modules at LightFair International in Las Vegas, Nevada USA. According to the company, the downlight modules demonstrate the general lighting capabilities of the LUXEON Rebel power LEDs. The company says that the Fortimo family of modules accompanying thermal and power systems, enable lighting OEMs to quickly and easily equip the architectural and specification communities with complete white and tunable downlight solutions. LED-based lighting modules, such as Fortimo, as well as Philips' Lexel RGB-type module solutions, can potentially reduce energy consumption by as much as 50% compared to CFL. In contrast to the single CCT Fortimo, the Lexel modules can deliver fully CCT-controllable white illumination in the similarly compact footprint the the LUXEON Rebel enables.
The Fortimo downlight module (DLM) 1100 uses 18 royal-blue LUXEON Rebel LEDs and a remote phosphor lens at the top of a mixing chamber to create a white-light module delivering 1100 lumens of light output with an efficiency of 62 lm/W. A second version of the Fortimo module delivers 2000 lm at 45 lm/W, which was initially introduced with a 4000K correlated color temperature, uses different remote phosphor lenses to allow for the possibility of additional white CCT options in the future.
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Taiwan Wants to Establish LED Streetlight Standards by 2009 SSLDesign News Staff
May 29, 2008...Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reportedly hopes to accelerate reaching a set of standards for LED street lamps, according to an article in Digitimes. The MOEA reportedly expects to publish its first set of standards during Q1 2009, the article indicated. The agency in part hopes to catch up with the progress of governments from other countries.
In 2007, the MOEA reportedly created an alliance to help establish LED lighting standards and hold quality reviews in 2007. Wednesday, the alliance introduced five related protocols, which will be sent for review by the Bureau of Standards, Meteorology and Inspection (BSMI).
According to the published protocols, LED street lamps will be required to deliver a life-cycle of 20,000 hours. Additionally, a device operating continuously for 11 hours per day, will be required to carry a life-cycle of five years. The agency is targeting the end of 2008 as the time for the complete review of 11 protocols (which includes standards for in-door LED lighting applications) by year-end 2008. The MOEA expects to release its finalized standards in March 2009.
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Philips Lumileds Announces Technology and Process for Bin Number and Size Reduction LIGHTimes Staff
May 29, 2008...Philips Lumileds announced at LightFair International in Las Vegas, Nevada USA, that it has reduced the number of white color bins for the company’s warm white Luxeon Rebel LEDs. The company cites a new technology roadmap for Lumiramic phosphor technology as the reason for the improvement in white LED consistency. Philips Lumileds calls the binning of white LEDS, a “work around”, that helps LED manufacturers manage the variation in color and tint that is part of the LED fabrication and packaging process. The company points out that to date no solutions decrease or eliminate the risk of inconsistency. Philips Lumileds also points out that most LED makers have resorted to producing greater volumes of LEDs and discarding those that do not fit within the desired color ranges. This ultimately results in higher costs.
The company explained in its latest press release that while white LED efficiency has improved to 80 lm/W over the last 18 months, the industry still needs to improve consistency. Philips Lumileds says it has taken a major step in that direction with its Lumiramic phosphor technology. Philips Lumileds’ key innovation, is a process in which the Lumiramic phosphor technology of pre-measured ceramic plates is matched with a TFFC die of appropriate thickness and correct wavelengths to target specific color temperature.
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Cree Signs Patent Agreement With Toyoda Gosei LIGHTimes Staff
May 29, 2008...Cree, Inc. of Durham, North Carolina USA, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Toyoda Gosei providing the companies (including wholly owned affiliates) with access to each other’s patented LED chip and packaged LED technology (including white LED technology). Toyoda Gosei and Cree have agreed in the future to discuss “have made” rights for LED chips. Cree and Toyoda Gosei both hold broad and substantial optoelectronic patent portfolios. Cree reports that the agreement will make it easier for both companies to develop and manufacture LED products without concern for the other’s patents. Other terms of the patent agreement were not disclosed but are not expected to have any material financial effect on either party.
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Sony, Sanyo, Exceed, and Lucky Light to License Technology from Neumark Rothschild CompoundSemi News Staff
May 27, 2008...Columbia University Professor Emerita, Gertrude Neumark Rothschild again appears to be on the winning side as another group of companies agrees to settle with her in her patent dispute against 31 companies brought before the U.S. International Trade Commission. Two Goliaths of consumer electronics, Sony Corp. and Sany Electric Co. Ltd., and lesser known companies, Lucky Light and Exceed, have reportedly agreed to license the patented technology from Rothschild. The technology is a basic component in the production of Blu-ray video players, violet laser diodes, violet LEDs, mobile phones, and digital cameras. Details of the agreements were not released. Seoul Semiconductor Co. Ltd, a maker of LEDs, and Taiwan's Everlight Electronics Co. Ltd. signed licensing agreements with Professor Neumark Rothschild. According to her legal council, Professor Neumark Rothschild conducted groundbreaking research in the 1980s and 1990s into the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes crucial to a many consumer electronics products.
While the Rothschild has made significant progress in the lawsuit, the fight is far from over. The Professor Emerita’s complaint to the ITC seeks to block the imports of infringing products, including video players using Blu-ray format, Motorola Razr phones, and Hitachi camcorders, as well as products containing blue, green, violet, ultraviolet, and white light emitting diodes and laser diodes. Other companies named in the suit reportedly include Hitachi Ltd., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LG Electronics Inc., Nokia Corp., Samsung Group, Sharp Corp. Sony Ericsson Mobile and Toshiba Corp. Dreier LLP News Release
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Commentary & Perspective...
LEDs at Light Fair - Everybody selling, but who's buying? Tom Griffiths - Publisher
May 30, 2008...Mission assignment:
Sort through the zillion or so exhibits in the Las Vegas Convention Center to
find the companies that claim they are serious about selling solid state lighting
fixtures or enabling technologies/modules that bring LED-lighting to everyone's
life. In 2007, that narrowed the field to about 1/2 the exhibitors. Here in 2008,
it almost appeared as though the only ones not offering some kind of LED-lighting
products were the security people (but I suspect they were merely in stealth mode
and likely have products in late-stage R&D). If a visitor from another planet
happened to land in Las Vegas this week, (and I'm talking a real alien, not just
the "interesting folks" that are wall-to-wall on the strip after 11pm),
they would be pretty sure that LED-based lighting was the most common technology
among the millions of light fixtures streaming out of manufacturers' and distributors'
doors every month. Heck, according to the voice on the monorail train, 6000 people
per month move to Las Vegas. As a minimum, if we put them in apartments with 10
LED downlights, 4 under-cabinet strips, and at least 1 fixture in the refrigerator,
that's 90,000 LED fixtures per month or a bit over 1 million fixtures annually
in this one town, just for new residential construction. What a great market!
Of
course, we're not there yet. Solid state lighting is just reaching a point where
it can cost effectively fill some key niches in the general lighting environment,
almost exclusively in near 24x7 applications such as hotel lobbies and elevators,
and outside where the higher efficacy cool white devices can really "shine".
So what are all those products doing in all those booths? Well, frightening the
heck out of the customers is one possibility. Lighting specifiers, and other sane
mortals, have to find themselves asking, "With all these LED products out
here, am I crazy for not using them? And do any of them really work because it's
obvious there's plenty of junk as part of the show and tell?" Common enough
questions, and just in case you didn't find the answers, no, you're not crazy
and yes, some of them are really work. So far, the specifiers aren't being widely
fooled by the pretend products, which is a good thing. In addition, the first
key SSL specifications have arrived on the scene and customers can now start asking
for the spec data to help them separate the wheat from the chaff (more on that
next time). With nice rational fears in play, we're also seeing a few irrational
ones as well.
In a pre-exhibition session, one lighting designer shared
the technology lessons he had gained from his experiences, which included outfitting
at least one skyscraper in the Middle East with a color changing exterior LED
lighting scheme. He had implemented a number of creative solutions in response
to the hot desert environment, and experienced a lot of frustration with installation
issues, such as stretched interconnects that led to shorts and failures, but it
had led him on a bit of quest to understand the full variety of challenges that
were lurking in the LED technology. His investigations led him all the way down
to the epitaxial process at the pre-LED wafer level, and to what he perceived
as the "Achilles' heel" of the technology. You grow crystals on a substrate
and, he asked, "How many of us have had those crystal kits or grown sugar
crystals on a string? We all know how random that is. That's the same basic thing
that happens here, so you will never get very predictable results... that's why
they do something called color binning." The audience understood him to then
extend that premise to a firm belief that once an LED chip is characterized at
the chip level (during a blink-of-an-eye duration test, in which it never heats
up beyond a comfortable room temperature), that once it is installed into some
type of package and allowed to heat up to a more normal electronic chip kind of
temperature, that the color could shift in a random direction, and to a random
extent. Hence, he concluded, it's unlikely we would ever get predictable side-by-side
color samples, especially from white LEDs.
Could this be true? New mission:
Find the people that have the answers to the inconsistency concern. At the Osram
Sylvania booth, my host had procured the right person to discuss color shifting
and staunchly refused to give him up, even during an attempt to get him over to
the DOE group that was on tour. (Sorry Jim, I got him first... which is lucky
as we needed a column. We'll cover the Round 5 CALiPER results next time). The
answer to the question was what I suspected. Yes, they do shift substantially
under temperature. While their binning has been narrowed down to 3 MacAdam ellipses
(basically undetectable to the eye), the color shift at temperature can be as
much as 7 MacAdam ellipses, BUT it does it predictably and they have the curves
to back it up. Discussions elsewhere confirmed the same type of thing, and with
the addition of a great point from Philips Lumileds. That paraphrase is that when
customers ask about "the heat problem" or "the binning problem",
they're only problems if you aren't engineering your product. We don't call it
a "problem" that you need to put a heat sink and fan on a Pentium processor
chip. We don't spend much time concerned about Intel's inconsistent manufacturing
processes, which are all built on variable crystal structures. They call their
binning fancy names like "2.8 GHz Pentium Duo" and "3.0 GHz Pentium
Duo", and sell the faster bin for a higher price and the slower bin for less
(how sneaky is that!). It's kind of how things are handled with semiconductors,
and why there is still some confusion. We're seeing the tremors that naturally
come when technology areas gently collide -- semiconductors meet lighting and
a new knowledge base is required to bridge the gap.
So we come back to the
question of who is buying? The knowledgeable specifiers who are willing to ask
a supplier to defend why their product is a good one, and to require them to back
it up with real data and real results. They ask for guarantees, and they aren't
afraid to ask for help to put the pieces together. I would also submit that they
are the ones who aren't shy about suggesting that a product might need some improvement
when it's obvious that it does. Knowledge will be king for specifiers, reps, distributors
and lighting manufacturers. There's still a lot to learn together. (Beam me up,
Scotty).
If you have questions about
the solid state lighting and compound semiconductor industries or
have
news or views to share, we want to hear from you! Feel free to contact
us anytime. The main office line is +1
(512) 257-9888
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