Developments in LED Lighting Technology Are Taking Place at a Dramatic Pace

Developments in LED lighting technology are taking place at a dramatic pace, heavily influencing the LED industry chain as well as final products. Component makers continually pursue the goal of raising the luminous efficacy of LEDs, while also addressing voltages that are radically different from that of main electricity, and adopting new packings processes such as COB. This report serves as a pri mer for these issues as well as highlingting breakthrough developments in terms of capacitors, heat dissipation and smart LED lighting systems. Abstract Digitimes Research closely watches trends in LED lighting technology in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the LED industry chain, as well as their impact on final products and the market. In terms of upstream LED components, manufacturers' have continually pursued the goal of raising the luminous efficacy of LEDs. Japanese manufacturer Toyoda Gosei followed Nichia's 133 lm/W products and Cree's 161 lm/W models with the launch of a 170 lm/W LED component, performance that is roughly two years ahead of the DOE schedule for achieving such products. These products went on sale in early 2012. One problem with LED lighting is that most LEDs work on voltages that are radically different from that of mains electricity, resulting in a significant loss in efficiency. HV LEDs (high-voltage LEDs) are one way of solving this problem. To this end, Taiwan-based Epistar, US-based Cree and South Korea-based Seoul Semiconductor have successively moved into the HV LED sector. The main advantages of HV LEDs are that they can be used in lighting products with a smaller volume, and that as they are highly customizable, they can be often be tailor-made to work with products of whatever voltage the customer requires. In terms of LED package manufacturing processes, while COB (chip on board) was already in use in some sectors, falling LED prices have led more and more manufacturers to adopt it. The evolution of COB technology stresses the need to increase luminous flux performance and decrease volume. Spotlights are one area where the potential of COB LEDs can be exploited, as the lack of ghosting on the subject for illumination means that optical performance is better than for high-power LEDs. In the LED lighting sector, it is not enough to pursue a longer lifespan for the LED light source alone. There have also been breakthrough developments in terms of capacitors - a key component affecting the lifespan of LED lighting products. Commonly used electrolytic capacitors generally have a lifespan of a few thousand hours, up to a maximum or 20,000 hours. By contrast, Eternal Group had already developed solid-state capacitors with a lifespan of 40,000 hours by early 2012; these capacitors also have a voltage rating of up to 160V, allowing them to work with 110V mains power. The company plans to develop 250V high-voltage capacitor products for the second half of 2012. Heat dissipation is another area where LED lighting manufacturers continue to make improvements. In the past, most high-power LED components rated above 1W used thermally-conductive metal substrates, the drawback of which is high costs. Panasonic's Ecool series products can now be used for 1-3W LED components and cost just 30-70% of the price of an aluminum substrate. On the downstream end product front, smart LED lighting systems are no longer limited to conceptual prototypes. Today, commercial products are available on the market. Japan-based NetLED uses "app" software for smartphones or tablet computers to control its systems; for example, if 200 LED tube lights are installed in a certain location, the NetLED smart lighting system makes energy savings worth JPY200,000 (US$2,468) possible. The technological developments outlined above will serve to decrease the number of LEDs used, push down overall lighting costs, reduce power consumption and increase LED usage rates. All these factors will be highly beneficial to efforts to increase uptake for LED lighting. Source: www.digitimes.com