The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the 2013 edition of the Solid-State Lighting Manufacturing R&D Roadmap. The Roadmap complements the SSL R&D Multi-Year Program Plan that guides the Core and Product Development R&D programs. One of the goals of the Roadmap is to guide the Manufacturing R&D program and help direct funding solicitations for it. The Roadmap also provides guidance for equipment and material suppliers, based on industry consensus on the expected evolution of SSL manufacturing—thereby reducing risk, improving quality, increasing yields, and lowering costs.
The Roadmap is updated annually with the help of industry feedback that comes from a series of roundtables with invited experts and from the attendees at DOE's SSL Manufacturing R&D Workshop, which this year was held in June in Boston.
The 2013 Roadmap has been updated extensively over the 2012 version. It goes into greater detail about the entire SSL supply chain, with indications of what the various manufacturers are doing as well as where that work is being done—not just domestically, but globally. Also covered is how these various pieces fit together. The focus of the Roadmap has been expanded beyond machines and process steps, to encompass a broader perspective and identify opportunities for improvement as well as for expanding the U.S. manufacturing role.
