FEBRUARY 2014

+
LEDsmagazine.com

OLEDs
Diffuse panels,
spectacular results P.31

Hidden costs
Reliable LEDs underlie
luminaires P.43

Preview
TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS OF LIGHT EMITTING DIODES
15th-Anniversary
Strategies in Light P.59

Museum Exhibits
LEDs refresh Museo
del Duomo P.9
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Visit us at Strategies in Light Booth #418
 ISSUE 67

2014
February Cover Story
Zumtobel LED luminaires installed at the
Museo del Duomo in Milan, Italy light
precious works of art from above with
high-CRI sources, providing an optimized
viewing experience for visitors (see p. 9;
courtesy of Zumtobel).

features
31 OLEDS
Surface-emissive OLED panels mature slowly, remain
spectacular Maury Wright

43 SOURCES
Understand the true cost of LED choices in SSL columns/departments
systems Ralph Tuttle and Mark McClear, Cree, Inc.
4 COMMENTARY Maury Wright
49 CONFERENCE
SILE speakers predict controls to drive next wave of
Crafty counsel needed with
incandescent bulb departure
LED adoption Maury Wright
9 NEWS +ANALYSIS
55 STANDARDS
IES LM-85 homogenizes high-power LED measurement
LED lighting emphasizes natural
beauty in Museo del Duomo
and characterization Jianzhong Jiao, Osram Opto
Cree launches autonomous controls
Semiconductors technology for LED luminaire portfolio

59 PREVIEW Nualight and Cross Group supply LED

lighting for convenience stores
Strategies in Light exhibits span all facets of SSL
Intematix enables linear SSL products
development Maury Wright
with remote phosphor optics

63 SSL OUTDOOR SSL Modular design: Lutron and GE Lighting

LEDs chart a new path for tunnel lighting
Dale Kane, Philips Lumileds
70 DESIGN FORUM
Coupled thermal-electrical simulations shed light on
LED performance Pier Angelo Favarolo and Lukas
Osl, Zumtobel Group; Sabine Goodwin and Ruben Bons,
CD-Adapco
76 LAST WORD
GaN on silicon: A breakthrough technology for LED
lighting John Ellis, Plessey Semiconductors
Lighting controls: Greenvity, NXP,
Luxera, Crestron, Belkin
Packaged LEDs: Osram and Samsung
Outdoor lighting: Cree, Acuity,
London transit, Ewo
27 FUNDING + PROGRAMS
DOE releases pedestrian-centric
outdoor lighting research
DOE publishes a snapshot report on
LED A-lamps listed in Lighting Facts
Pixelligent wins SBIR grant to
develop OLED lighting materials

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 3

commentary
Crafty counsel needed
with incandescent bulb
departure
W
ell, 2014 arrived, and with it the US ban
of inefficient 40W and 60W incandes-
cent lamps that can't meet the energy-effi-
ciency requirements set forth in the Energy
Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007.
In reality, there are plenty of replacement
options including compact fluorescent lamps
(CFLs), LED-based lamps, and even halogen
bulbs that do meet current requirements.
Still, if a Lutron survey of 1000 US adults is
any indication, lighting designers and speci-
fiers will have to carefully counsel customers
during the transition period.
Lutron commissioned the survey that was
conducted by The Futures Company, and
then held a roundtable with lighting experts
in New York City to discuss the results (see
http://bit.ly/1nTlwlQ). The survey revealed
that only one in three US adults understood
that the lamps would be banned despite
the phase-out of 75W and 100W bulbs dur-
ing the last two years. Panel member Terry
McGowan, director of engineering for the
American Lighting Association, commented,
"Since the 40- and 60W incandescent bulbs
represent more than 60% of all US household
bulbs sold annually, some people will defi-
nitely be in for a shock."
The survey also revealed that three-quar-
ters of the respondents want efficient bulbs
that can be dimmed. Residential and con-
sumer customers are spoiled by the fact that
all incandescent bulbs could be dimmed
even if most were installed in sockets with-
out a dimmer switch. There remains work to
be done in compatibility between dimmers
and LED lamps.
The panel also discussed the issue of cost,
with respondents clearly concerned over the
cost of LED bulbs. Panel member Stan Mertz,
director of operations for Applied Proactive
Technologies, noted the need for market
incentive programs and said that less than
4 FEBRUARY 2014
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Christine Shaw
& PUBLISHING DIRECTOR cshaw@pennwell.com
EDITOR Maury Wright
mauryw@pennwell.com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Carrie Meadows
carriem@pennwell.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Caroline Hayes
caroline.hayes@ruivamedia.com
MARKETING MANAGER Kimberly Ayer
ART DIRECTOR Kelli Mylchreest
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Mari Rodriguez
SENIOR ILLUSTRATOR Christopher Hipp
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT Debbie Bouley
half of the households in the US have used
energy-efficient bulbs. He said, "Homeowners
would be more inclined to make the switch
EDITORIAL OFFICES PennWell Corporation,
if they were presented with an incentive that LEDs Magazine
98 Spit Brook Road, LL-1
reduces the cost for these types of bulbs." Nashua, NH 03062-5737
In all fairness, there have been incentives Tel: +1 603 891-0123
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ers to move to efficient lighting. Utility rebates
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are available at major retailers. But even with SALES MANAGER Kelly Barker
the rebates, LED bulbs cost far more than the (US EAST COAST) kellybarker@Pennwell.com
Tel. +1 603 891 9186
incumbent incandescent lamps. SALES MANAGER Allison OConnor
There was much additional informa- (US WEST COAST) allison@jagmediasales.com
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tion circulated about the EISA ban with SALES MANAGER Jim Ajayi
the dawn of 2014. Over on our Illumination (EUROPE) jima@pennwell.com
in Focus website, we covered the annual Tel. +44(0) 1992 656657
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SALES MANAGER Masaki Mori
ciation) research on A-lamps. The market (JAPAN) mori-masaki@ex-press.jp
for LED lamps is rising rapidly measured Tel: +81 3 3219 3641
by growth from a very small base, but the SALES MANAGER Mark Mak
(CHINA & HONG KONG) markm@actintl.com.hk
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(TAIWAN) monica@arco.com.tw
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Unlimited business unit, went more deeply SALES MANAGER Young Baek
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Tel: +82 2 2273 4818
tentious points you may want to read about SALES MANAGER Dan Aronovic
on his blog (see http://bit.ly/1fQM2Z1). (ISRAEL) aronovic@actcom.co.il
Tel: +39 972 9899 5813
The message for the lighting designer/
CORPORATE OFFICERS
specifier is clear. Buyers must understand CHAIRMAN Frank T. Lauinger
the full value proposition of the transition to PRESIDENT AND CEO Robert F. Biolchini
LED lighting. Prices have dropped to a level CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Mark C. Wilmoth
where even residential customers can justify TECHNOLOGY GROUP
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Christine A. Shaw
the cost of more efficient lamps. Having more & PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
choice of bulbs will allow a better match to SUBSCRIPTIONS: For subscription inquiries:
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specific scenarios where emerging products Fax: +1 847 763-9607;
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Copyright 2014 PennWell Corp (ISSN 2156-633X). All rights
reserved. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any
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mauryw@pennwell.com
LEDsmagazine.com

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2014

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ASK Spa .....................................................24
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Citizen Electronics Co. Ltd. ..........................17
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6 FEBRUARY 2014
FEATURED events
Strategies in Light
February 2527, 2014
Santa Clara, CA
LEDucation 8
March 1819, 2014
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Light+Building 2014
March 30April 4, 2014
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Asian Lighting Exhibition
April 1417, 2014
Guangzhou, China
Gulf LED Exhibition
April 2224, 2014
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Lightfair International 2014
June 35, 2014
Las Vegas, NV
Guangzhou International Lighting
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June 912, 2014
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14th International Symposium of the
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news views
MUSEUM LIGHTING

LED lighting emphasizes natural

beauty in Museo del Duomo
Zumtobel Arcos Xpert LED spotlights have
been deployed during the just completed two-
year renovation of the Museo del Duomo the
Museum of the Cathedral located at the Milan
Cathedral in Italy. The UV- and IR-free lighting
with a CRI of 94 highlights the historic sculp-
tures (see front cover), paintings, and scale mod-
els of the cathedral, with the oldest model dat-
ing to 1519.
The museum is located in the Palazzo Reale
and now has been expanded to occupy 2200 m2
of space divided into 27 rooms and 13 themed

Zumtobel
areas. The renovation was intended to better
present the historical works with glare-free light
and in particular to prepare for the expected
influx of visitors that will attend Expo 2015 that will run renovation, including Panos Infinity downlights, Tecton row
May through October next year. lighting, and Linaria fixtures in side rooms. But the Arcos
Zumtobel supplied a variety of lighting products for the fixtures are the primary luminaires that light the page 10

CONTROLS

Cree launches autonomous controls

technology for LED luminaire portfolio
Cree has announced the SmartCast light-
ing controls technology including lumi-
naires equipped with occupancy and
ambient light sensors, dimmer switches,
and a TV-remote-control-like configura-
tion tool. A 2.4-GHz wireless mesh
network connects the SmartCast
system elements, and luminaires
and switches automatically form
network groups based on proxim-
ity. Cree says SmartCast can deliver
40% in energy savings over and
above the efficiency advantages of
LED-based lighting.
The SmartCast technology is
designed to automatically imple-
ment occupancy sensing and day-
light harvesting. The platform can extin-
guish lights automatically in unoccupied
spaces or dim lights when natural sun-
light is present.
While the lighting industry is rapidly
transitioning to SSL technology to lever-
age reduced energy consumption, Cree
said controls could offer far greater sav-
ings but are only sporadically deployed.
Product portfolio manager Tom Hinds
said about 2% of commercial build-
ings have daylight sensors installed,
and about 1% have control systems.
Hinds said, We feel cost and com-
plexity is the biggest barrier to
adoption.
Hinds said that SmartCast is the
industrys first self-programming
wireless lighting system. A new or
retrofit installation simply involves
installation of the luminaires that
have integrated sensors page 10

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 9

news+views
Museum from page 9 exhibits from above.
The Arcos products feature the ability
to adjust color temperature on the fixture.
Moreover, the products include optic acces-
sories that can be added to control the beam.
The lighting design was optimized to enhance
the 3D appearance of works such as sculp-
tures with care taken to avoid hard shadows.
The models of the cathedral (shown) are
among the most cherished works housed at
the museum. The oldest is a walk-in model
made of wood built at a scale of 1:20. Others
are made of plaster, bronze, and wood. The
lighting on the models was intended to mix
light and shadows in a manner that mimics
natural daylight.
Its increasingly clear that LED lighting will
become the best choice for museum projects.
We recently covered a Philips Lighting LED
project at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam,
Controls from page 10
and wireless capabilities, and the instal-
lation of Cree dimmer wall switches that
require a 3-wire scenario where both hot and
neutral wires are run to the switch. Most
commercial spaces include three wires in
the switch boxes whereas some homes have
only the hot wire run through the switch.
Once installed, the Cree dimmer switch
no longer controls the power supplied to one
or more luminaires in a room. Those lumi-
naires are still connected to the AC power,
but the control information is passed wire-
lessly. Cree uses a wireless network that is
similar to and in the same frequency band
as the ZigBee wireless network but has some
Cree proprietary elements in the protocol.
Once a group of SmartCast luminaires
is installed within a room, commissioning
requires the push of a single button on the
remote control. The remote first recognizes
the luminaires and switches in the room and
assigns addresses to each node. The lumi-
naires then power on and go through a self-
calibration process in which each lumi-
naire progresses through a quick sequence
of light-level transitions, one at a time, so
that other luminaires in the space can rec-
ognize the active luminaire using the inte-
grated light sensor.
While the network elements do auto-
matically form into groups, you can manu-
10 FEBRUARY 2014
the Netherlands (http://bit.ly/Ls8HzB).
Early on, museum exhibits directors had
interest in LED lighting based on the poten-
tial energy savings, given that museum light-
ing systems burn for long hours, and the
minimal maintenance requirements. More-
over, the IR- and UV-free properties of LEDs
can minimize the damage to works of art
attributable to lighting. Now, however, LED
lighting has matured to the point that the
broad choice of color temperature, higher
CRI, and uniform spectral distribution can
also improve upon legacy lighting in terms of
optimizing the visitor experience.
RETAIL LIGHTING
Nualight and Cross Group supply
LED lighting for convenience stores
Nualight and Cross Group have announced
ally delete a luminaire from a group or add
one using the remote control. You can also
change settings such as the length of time
lights remain on, or occupancy duration,
after a person leaves a space.
Cree will offer SmartCast technology ini-
tially on its CR Series recessed troffer fix-
tures, CS Series of linear fixtures designed
for pendant or surface mounting, and KR
Series of recessed downlights. Cree will
also offer a SmartCast-enabled 010V mod-
ule that can be used to connect other dim-
mable fixtures into a SmartCast group.
Cree has already installed the SmartCast
technology in its own facility and also in
projects near its Durham, North Carolina
headquarters. Both Lord Corp and North
Carolina State University have the technol-
ogy up and running.
Cree exceeded our expectations of what
a lighting controls system could provide,
said John Gardiner, facilities manager at
Lord. Without any extra devices or wires
needed, our maintenance team spent only
minutes installing the Cree CR22 architec-
tural LED troffers with SmartCast Tech-
nology throughout our corporate head-
quarters, saving us thousands of dollars
on programming and setup. The savings
on energy consumption and maintenance
costs we expect with this installation will
the first major LED-lighting retrofit project
in the British Isles for convenience stores,
with the Spar chain making a major com-
mitment to solid-state lighting (SSL) and
the energy efficiency of the technology. The
first phase of the project will cover Northern
Ireland and Scotland, and plans are in place
to also retrofit stores in England and Wales.
LED lighting has proven successful in con-
venience store applications around the globe.
For example, we covered a Cree project at a
gas station and convenience store back in
early 2012 (http://bit.ly/1bjOXVY), and GE
Lighting has retrofitted both a full-size Sains-
burys grocery store and a convenience store
in the UK (http://bit.ly/LHl23M).
Still, the Spar project will raise the bar in
terms of the scale of the project. The first
phase includes 130 stores owned by either
the Henderson Group or CJ Lang & Son Lim-
be a huge benefit to our business.
Cree believes there is a huge potential
untapped market for controls. The com-
pany estimates that in the US alone controls
deployed in all commercial spaces would
deliver $12 billion annually in energy sav-
ings. And the company said the SmartCast
system would deliver 70% total savings rela-
tive to a fluorescent system without controls
while costing 50% of typical control systems
on the market.
About the announcement, Hinds said,
Cree set out to show the industry that
you can install controls simply and afford-
ably. For now Cree would not comment on
any possibility of licensing the SmartCast
technology for use by others. But the closed
nature of the system could lead some speci-
fiers to shy away from the technology with
what has been a clear trend toward open
standards by leaders in the lighting indus-
try (http://bit.ly/1e0AdLk).
However, Cree does offer the aforemen-
tioned interface modules that can work with
any 010V luminaire. Moreover, SmartCast
is only one of a number of controls technol-
ogies that Cree supports. For example, the
company offers support for the Lutron Eco-
System with many of its luminaires, and
DALI (digital addressable lighting interface)
is supported as well.
LEDsmagazine.com
 We bring quality to light.

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news+views
ited. The operators have selected the recessed
Blaze luminaire from Nualight with distribu-
tor Cross Group supplying the products.
We selected the Blaze fitting after a
comprehensive investigation into the most
appropriate LED lighting system for our
Spar stores, said Glen Crumley, energy
manager at Henderson Group. Specifically,
Crumley said that both visual quality and
the lifetime cost solidified the decision. The
lifecycle cost consideration included both
energy and maintenance savings. A typical
Spar store will save close to $6,000 annually
over the projected 8.5 years of life based on
16 operating hours per day achieving 67%
energy savings relative to the incumbent flu-
orescent fixtures.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1idyAP2
OPTICS
fact that the phosphor is separated from the
Intematix enables linear
SSL products with remote
phosphor optics
Intematix has introduced the ChromaLit
Linear remote phosphor optic to enable
LED-based lighting products including ret-
rofit tubes for linear fluorescent replace-
ment, cove lighting, under-cabinet fixtures,
integral troffer luminaires, and high-bay
lighting. The new optic appears near white
in the off state, thereby mitigating the pri-
mary negative feature of the yellow-to-
orange look of most remote phosphor optics
for SSL systems.
Remote phosphor SSL systems have been
noted for the ability to offer a slight efficacy
advantage compared to phosphor-con-
verted white LEDs, and also for the ability
to maintain color consistency over time. The
blue-pump LEDs means that heat from the
LED doesnt cause any degradation in the
phosphor that can result in color shift over
time. The downside to remote phosphor has
been the fact that many consumers prefer a
white look when products are powered off,
as well as the cost of the remote phosphor
optics, although Intematix has maintained
that cost is not an issue at the system level
(http://bit.ly/1bjQueD).
Intematix achieves the white off-state
appearance by adding a reflective coating
on top of the remote phosphor optic that
preferentially reflects blue energy in the
electromagnetic spectrum. We had a four-
part series of articles on color science that
concluded in February 2013 (http://bit.ly/




 

 

 
  
  

 


  





 
 

  

 

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12 FEBRUARY 2014 LEDsmagazine.com
news+views
MqbtWY), which go into details of how
humans perceive color, and Intematix lev-
eraged that science to create the new optic
that has a slight off-white tint. But the color
of the optic would not be noticeable in a flu-
orescent replacement or troffer application.
As for cost, Julian Carey, senior director of
strategic marketing at Intematix, said that
the combination of the optic and mid-power
LEDs that would typically be used in the lin-
ear application could yield a system cost of
$6 per linear foot, not including the driver
electronics. Carey said that the technology
yields a $2.40/klm system cost that is well
ahead of projections by the US Department
of Energy (DOE) on the cost of SSL systems.
Intematix said that the optic enables
product designs that deliver 163 lm/W at the
system level. Carey said that the optic and
coating actually optimize light extraction.
Maximum flux output ranges from 1900 to
2050 lm/ft depending on CCT.
MORE: http://bit.ly/MqbD0n
MODULAR DESIGN
Lutron leverages Xicato module
in recessed LED fixtures
Lutron has announced additions to the
Finir LED-based recessed lighting fam-
ily that relies on modular SSL engines from
Xicato. The modular approach enables
Lutron to easily customize the basic fixture
14 FEBRUARY 2014
design, installing a light engine with the
specified CCT and CRI characteristics while
relying on Xicatos five-year warranty cover-
ing lumen and color maintenance.
The new downlights with a 4-in. aper-
ture are available with optic options that
can deliver spot to f lood lighting with
beam spreads that span 2050. Lutron
supplies the fixtures with its Hi-lume
A-series drivers that can dim down to 1%.
Specifiers can buy the products with sup-
port for legacy phase-cut dimming con-
trol or with support for Lutrons Ecosys-
tem family of adaptive control and network
technologies.
For now, Lutron is offering the fixture
in 15W, 22W, and 34W versions; a choice of
2700K, 3000K, and 3500K CCTs; and a choice
of 83 or 95 CRI. The 22W version with 83 CRI
delivers 1000 lm. The 95-CRI version drops
that number to 700 lm.
Xicato has long touted the color-consis-
tency it offers in modules that are based on
remote-phosphor technology. The separa-
tion of the phosphor from the heat generated
by the blue-pump LEDs means that the phos-
phor stays cooler and doesnt degrade over
time. The modules are rated for what Xicato
calls 12-step color consistency over 50,000
hours of life. The spec means that the color
is within a 1-step MacAdam ellipse on the
vertical axis of the standard color space dia-
gram and within a 2-step MacAdam ellipse
on the horizontal axis.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1fBfgeL
GE Lightings LED downlight based
on Zhaga modular light engine
GE Lighting has announced the Lumination
DI Series of LED-based downlights that are
available in 4- and 6-in. round and square
versions with a broad choice of CCT, CRI,
and beam spread. The flexibility comes
courtesy of the use of SSL modules as the
base of the product that is compatible with
the Zhaga Consortium Book 5 specification.
The GE downlight announcement is
the second recent instance of a company
announcing a major recessed downlight
product family based on a modular light
engine (see Lutron leverages Xicato
module in recessed LED fixtures). While
the modular technologies GE and Lutron
chose are quite different, the benefits
include the ability to design and build one
basic fixture and offer many variations
through the choice of the light engine a
topic we have discussed in a feature article
LEDsmagazine.com
THE FUTURE
IS LOOKING
BRIGHT.
LED Compatible Products From Henkel
LED lighting device manufacturers have experienced compatibility problems
color shifts, yellowing or dome failurewhen using incompatible adhesives and
sealants. The presence of incompatible products can impairor destroyLED
performance. Product tests, for one of the worlds largest LED manufacturers,
have proven the superior quality of Henkel LED compatible products.

Henkel is the first manufacturer to provide a comprehensive offering of LED

compatible products for bonding, sealing, potting and threadlocking.

1-800-LOCTITE (5-2-8483) DARK BRIGHT

henkelna.com/LEDcompatibility LEDs without Henkel
compatible products
LEDs utilizing Henkel
compatible products

All marks used are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Henkel and its affliates in the U.S. and elsewhere.
= registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offce. 2014 Henkel Corporation. All rights reserved. 11803 (1/14)
news+views
on modular SSL (http://bit.ly/MS1tGR).
With lumen package options from 1000
to 4000 lm, the Lumination DI Series truly
is the ideal LED alternative to everything
from 13W CFL to 100W metal halide down-
lights, said John Koster, GE indoor LED
product manager. The company also offers
CCTs ranging from 2700K to 4000K, and the
choice of narrow, medium, and wide beam
patterns. In the case of the DI Series, GE is
using modules with a CRI of 90 because the
target application is lighting high-end retail,
hospitality, and office spaces.
In the GE Lighting case, the products
use the Infusion modules that rely on phos-
phor-converted white LEDs. GE developed
the Infusion modules in house after hav-
ing acquired the original technology from
Journe Lighting back in 2009.
The other elements that differentiate the
GE design are the Zhaga compatibility and the
fact that Book 5 defines a mechanical design
that can be installed with a twist-and-lock
motion that is akin to changing a lightbulb.
Koster says the socketable module allows for
a simpler upgrade and tool-free service.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1lwVp5B
CONTROLS
Greenvity network-enabled
controllers for LED lighting
Greenvity Communications has announced
a family of control modules for intelligent
LED-based lighting systems with support for
HomePlug powerline communications and
ZigBee wireless networks. Solid-state light-
ing product developers can use the modules
to quickly prototype LED-based systems, and
to handle early-stage production. Developers
can also use the modules as reference designs
for high-volume systems that directly inte-
grate Greenvitys microcontroller-based ICs.
The modules include the GV-Controller,
GV-LED, and GV-Sensor products. A GV-
Controller serves as the foundation of a smart
lighting system and includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi,
and Bluetooth support that is bridged to the
ZigBee or HomePlug networks. The GV-Con-
troller allows PCs, smartphones, or tablets
access to the GV-LED modules that are typi-
cally integrated with an LED driver to support
on/off control, dimming, and in some cases
tunable color. The GV-Sensor is designed to
be integrated into a luminaire or dedicated
room sensors and can be used to monitor
motion, light levels, and temperature.

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All three of the new Greenvity modules
are based on the companys Hybrii SOC
(system on chip) ICs. Customers can spec-
ify the modules with either the GV7011 or
GV7013 ICs. Both include an 8-bit Arm9
microcontroller. The former includes sup-
port for Ethernet, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, HomePlug,
and other networks. The lower-cost GV7013
only includes HomePlug powerline com-
munications support. HomePlug, a home-
networking standard promulgated by the
HomePlug Powerline Alliance, allows for
data to be transmitted over existing home
AC wiring.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1lwZ2Zf
Illuminating
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Shin-Etsu Silicones propels vital silicone material
solutions to provide innovative advantages that
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NXP secures battery-free
wireless LED control
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)
in January, NXP Semiconductors hosted an
LED lighting demonstration with a wireless
communication link between a battery-
free switch and prototype lamps based on
an NXP wireless-enabled microcontroller.
Moreover, the demonstration relied on near-
field communications (NFC) between a tab-
let or smartphone and the switch to create along with the fact that no power or battery
a secure link between the switch and the is required at the switch. In past demonstra-
lamps in the demonstration. tions, however, the wireless link between a
The demonstration used an energy-har- switch and a lamp was unsecured. Any
vesting switch from EnOcean. The switch switch could control any lamp within wire-
works by harvesting the energy generated less range.
when a person presses a switch to temporar- In the CES demonstration, NXP imple-
ily power a microcontroller that then sends mented a security key that ties together
a message to the LED lamps. A quick push specific switches and lamps. The key can
toggles the on/off state of the lamp. If you be stored in the lamps in the microcon-
depress and hold the switch, the lamps will trollers memory. But the switch with no
dim or brighten until you release the switch. power presents a problem for commission-
The advantage of the wireless technology ing. NXP uses NFC technology thats imple-
is the lack of any need to install new wiring mented in some smartphones and tablets to
Diffuser
Optics
Reector
LED Chip
PCB
Highly Reective Dam Materials:
KER-2000-DAM
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#
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store the key in the switch. When the switch
is tapped against the mobile device, the NFC
message can be transmitted to a tag in the
switch in the same manner that passive
radio frequency identification (RFID) tags
are written. NXP developed the lamps in the
demonstration based on its JN5161 wireless-
enabled microcontroller that provides Zig-
Bee wireless compatibility.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1nIFLmo
Luxeras DC approach to
dimmable LED retrofits
Luxera has announced the availability of its
SmartSwitch family of SSL products, which
includes a dimmer unit that mounts in exist-
ing junction boxes, and proprietary LED-
based lamps that operate from a low-volt-
age DC supply.
While many LED retrofit lamps with
integral AC/DC drivers are designed to
work with triac and electronic phase-con-
trolled dimmers, the performance is still
inconsistent with some products having
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flicker problems and others not dimming
smoothly over the full range. Conversely,
LED-based products designed to work with
interconnects such as DALI or with 010V
controls dim very uniformly. That real-
ization led Luxera to a different concept
for retrofitting lamp sockets and wall-
based dimmers.
The SmartSwitch is designed to fit
into existing junction boxes. The module
includes a microcontroller-based system
to both interface with Bluetooth-enabled
devices and control the integrated AC-DC
power electronics. The module accepts an
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110V AC input, and outputs a nominal 48V
low-voltage DC signal.
The SmartSwitch will not work with the
broad range of LED-based retrofit lamps
on the market. For now the product only
works with Luxeras proprietary DC-input
lamps. Moreover, the SmartSwitch can only
be installed in 3-wire scenarios where both
the hot and neutral wires are available in
the junction box. The advantage of the Lux-
era approach is what the company says is
a 1000:1 dimming granularity range along
with the wireless capability.
MORE: http://bit.ly/LHIbD0
Crestron SSL switch panel
Crestron has a new SSL controls product
designed to simplify on-off-based control
scenarios in small commercial spaces, and
that can also be integrated in larger instal-
lations with the companys enterprise-level
products. The GL-IPAC-SW8 Green Light
Integrated Switching panel can control up
to eight circuits of lighting loads with a
MBN GmbH
86316 Friedberg Germany
Tel. +49/ 8 21/ 6 00 99-0
Fax +49/ 8 21/ 6 00 99-99
E-Mail info@proled.com
www.proled.com
 news+views
maximum of 64 total loads.
The panel includes inputs for as many as
24 occupancy sensors and 24 photo sensors
that can trigger on-off cycles. Moreover, the
panels support local and remote keypads for
control. For more information on the prod-
uct, see the longer article on the Green Light
panel on our Illumination in Focus website.
MORE: illuminationinfocus.com/news/5/1/1
Belkin LED lamps based on WeMo
wireless network platform
Belkin International has announced the
WeMo Smart LED bulb along with a starter
kit that includes a bridge between Wi-Fi
networks and the ZigBee wireless network
that underlies the companys WeMo home-
automation technology platform. The net-
working setup is similar to that offered by
Philips Lighting in the Hue product family.
The home-networking specialist used the
CES as the venue to announce its entry into
the lighting market.
The WeMo platform was designed to
enable home automation with Belkin
offering wirelessly-accessible products such
as switchable AC outlets, light switches,
motion sensors, light sensors, and even a baby
monitor. The WeMo nodes are connected by
the ZigBee wireless network and the WeMo
Link devices provide a bridge between the
ZigBee nodes and a home Wi-Fi network.
That Wi-Fi network allows access to the
nodes from locally-connected smartphones,
tablets, or PCs, or via any remote device
connected through the Internet.
The LED lamps offered initially by Belkin
are 3000K, 800-lm, 60W-equivalent products
projected for 23 years of life. Unlike Hue, the
Belkin products produce only white light,
although the lamps are fully dimmable. In
fact, Belkin offers a dim-to-sleep function
that gradually dims the light. The company
20 FEBRUARY 2014
said that mode is designed to have people
fall asleep more naturally.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1ie4niR
PACKAGED LEDS
Osram optimizes square
LED for higher operating
temperatures, indoor SSL
Osram Opto Semiconductors has announced
new members of the 33-mm Oslon Square
family of LEDs that the company asserts are
capable of reliable operation at extended
junction temperatures. The new versions
can be reliably driven at higher currents,
allowing SSL developers to deliver more
cost-effective lamps or luminaires for indoor
applications where enclosed operation can
lead to high ambient temperatures.
Osram is characterizing and binning the
new Oslon Square LEDs at 85C because that
temperature is more typical than 25C that
has been the usual level used for character-
ization in the industry for datasheets. Higher
binning temperature, however, is no longer
new as many manufacturers now follow that
path. But Osram said that a new device archi-
tecture allows its latest square LEDs to oper-
ate at even higher junction temperatures.
With our new conversion technology, we
can produce significantly thinner converter
layers, said Ivar Tangring in SSL product
development at Osram. The thinner layers
better dissipate the heat, thus enabling the
higher temperatures in the LED. Presum-
ably, the thinner converter layers refer to the
phosphor application on the LED.
Specifically, the new chip architecture has
resulted in a better thermal resistance spec-
ification of 3 K/W relative to 3.8 K/W in the
prior generation products. Improved ther-
mal resistance allows the LEDs to be driven
at 1.8A, up from 1.5A. Osram said that the
LEDsmagazine.com
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new LEDs were undergoing LM-80 testing
and should have passed the 3000-hour mark
by the end of 2013. The full 6000 hour test
results will be available in the spring of 2014.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1bVH2Ox
Samsungs COB LED products
with 143 lm/W efficacy
Samsung Electronics has announced that the
LC series of chip-on-board (COB) LEDs now
offer efficacy improvements in the range of
10% across the various color temperatures
at which the components are available. The
company has also added new 3500K versions
of the LEDs and says that it will offer 90-CRI
versions of the LEDs by mid-year.
The announcement covers the LC013B
LEDs with an 11-mm light-emitting surface
(LES) and the LC026B and LC040B LEDs with
a 17-mm LES. As the model numbers imply, the
LEDs are rated at 13W, 26W, and 40W, respec-
tively. Samsung targets spotlights, down-
lights, and directional retrofit lamps includ-
ing PAR and MR products with the LEDs.
Beautifully Simple.
The smart alternative to hand-soldering wires to chip-on-board LEDs.
LUMAWISE LED holders. Learn more at lumawise.com
2014 TE Connectivity Ltd. family of companies. All Rights Reserved. LUMAWISE, TE Connectivity
and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks.
close to 1000 Autobahn LED luminaires from
the American Electric Lighting business unit
of Acuity Brands along a 19-mile stretch of
highway in Santa Rosa County.
The Santa Rosa County, Florida project
involved lighting a previously unlit section
of Highway 98, the main thoroughfare that
Across all three product families, efficacy traces the Gulf Coast in the Florida panhan-
is now 130 lm/W at 3000K and 143 lm/W at
5000K. Those numbers are increased from
120 lm/W and 129 lm/W, respectively. Based
on a look at datasheets for Samsungs exist-
ing LC series of products, the touted effi-
cacy is likely measured at a 25C tempera-
ture. Samsung did not specify the operating
temperature in the announcement.
MORE: http://bit.ly/1k41fK0
dle. The installation was in the western part
OUTDOOR LIGHTING of the panhandle near Pensacola, and was
needed to improve safety.
Acuity supplies LED luminaires One key factor in making the project
in Florida DOT project affordable was reuse of existing wooden util-
The Florida Department of Transportation ity poles that carry power distribution wir-
(FDOT) and utility Gulf Power have installed ing. Installing new poles actually outweighs
 Light Years Ahead
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LEDMAGFeb2014
news+views
the cost of new fixtures, even in the case of
relatively expensive LED-based products.
But the existing poles were spaced irregu-
larly and even mounting heights would have
to vary over the length of the project.
Chad Luttrell, southeast regional utility
sales manager, said there were quite a few
challenges with the poles. The poles were set
back from the road up to 50 ft in some
cases. The four-lane road is relatively wide
with turn lanes that increase the demands
on beam pattern. And the power lines meant
that mounting heights had to be 25 ft or less
on many of the poles. Luttrell said, The proj-
ect provided a multitude of challenges that
other manufacturers could not meet, but
American Electric Lighting was able to sup-
ply a fixture that met both FDOT and Gulf
Powers expectations.
Cree supplies LED
streetlights to Baytown
Cree has announced that Baytown became
the first city in the state of Texas to light
freeways with LED fixtures mounted on
double-arm 54-ft poles spaced at 270 ft.
Baytown, located just east of Houston,
worked with the Texas Department of Trans-
portation (TxDOT) on the freeway project
that includes Interstate I10, the 330 spur,
and State Highway 146. First the city per-
formed a trial monitoring the light output
of six 400W high-pressure sodium (HPS) fix-
tures over the course of three months and
then replacing them with Cree LED fixtures
and taking similar measurements. The test
program that was initiated in 2010 led the
city and TxDOT to choose SSL for the larger
lighting project.
TxDOT had data that showed relamping
cost of HPS lighting along freeways to be
$130 to $150 with the actual cost to a munic-
ipality even higher due to added labor costs.
Moreover, the typical HPS light on a freeway
must be relamped every two years. Patti Jett,
public affairs coordinator for Baytown, said,
The cost savings have directly offset other
important budgetary items, while reduced
maintenance needs allow staff to work
on other projects city-wide. The lighting
upgrade has certainly impacted taxpayer
dollars in a very positive way.
The lighting retrofit, however, has also
delivered improved light quality. The city
said that law enforcement agencies have
indicated the SSL installation of LEDway
SeriesE products that top out at around
24,000 lm has created a safer nighttime envi-
ronment and that other motorists have com-
mented about the enhanced visibility and
elimination of shadows.
+ funding
programs
DOE releases pedestrian-centric
outdoor lighting research
The US Department of Energy (DOE)
has released a report via its Gateway
Demonstration Program on pedestrian-
friendly outdoor lighting. The report is
based on projects at Stanford University
near Palo Alto, California and at Chautauqua
Institution in southwestern New York State.
Both of the demonstration areas are pedes-
trian-centric and tested multiple light fix-
tures based on LED and legacy sources in
an attempt to identify luminaires that were
both safe and pleasant for the residents with
minimal glare.
The new report notes that outdoor
lighting installations are most often guided
by metrics that apply more to drivers of
vehicles than to pedestrians, and therefore
may not be appropriate in cases where cars
are subordinate to bicycles and users on
foot. For example, glare ratings are based
on the Illuminating Engineering Society
(IES) Luminaire Classification System BUG
(backlight, uplight, glare) rating in which
high-angle glare is the concern for driver
LEDsmagazine.com
discomfort. The researchers found that
pedestrians are much more bothered by glare
from lower angles measured from 075 from
the pole toward the 90 level at the height of
the luminaire.
There is a lack of good metrics to charac-
terize discomfort glare, and the problem is
more acute when the subject is close to the
light sources. The demonstration programs
tested different lighting options through mul-
tiple rounds of mockups before settling on
LED-based luminaires that would be consid-
ered for campus-wide deployment. The mock-
ups revealed unacceptable options based on
both LED and legacy sources. Some legacy
products could have been suitable, although
when short product lifetimes were factored in
LED options won out.
The key to LED success was in part the
evolution of the technology, especially in
color temperature. Surveys revealed that
test subjects preferred lights at 4000K and
warmer, and products in the 2700K range
were most preferred, especially page 28
DOE publishes a
snapshot report on
LED A-lamps listed
in Lighting Facts
The DOE has released a new snapshot
report from its Caliper program that
summarizes the performance character-
istics of omnidirectional LED A-lamps
that are listed in the agencys Lighting
Facts program. The report provides a
summary of the technological advance-
ment of LED retrofit lamps and com-
pares the A-lamp with all other lamp
types and with other solid-state light-
ing (SSL) products such as luminaires.
The snapshot report focused specifi-
cally on what have been called omnidi-
rectional lamps in Lighting Facts and
since the August 2013 revision to the
program are now called A-lamps. The
intent is to separate lamps that emit in
all directions using the ANSI-specified A
shape from directional lamps including
the so-called snow-cone LED styles that
have a bulb shape but radiate light only
in the forward direction.
The Lighting Facts program cur-
rently has 312 A-lamps listed. But the
DOE noted the importance of the A-lamp
in that it is the product type that con-
sumers are most likely to purchase. The
A-lamps are the category most impacted
by the EISA (Energy Independence and
Security Act) regulations on the maxi-
mum power that various classes of bulbs
can consume often referred to as the
incandescent bulb ban.
The report charts the efficacy
advancements in A-lamps on a quarter-
by-quarter basis going back to Q3 2009
when median efficacy was 40 lm/W. For
Q3 2013, mean efficacy is 78 lm/W. More-
over, the mean efficacy for all A-lamps in
the Lighting Facts program that are still
being actively sold is 69 lm/W. The bulk
of the products meet existing Energy
Star efficacy requirements and the
stricter standards that will be enforced
next year.
There remains a shortage of available
LED A-lamps listed in the page 28
FEBRUARY 2014 27
 funding programs+
Pixelligent wins SBIR grant to develop
OLED lighting materials
Advanced materials developer Pixelligent
Technologies has been awarded a Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I
grant by the DOE to further its development of
organic light-emitting diode (OLED) enabling
materials. The goal of the Advanced Light
Extraction Material for OLED Lighting pro-
gram is to develop an internal light-extrac-
tion structure that will be fully compatible
with OLED device fabrication processes and
conditions that can speed up commercializa-
tion of white OLED lighting.
Pixelligents previous product develop-
ments have included nanocrystal materi-
als that can be added to common polymers
using standard manufacturing processes for
applications in SSL, flat-panel displays, opti-
cal components, and films. The nine-month,
$150,000 program will enable Pixelligent to
accelerate the development of its nanoaddi-
tives for use in OLED lighting.
We are honored to receive this highly
competitive grant from the DOE that rec-
ognizes the significant value our advanced
materials can provide in solid-state lighting
applications, said Dr. Gregory D. Cooper,
CTO and founder of Pixelligent Technologies.
As part of the program, Pixelligent will
partner with OLED device manufacturer
OLEDWorks based in Rochester, New York.
Michael Boroson, CTO of OLEDWorks,
added, We have been working with Pixelli-
gent for some time and believe the combina-
tion of its best-in-class high-index materials
with OLEDWorks expertise in OLED device
development and manufacturing will help
accelerate the market introduction of OLED
lighting solutions.
Since 2012, Pixelligent has received three
SBIR grants from the DOE, totaling $1.3 mil-
lion in funds, to expedite the development of
its advanced materials for commercial use.
Pedestrian from page 27
given the character of the neighborhood
and the incumbent warmer light sources.
The work verified that glare is a significant
factor in pedestrian ratings of lighting, and
revealed that area lighting in pedestrian-
centric areas could essentially offer better
nighttime visibility at the low end of IES
guidelines on luminance and illuminance.
You can peruse the full report on the DOE
website (http://1.usa.gov/1axM85W).
A-lamps from page 27
program that can replace 75W and 100W
incandescent lamps, despite the fact that
those were the first categories in which
EISA regulations took effect.
For more information you can down-
load the full report in PDF form (http://1.
usa.gov/1g0LsLk). The DOE LED Lighting
Facts website lists the newest report on
top of a list of several snapshot reports.
 
 
  


 
 


















   






   

 
 
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1402leds_REV_30 30 2/20/14 4:24 PM

planar sources | OLEDS
Surface-emissive OLED panels
mature slowly, remain spectacular
Over the past year, manufacturers of OLED panels have improved color performance and
lifetime, but as MAURY WRIGHT reports, high cost remains an issue that limits the technology
to niche applications.
T
he surface-emission characteristic
of OLED (organic LED) technology
that produces inherently diffuse
and glare-free light continues to entice the
lighting industry with spectacular aesthet-
ics. The allure will grow as manufactur-
ers continue to improve the color render-
ing and longevity of the panels. It appears,
however, that cost will remain a barrier
to mainstream use so the question will
become how much of a premium customers
will pay for dramatic OLED lighting. The
answer, unknown for now, will determine
how deeply OLEDs penetrate the lighting
industry. Still, OLEDs are delivering today
in niche applications for which neither
LEDs nor legacy sources would suffice.
We last covered OLED technology in
depth in mid-2012 (illuminationinfocus.
com/features/3/8/1) in an Illumination in
Focus article. At that time, much of the
discussion centered on how OLED efficacy
was trailing the efficacy of inorganic-LED-
based solid-state lighting (SSL) and on the
high manufacturing cost of OLEDs. OLED
panel makers have made progress on both
fronts. But the bad news is that the main-
stream LED industry is moving even faster.
Even if the OLED industry could outper-
form the US Department of Energy (DOE)
roadmap we discussed in the prior article,
the gap relative to LED cost and efficacy
could broaden by 2020.
Does that mean we should forget OLED
technology as a light source? Proponents of
the technology certainly dont think so, nor
do some lighting designers and specifiers.
Acuity Brands is one of the companies that
is ardently trying to commercialize OLED implementation with excellent color
technology. Mike Lu, director of Acuitys quality, the technologies arent so far apart
OLED Design Center, said that the com- in terms of efficacy. Lu said that Acuity
pany held a focus group with top lighting had verified the color performance of the
designers in New York City early in 2013, new panels in the lab and measured the
and the top desire was better color render- efficacy at 56 lm/W. That is about the same
ing performance and warmer CCTs. While efficacy that the prior panels had delivered
designers and specifiers would surely like in mid-2012, although LG Chem had since
to have better efficacy and lower price, delivered about a 25% efficacy gain in the
those werent the main barriers to usage 80-CRI products.
at least in niche applications.
Improving color
The focus group
led Acuity to
huddle with its
panel manufactur-
ing partner LG Chem. The panels
that Acuity had been using in its OLED fix-
tures featured a CRI in the 8082 range with
a positive but low R9 value for saturated red
performance. Those panels were available in
3500K or 4000K CCTs.
LG Chem has since developed a new panel
that delivers 3000K light at a CRI of 89, and
R9 value of 30. That performance doesnt
match the very best LED-based products but
would be considered premium-level perfor-
mance. LG Chem achieved the improvement
by adding another layer in the OLED stack
so that red, green, and blue pixels are verti-
cally aligned in the stack.
When you refocus a comparison of
OLED and LED technology on a product
The Blackjack Aradess decorative OLED
table lamp uses eight OLED panels to
deliver diffuse glare-free light.
planar sources | OLEDS

Relative efficacy
Lu compared the 89-CRI OLED panels to
remote phosphor LED modules from Xicato
or SSL products based on Soraas gallium-
nitride-on-gallium-nitride (GaN-on-GaN)
LEDs, both of which have a broad spectral
power distribution and excellent color per-
formance. Lu said the LED products with
top color performance have efficacy specs
in the 4060-lm/W range, pretty much in
the same ballpark as what OLEDs deliver.
Lu said, OLEDs have an intrinsically broad
Judges for the Lighting for Tomorrow 2013 competition selected the Modern Forms
power spectrum.
Vela chandelier from WAC Lighting as a winner in the OLED category.
Lu also said that LG Chem had made
incremental improvements in lifetime.
The latest panels have an L70 life of 18,000 eliminate any glare issue and maximize life, LEDs in some OLED products that are being
hours so long as developers keep drive as we discussed in the prior OLED article offered commercially. Back in the spring of
currents relatively low. Indeed, Acuity is referenced earlier. 2013 we covered the launch of new manu-
keeping currents down and panel output Of course price will remain an issue, and facturer Blackjack Lighting by well-known
in the 25003000-cd/m 2 range to both you can easily see the disparity relative to lighting designer Stephen Blackman. The
companys Aradess table lamp uses Philips
Lighting OLED panels and was announced
with a price of $5900 (illuminationinfocus.
com/news/4/5/8). But the design is elegant
and for the luxury market. And you couldnt
easily achieve it with LED sources.

OLED product acceptance

We are also seeing signs of broader accep-
tance of OLED technology in the light-
ing community. For example, the Lighting
for Tomorrow competition, which is man-
aged by the American Lighting Association
(ALA), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency
(CEE), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL),
included an OLED category in 2013. The cat-
egory drew three entrants and the Vela chan-
delier from WAC Lightings Modern Forms
brand was selected a winner.
Its worth noting that the judges for
Lighting for Tomorrow, a panel that includes
prominent lighting designers and experts,
are not required to choose a winner in any
category. The judges must feel that the
product meets a broad set of predefined
criteria including application efficiency,
color rendering, and appearance. Moreover,
the judging criteria include a value and
marketability category.
The suggested retail price for the Vela

Modern Forms' Vela chandelier from

WAC Lighting is a product that could
not be easily realized with a light source
other than OLEDs.

32 FEBRUARY 2014 LEDsmagazine.com

Acuitys Modelo OLED products from the Winona brand enable free-form design with the panels mounted on a track that supplies
control and power, and that could also enable a mix of LED products such as pendants installed on the same track.
chandelier is $9900. Having participated
in the judging process in the 2012 awards,
we saw an LED-based chandelier priced
in the $5000 range receive a Special Rec-
ognition award from the judging panel. So
a near $10,000 OLED chandelier was cer-
tainly considered by the 2013 judges to offer
value, at least at the high end of the resi-
dential market. Furthermore, Vela is one of
those products that could not be easily real-
ized with a light source other than OLEDs.
For a further example of what the market
will bear, consider the case study we covered
in late 2013. The Providence VIP Club, located
in a high-end retail and office complex in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has installed 1680
Philips Lighting OLED panels (http://bit.
ly/1dddzF3). Neither Philips nor the local
contractor SLT Asia discussed the cost in
concrete terms, but club owner Ashwin
Prakash saw it as a solid investment, saying,
It is an investment that few would make, but
we believe in adopting new technologies in
our clubs to enhance the VIP experience. Our
guests are enamored by the lights.
Acuitys highest-profile OLED project to
date was in the Innovation Center at the
US Embassy in Helsinki, Finland that was
announced in the spring of 2013 (illumina
tioninfocus.com/news/4/3/8). But the DOE
34 FEBRUARY 2014
was instrumental in guiding the selection of
all of the lighting that went into that project
including LED-based lighting, and the proj-
ect was a proof of concept to some extent.
Mainstream acceptance
The question for many in the lighting
industry will be at what price level main-
stream consumers will adopt OLED light-
ing. Dietmar Thomas, a communications
specialist at Philips, has gone on the record
saying that OLEDs would find application in
home lighting in 2015.
Acuitys Lu prefers to discuss the price
issue in consumer electronics terms,
using flat-panel TVs as an analogy. Lu
asked, What kind of premium can OLED
luminaires command? He said that in the
TV market, consumer electronics vendors
believe that a significant number of buyers
will pay 3050% more for an OLED TV
relative to an LED-backlit LCD TV. Of course
OLED TVs havent hit that price level yet, so
no one knows for sure.
Still, Lu believes that OLED lighting will
command a similar premium. And while
OLEDs arent within that percentage range
relative to LEDs at the light-source level, a
system-level comparison will be different. In
both technologies the light source is increas-
ingly a diminishing component of the system
cost. And when you compare like products
in terms of color performance as mentioned
previously, the gap narrows further.
Acuity, meanwhile, is working to con-
vert its Kindred, Revel, Trilia, and Canvis
OLED product lines to support the new LG
Chem panels. By the time this article hits the
street, you may well have seen an announce-
ment from Acuity highlighting the superior
color performance.
Jeannine Fisher, director of OLED busi-
ness development at Acuity, said that the
company is already shipping products based
on the new panels to a lead customer. She
also said a soon-to-be-revealed project on
the East Coast will be the largest and most
dramatic yet supported by Acuity. Fisher
said that the company is also preparing to
commercially roll out the Modelo and other
OLED products announced at Lightfair 2013
with the new LG Chem panels.
Fisher also summed up the price question
from the companys perspective, saying,
Relative to other OLED products, our
products are very competitively priced.
The key factor is price relative to competitive
technologies. But Fisher said OLEDs are
competitive with LEDs today in products
that make a similar design statement.
LEDsmagazine.com
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Value proposition
From the value proposition perspec-
tive, Philips sees things similarly. Kristin
Knappstein, Philips global director of
OLED business creation, said that products
based on the companys Lumiblade panels
are delivering aesthetics and unique fea-
tures that cant be achieved any other way.
We are preferably targeting applications
where OLEDs really contribute value and
enable new designs or light effects, said
Knappstein. We consider applications such
36 FEBRUARY 2014
as vertical or integrated lighting as attrac-
tive, as they are based on bringing this dis-
tributed light more to human scale, bring-
ing it closer to people by integrating it into
furniture and surfaces that surround them.
Still, Knappstein believes that panel
makers must continue to drive efficacy and
brightness. She added, When it comes to
OLED lighting, it is really about the right
balance: It needs first a proper lumen out-
put to really call it a light source, and then it
is about delivering excellent light quality by
Philips LivingSculpture modular OLED
technology allows lighting designers
to deliver customized lighting systems
with 3D forms using a simple online
configuration tool.
means of rich, warm light without glare and
which brings out the true colors.
Today, Philips is delivering the GL350
panel in its performance line with a flux out-
put of 200 lm from a 124.5-mm square panel.
Knappstein said that the company will have
a higher-performance product at the upcom-
ing Light+Building tradeshow; we saw that
product in the lab and it is very bright.
Philips has a broad portfolio of products
that are the result of its Lumiblade Creative
Lab located in Aachen, Germany. Lighting
manufacturers and designers can attend
OLED lighting workshops at the lab and even
use it as a design studio, working collabora-
tively with Philips OLED experts.
You can view much of the Lumileds work
at the interactive Lumiblade Experience
website (w w w.lu m iblade- page 40
The Providence VIP Club in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia features a lighting
system that consists of 1680 OLED
panels manufactured by Philips Lighting
that provide a dramatic and dynamic
experience to club-goers.
LEDsmagazine.com

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planar sources | OLEDS
The floor-standing Acuity Lumen Being OLED lamp targets
commercial spaces.
experience.com). The work includes products such as Mimosa
that consists of five panels and mechanics that can move the four
outer flowers, mimicking a flower opening and closing based on
the proximity of a hand or other object to the fixture. That product
may be extreme in terms of design, but there are more mainstream
products such as the Moorea desk lamp with classic bankers lamp
dimensions. Even that product has a unique ability to adjust the
height and angle of the OLED panels using the power cord and a
spring-loaded tensioner.
Philips also offers the modular LivingSculpture system that was
designed initially by Christopher Bauder of WHITEvoid. Lighting
designers can use an online configuration tool to develop ceiling-
or wall-mounted systems with 3D contours by varying the length
of the mounting rods that connect the panels to the modular base
within which the driver is mounted.
Getting back to price
Still, broader acceptance of OLED technology will get back to price
and therefore advancements in manufacturing technology. Back in
2012, Philips Thomas had predicted that by now the time required
to manufacture a panel would have dropped to two minutes. In
2012, Thomas said it could take as long as 30 minutes to grow what
LINKS
OLED research: Colnatec and Novaled partner, University of Utah
pursues white OLEDs http://bit.ly/1bkxnB2
Cambrios and Novaled partner on OLED tiles with transparent
electrodes http://bit.ly/1fTN2Kv
German OLED project So-Light concludes http://bit.ly/1aX5C7d
LEDsmagazine.com
can be as many as 20 to 30 layers that com-
prise the OLED stack on a glass substrate.
Philips will not quantify exactly where the
manufacturing time stands today. The com-
pany has commissioned a new production
line, although its off-limits to visiting jour-
nalists right now. We toured the older line.
It looks something like an elongated race-
track with sequential chambers through
which the glass panels pass on carriers, with
each chamber designed to grow a specific
OLED layer.
One issue, however, is that some panel
designs need multiple applications of the Designed by Jason Bruges Studio, the Mimosa luminaire features moving parts with
same layer at different places in the stack. Philips OLED panels that mimic the opening and closing of flower petals.
In the older line, the panel must circuit the
production line if the chamber that delivers a sidetrack and travel backwards for repet- designs. The price remains high, but the
the next required layer is behind the traf- itive processing steps. That change would premium is not as high as it first appears
fic flow in the sequential line. That means presumably make a significant improve- if you compare the cost of high-CRI LED-
panels pass through chambers many times ment in production time. based systems or if the comparison is rela-
with no processing taking place. Despite all the challenges, what has tive to unique form factors. Despite fledg-
Thomas said that the new line uses a dual become apparent in the last 18 months is ling success in the market, its clear that
track system to move panels on carriers that OLEDs can be used today to deliver OLED proponents believe deeply in the
through the sequence. A panel can move to both functional and striking lighting future of the technology.
sources | PACKAGED LEDS
Understand the true cost of LED
choices in SSL systems
The LED component cost is only one facet of the design and production cost for solid-state lighting
(SSL) systems. Other factors that impact the overall cost, performance, and lifetime of general
lighting products include the suitability of components for the intended lighting application, thermal
management, and packaging, explain RALPH TUTTLE and MARK McCLEAR.
T
he solid-state lighting (SSL) indus-
try has focused on LED component
cost as the key to lower upfront
costs for LED-based lighting and broader
deployment. And indeed lower LED prices
are important for broader SSL adoption.
Still, there can be hidden system-level costs
and reliability issues tied to the selection
of LED components, which SSL developers
must understand to deliver products that
perform well at install and throughout an
extended life. Lengthy LM-80 testing of
components is paramount to robust light-
ing products. Lets examine some back-
ground on LED manufacturing and trends,
discuss SSL application requirements, and
then consider how the hidden cost of LED
components can impact the success of a
general-lighting product.
We often hear remarks about how quickly
LED technology is changing and the rapid
pace of the so-called LED lighting revolution.
But this apparent trend is underpinned by
decades of product research and development
and manufacturing capacity investment put
in place to serve other, older segments of the
LED market that came well before the LED
lighting market segment emerged. The LED
TV market is one such market segment, and
an entire product and manufacturing infra-
structure was quietly built up in 2010 and
2011 to supply LED chips and plastic LED
packages to meet the anticipated demand of
this relatively low-cost, low-performance con-
sumer products market segment.
RALPH TUTTLE is applications engineer
manager and MARK McCLEAR is vice
president, applications engineering, at Cree, Inc.
LEDsmagazine.com
Metal-organic chemical vapor deposi- characteristics of LEDs designed for TV
tion (MOCVD) process tools are required for applications may appear similar to lighting-
making LED chips of any kind. There was a class LEDs, there are distinct differences
massive wave of LED chip-making capacity between the two LED types: the materials
that was put into place to support the antic- of construction and critical long-term reli-
ipated demand of the nascent LED TV seg- ability metrics such as lumen maintenance
ment during this short 20102011 window. and color stability.
This additional capac-
ity was more than the
total industry capac- Photons emitted Photons refected
ity that existed before directly from chip off sidewall of
through phosphor package
that time. cavity
Similar investments
Phosphor
in low- and mid-power
pla st ic pa ck a g i ng
capacity were made in PPA plastic
the LED industry dur- LED chips
ing this same time-
frame; however, sub- FIG. 1. A simplified cross-section of a plastic LED package.
sequent advancements
in display panel tech-
nology have dramatically Plastic low- and mid-power LEDs can pro-
reduced the number of LED components vide a uniform and smooth lighting appear-
required for a given display size, thus result- ance in some white lighting applications
ing in significant overcapacity issues in the such as LED panel lights, linear arrays, and
industry. This stranded LED chip-making T8-tube replacements where the maximum
and packaging capacity has had a very pos- LED junction temperature (Tj) can be con-
itive and beneficial impact on the pricing of sistently maintained at or below about 70C.
component LEDs, which has helped to accel- The low prices of these low- and mid-power
erate the LED lighting revolution. plastic LED packages make them tempting
choices for LED luminaire designers who
Mid-power LEDs in SSL are often faced with challenging cost and
The rapid price decline has also tempted performance design constraints. The
many to deploy these low-cost plastic LED materials used in the construction of many
packages designed for the consumer prod- low- and mid-power LEDs, however, can
ucts market in LED lighting applications make them risky choices for the majority of
that have much higher expectations for general lighting applications where common
quality and reliability. While the physi- LED junction temperatures can easily exceed
cal size, shape, and initial light output 70C. Cree frequently sees temperatures of
FEBRUARY 2014 43
sources | PACKAGED LEDS

LM-80 testing data set results in an L70 of approximately

110 Mid-power LED lumen maintenance Cree has performed 43,000 hours limited to a claim of 36,000
100 % LF extensive long-term hours by the 6X rule. The average chroma-
Luminous 90 lumen maintenance ticity shift is within a 7-step MacAdam
fux (%) testing of both plas- ellipse as required by the US Environmen-
80
L 70 tic and ceramic tal Protection Agencys Energy Star pro-
70
LED packages per gram, and these results would generally be
0 336 840 1344 1848 3024 4536 6048 IESNA LM-80-08, judged as satisfactory including by the
Test hours
Approved method Energy Star program for most lighting
0.024 Mid-power LED color stability for measuring lumen applications.
0.021 ma i ntena nce of A hidden cost of these low-cost plastic
0.018
0.015
LED light sources. LED packages can come into play when the
u'v' 0.012 7-step 4-step u'v' LM-80 requires test- same devices are extended beyond 6,000
0.009
0.006
ing LEDs for a mini- hours of LM-80 testing. Fig. 3 shows the
0.003 mum of 6,000 hours same LEDs after more than 17,000 hours
0.000
0 336 840 1344 1848 3024 4536 6048 and recommends of LM-80 testing. Lumen depreciation has
Test hours testing for longer significantly increased due to the discol-
FIG. 2. LM-80 test results for mid-power plastic LED periods to improve oration of the PPA material. As seen in the
package after 6,048 hours. predictive model- upper graph, the L70 life is rapidly declining
ing of lumen main- toward less than 20,000 hours as a result of
t en a nc e . I E S N A the light being absorbed in the LED package.
100C in our Thermal, Electrical, Mechanical, TM-21-11, Projecting An additional consequence of this material
Photometric, and Optical (TEMPO) testing long term lumen maintenance of LED light discoloration is the large shift in chroma-
services program. sources, similarly recommends testing for ticity of a nearly 20-step MacAdam ellipse,
times longer than 6,000 hours. An impor- which would be unacceptable in almost any
Temperature impact tant aspect of TM-21 is the 6X rule, which lighting application.
Now lets further consider the impact of limits the claims of usable lifetimes (L70) of
higher temperatures. Polyphthalamide tested LEDs to no more than six times the Color shift
(PPA) is a thermoplastic resin that is fre- actual accumulated LM-80 test time. This This shift in chromaticity is a very seri-
quently used as an electrical connector rule exists because of concerns about insta- ous, yet rarely discussed, issue with plastic
housing material in high-temperature bilities of some LED packages, and also to LED packages. When a plastic LED package
automotive applications. It has the ability minimize exaggerated lumen maintenance is first operated, light is emitted from the
to withstand the high temperatures found claims by LED manufacturers. LED chips directly through the phosphor
in engine compartments without cracking Fig. 2 shows the
or deforming. PPA is also the material used LM-80 test results
in most plastic-packaged low- and mid- of a typical set of 110 Mid-power LED lumen maintenance
power LEDs. mid-power (0.5W) 100
In addition to the light emitted directly plastic LED pack- % LF
Luminous 90
from the chips in a PPA plastic LED package, ages. These LEDs fux (%)
a significant amount of the light is reflected were tested at 85C 80
L 70
from the bright white internal surfaces of with a drive cur- 70
the package cavity in which the LED chips rent of 175 mA. The 0 840 1848 4536 7560 10584 13608 16632
are placed, as shown in Fig. 1. upper graph shows Test hours
One of the challenges with using PPA as the lumen output (% Mid-power LED color stability
0.024
the material for these LEDs is that, over LF) of the data set 0.021
time, the white surfaces discolor and darken and the lower graph 0.018
0.015 u'v'
when exposed to higher temperatures. Fur- shows the chroma- u'v' 0.012 7-step 4-step
thermore, the blue photons emitted from ticity or color-point 0.009
0.006
the LED chips used in phosphor-converted shift (u'v') of the 0.003
white LEDs cause additional discoloration of data set after 6,048 0.000
0 840 1848 4536 7560 10584 13608 16632
the PPA surfaces. As a result, during opera- hours of testing. Test hours
tion of the LEDs, the highly-reflective white Using the method
surfaces in the package begin to absorb defined in TM-21 to FIG. 3. LM-80 test results for mid-power plastic LED package
light, leading to considerable lumen depre- project the lumen after 17,136 hours.
ciation of the LED. maintenance of this

44 FEBRUARY 2014 LEDsmagazine.com

 sources | PACKAGED LEDS

as well as being reflected internally off of low- and mid-power

This light will be cooler as This light will be warmer as
the package walls, as shown in Fig. 4. The LEDs. The ceramic the mean free path the the mean free path the
mean free path of these blue photons emit- substrates used in photons travel through photons travel through the
ted directly through the phosphor will be the construction of the phosphor is phosphor is
relatively short relatively long
shorter than the mean free path of those high-power LEDs
reflected off the walls of the package. Thus are not used as
the color point of the light emitted directly reflective surfaces,
through the phosphor will be cooler, with so only the light
more blue energy, than the color point of the em itted d irectly
reflected light. Similarly the reflected light from the LED chip is
will be warmer, with more yellow energy, critical to the initial FIG. 4. A new plastic LED package at the beginning of
than the directly emitted light. The aver- or long-term lumen operation. The color point of the LED is dependent upon
age overall color of the LED package will be maintenance and both the cooler and warmer emitted light.
the combination of all of the emitted light color point (Fig. 6).
both cool and warm. When the PPA dis- Even at high tem-
colors, the reflected light is absorbed by the peratures, lumen maintenance and color Changing the mid-power package
walls of the package so the warmer com- point stability far exceed those demon- Due to the known limitations of using PPA
ponent of the chromaticity is reduced, as strated by plastic-packaged LEDs. Fig. 7 resins as a packaging material for LEDs,
shown in Fig. 5. The result is a significant shows LM-80 test data from a set of standard Cree has developed a line of novel LED
shift in color point toward the cool end of high-power Cree XLamp XP-E LEDs. Even products that combines the advantages of
the spectrum. after more than 11,000 hours of testing at traditional low- and mid-power LED prod-
High-power LEDs do not suffer from 105C, with a drive current of 350mA, excel- ucts with the benefits from high-power
the same lumen depreciation and chro- lent lumen maintenance and color point sta- ceramic LED products. The new Cree XH
maticity shift issues as plastic-packaged bility is observed. family of ceramic-based LEDs can give the
sources | PACKAGED LEDS

same smooth lighting effect as plastic low- for any LED component is via LM-80 test-
and mid-power LEDs but without the hid- ing. While 6,000 hours of LM-80 test time All light is emitted directly from ceramic
den color shift and reliability costs of tra- are the minimum requirements for making packages; no light is internally refected
ditional PPA-based plastic LEDs, originally a lumen maintenance projection using the
designed for consumer applications. TM-21 method, longer LM-80 test times can
Whether plastic- or ceramic-based, low-, yield more accurate predictions and help
mid- or high-powered, the common denom- the luminaire designer reduce risk of lumen
inator and industry standard method for depreciation and color shift over time. As
assessing the lumen maintenance potential LM-80 testing continues on thousands of
LED components
with millions of accu- FIG. 6. A typical ceramic LED package.
This light will continue mulated test hours
This light will no longer be
to be emitted from emitted but will be our understanding of
the plastic LED absorbed by the discolored degradation mecha- over-investment by the LED manufacturing
package plastic LED package nisms continues to industry in LED chip and plastic packag-
grow, as well as our ing capacity based on anticipated demand
ability to extrapo- from the LED TV market. Beneficial results
late laboratory test for the LED lighting industry have come
results to real-world in the form of an expansion of LED panel
lighting applications. lights and T8 tube applications, and also
FIG. 5. A plastic LED package after operation that results The low- and mid- a dramatic reduction in general LED com-
in discoloration of material. The result is not only a loss of power LEDs on the ponent pricing. But the hidden cost of these
light output but also a blue shift in the color point. market today are low-cost plastic LEDs may come in the form
largely a result of of reduced reliability, diminished lumen
 sources | PACKAGED LEDS

110 High-power LED lumen maintenance

100
% LF
Luminous 90
fux (%)
80
L 70
70
0 840 1848 4536 7560 10584
Test hours

0.024 High-power LED color stability

0.021
0.018
0.015 u'v'
u'v' 0.012 7-step 4-step
0.009
0.006
0.003
0.000
0 840 1848 4536 7560 10584
Test hours

FIG. 7. LM-80 test results for high-power ceramic-based LEDs

after 11,592 hours at 105C.

maintenance, and poor color stability in the majority of common

lighting applications where the LED junction temperature is often
well above 70C.
LED luminaire designers should ask their LED manufacturer for
accredited LM-80 data reports with data beyond 10,000 hours of
test duration and carefully compare these results to their antici-
pated application operating conditions.
Plastic low- and mid-power LEDs can be reasonable choices for
some lighting applications but true lighting-class LEDsgenerally
based on ceramic substrates have demonstrated superior lumen
maintenance and color stability in the majority of lighting applica-
tions, and can deliver on the promise of long-term color, cost, and
energy-saving performance.

COMING NEXT MONTH

Packaged LED market update and SSL application review

The packaged LED market continues to surge in terms of
revenue growth and even more so in terms of unit shipments.

LEDs enable innovative life science applications

The same advances in LED architecture and manufacturing
process technology most recognized in general lighting also
deliver components for tasks such as UV curing in life science
and industrial applications.

Thermal simulation and design help SSL developers

meet tight market windows
The lighting industry has learned the hard way that thermal
design can make or break LED-based lighting products in
terms of robust performance and reliability.

LEDsmagazine.com

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conference | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT EUROPE

SILE speakers predict controls to

drive next wave of LED adoption
The three-day Strategies in Light Europe conference covered LED advancements to the government
regulatory environment, reports MAURY WRIGHT, but SSL control technology was the most prominent
theme and that worked nicely with a secondary focus on health and lighting.

T he future of lighting is intelligent.

The future is here today, said Tom
Pincince, president and CEO of Digital
Lumens, at the Strategies in Light Europe
(SILE) Conference held in Munich, Germany,
November 1921, 2013. Many of the other
speakers at SILE agreed that the next wave
of adoption of LED-based lighting will be
driven by adaptive controls and intelligent
lighting, but there was little agreement on
how such capability will be implemented. The
initial focus on controls is targeted at increas-
ing energy efficiency, but quickly a second-
ary focus is emerging on adaptive solid-state
lighting (SSL) systems that can boost produc-
tivity and increase our wellbeing.
Pincince, of course, can proclaim control
technology is here and available because
Digital Lumens offers an end-to-end sys-
tem including a wireless network, light-and
occupancy-sensing technology, networked At Strategies in Light Europe, attendees found presentations and exhibits focusing
SSL luminaires, and control software. But on adaptive controls and intelligent lighting, as well as human-centric solid-state
the Digital Lumens system is proprietary. We lighting (SSL) systems that can boost productivity and wellbeing.
discussed that issue with Pincince leading
up to SILE (http://bit.ly/1ddCxhX). Digital Osram and Philips keynotes engineering community. Laier said that by
Lumens has built its system on standards- Before we get to hurdling obstacles, however, 2020, middle-class people will have ten con-
based building blocks, but the application- lets discuss the need for controls and even nected devices.
layer interface is proprietary. creating the need in cases. Both Peter Laier, But the audience questioned Laier, with
The broader SSL community must wade CTO of Osram Licht, and Jeffrey Cassis, senior one person asking, What is the driving fac-
through a number of issues to enable wide vice president and general manager of global tor for smart lighting? Laier responded
usage of controls, according to speakers at lighting systems at Philips Lighting, pre- about the business sector, saying, Office is
SILE. There are technical problems such as sented keynote speeches during the Plenary going in the direction of energy consump-
the choice of network technology and pro- Session and both focused on controls. tion, driven by total cost of ownership. But
tocol stacks. There is little agreement as to Laier presented a visionary view of a light- he added that the lighting industry and
whether the lighting industry would bene- ing future with control enabled in smart- commercial customers need to also con-
fit from open interoperable networks such phone apps and adoption driven by consum- sider technologies such as tunable lighting
as the one used in the information technol- ers. He described the emerging class of what that can increase worker productivity and
ogy (IT) sector, or whether some proprie- he calls digital natives that want to control wellbeing.
tary layers might be appropriate. And there their environment with digital devices. And Still, Laier quickly returned to the mar-
are issues regarding how to price and sell he said any app-capable device draws hun- ket potential for lighting manufacturers. For
the technology. dreds or thousands of apps from the virtual consumers he said, The first thing is that

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 49

conference | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT EUROPE
you create new [interest] among consum-
ers with controls. And for both consumer
and residential markets, Laier said the light-
ing industry needs to offer compelling con-
trollable products that lead buyers to replace
installed lamps and luminaires prior to end
of life, just as the smartphone audience is on
a constant upgrade cycle.
Smart city applications
Philips Cassis focused more specifically
on energy savings and even the environ-
ment, and implied that controls are a vir-
tual necessity, especially in outdoor lighting.
Cassis said there are more than 500 mil-
lion outdoor luminaires installed globally
and that most use very old and inefficient
technology. He noted that LEDs can deliver
4060% energy savings but the world needs
better efficiency. He said, Dont just think
about ledification but digitalization.
The need for controls isnt just based on
energy consumption today but to where the
world population is headed. Cassis said there
will be a doubling of population and tripling of
area of land use in the next 20 years. He added
that by 2025, 60% of the growth will happen in
600 cities, driving the demand for the title of
his presentation Connected city lighting.
Today, less than 1% of the installed road-
way or street lights are connected. The rea-
son for the slow uptake has been the com-
plexity and cost of controls, driven in part
by proprietary technology, according to Cas-
sis. But he said, With LEDs we can connect
much easier than before.
Cassis emphasized that we need lights that
both offer control and are interactive, and
that deliver a livable and pleasing environ-
ment for residents. As an example, he men-
tioned the Philips LumiMotion technology
designed for pedestrian- and bicycle-domi-
nant environments with vehicle speeds below
30 kph. The technology is based on sensors
with a 20m radius that can be mounted on
light poles. The sensors can bring lights to
full level as a moving bicycle approaches and
communication between the poles is a key for
sensors. Cassis referred to the technology as
human-activity-based dimming.
There are reasons beyond energy savings
to install controls. We all know about the pro-
jected longevity of LED luminaires, but street-
lights face a rugged environment and there
will be failures. Cassis suggested that remote
50 FEBRUARY 2014
Digital Lumens LightRules software allows a facility to monitor the energy used by
the companys intelligent luminaires.
monitoring and asset management over a
two-way network will also save money for
maintenance operations. Other benefits will
ultimately include accurate energy meter-
ing in the luminaire. And Cassis concluded
with noting that once a city lighting network
is in place that you can connect other light-
ing such as in municipal buildings and parks.
Value proposition and pricing
The keynotes provided a good basis for much
of the discussion that was to come, including
getting to the financial discussion. Lets con-
sider the cost of controls and what price pre-
mium lighting specifiers, building owners,
and facility managers will pay for the poten-
tial energy savings attributable to dimming
or extinguishing lights autonomously when
they arent needed.
Mark Fryer, group finance director of UK-
based Dialight, attacked the issue head on.
Fryer said controls are currently being sup-
plied with about 1020% of Dialights prod-
ucts, but he added that it is definitely the
way of the future. Fryer said that adding
controls results in 10% incremental costs
for Dialight in manufacturing the luminaire.
Fryer, however, also said, We price to
pay back and we are looking to give [the
customer] a two-year payback. Based on
the two-year return on investment (ROI),
Fryer said Dialight could price the products
at a 33% premium. But he clarified that the
company would probably split the difference
with the customer.
Robust system design
While no one at SILE spoke against the
concept of controls, several speakers
cautioned that controls were only one
element of a robust SSL offering. For
example, Menko de Roos, CEO of LED
modular light engine manufacturer Xicato,
addressed controls and did so relative to
what he calls Lighting 2.0 stressing that
he wasnt discussing LED 2.0 or the second
wave of SSL. The point that de Roos tried to
make is that the industry needs to address
the specific lighting needs of businesses
and residences while also delivering energy
savings.
Xicato has worked since inception to
deliver light engines with good color ren-
dering and excellent color uniformity when
installed and over time. At the start of his
talk, de Roos quipped, Im not going to be
as boring as the product we launched five
years ago; it has not changed. He said that in
terms of color quality, Xicato products get to
end of life within a 3-step MacAdam ellipse,
a level of color uniformity where he asserts
most competitors start.
De Roos said Lighting 2.0 for the industry
must include better color uniformity, better
reliability, and integrated controls. He noted
that Xicato will announce a module at the
upcoming Light+Building tradeshow with
integrated controls. And he emphasized
that the product will remain in the same
modular form factors that Xicato has
utilized all along.
LEDsmagazine.com
 conference | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT EUROPE

Present-day success based Data Link d. o. o., lobbied

Annetta Kelso, senior market- for a simple approach to lighting
ing manager for the OEM chan- networks. Crha said lighting
nel in Europe for Philips Lighting, networks should not require an
warned that lighting manufactur- IP network address, expensive
ers are still struggling to deal with network administration, or
the transition to LED lighting and temperature and power sensors
must prioritize that task over add- embedded in luminaires. He argues
ing controls. She said the lighting that such features add cost, which
Xicatos Vibrant light engines render colors better (right) than
industry is still learning to deal will prevent broad deployment of
traditional light sources (left) for applications such as retail.
with the peaks and troughs of the networks and controls.
semiconductor industry. Before, she Crha is working on a one-way
said, ballasts had been impacted to a degree, robustness of products as dealing with the communication scheme that he calls PL*Com
but now light sources and drivers will be heav- here and now. Development teams must also and sends data on the mains power lines con-
ily impacted by semiconductor cycles. be working simultaneously on controls in necting to the luminaire. In particular, he is
Kelso said the lighting industry must what she calls phase 3 of the SSL transition. focusing on outdoor applications such as
learn to deal with end of life for SSL prod- streetlights. Crha believes such a simple sys-
ucts. Poor lighting product design in the past Networking options tem could be added to luminaires at a cost
may have resulted in frequent lamp changes, In addition to LED product design, the topic between 1 and 10 ($1.30 to $14).
but now it could result in ceiling lighting of networks for lighting was a recurring The bulk of the speakers, however,
failure on a massive scale. theme at SILE. There were interesting ideas expressed support for more robust net-
What Kelso advocates is continuous presented and some experiences shared both works. Yariv Oren, CEO of Israel-based Vir-
advancements. She referred to reliable SSL about technology and business practices. tual Extension, for example, said his compa-
design, and continuously improving the Darko Crha, managing director of Croatia- nys experience would indicate that two-way

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 51

conference | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT EUROPE

networks are needed. He emphasized, Cus-
tomers demand it.
Open or proprietary
Virtual Extension specializes in wireless mesh
networks and has worked with both proprie-
tary and open technologies and has installed
its technology in more than 170,000 lighting
nodes. Oren recommends the use of standards
for municipal or government projects or for
any project that may need future interoper-
ability. But he said proprietary systems can
offer a lower cost, and the China region is look-
ing for proprietary networks for lighting.
Proprietary systems have also been uti-
lized in Japan. Franois Seguineau, vice
president of lighting systems from Toshiba
Europe, focused his presentation on smart
lighting for health and productivity but was
specifically asked about the network tech-
nology that Toshiba would support. He said
that while the company was using a propri-
etary network in Japan, it would not bring
that technology to Europe and the US.
Indeed, he said the company is really wait-
ing to see which network technology wins
while using multiple technologies today.
Back to Virtual Extension, based on his
experience with installations in Europe,
Asia, and the US, Oren offered an interesting
observation. He said even when a network
enables a streetlight owner to handle a prob-
lem remotely, the owner still bills customers
as if the problem required a field repair call.
Controlling tech and people
There were also interesting observations
made on who controls the actions of the
people that use networked lighting and also
on who controls the network technology. As
did other speakers at SILE, Xicatos de Roos
discussed lighting networks as becoming
part of the so-called Internet of things. But
he warned, The challenge that we have is
not to give it away to the IT industry. De
Roos didnt fully explain his point, but the
implication was that lighting manufacturers
must control the network, even if its based
on open standards, to ensure that the light-
ing industry capitalizes financially on the
controls trend.
Others worry about building technologies
other than those handled by the IT depart-
ment. Speaking on behalf of the EU.ESCO
(European Association of Energy Services
Companies) organization, Siemens exec-
utive Tobias Huber pointed out that there
are multiple systems like HVAC and secu-
rity in buildings and multiple networks
such as BACnet, LONworks, and KNX. He
said, Lighting integration in building auto-
mation and control systems needs to be
planned as early as possible.
Huber said that LED lighting has the poten-
tial to be the biggest energy saver amongst the
various building systems and deliver a much
faster 5.86-year payback than efficiency ini-
tiatives in other systems. But he warned that
the impact of controls on energy savings can
be overestimated. Huber said you cant con-
trol the actions of employees using a space.
The other concern with controls remains

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 conference | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT EUROPE

the complexity of integrating the transition to human- ever, is that an individual needs consistent
networks and even working with a centric lighting. rhythms. Young adults that fit the early
lighting-centric network. Eoin Bill- The standout speaker chronotype during the business week and
ings, founding director of Billings on the topic of human then shift to late night hours on the week-
Jackson Design, weighed in on the health was Martha Mer- end suffer from what Merrow calls social
complexity issue. He rhetorically row, chair of the Institute jetlag. Moreover, she said an individual who
asked, Have you ever used a KNX for Medical Psychology gets only five hours of sleep on two consec-
system? Answering his own ques- at Ludwig Maximilians utive days suffers equally to an individual
tion, he said, Its a nightmare. University in Munich, who stays awake one full night. The conse-
who presented Light- quences at a minimum are lost productiv-
Human-centric lighting ing for life. Merrow calls ity but can also lead to chronic conditions.
Osram Licht CTO Peter
Throughout SILE, most every herself a chronobiologist. Merrow is really focused on the human
Laier focused on an SSL
speaker that addressed controls She discussed the famil- study, but her work is intended to answer
future dominated by
also hinted about human-centric iar ground of blue spec- the question of how we can bring social and
controls in a Strategies
lighting or health-in-lighting top- tral energy suppress- biological clocks together. Tunable LED
in Light Europe keynote.
ics. We have since also published ing melatonin applied light could be the answer. Dieter Lang, cor-
an interesting preview interview correctly boosting alert- porate technology researcher at Osram, fol-
about the US flagship Strategies in Light ness, or incorrectly preventing sleep. But she lowed Merrow and discussed many elements
event that discusses the issue in detail also introduced the concept that individuals of tunable lighting but brought the discus-
(http://bit.ly/MXrc0s). The fact is that have different chronotypes or how they react sion back to controls. He said such applica-
many people are seeing potential opportu- to light. tions will require controls and automation
nities to make money in the area. Designer Early or late chronotypes equate to indi- because individuals could not manually
Billings said, Lighting has become dig- viduals that go to bed early and get up early apply the required light settings even if they
ital, and [that transition] will enable a and vice versa. The critical point, how- were inclined to do so.
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standards | LED CHARACTERIZATION

IES LM-85 homogenizes

high-power LED measurement
and characterization
The SSL industry has struggled with the lack of standardized methods for characterizing LED
performance, but as JIANZHONG JIAO explains, the IES LM-85 standard provides comprehensive
guidance as to how LED manufacturers derive specifications.

I
n solid-state lighting (SSL) applications In todays practice when performing pho- There have been no standardized meth-
today, LEDs that require heat sinking in tometry, manufacturers typically use a pulse ods for measuring high-power LEDs, in par-
normal operating conditions are catego- mode to operate high-power LEDs with- ticular at these higher temperatures. The
rized as high-power LEDs. As with all LEDs, out a heat sink. Using the pulse mode, it is IES Testing Procedures Committee (TPC)
the photometric characteristics of high-power assumed that the LEDs junction tempera- formed a working group several years ago
LEDs such as luminous flux, chromaticity, ture is not raised, and it is the that started to develop a stan-
and temperature or current dependency same as the ambient or room dard to address this indus-
are critical pieces of information that require temperature generally 25C. try need. In 2008, the National
consistent and reliable methods of measur- Therefore, many published LED Institute of Standards and
ing and verifying by LED manufacturers and datasheets list the LEDs pho- Technology (NIST) published a
users. The IES LM-85 standard defines LED tometry information with junc- study on high-power LED pho-
measurement and characterization method- tion temperatures of 25C. tometry using DC operation.
ology including accounting for realistic tem- In the NISTs report, a testing
peratures at which the components operate Pulse and DC mode procedure was proposed, and a
in SSL products. In real-world applications, comparison to the pulse-oper-
Part of the problem with characterizing high-power LEDs are usually ated measurement results was
LEDs accurately is attributed to the compo- operated in DC mode, and the also provided.
nents high sensitivity to thermal operating LEDs junction temperature can be sig- Based on the NIST study and the SSL
conditions. Measuring their photometric nificantly higher than 25C. Because of an industrys current practice, the IES working
characteristics has been difficult. Although LEDs thermal behavior, the light output is group drafted the LM-85 standard, titled
high-power LEDs have been available for reduced at these higher temperatures. To Approved method of electrical and photo-
years, the industry is still lacking standards assist users, LED manufacturers usually pro- metric measurement of high-power LEDs.
that can be used by manufacturers and vide the thermal characteristics, or how an The scope of LM-85 states: this document
users to obtain reproducible results. Often, LEDs photometric values change, over tem- describes the procedures in performing
LED manufacturers provide the high-power perature. However, because LEDs are binned accurate measurements of total luminous
LEDs photometric information in the prod- for their photometric characteristics at 25C flux, total radiant flux (optical power) and
ucts datasheet, but noticeable differences in most cases, the data for higher operating total photon flux, electrical power, luminous
may arise when users compare their own temperatures may not be directly addressed efficacy, color quantities, and wavelength
measurements to the datasheet. in the datasheets. characteristics of high-power LEDs. The
method covers LED packages and applies
DR. JIANZHONG JIAO, director of regulations and emerging technologies at Osram Opto to laboratory measurements. The docu-
Semiconductors, Inc. is an internationally recognized lighting expert. He has been actively ment does not cover LED arrays or mod-
involved in LED and SSL standard development activities. He serves as the past chairman of the ules, LED light engines, LED lamps, and
SAE Lighting Committee, past chairman of NGLIA, past chairman of the NEMA SSL Technical LED luminaires; it does not cover AC driven
Committee, active member of IESNA Testing Procedure Committee, Roadway Lighting Committee, LEDs, and does not apply to measurements
and Computer Committee, ANSI SSL Working Groups, Standard Technical Panel of UL8750, in LED manufacturers production control
standard committees in IEEE, CIE USA, SEMI, JEDEC, and other organizations. He can be reached or relative measurements of LED thermal
at jianzhong.jiao@osram-os.com. characteristics.

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 55

 standards | LED CHARACTERIZATION

Thermal consideration used to raise the temperature. For the ther-

It is well known that the optical character- mal chamber approach, LM-85 suggests the
istics of LEDs essentially depend on their thermal stability time period be a minimum
junction temperature; thus, setting to a pre- of 30 minutes. For the controlled heat sink
defined junction temperature is the basis approach, depending on the thermal capac-
for obtaining reproducible results univer- ity or size of the LED package, the thermal
sally for all types of LEDs. A defined tem- stability time may be only a few minutes.
perature enables the industry to establish
equivalence of results between the pulse- DC characterization
mode method tests performed by LED man- The DC-operation-mode measurement
ufacturers, and the DC-mode tests per- method essentially requires that the mea-
formed by LED users. sured LED be placed on an active cooling
LM-85 has been written using the basis device or a temperature-controlled heat
of junction temperature set at room tem- sink such as a thermoelectric cooler (TEC).
perature of 25C, or at any given elevated Depending on the power level of the TEC,
temperature. LM-85 pro-
vides detailed procedures
for testing LEDs using
DC operation and pulse
operation with the intent
of obtaining the LEDs
absolute photometry val-
ues. For pulse operation
mode, it further describes
how the measurements
take place with a single
pulse or continuous pulse
operation.
L M- 8 5 s p e c i f ic a l l y
states the ambient tem-
perature and thermal sta-
bility recommendations
while measuring photo-
metric characteristics, as
both ambient tempera-
ture and LED thermal sta-
bility are important for
measurement accuracy. The ambient tem- when it is set for a given temperature such
perature is particularly critical if the junc- as 25C, the LED should reach a state of
tion temperature is set using the ambi- thermal equilibrium where LED junction
ent temperature. In this case, the ambient temperature is the same as its case or board
temperature should be controlled in a tight temperature in a short time period. When
tolerance range. If the ambient tempera- such thermal equilibrium is reached, a DC
ture is not in the required range, correc- current as a step pulse or a short pulse is
tions should be made from the temperature applied to the LED. Then the LEDs instan-
dependence of the LEDs characteristics taneous forward voltage is measured
so that the results show the values at the immediately after the LED is electrically
required ambient temperature condition. stabilized and before the LED is heated up.
For the case of an elevated temperature When the LEDs are heating up, the
where higher-junction-temperature-associ- reaction of light output reduction can
ated light output needs to be measured, the be noticed in a few microseconds, and in
LEDs must reach a thermal equilibrium and turn its forward voltage also changes. The
stability at an elevated temperature before LM-85 DC measurement procedure keeps
the measurement takes place, whether a the LED operating in a specified DC current
thermal chamber or controlled heat sink is as the LED is heating up, adjusts the TEC

56 FEBRUARY 2014 LEDsmagazine.com


power to lower its temperature so that
the LEDs forward voltage is kept equal
to the initial or instantaneous forward
voltage, and thus maintains the same LED
junction temperature as the LED reaches
thermal equilibrium, possibly 25C. As
the TEC power and LED forward voltage
control continues, the measurements of
any optical (radiometric, photometric, and
colorimetric) quantities of the LEDs are
taking place. The measured results are the
values at a junction temperature of 25C.
While using a temperature controlled
heat sink or TEC, the LED junction
temperature can be set at a higher
temperature; thus, following the DC
operation testing procedure listed in
LM-85, the higher junction LED photometry
information can also be obtained. If
the LED forward current is fixed for all
temperatures, this measurement can
provide users with direct measurement
results for how LED light output changes
relative to temperature.
Pulse-mode characterization
The single-pulse-mode measurement
method, which is widely used by LED
manufacturers, applies a one-shot current
pulse to the LED then quickly makes an
optical measurement during the pulse.
In this operation mode, in principle, the
junction temperature of the LED is taken to
be approximately the same as the ambient
temperature, assuming the pulse is short
enough. However, optical measurements
require a certain time duration. If the
measurement takes too long, the LED
junction temperature can increase
significantly.
LM-85 requires the optical measurement
of LED emission to be within the duration
of the pulse. Therefore, the pulse width
must be determined by the speed of
the photometric or spectroradiometric
instrument used. The LED junction
temperature will increase significantly
during the duration of the current pulse.
LM-85 recommends the increase of junction
standards | LED CHARACTERIZATION
temperature or the resulting decrease of
the measured LED light output should be
evaluated and corrected. The measurement
procedures for the signal pulse method
recommended in LM-85 require a few steps:
Stabilize the temperature of the LED to
the desired junction temperature.
Apply the signal current pulse to the
LED and wait for the settling time rec-
ommended by the LED manufacturer
(typically 5 ms).
Start and complete the optical and elec-
trical measurement within the time
duration recommended by the LED
manufacturer (typically within 20 ms).
Continuous pulse-mode measurement
is also a current industry practice. In
this method, continuous current pulses
with a very small duty cycle at a certain
frequency are applied to the LED, and
optical measurements are made for the
time-averaged signal, similar to the
DC operation measurement. Because
the duty cycle is very small, optical
standards | LED CHARACTERIZATION
measurement errors due to the increase
of junction temperature are negligible.
LM-85 recommends a duty cycle of 1% or
less. The measurement procedures for the
continuous pulse method recommended in
LM-85 include the following steps:
Stabilize the temperature of the LED to
the desired junction temperature.
Apply the continuous pulse current and
wait for a certain settling time, such as
100 ms.
Perform the optical and electrical
measurements for a certain duration of
integration time or read a time-averaged
signal in a steady condition.
LM-85 states that the integration time
shall be an integer that is a multiple of
the period of the pulses to avoid errors
due to the timing of integration. Then,
standard practice requires that you divide
the measured photometric or radiometric
values by the current duty cycle.
For both pulse operation modes, an
LEDs light output at a higher junction
temperature can also be measured using
either a thermal chamber or a controlled
heat sink. The LEDs being measured at
the higher and stabilized temperature
are to follow the procedures for either
Although high-power LEDs have been
available for years, the industry is
still lacking standards that can be
used to obtain reproducible results.
single- or continuous-pulse measurement.
A correction factor can be used for
LED packages with very high thermal
resistance if the pulse mode may cause the
temperature to rise at the LED junction and,
in turn, cause a reduction in light output.
LM-85 lists examples of an LED thermal
model when the LED thermal behavior is
known by which the appropriate correction
factor can be calculated.
The LM-85 standard, Approved method of
electrical and photometric measurement of
high-power LEDs, sets a basis for measuring
high-power LEDs with consistent, reliable,
and repeatable procedures so LED users
can obtain directly measured photometric
results that closely correlate with LED
datasheet information provided by LED
manufacturers. In implementing a standard
procedure such as LM-85, the absolute
photometry of a high-power LED can be
established. In doing so, just as for any other
light sources such as bulbs, accurate rated or
standard LEDs eventually can be established
and become traceable to NIST.
preview | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT
Strategies in Light exhibits span
all facets of SSL development
MAURY WRIGHT previews exhibits at the 15th annual Strategies in Light event that
will include demonstrations that run the gamut from packaged LEDs to the many
enabling technologies needed for robust SSL product development.
T
he 15th anniversary Strategies in
Light (SIL) conference and exhibi-
tion is around the corner, scheduled
for February 2527, 2014 in Santa Clara,
California. The exhibits this year will set a
record for occupied space, and more impor-
tantly they will showcase the LEDs, enabling
technologies, test equipment, software, and
other products and tools needed to develop
robust solid-state lighting (SSL) systems.
Leading up to the show we had a chance to
discuss exhibit plans with some of the long-
time exhibitors and also gather some projec-
tions from key industry executives.
Packaged LEDs and SSL business
SIL is always a key event for the packaged
LED manufacturers and 2014 will be no
exception in that regard. We expect to see
a number of new technologies on display
across the range of mid-power LEDs, single-
emitter high-power LEDs, and multi-emitter
devices including in both discrete-like pack-
ages and in chip-on-board (COB) products.
Going into SIL, however, the LED mak-
ers are equally focused on the SSL market
and business conditions as on technology
advancements.
The US macro-economic indicators
for example, GDP increasing 2.5% and con-
struction growth of about 8% present
an optimistic outlook for the LED light-
ing industry in 2014, said Dwayne Sterner,
vice president of sales for North America at
Seoul Semiconductor. Demand for incan-
descent replacement lamps, the highest
growth application, has been accelerated by
the Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 ban on 40W and 60W incandescent
lamps that took effect in January 2014. There
is also a shift toward LEDs for higher-watt-
age bulbs driven by performance improve-
ments of both 5630 and 3030 LEDs, in addi-
tion to offerings of 90 CRI in applications
where quality of light is important.
From a technology perspective, Seoul
believes mid-power LEDs will con-
tinue displacing high-power offer-
ings in many applications based
upon significant improve-
ments in efficacy and lumens
per dollar. Sterner said the
price/performance gap
between 5630 and 3030
LEDs is narrowing and
its conceivable that the
3030 package will pre-
vail by years end. At the
The AC-LED driver takes
minimal space on a
Seoul Semiconductor light
engine.
Instrument Systems LGS 350
goniophotometer is used to characterize
LED photometric performance.
other end of the spectrum, Seoul believes
COB products offer an attractive solution
in downlighting applications and others.
Seoul will feature both types of products
in its exhibit along with modular products,
including AC-LED light engines.
Osram Opto Semiconductors will sim-
ilarly feature a broad set of LED products
that includes the Duris family of mid-power
LEDs and the Soleriq COB products. The new
Oslon Square LED, which was announced
in December and is characterized at higher
temperatures, will be featured (http://bit.
ly/1bVH2Ox). Osram will also demonstrate
products for automotive and projection appli-
cations, and thats indicative of the companys
broad approach to the LED market.
As LED is now increasingly making its
way into general lighting applications, we
expect demand in 2014 to remain at high lev-
els, said Ulrich Steegmueller, CTO of Osram
Opto Semiconductors. According to market
reports, the 2012 McKinsey Market Report,
for example, the general lighting is expected
FEBRUARY 2014 59
preview | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT
to overtake the current market-leading
segment, LEDs for backlighting. General
lighting will be the strongest growth driver
for years to come. Other segments that offer
additional potential growth are automotive
forward lighting, mobile flash, and mobile
projection.
LED performance gains
Philips Lumileds, meanwhile, will stress
LED performance advancements at SIL
as the key to broader adoption. Philips
Lumileds expects 2014 to be a breakthrough
year for LED performance and cost effec-
tiveness, making SSL decidedly competitive
with incumbent technologies across archi-
tectural, outdoor, retrofit lamps, automo-
tive, industrial, and retail applications, said
Rahul Bammi, vice president of product man-
agement at Philips Lumileds. The enabling
technologies fueling this trend are new high-
efficiency epi, device, and packaging archi-
tectures as well as new classes of phosphor
Production line, research lab TROPICAL RAINFOREST!
Dr. Amanda Melin of Dartmouth College uses the OL 770-
LED to study the visual ecology of nocturnal mammals.
Here she is in Borneo measuring the intensity and
irradiance of twilight in the rainforest understory.
60 FEBRUARY 2014
materials. We also expect
greater focus on color mix-
ing and the ability to simul-
taneously achieve high effi-
ciency and high lumen
output by combining color
and phosphor-converted
white LEDs.
At SIL, Philips Lumileds
will be demonstrating its
latest offerings in low-,
mid- and high-power LED
single emitters and arrays; COB LEDs; and time. The company will Lynk Labs
colored LEDs. The demonstration will demonstrate its broad SR225-130W
include the Luxeon TX high-flux emitters packaged LED product light engine
that can be used to achieve a system effi- line. Also, the new 6000- enables high-
cacy of 120 lm/W at 350mA of drive current lm version of the compa- bay luminaires
and 85C operating temperature for applica- nys LMH2 module family with AC-driver
tions such as outdoor lighting. In the Luxeon will be prominent along technology.
COB family, Lumileds features an industry- with the new versions of
leading small light-emitting surface (LES), the module family offer-
which simplifies the design of downlights ing sunset dimming technology that mimics
and directional lamps. Philips Lumileds only halogen incandescent dim-to-warm lighting.
entered the mid-power In regard to the coming year in LEDs and
Philips Lumileds market last year but SSL, the company is focused on enabling
low- and mid- will showcase its Lux- lighting applications and broadening
power LEDs eon 3535L mid-power deployment. I see 2014 as a very exciting
deliver high LEDs at the event. year for LED packages, primarily because
efficacy and We expect that Cree the LED ecosystem including drivers, optics,
the quality of may show a brand-new thermals, and more has become so impor-
light needed discrete LED architec- tant, said Paul Scheidt, product portfo-
for distributed ture at SIL, although lio manager for LED components at Cree.
light source we could not get LED suppliers are not operating in a vac-
applications. details prior to press uum anymore, and for that reason I expect
The OL 770-LED Test Measurement System is THE solution
where ever your application takes you. From LEDs and IR
sources to twilight irradiance under forest canopy, we ofer
both the tools and expertise to do the job right with the highest
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LEDsmagazine.com
 preview | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT

to see a lot of new capability and performance
added to form factors that the lighting indus-
try already knows, for which there are already
a number of quality complementary products.
At the same time, more technically capable
LED lighting companies should be able to
capitalize on some new form factors that
from a single guide. The company will
also demonstrate some curved light-guide
technology for more complex fixture designs.
We are seeing significant investment
and development in LED fixtures in which
the design of the entire fixture is completed
around the LED light source, said Shriver.
In the past, there were more fix-
tures in which they were only imple-
menting LED-based lightbulbs as
replacements for existing bulbs. By
designing the fixture around the
light sources, there is the ability to
properly manage thermals and opti-
cal paths in order to create the high-
est possible system efficiency and
performance.

Enabling technologies and test

The SIL exhibit floor will be deep
with companies that offer enabling
technologies and test equip-
ment that are critical to SSL prod-
Thomas Research Products has expanded its uct development. For example,
light engine offering using AC-LED technology Instrument Systems will demon-
co-developed with Lynk Labs. strate its LGS 350 goniophotometer
that is used to document the spatial
can greatly reduce system cost through direct distribution of an LED light source.
LED cost reduction, optic size reduction, sys- With the increasing performance
tem size reduction, or improved driver tech- requirements for SSL luminaires, test equip-
nology. I also anticipate that we are going to ment based on accurate spectrometer tech-
see some big changes to the lighting indus- nologies will be essential to the manufactur-
trys business models in the near future. ers to market their high-quality products,
said Thomas Attenberger, vice president of
Innovative form sales at Instrument Systems. Fast goniome-
Scheidts comments bring to mind one ters will play an increasingly important role
theme that resonated from the SIL 2013 for luminaire testing. Instrument Systems is
event (http://bit.ly/1exhU5c). Clearly, insid- continuously working on improved solutions
ers believe the SSL industry should move to meet these new requirements.
more quickly to leverage the unique bene- Enabling technologies will run the gamut
fits of LED sources. The possibilities range of drivers and driver ICs, thermal manage-
from tunable products to new form factors. ment products, interconnect products, and
Planar lighting is one example of a form fac- optics. Indeed, the driver is arguably as
tor enabled by LEDs that are placed along important as the LED light engine in deliv-
the edges of light guides to produce uniform ering a robust luminaire.
diffuse light. ERG Lighting will counsel visitors to
Light-guide technology and planar fixtures its booth on the need for a system-level
will be on display at SIL both in terms of the approach to SSL development. The near-
enabling technologies and some end products. term challenge for LED lighting system
For example, Global Lighting Technologies designers is to make sure they properly
(GLT) will demonstrate a variety of planar choose an LED light engine, driver, and con-
technologies. Brett Shriver, vice president of trol system that work in conjunction with
sales, said that among the new capabilities each other without causing early life issues
are light guides that can emit indirect or poor lighting quality, said Scott Bar-
light upwards and direct light downwards ney, vice president of sales and marketing

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 61

preview | STRATEGIES IN LIGHT
at ERG. It is very important that the driver
and LEDs are kept cool in order to maximize
the lifetime of the LED luminaire.
ERG will demonstrate the E54, E100, and
E120 modular drivers with the model num-
ber of each corresponding to the wattage of
the products. The E54 model has just recently
gained UL approval, and is available with four
independent driver channels and support
for wireless controls. Barney said that ERG
is especially focused on troffer lighting for
offices in 2014 with the expectation that the
retrofit market is about to explode.
Thomas Research Products will also dem-
onstrate drivers at SIL. This year, the company
will share its exhibit space with Norlux, a sis-
ter company within the Hubbell Lighting port-
folio of businesses. The fact that Norlux will
participate would indicate that Thomas may
move more deeply into the light engine busi-
ness in addition to supplying drivers. More-
over, the company is expected to preview some
adaptive-control technology at SIL.
The 2014 outlook for Thomas centers
62 FEBRUARY 2014
The GLT circular pendant
delivers indirect
light upwards and
downlight from LEDs
lighting the entire inner
circumference of the
light guide.
around simplicity in SSL
product development ,
enabled by higher-effi-
cacy LEDs and technol-
ogies such as AC drive.
The key word is simplic-
ity, said Greg Andrews,
vice president of sales and
marketing. SSL is reach-
ing a point where component offerings are
more readily usable by OEMs, with less of
the confusion and learning curve of the last
few years.
AC-LED technology
Expect to see the Thomas AC-LED prod-
ucts that the company recently announced
after forming a partnership with Lynk
Labs (http://bit.ly/1ipf KFd). AC-driven
light engines are quickly becoming just
another option in terms of driver topology
as opposed to the implication of the mon-
iker AC LED that the emitters are funda-
mentally different components. Thomas,
Seoul Semiconductor, Lynk Labs, and prob-
ably other exhibitors will be promoting AC
drive at SIL.
Lynk Labs may be the most bullish com-
pany relative to AC-LED technology. The
company has a new 130W module that deliv-
ers 10,00012,000 lm for high-bay luminaires
at efficacy of 8090 lm/W. That performance
approaches the best DC-driver light engines,
and the AC approach simplifies the driver
to a few components mounted on the light
engine circuit board.
I believe that in 2014, AC-driven high-
voltage LED technology will trigger a major
growth curve for the general lighting mar-
ket due to the advantages of cost, time to
market, reliability, and simplicity for the
lighting OEM manufacturers, which resul-
tantly will transfer to the residential, com-
mercial, and industrial consumers, said
Mike Miskin, CEO of Lynk Labs. Miskin
predicts that AC technology will account
for 30% of the SSL market by the end of
2015. He added, Intellectual property in
this space will become a key factor as phos-
phor was to white light or RGB was to color-
changing lighting.
The roster of exhibitors will be deeper
than ever at Strategies in Light. Without
question there are surprises waiting. We
will bring you coverage of those develop-
ments after the event.
LEDsmagazine.com
ssl | OUTDOOR LIGHTING

LEDs chart a new path for tunnel lighting

LEDs are proving their benefits in most outdoor area lighting applications, but the point sources
integrated in solid-state lighting fixtures are an especially good match for tunnel applications.
DALE KANE explores specific challenges posed by tunnels and how to address the demanding lighting
requirements by combining LEDs with lenses.

T
he words dark and dingy appro-
priately describe many highway tun-
nels around the world. So when you
see a tunnel that is brightly illuminated,
with no shadows or dark spots, you may
wonder why all tunnels are not well lit. In
fact, new installations in many parts of the
world demonstrate that well-specified LED
tunnel lighting helps a drivers eyes adjust
easily and quickly, keeps disruptive mainte-
nance to a minimum, and saves energy while
improving light quality.
We will discuss some projects that prove
the value of LED-based solid-state lighting
(SSL) for tunnels, but justifying such a proj-
ect remains a challenge. There are two pri-
mary considerations that guide the determi-
nation as to whether tunnel lighting should
be updated to incorporate LED technology.
Municipalities typically focus on lifetime FIG. 1. High-pressure sodium (HPS) tunnel lighting fails to provide consistent light
cost as well as light quality. levels and the quality of light is poor.
The total cost of ownership for pub-
lic lighting is a function of several factors tunnels. LED lighting offers superior color lifetime cost is typically deemed necessary
including illuminance, power consump- rendering compared to common alterna- since any installation must ultimately be
tion, cost of equipment, cost of installa- tives for exterior lighting such as high-pres- paid for out of constrained tax or toll rev-
tion, maintenance cost, luminaire form fac- sure sodium (HPS), which has proven signifi- enues. Fortunately, the latest developments
tor, and expected lifetime of the luminaire. cant enough to warrant a change to existing in LED technology have so reduced the pur-
While other factors that are less quantifiable street lighting systems. chase and electrical costs of LED tunnel
may be considered, at the authoritys discre- The superior quality of light is highly val- lighting systems that they offer a substan-
tion the lighting decision can be reduced to ued by road users and pedestrians. Some tially lower lifetime cost compared to con-
determining the lifetime cost of putting a municipalities and utilities have chosen to ventional high-intensity discharge (HID)
specified amount of light on the ground. invest in LED lighting to improve a commer- lighting systems, with the additional bene-
cial area, make it more appealing to shop- fits of SSL systems.
SSL delivers quality lighting pers and increase the perception of safety
As SSL technology has matured, the qual- and comfort. Sustainability programs and Comparing LED and legacy lighting
ity of such lighting can provide a compelling legislation can also play a role in this deci- Today, conventional HID light sources such
argument in favor of using such products in sion-making process. as HPS and metal halide (MH) are the work-
In tunnel lighting, it is fair to say that both horses of installed tunnel lighting. Tunnel
DALE KANE is segment marketing manager, total cost of ownership and visual percep- lighting schemes require a high minimum
outdoor & industrial lighting, at Philips tion are factors. However, given the state illuminance to provide a safe environment
Lumileds. of public funding, achieving a lower total for users. The luminaires must be capable

LEDsmagazine.com FEBRUARY 2014 63

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HPS/MH
full brightness
HPS/MH
dim stage 1
Entrance
lighting
HPS/MH
dim stage 2
Dawn
FIG. 2. MH and HPS lamps typically over-light to achieve the required tunnel entrance
light level, but LED luminaires use dimming to precisely meet that level.
of delivering high levels of light at a con-
siderable distance from the plane. Typical
mounting height in road tunnels is 57m
(16.423.0 ft) to provide clearance for high-
sided vehicles.
Both HPS and MH luminaires offer tun-
nel lighting scheme designers an attractive
combination of low unit cost, high illumi-
nance, and proven mechanical construc-
tion. Arrays of HPS and MH luminaires typ-
ically rate up to 400W per fixture to satisfy
the illuminance requirement.
However, the drawbacks of HPS (Fig. 1)
and MH luminaires are significant. HPS and
MH luminaires use a substantial amount of
energy, typically deliver low quality of light,
fail to provide uniform and consistent light-
ing through the tunnel, and suffer from cat-
astrophic failures that require costly main-
tenance programs to remedy. Now, with the
advances in LED technology, tunnel opera-
tors have an alternative that is increasingly
appealing from both the public and opera-
tional perspectives.
The most immediately obvious advan-
tages of LED-based tunnel lights are their
long lifetime and efficiency:
High-qualityLEDlightsystemsarecapa-
ble of delivering >100 lm/W in typical tun-
nel-lighting applications. Since an LED is
a directional point source, its light output
can be precisely delivered to the required
area, which provides additional system
efficacy compared to HID systems.
LEDsmagazine.com
ssl | OUTDOOR LIGHTING
Required
lighting level
HPS/MH
overlighting
Fully dimmable
LED lighting
Day Dusk
L EDs are highly reliable semiconduc-
tor devices with very long usable life- reliability
times. The long life of LEDs dramatically
reduces maintenance and service costs, More reliability means four
poor lighting due to outages, and disrup- strategically located productions
tions to traffic flow due to closures for
maintenance. facilities throughout the country
that offer the same flexibility,
Lifetime and efficiency quality, and service every time,
In practice, the difference in lifetime and
efficiency between LED luminaires and everywhere. Experience the
HID alternatives is marked. German man- Metal Coaters reliability at
ufacturer Broll recently supplied LED lumi- www.metalcoaters.com/led.
naires for the Hllberg Tunnel on the A38
highway (Thringen, Germany). The lin-
ear LED luminaires incorporating Philips
Lumileds Luxeon LEDs are rated for 70,000-
hr operating life before replacement.
The rated life is equivalent to ten years
in service, according to the manufacturer. WHERE MORE THAN COLOR MATTERS
This extended life contrasts with the typi-
cal <30,000-hr lifetime rating for equivalent
Rancho Cucamonga, CA Marietta, GA
HPS lamps. Consensus estimates also indi- 800-841-4565 800-669-0624
cate that LED tunnel lighting typically uses Jackson, MS Middletown, OH
800-858-1203 877-669-3602
less than half the power of equivalent HPS
alternatives.
Regular re-lamping also raises the
lifetime cost of HID lights, in comparison to
long-lasting LED solutions. The lower energy
input costs for LED-based lighting results in JOIN US ON FACEBOOK
significant financial savings in addition to
dramatically reducing the carbon footprint
of the tunnels operation. The high efficacy
of LEDs is amplified by the technologys
FEBRUARY 2014 65
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FIG. 3. A section of the Xinkailing and Wangzhuyuan No. 2 tunnels of the Liuan-to-
Wuhan highway in China, showing the even illumination and high CRI achieved with
LED-based luminaires.
support for dimming. In the case of the
Hllberg Tunnel, the lamps can be dimmed
as needed to save energy and to enable safer
and more comfortable driving conditions.
Clearly, the economic decision can be
quantified precisely and the lower energy, re-
lamping, and maintenance costs of the LED
solutions outweigh the lower up-front equip-
ment cost of HPS or MH luminaires over the
lifetime of the installation.
Decision-makers may also consider the
publics perception of the utility and com-
munity. LED lighting is more pleasant and
convenient for tunnel users, which further
justifies the lighting upgrade.
Superior lit environment
The benefits of LED lighting in road tun-
nels fall into two main categories: qual-
ity of light and reduced impact on traf-
fic flow. The superior quality of light from
LED luminaires is due in large part to the
superior color rendering of the LEDs. For
instance, the ultra-efficient Luxeon T LED
from Philips Lumileds offers a minimum
CRI of 70. HPS lamps have a typical CRI of
20, and when the two technologies are com-
pared, the LED-based solution produces a
more natural-looking environment.
The more faithful rendering of colors
across the spectrum can help drivers dis-
tinguish objects in the distance better than
in the flat, orange-brown light produced by
HPS schemes. The environment feels safer
and better lit, even when absolute levels of
LEDsmagazine.com
ssl | OUTDOOR LIGHTING
illuminance are identical.
quality
Uniform lighting throughout the tun-
nel is another benefit of LED-based solu-
tions. Lens designs, developed through the
use of advanced optical modeling tools, pro- More quality means Quality
vide an even, uniform light pattern on the
Management Systems are put in
road with neither shadowing nor distracting
glare. This uniformity is possible because place that, Coupled with
LED luminaires are made up of arrays of state-of-the-art coating process
tiny, powerful light sources with beam
and unparalleled attention to detail,
patterns that can be shaped as required
for example, using total internal reflec- will ensure your product meets the
tion (TIR) lenses on each LED to form the highest standards. Experience the
desired beam. The result is smoother, more
Metal Coaters quality at
consistent lighting in the entire space with-
out dark spots or very bright spots on the www.metalcoaters.com/led.
roadway surface.
Ingress and egress lighting
LED tunnel luminaires also allow for
enhanced light control in the transitional
WHERE MORE THAN COLOR MATTERS
entrance and exit zones where motorists
achieve proper eye adaptation between the
outside environment and the tunnel inte- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
800-841-4565
Marietta, GA
800-669-0624
rior. Traditional HPS or MH entrance light- Jackson, MS Middletown, OH
800-858-1203 877-669-3602
ing schemes are designed to mimic the light
level of full sunlight at the brightest part
of the day, with sections or banks of these
luminaires shutting off throughout the day
according to the exterior light level (Fig. 2).
In the case of HID lighting, the result of
WATCH US IN ACTION
matching exterior light levels can result in
over-lighting during most of the day and
also a poorer match to the required light
level. The fact that HID light levels cant be
FEBRUARY 2014 67
 21ST 23RD OCTOBER 2014
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Emily Pryor
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and exhibition for the applications and technology of solid-state lighting. The event brings
together designers, technologists, marketers, and fnanciers. It offers a platform for the best
networking opportunities and a forum for the sharing of ideas and experiences in the latest
technologies and market developments.

We are seeking presentations that deal with the critical issues regarding the future adoption of
LED lighting, whether market and applications-related or technology-related. Presentations that
address the opportunities, market drivers and barriers for the adoption of LED lighting in specifc
market sectors are welcomed. However, we are also seeking presentations that address cross-
cutting issues that affect all application segments.

Visit www.sileurope.com for more information on subject areas and how you can submit
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Owned and Produced by: Presented by: Supported by: Events:

THE

accurately controlled is the primary culprit.
Alternatively, LED-based solutions are fully
dimmable, allowing for a precise match to
the required lighting level, thereby elimi-
nating over-lighting and lowering energy
consumption.
Because LEDs are so robust and do not
typically fail catastrophically like an HPS
or MH lamp, there is no need to shut down a
portion of the tunnel, erect high-level plat-
forms, and perform re-lamping tasks to
ensure public safety. This eliminates a tre-
mendous nuisance for the public, keeping
lanes open and traffic flowing smoothly in
the tunnel.
Weighing the benefits
Recent tunnel lighting projects provide evi-
dence both of the technical viability of LED
lighting and of the superior user experience
it offers. Examples include the Xinkailing
and Wangzhuyuan No. 2 tunnels of the
Liuan-to-Wuhan highway in China, an
installation by manufacturer Xian Liming
(Fig. 3). Both 50W and 100W roof-mounted
luminaires were used to illuminate the 2.9-
mile length of the tunnels.
European governments are also invest-
ing in LED tunnel lighting. In Italy, AEC
Lighting installed a scheme in a road tun-
nel near Florence, using Luxeon LEDs in
the luminaires and replacing existing HPS
lamps. AECs solution is the result of many
years of research and development effort in
AEC Lightings laboratories, in cooperation
with Italian highways authority Autostrade
per lItalia.
AEC used its optical engineering to max-
imize photometric performance, minimize
glare from the light source, and ensure
compliance with the photobiological safety
requirements for the Exempt Group cate-
gory imposed by the EN 62471 standard.
AEC developed the project for the Italian
motorway authority, installing asymmet-
ric floodlights in the tunnel itself and in the
entrance zones. Such asymmetric lighting
reduces glare by directing beams in the
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LEDsmagazine.com
ssl | OUTDOOR LIGHTING
same direction as traffic flow and away
from drivers eyes.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands, the ren-
ovation of the Vlaketunnel (a road tunnel)
included the complete replacement of HID
lighting with LED lighting. Another LED-lit
tunnel is the Heienoord road tunnel, which
utilizes Luxeon-based linear lamps to min-
imize glare and improve visibility.
Tunnel versus street lighting
Indeed, project examples show that LEDs
may be an even better match for tunnel
lighting than they are for outdoor street
lighting. RWS, the Dutch highway author-
ity responsible for road tunnels, is planning
more LED tunnel lighting installations.
According to Willem Zandvliet, technical
manager at RWS, LEDs are a very good
fit for tunnel lighting installations. The
lumens required for 1 km of tunnel would
illuminate 25 km of outdoor roadway, which
means that maintenance of tunnel lighting difference
is very complex and expensive. LEDs give
With Metal Coaters, Color Counts
me a significant advantage in reducing
maintenance costs. but More Matters: more
We have installed LEDs in multiple flexibility, and reliability, more
tunnels in the Netherlands and for future
service, and more quality. We
tunnel projects I am not considering
traditional light sources any more. For me, work hard to uphold our brand
the change to LED lighting is a good example promise of being the only coil
of technology helping me in my business.
coating company Where More
For tunnel lighting, the benefits of LED-
based lighting systems are compelling: Than Color Matters. Experience
improved energy efficiency the Metal Coaters difference at
superior quality of light
www.metalcoaters.com/led.
uniform lighting
lower maintenance costs and traffic
disruptions
lower total cost of ownership
The representative projects described in
China, Italy, and the Netherlands demon- WHERE MORE THAN COLOR MATTERS
strate that highway authorities in differ-
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ent parts of the world are recognizing that 800-841-4565 800-669-0624
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nomics, enhanced utility, and reduced car-
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lighting along tunnel roads.
FEBRUARY 2014 69
design forum | SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION

Coupled thermal-electrical
simulations shed light on LED
performance
Manufacturer binning of LEDs can help ensure consistent luminaire performance, but Zumtobel
and CD-Adapco engineers explain that optimum designs require thorough characterization of
the chosen LED components and system simulation to prove out luminaire designs.

L
uminaire makers working with LEDs
face the tough task of robust product
design time and meeting the acceler-
ating market windows tied to the transition
to solid-state lighting (SSL). The develop-
ment process, however, is complicated by the
physics of the LED and how the components
react in a specific system design. One way to
accelerate the product development and proj-
ect finished luminaire performance is simula-
tion. Zumtobel has found that coupled ther-
mal-electrical simulations that cover LED
performance from power-on to steady state
can lead to robust luminaire designs.
LED manufacturers sort their products
into bins based on forward voltage, as well
as other characteristics, with the purpose of
delivering the most consistent light possible.
Despite the tight grouping of forward volt-
ages in these bins, manufacturing tolerances
continue to lead to significant variations in
both current draw and temperatures inside
the LEDs, resulting in a range of colors, even
within the same batch. These discrepancies
also undermine the most noteworthy sell-
ing point of the LED its long operational
life. Zumtobel, a supplier of integral lighting
products for professional lighting applica-
tions, has addressed this problem by inves-
tigating the highly interconnected process
between the thermal and electrical charac-
teristics of LEDs using coupled simulations
with STAR-CCM+ and NGSPICE software.
First, lets consider the issue at hand. LED
manufacturers typically document the for-
PIER ANGELO FAVAROLO is head of thermal management/CFD and LUKAS OSL is an engineer
at Zumtobel Group. SABINE GOODWIN is a senior engineer in technical marketing, and RUBEN
BONS is the director of electronics at CD-Adapco.
LED in series Forward current (mA)
1000
+ LEDs
Min @ Tj = 25C
800
- Typical @ Tj = 25C
Battery Resistor 600 Max @ Tj = 25C
LED in parallel 400
LED LED LED LED
1 2 3 15 200
6V
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Forward voltage (V)
FIG. 1. LEDs in parallel have a high sensitivity to I-V variations within a single bin.
ward current versus forward voltage (I-V) light emitted. In other words, although the
characteristics of a typical diode. The char- principal behavior is the same for all LEDs, the
acteristics are generally presented on a graph light produced highly depends on the current-
of the electrical performance and also graphs voltage characteristics of each individual LED.
that depict color and flux characteristics tied
to the electrical operation. That information LED thermo-electrical challenge
is insufficient for a developer of SSL products Although the working principle of a diode
to predict system-level performance. is rather simple, in reality, designing lumi-
When placing a forward voltage across an naires that produce consistent light, both in
LED, as is the case with any diode, the cur- intensity and color, can be particularly chal-
rent initially doesnt flow until the forward lenging due to a number of unique opera-
voltage is increased to a level sufficiently tional characteristics of LEDs.
high to pass a certain threshold sometimes Inherent manufacturing variations in
called the compliance voltage. Once the both materials and processes often cause
input forward voltage is sufficiently high, unexpected variations in the electrical
current flows freely in the normal conduct- response of an LED. As discussed previously,
ing direction. the LED optical output both total flux
For LEDs, the I-V characteristics at which and spectrum is highly dependent on
point current passes and the LED generates the voltage and current driving it; thus
photons affect the color and intensity of the these manufacturing variations can lead
to a deterioration of light quality. LED
manufacturers attempt to provide a
way for lighting manufacturers to avoid
inconsistency in end products by binning

70 FEBRUARY 2014 LEDsmagazine.com

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FIG. 2. A prototype luminaire light engine under test consists of ellsworth.com
two LEDs connected in parallel.
Contact us Visit us at
LEDs based on flux output, color, and forward voltage. And binning today to booth #318 during
does narrow these variations, but it does not eliminate them.
speak with
The choice of driver circuit topology whether the LEDs are elec-
our Lighting
trically in series or parallel also makes a significant difference in
Specialist! February 25-27, 2014
its sensitivity to variations (Fig. 1). To make sure that failure of one
Santa Clara, CA USA
LED doesnt cause an entire circuit to break down, they are often
placed in parallel on the circuit driver. This means that each light in
the circuit operates at the same voltage as opposed to when they are
placed in series where the same current flows through each LED. The
LEDs in parallel are typically run on the steep part of their charac-
teristic curve, resulting in a higher sensitivity in response to varia- 




tions in manufacturing within even a single bin, as is depicted in the 






variation on the vertical axis in Fig. 1.


Much like a computer chip, an LED is also very sensitive to tem-
perature changes. The operating temperature not only affects LED
lifetime but determines the optical light output impacting how the 
eye perceives the LED, as well as thermal characteristics or amount
 

of heat dissipated in the LED-based luminaire.  

Problems such as color shift or change in color over time, and lumi-  


nous flux depreciation or loss in light output over time resulting from 
 
temperature variations can quickly become daunting for a manufac- 

 

turer. One of the main selling points of LEDs is that they can run for
8 hours a day for 15 to 30 years, but if the thermal design is not right, 



this full potential will never be reached. Indeed, many early SSL prod- 


   


 
ucts carried such promises and sorely disappointed early adopters, 



 
retarding the adoption of LEDs.
Some of the variations described above can be mitigated with elec-




trical control or driver circuitry. The proper design of an LED-pow-
ered luminaire that produces both consistent light color and inten-  
sity, however, calls for a coupled electrical and thermal approach  



that can address the interdependencies between the electrical cir-   

cuit response, temperature, heat dissipation, and cooling approach. 


Coupling thermal and electrical

  


Zumtobel has coupled STAR-CCM+ (a computational software    


 

application for simulating flow/thermal behavior) to NGSPICE (an      


  

  
 


 
 
 


 

 


 

LEDsmagazine.com
 design forum | SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION

FIG. 3. The STAR-CCM+ luminaire model includes the PCB, LED

pad, and semiconductor die.
open-source circuit simulation software application) to enable the
accurate prediction of the interplaying effects between electrical and
thermal behaviors of LEDs. Communication between the two soft-
ware applications is established using an interactive JAVA macro.
Lets further discuss the approach taken to solve this closely cou-
pled electro-thermal problem. When NGSPICE is executed from the
macro, a modeled LED circuit is solved including the forward volt-
age and forward current of the LEDs. From this data, using a propri-
etary method developed by Zumtobel, the electrical power is deter-
The product range is now complete. mined. Then using the temperature supplied by STAR-CCM+, the
optical power or how much of the input energy that goes out as vis-
ible light is computed.
The heat rate that represents the portion of the power that is dis-
sipated as heat can subsequently be calculated by subtracting the
8100
8300
8301
radiant power from the electrical power. This heat rate is then fed
8101
8400 8102 to STAR-CCM+ which in turn computes all the system temperatures
8600
to be passed back to NGSPICE for the next step in the simulation. As
8103
8401 discussed earlier, the temperatures have a significant impact on the
electrical characteristics of the LED; thus this cycle is repeated until
8000 the simulation converges to an equilibrium state.
This process was demonstrated and validated on a test luminaire
consisting of two LEDs connected electrically in parallel, mounted
8000 Series holders for COB LEDs. on an aluminum channel and placed on a wood lab bench (Fig. 2).
Available for all the most used COB LEDs: This model has been extensively validated in the laboratory as it is
Bridgelux, Citizen, Cree, Edison, LG, one of Zumtobels standard experimental test configurations. A four-
Philips Lumileds, Tridonic, Seoul and Sharp.
Always evolving to meet the markets needs. LINKS
Accelerated 2D optical simulation of LEDs allows quicker validation
Come and visit us at Strategies in Light. S. Clara,
February 25-27, booth 739. of architectural improvements http://bit.ly/1kNmaPk
IES moves to establish LED light-source ray file standards
http://bit.ly/LvNLaU
LED system evaluation yields quality analysis
http://bit.ly/1fEUjQi

LEDsmagazine.com
 design forum | SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION

terminal sensing method is used to measure

current and voltage of each LED. The tem-
perature was obtained through type-T ther-
mocouples placed on specific points of the
copper solder pad, printed circuit boards
(PCBs), and heat sinks. The thermally-moni-
tored locations were used as reference points
for the thermal simulations.
In addition, a parametric study was
performed during testing to better
understand the impact of manufacturing
tolerances (e.g., thickness of the traces,
thermal conductivity) on the thermal
behavior of the system. One significant FIG. 4. In the simulation a conformal mesh shows the details of the model in
detail of the setup that must also be noted STAR-CCM+.
is that there is a current meter connected in
series with one of the LEDs, which increases by the LED manufacturer and we use half of the system, including the metal-core
the resistance in that branch of the circuit. symmetry to keep the simulation time to printed circuit board (MCPCB) with copper
As a result, each of the lights in the circuit a minimum. To include the effects of the traces, the LED pad with electrical connec-
is expected to have a unique electrical current meter from the experiment in the tions, and all the way down to the semicon-
response and operating temperature. simulation, a current-limiting resistor was ductor die. For the simulation in STAR-
modeled in series with one of the LEDs in CCM+, accurate capturing of the physics,
Component properties and models the circuit. including natural convection cooling and
For the simulation, geometrical and mate- As shown in Fig. 3, significant attention limiting temperature of the semiconductor
rial properties of the LEDs were provided was paid to modeling the important details die, was key.

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design forum | SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION

Furthermore, unique meshing capabili-

ties available in STAR-CCM+ were applied
to ensure accuracy of the simulations. As
shown in Fig. 4, an all-conformal polyhe-
dral mesh was generated and extrusions
were used to allow for efficiently using the
mesh to model the surrounding air while at
the same time capturing the small physical
features in the core area of the LEDs them-
selves. The flow and thermal behavior of the
system was obtained by performing steady-
state simulations using the segregated flow
and energy solvers.

Simulation and results

Fig. 5 shows a screenshot of the coupled
interface that facilitates real-time tracking
of the various system parameters, includ-
ing the forward current through each LED
and the die temperatures as the simula- FIG. 5. The screenshot shows the convergence of NGSPICE and STAR-CCM+ after 20
tion unfolds. At startup, an initialization updates comprising 200 STAR-CCM+ iterations.
(first guess) of current, temperature, and
optical power was made corresponding simulation then continued in time until of NGSPICE, ten steps of STAR-CCM+ were
to initial conditions when the input volt- the LEDs reached a steady state. performed. After approximately 200 itera-
age crossed the compliance voltage. The During the simulation, for every one step tions of STAR-CCM+ (which required only
 design forum | SYSTEM CHARACTERIZATION

FIG. 6. After Applying the simulation results

about 20 minutes of simulation time on
a laptop), the forward current started to
converge and the die temperatures settled.
A fully converged solution was obtained
after approximately 50 updates between
NGSPICE and STAR-CCM+.
Fig. 6 depicts the surface temperatures
the completed LEDs have gained a tremendous amount
simulation, STAR- of popularity in recent years due to their
CCM+ shows solid small size, efficiency, and long life. In order
temperatures and to meet high expectations, however, the
airflow around interdependencies between the electrical
each of the LEDs. circuit response, temperature, heat dis-
sipation, and cooling must be taken into
of the solids of the account during the design phase of LED-
s y stem . A s d is- based luminaires.
cussed previously, To develop luminaires and meet tight
the simu lation market windows, luminaire companies
shows exactly what need a way to understand and project fin-
is expected the ished luminaire performance. For compa-
increased resistance nies like Zumtobel, delivering consistent
due to the presence light with the right intensity and color is cru-
of a current meter cial to the success of their product portfolio.
(modeled with the Zumtobel performs electro-thermal simula-
current-limiting resistor) in the experi- tions early in the development process and
ment results in a significant difference in applies that data and knowledge to facili-
the final temperatures of each of the LEDs. tate the prediction of the performance of a
A cut through one of the LEDs also shows finished luminaire in lieu of physical proto-
the velocity field at convergence, display- typing and testing. The result can be both
ing the expected natural convective airflow meeting time-to-market goals and deliver-
that cools the system. ing high-performing products.

PRODUCT showcase TO PROMOTE YOUR PRODUCT HERE, PLEASE CONTACT KELLY BARKER AT
kellyb@pennwell.com OR ALLISON O'CONNOR AT allison@jagmediasales.com

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last word
GaN on silicon: A breakthrough
technology for LED lighting
With silicon-based LEDs overcoming issues such as lattice-mismatch and refractive-
index problems, JOHN ELLIS, chief engineer at Plessey Semiconductors, predicts
that the LED industry will move to take advantage of the lower-cost substrate used
in the broad IC industry.
O
ver the last decade, progress in
light-emitting diode performance
has been nothing less than phe-
nomenal. LEDs today are performing at
50% wall plug efficiency, meaning that 50%
of the applied power is emitted as light.
Laboratory results are even higher in the
high 60s; these results will become standard
in due course. In the meantime, LED-based
lighting is replacing incandescent, fluores-
cent, mercury, and sodium lamps in almost
all applications. However, the uptake of LED
lighting is still limited by the cost of produc-
ing LEDs. This one remaining barrier will
be addressed by developments in gallium-
nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology.
Shuji Nakamura developed a method of
growing thin GaN layers on sapphire sub-
strates in the early 1990s, and up to now
these have been the foundation of high-
brightness blue LEDs. One notable compet-
itor is silicon carbide (SiC), but these sub-
strates are very expensive. While sapphire
costs are dropping, silicon is a very common
substrate in the semiconductor industry,
and the costs are much lower than either
sapphire or SiC.
Semiconductors of all types are charac-
terized by the spacing between atoms in the
crystal lattice. One difficulty with using sil-
icon as a substrate is that the atoms are not
spaced at the same distance as the atoms
in a GaN layer. Growing GaN directly on
silicon would lead to a mismatch that
would cause strain, and this strain would
be relieved only through sporadic disloca-
76 FEBRUARY 2014
tions that in turn cause leakage currents
and general impairment of the performance
of the LED.
The breakthrough needed for growing
GaN on silicon was to use a buffer layer that
offers a better match to the silicon lattice,
and then to gradually trans-
pose the buffer layer into GaN.
This buffer technology forms
the basis of new GaN-on-Si
technology. In addition to
the buffer layer, considerable
optimization has been pur-
sued to reduce residual dis-
locations, manage the resid-
ual strain, and optimize the
quantum wells for high-per-
formance LEDs.
GaN-on-Si also requires attention to opti-
cal properties. As a substrate, silicon is a
good absorber of light well demonstrated
by the number of CMOS imaging chips and
photodiodes currently available. The archi-
tecture of a highly-efficient LED must elim-
inate the losses that would occur if the light
emitted from the quantum wells in the LED
were allowed to enter the silicon.
One method of mitigating the problem
is to put a mirror onto the top surface of
the LED, transfer the LED and mirror onto
a handle wafer, and remove the original sub-
strate. The LED structure is thus turned
upside down, and light generated in the
junction is reflected upwards.
GaN also has a high refractive index, and
as a result has a narrow escape cone with
a half-angle of about 23. Any light that
propagates outside of this angle is totally
internally reflected. A surface roughen-
ing scheme, however, creates a transmis-
sive interface between GaN and air, effec-
tively removing the total internal reflection
(TIR) restriction. A lens can
further enhance light extrac-
tion, increasing the escape
cone and providing a refrac-
tive index that is closer to the
GaN than air.
The techniques described
here can deliver lower-cost,
high-performance LEDs. The
LED is measured in terms of
internal quantum efficiency
(IQE).
There are several techniques for measur-
ing IQE. The most relevant measure is the
overall electrical efficiency. In terms of cur-
rent, there is a figure of merit that describes
output power in terms of watts per unit of
current in (W/A). Wall plug efficiency is
another measure. The difference between
the two is the forward voltage across the
diode. Today we can achieve typical forward
voltages of about 3.05V. IQE is approaching
60% and light extraction efficiencies are
improving to greater than 70%.
Over the next 12 months GaN-on-Si LEDs
will match the performance of GaN-on-sap-
phire LEDs, and offer a substantial price
reduction. The move to a silicon substrate
will help broaden and accelerate the market
for LED-based lighting.
LEDsmagazine.com
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