Livermore, CA--Bridgelux, a developer and manufacturer of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting technologies and solutions, has demonstrated 135 lumens per Watt gallium-nitride (GaN)-on-silicon based LED technology, paving the way for much lower cost LED devices. The company says this represents the industry's first commercial-grade performance for a silicon-based LED.
When grown at scale, most LED epitaxial wafers use sapphire or silicon carbide substrates as the starting material. But large diameter sapphire and silicon carbide substrates are costly, difficult to process, and not widely available. As a result, production costs have inhibited the widespread adoption of LED lighting in homes and commercial buildings. But growing GaN LEDs on larger, low-cost silicon wafers that are compatible with modern semiconductor manufacturing can deliver a 75% improvement in cost over current approaches.
The 135 Lumen per Watt performance was achieved at a CCT of 4730 K using a single 1.5 mm power LED operated at 350 mA. These LEDs have extremely low operating voltages, requiring just 2.90 V at 350 mA and <3.25 V at 1 Amp. The low forward voltage and excellent thermal resistance of the devices make them ideally suited for high-performance, illumination-grade applications. Optimization of the epitaxy process on 8-inch Si wafers will make LED manufacturing compatible with existing automated semiconductor lines.
Concurrently, industry-wide research and development of GaN growth on Silicon has increased rapidly. And as a result, the GaN-on-silicon performance levels reported by Bridgelux today are comparable to state-of-the-art sapphire-based LEDs available 12-24 months ago. The company anticipates the delivery of its first commercially available GaN-on-silicon products over the course of the next two to three years.
"Bridgelux’s achievement is a significant reflection of the strength of our leadership in Silicon materials and epitaxial process technology," said Bill Watkins, Bridgelux CEO. "The significantly reduced cost-structures enabled by Silicon-based LED technology will continue to deliver dramatic reductions in the up-front capital investment required for solid state lighting. In as little as two to three years, even the most price-sensitive markets, such as commercial and office lighting, residential applications, and retrofit lamps will seamlessly and rapidly convert to solid state lighting."
SOURCE: Bridgelux; http://bridgelux.com/media-center/press-releases/bridgelux-demonstrates-dramatic-advancements-in-gan-on-silicon-technology-for-solid-state-lighting/
