Tokyo, Japan--Sony Corporation has developed a red/green/blue (RGB) laser light source module suitable for large-screen projectors such as digital cinema projectors. The module incorporates high power lasers of the three primary colors, with a combined output power of 21 W (equivalent to 5,000 lumens), in a single package measuring just 530 cc, among the industry’s smallest.
The newly developed RGB laser module uses semiconductor diodes for the red and blue lasers, and a compact, high power solid-state second-harmonic generation (SHG)-based laser for the green. Both the red and green lasers were developed internally by Sony. The three lasers generate output power of 10 W for red, 6 W for green, and 5 W for blue, resulting in a total of 21 W. Energy conversion ratios for the lasers range from 15 to 22% (18% on average), representing extremely high efficiency for visible lasers. This high energy conversion ratio also enables low energy consumption within the module itself.
Sony’s new RGB module can be used as the light source for a range of projectors, from 1,000 lumen home theater projectors to 10,000 lumen large-screen projectors, and even digital cinema projectors (see also other RGB source types). This is due to the scalability of the module design, which outputs collimated light beams for each of the three colors, enabling multiple modules to be stacked. When used in place of xenon lamps, this module has key advantages in terms of lifespan (3X to 20X longer life), brightness, contrast, color gamut, and size.
Sony will transfer technology related to this module to Sony Manufacturing Systems Corporation (SMS), a fully owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation, and commence sample shipments in the second half of 2010.
--Posted by Gail Overton; [email protected]; www.laserfocusworld.com.