Status and future outlook of III-V compound semiconductor visible-spectrum light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are presented. Light extraction techniques are reviewed and extraction efficiencies are quantified in the 60%+ (AlGaInP) and ~80% (InGaN) regimes for state-of-the-art devices. The phosphor-based white LED concept is reviewed and recent performance discussed, showing that high-power white LEDs now approach the 100-lm/W regime. Devices employing multiple phosphors for "warm" white color temperatures (~3000-4000 K) and high color rendering (CRI>80), which provide properties critical for many illumination applications, are discussed. Recent developments in chip design, packaging, and high current performance lead to very high luminance devices (~50 Mcd/m2 white at 1 A forward current in 1times1 mm2 chip) that are suitable for application to automotive forward lighting. A prognosis for future LED performance levels is considered given further improvements in internal quantum efficiency, which to date lag achievements in light extraction efficiency for InGaN LEDs

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Status and Future of High-Power Light-Emitting Diodes for Solid-State Lighting

Roughened surfaces of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) provide substantial improvement in light extraction efficiency. By using the laser-lift-off technique followed by an anisotropic etching process to roughen the surface, an n-side-up GaN-based LED with a hexagonal “conelike” surface has been fabricated. The enhancement of the LED output power depends on the surface conditions. The output power of an optimally roughened surface LED shows a twofold to threefold increase compared to that of an LED before surface roughening.

Increase in the extraction efficiency of GaN-based light-emitting diodes via surface roughening

High-power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have begun to differentiate themselves from their more common cousins the indicator LED. Today these LEDs are designed to generate 10-100 lm per LED with efficiencies that surpass incandescent and halogen bulbs. After a summary of the motivation for the development of the high-power LED and a look at the future markets, we describe the current state of high-power LED technology and the challenges that lay ahead for development of a true "solid state lamp." We demonstrate record performance and reliability for high-power colored and white LEDs and show results from the worlds first 100-plus lumen white LED lamp, the solid state equivalent of Thomas Edison's 20-W incandescent lightbulb approximately one century later.

https://www.lightingassociates.org/i/u/2127806/f/tech_sheets/Illumination_With_Solid_State_Lighting_Technology.pdf

Illumination with solid state lighting technology

Over the past decade, advances in LEDs have enabled the potential for wide-scale replacement of traditional lighting with solid-state light sources. If LED performance targets are realized, solid-state lighting will provide significant energy savings, important environmental benefits, and dramatically new ways to utilize and control light. In this paper, we review LED performance targets that are needed to achieve these benefits and highlight some of the remaining technical challenges. We describe recent advances in LED materials and novel device concepts that show promise for realizing the full potential of LED-based white lighting.

LEDs for Solid-State Lighting: Performance Challenges and Recent Advances

Blue light-emitting diodes with a light extraction efficiency of 73% are reported. The InGaN–GaN devices use a photonic-crystal structure for superior optical mode control; their performance has been characterized experimentally and modelled theoretically.

III -nitride photonic-crystal light-emitting diodes with high extraction efficiency

Data are presented on high-power AlGaInN flip-chip light-emitting diodes (FCLEDs). The FCLED is “flipped-over” or inverted compared to conventional AlGaInN light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and light is extracted through the transparent sapphire substrate. This avoids light absorption from the semitransparent metal contact in conventional epitaxial-up designs. The power FCLED has a large emitting area (∼0.70 mm2) and an optimized contacting scheme allowing high current (200–1000 mA, J∼30–143 A/cm2) operation with low forward voltages (∼2.8 V at 200 mA), and therefore higher power conversion (“wall-plug”) efficiencies. The improved extraction efficiency of the FCLED provides 1.6 times more light compared to top-emitting power LEDs and ten times more light than conventional small-area (∼0.07 mm2) LEDs. FCLEDs in the blue wavelength regime (∼435 nm peak) exhibit ∼21% external quantum efficiency and ∼20% wall-plug efficiency at 200 mA and with record light output powers of 400 mW at 1.0 A.

G. Christenson

Papers

High-power AlGaInN flip-chip light-emitting diodes