Category Archives: LED Manufacturing

Seoul Semiconductor, a developer of LED technology, on March 19th announced the availability of new Acrich3 modules for a wide range of residential and commercial lighting applications. The new advanced Acrich3 solution from Seoul Semiconductor enables the next generation of Smart-Lighting systems with the ability to interface through a wide variety of wireless networks and sensors. This technology does not require a complex AC/DC converter and can be operated directly from the AC mains, which simplifies designs, reduces component count and improves on the reliability of the luminaire. It also incorporates an analog dimming input as well and an increased compatibility with existing TRIAC dimmers with the ability to do uniform dimming giving lighting designers an easy to implement advanced lighting solution.

The new Acrich3 modules being released today incorporate Seoul Semiconductor’s proven and reliable high voltage LED architecture with Acrich MJT series of LEDs. These modules are available in different lumen outputs and form factors to address a wide range of lighting applications from downlights to street and area lighting. Available in 2700K-6500K with CRI options of 70, 80 and 90 these modules offer typical efficiencies of upto 100lm/W with low THD and high power factor.

Kibum Nam, Vice President of Product Development, said “The new Acrich3 modules from Seoul Semiconductor offer a complete solution for smart lighting systems with the Acrich3 IC and MJT LEDs. First launched in 2005 the Acrich technology has provided innovative solutions worldwide to a wide range of applications in the commercial, residential and industrial lighting environments. In the future, Seoul Semiconductor plans introduce more products to further enhance the adoption of the Acrich technology.”

Cambridge Nanotherm has published results of a round of testing of several thermal PCB materials intended for use in LEDs, including its Nanoceramic thermal management substrates for LEDs. The tests were conducted by The LIA Laboratories (part of The LIA – Europe’s largest lighting trade association) and showed Cambridge Nanotherm’s thermal management technology outperforming all the thermal management substrates tested in terms of its thermal conductivity.

The LIA Laboratories test used 4 x 50 watt Intelligent LED Solutions Oslon 16+ PowerClusters mounted on four different MCPCB (Metal Clad PCB) substrates from leading manufacturers including Nanotherm LC. The substrates were attached with a TIM to a Fischer Elektronik LA 7/150 fan-cooled heat sink (thermal resistance: 0.075°C/W). A precision EA-PS 2084-10B (0-10A; 0-84V) laboratory power supply was used to drive the LEDs at constant current. Thermocouples measured the cluster and heat sink temperature at multiple locations. A calibrated integrating sphere measured the Lumens output.

With a drive current of 1,000mA running through the LEDs, Nanotherm LC ran a massive 13.6°C (30%) cooler than the generic Chinese MCPCB used as a ‘control’ board. Even compared to the closest high-performance board Nanotherm LC ran 2.4°C (5 percent) cooler.

The tests also examined how much extra luminosity could be achieved on Nanotherm LC within a given temperature envelope, compared to the nearest competitor. At 1,000mA drive current, LEDs on the closest high-performance board ran at 39.7°C and delivered a light output of 4760 Lumens. When LEDs on Nanotherm LC were run up to this exact same temperature of 39.7°C, the LEDs were able to handle a drive current of 1,350mA and produced a luminosity of 5896 Lumens. In effect, at the same temperature as the competitor board, Nanotherm produced a 23.8 percent increase in brightness. Applied to the real world this means Nanotherm LC provides a clear path for manufacturers to substantially reduce the number of LED dies used in any given design whilst maintaining the brightness.

“The figures don’t lie,” commented Ralph Weir, CEO, Cambridge Nanotherm. “The results show Cambridge Nanotherm’s LC substrate outperforming every other MCPCB that was tested, including what we believe to be the current market leader.”

“Our results demonstrate two distinct possibilities, the ability to reduce overall system temperatures, or to run LEDs at a greater luminosity within a given temperature envelope. Both should have LED manufacturers very excited. These tests demonstrate comprehensively that our substrates can be used to drive down LED costs through die count reduction while maintaining product efficiency and lifetimes. The ability to drive LEDs harder, cooler and brighter should help forge new application areas.”

“These results demonstrate yet again why Nanotherm materials are enjoying such success in the high-power LED market. We’re delighted that the LIA Laboratories, as a fully independent test house, has confirmed that they achieved a 23 percent increase in brightness from the same LEDs – just by using Nanotherm materials rather than the more expensive options from the most respected “big brand” MCPCB suppliers.”

Under continuous drive at the same high current of 2,400mA, the test had to be stopped after a few minutes as even with this powerful heat sink all but Nanotherm exceeded 100°C  – the generic Chinese MCPCB was a staggering 47.2°C hotter. Even the best competitor exceeded 100°C, running 8.6°C hotter than the Nanotherm material. At this current Nanotherm’s substrate was the only one to keep the LEDs below 100°C.

“The LED market is a complex but promising market,” commented Pars Mukish, Business Unit Manager, LED, OLED and Sapphire at Yole Développement (Yole). In 2015, companies are not relying on more technical breakthroughs, except at the LED module level, where integration remains an important issue.

“However, there is still overcapacity,” said Mukish. “This is causing many changes in the supply chain, first at the chip level, then at the module/system level. The spin-off Royal Philips announced in July 2014 of its LED business, which grew from its acquisition of Lumileds in 2005, is one example.”

The LED industry’s complexity results from numerous technical issues, its many players and a multitude of lighting applications. Its promise comes thanks to especially large volume lighting opportunities, stresses Yole in its latest reports. Yole, the ‘More than Moore’ market research and strategy consulting company, foresees a global business reaching almost $516 million at the system level by 2016. (Source: LED in road and street lighting report, Jul. 2013, Yole Développement & Luxfit)

Today, LED technology’s average penetration rate is from 10-20 percent depending on geographic area. Each country has its own policy and has set up different measures to help LED implementation. For example, in Japan, penetration has reached 30 percent, thanks to government involvement.

Governmental measures are clearly welcome, as the technology is still considered expensive by the public. “Even though we saw a real breakthrough for LED technology from 2006 to 2014, upfront LED costs are still high compared to existing technologies,” explains Mukish. “Today, the real growth is in external lighting applications where LED technology is partially implemented. Commercial and industrial lighting players are also considering LED technology but today implementation is still developing.

In 2015, technical issues are different to previous years. They are mainly located at the LED module level. LED market leaders are therefore developing answers to packaging and integration needs. In the report entitled LED Packaging Technology and Market trends (Sept. 2014, Yole Développement), Yole has detailed the positive impact of advanced packaging technologies on LED manufacturing, especially LED packaging materials.

Mukish adds: “In 2015, we clearly see the value moving later in the supply chain. It was initially at the LED chip level, but we have identified strong investments at the module and system level to develop smart solutions in terms of packaging technologies and functionalities.” In this context, Yole is focusing its 2015 activities on analyzing new technologies at the LED module level. The company is investigating the impact on the supply chain and determining key players’ strategies (LED module, related technologies and equipment report: available mid-2015).

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Soraa, a developer of GaN on GaN LED technology, announced today that Ann Reo has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Product Development. Ann brings over 20 years of LED product development and lighting design experience to Soraa.

“Over the last year, our product offering has expanded far beyond the MR16 LED lamp that put us on the map,” said Jeff Parker, CEO of Soraa. “Ann’s background in lighting design and expertise in building LED products from the ground up gives Soraa an edge in pioneering solutions that designers and customers want—and the market needs.”

“LED technology has fascinated me since 1999, and I believe Soraa’s GaN on GaN LED technology is the first true milestone since the invention of the LED,” explained Ms. Reo. “I am beyond thrilled to be joining such an innovative company with a very talented team, and I look forward to developing LED products that continue to inspire outstanding lighting designs.”

After completing her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies and Masters of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the first decade of Reo’s career was split between architectural firms, lighting companies and design consultancies. Then in 2001, Ann developed a business plan, raised venture capital investment and launched her own LED-based luminaire company named io Lighting. Serving as President and CEO, she grew the company until Eaton’s Cooper Lighting acquired it in 2007. Under Ann’s leadership, IO’s products won several design awards, including the Best New Product of the Year at LIGHTFAIR International 2004., At Cooper, Reo stayed on board as Vice President of Global SSL Solutions and General Manager of io Lighting.

Ann will lead Soraa’s new product development efforts in light engine design for OEM integration as well as custom solutions for specifiers, OEMS and end-users.

The industrial semiconductor market will post a 9.7 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next several years as revenue rises from $34.8 billion in 2013 to $55.2 billion in 2018, according to IHS, a global source of critical information and insight. Increased capital spending by companies and continued economic growth, especially in the United States and China, and will help spur demand and drive sales growth for industrial semiconductors.

Based on the latest information from the Q4 2014 Industrial Semi Market Report from IHS Semiconductors and Components Service, factory automation, building and home control and commercial aircraft are driving demand for industrial semiconductors. In fact, industrial semiconductor sales posted 4.7 percent growth in the third quarter (Q3) of 2014 alone compared to the previous quarter. By the end of 2014 the market grew an estimated 16.8 percent over the previous year. Demand was especially strong for optical LEDs, which grew 23.4 percent, rising from $6.3 billion to $7.7 billion. Discrete power transistors and thyristors posted 13.4 percent growth, rising from $5.5 billion in 2013 to $6.3 billion in 2014.

ihs industrial semi report

 

Industrial OEM factory revenues were expected to grow 8.3 percent in 2014 on increased sales in the building and home-control market. High-growth categories include LED lighting and IP cameras and other digital video surveillance products.

“Because of strong growth in the industrial segment, semiconductor companies are paying more attention to this market as more chips are being used in applications that did not previously use semiconductors,” said Robbie Galoso, principal analyst for IHS. “Growth in the industrial segment has also been buoyed by a gradual acceleration in the global economy, which continues to boost industrial equipment demand, especially from the United States and China.”

The global economy was strong in 2014 and, led by the United States, it is expected to flourish through 2018. U.S. economic growth is broad-based than in other regions, with a more stabilized housing market, improved consumer finances and credit, and increased capital spending. U.S real gross domestic product (GDP) growth is expected to reach 2.4 percent in 2014, 3.1 percent in 2015 and 2.7 percent in 2016.

The United States accounted for 30.5 percent of all semiconductors used in industrial applications in 2013. China is the second largest industrial chip buyer, purchasing about 14 percent of all industrial semiconductors. Its economy will grow 7.3 percent in 2014, 6.5 percent in 2015 and 6.7 percent in 2016.

“Stronger economic growth and increased capital spending in the United States and China is good news for industrial semiconductor manufacturers because they are the leading purchasers of industrial semiconductors,” Galoso said. “A solid economy and robust industrial equipment demand will further boost sales of optical semiconductors, analog chips and discretes, which are the three largest industrial semiconductor product segments.”

LED demand shines

Revenue from optical chips for industrial applications will grow from $8.6 billion in 2013 to $15.9 billion in 2018. The optical chip segment includes LEDs for general lighting, which represented 72 percent of the optical category in 2013, and will reach 78.4 percent in 2018. Optocouplers used in motor drives in factory automation and energy distribution, conversion and storage, is the second biggest product category within optical integrated circuits (ICs).

Analog semiconductor revenue will increase from $6.7 billion 2013 to $9.9 billion in 2018, while discretes increase from $6.4 billion to $8.6 billion. The analog semiconductor segment includes voltage regulators and reference, data converters, amplifiers and comparators, and interface ICs, which are used in factory automation, motor drives, and energy conversion and storage.

Image sensors are the smallest category in the optical chip segment. These sensors are currently transitioning from charge-coupled-device (CCD) image sensors to complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors that are widely used in security cameras, medical imaging equipment and military devices.

Industrial semiconductors with the strongest compound annual growth rates from 2013 through 2018 will include logic semiconductors at 13.4 percent, optical semiconductors at 13 percent and sensors and actuators at 10.8 percent.

Logic ICs are widely used in automation, including programmable logic controllers, digital control systems and communication and networking that extend across various markets, machine vision, and military applications.

Growth drivers

“The robust growth in demand for industrial semiconductors over the next three years will be driven by a wide range of products and segments,” Galoso said. “These products include 3D printers, factory automation products, commercial aircraft, LED lighting, digital IP cameras, climate control devices, renewable energy products, medical electronics and wireless application-specific testers.

Industrial 3D printers is a high growth category that will help drive industrial semiconductor usage in the coming years. It includes equipment used to manufacture objects through an additive process of laying down successive layers of material, until the entire object is created.

Avionics will continue to lead growth in the industrial segment. The commercial aircraft market offset the military aircraft market in the third quarter 2014. Total avionics revenue was expected to finish 2014 with 16.9 percent growth.

Led by China and the United States, the factory automation segment has grown over the past five quarters. The segment is forecast to reach 5.9 percent growth in 2014.

Marktech Optoelectronics Corp. announces the addition of a PLCC-4 and miniature ceramic package to the 650nm and 850nm Point Source LED series. Point Source LEDs are designed to deliver precise and consistent performance in the most demanding applications such as high-speed optical encoders, linear positioning, optical switch and critical sensing applications. As miniaturization continues to be the focus of new product designs, small high reliability LED packaging will be needed to match performance.

Marktech Point Source LEDs are powered by a unique LED die that produces a well-defined pattern of light similar to a “point.” These die or chips in combination with high quality optical grade glass lenses produce an extremely narrow, near parallel radiation pattern. This unobstructed, radiated beam pattern is made possible by masking the die and relocating the topside electrode. By eliminating the “dark spot” typically associated with the center of conventional LEDs, the point source LED yields superior results in critical sensing applications.

Through-hole package options for this series include high reliability hermetically sealed TO-18 and TO-46 metal cans with a variety of lensing options which produce and array of viewing angles. Devices supplied without optics are manufactured with a flat glass window allowing the designer to utilize proprietary collimating or other application specific optics to take full advantage of the undistorted beam. Vincent C Forte, Marktech CTO said, “The Point Source LED is a suitable alternative to laser diodes in short distant applications offering increased temperature range capabilities and reduced risk of discharge due to ESD.”

Marktech ceramic package LED

Researchers at Aalto University, Finland have developed a new method to implement different types of nanowires side-by-side into a single array on a single substrate. The new technique makes it possible to use different semiconductor materials for the different types of nanowires.

‘We have succeeded in combining nanowires grown by the VLS (vapor-liquid-solid) and SAE (selective-area epitaxy) techniques onto the same platform. The difference compared with studies conducted previously on the same topic is that in the dual-type array the different materials do not grow in the same nanowire, but rather as separate wires on the same substrate’, says Docent Teppo Huhtio.

The research results were published in the Nano Letters journal on 5 February 2015.

Several applications 

The new fabrication process has many phases. First, gold nanoparticles are spread on a substrate. Next, the substrate is coated with silicon oxide, into which small holes are then patterned using electron beam lithography. In the first step of growth, (SAE), nanowires grow from where the holes are located, after which the silicon oxide is removed. In the second phase different types of nanowires are grown with the help of the gold nanoparticles (VLS). The researchers used metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy reactor in which the starting materials decompose at a high temperature, forming semiconductor compounds on the substrate.

“In this way we managed to combine two growth methods into the same process,” says doctoral candidate Joona-Pekko Kakko.

“We noticed in optical reflection measurements that light couples better to this kind of combination structure. For instance, a solar cell has less reflection and better absorption of light,” Huhtio adds.

In addition to solar cells and LEDs, the researchers also see good applications in thermoelectric generators. Further processing for component applications has already begun.

Nanowires are being intensely researched, because semiconductor components that are currently in use need to be made smaller and more cost-effective. The nanowires made out of semiconductor materials are typically 1-10 micrometres in length, with diameters of 5-100 nanometres.

The future of electronics could lie in a material from its past, as researchers from The Ohio State University work to turn germanium–the material of 1940s transistors–into a potential replacement for silicon.

At the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting, assistant professor of chemistry Joshua Goldberger reported progress in developing a form of germanium called germanane.

In 2013, Goldberger’s lab at Ohio State became the first to succeed at creating one-atom-thick sheet of germanane–a sheet so thin, it can be thought of as two-dimensional. Since then, he and his team have been tinkering with the atomic bonds across the top and bottom of the sheet, and creating hybrid versions of the material that incorporate other atoms such as tin.

The goal is to make a material that not only transmits electrons 10 times faster than silicon, but is also better at absorbing and emitting light–a key feature for the advancement of efficient LEDs and lasers.

“We’ve found that by tuning the nature of these bonds, we can tune the electronic structure of the material. We can increase or decrease the energy it absorbs,” Goldberger said. “So potentially we could make a material that traverses the entire electromagnetic spectrum, or absorbs different colors, depending on those bonds.”

As they create the various forms of germanane, the researchers are trying to exploit traditional silicon manufacturing methods as much as possible, to make any advancements easily adoptable by industry.

Aside from these traditional semiconductor applications, there have been numerous predictions that a tin version of the material could conduct electricity with 100 percent efficiency at room temperature. The heavier tin atom allows the material to become a 2D “topological insulator,” which conducts electricity only at its edges., Goldberger explained. Such a material is predicted to occur only with specific bonds across the top and bottom surface, such as a hydroxide bond.

Goldberger’s lab has verified that this theoretical material can be chemically stable. His lab has created germanane with up to 9 percent tin atoms incorporated, and shown that tin atoms have strong preference to bond to hydroxide above and below the sheet. His group is currently developing routes towards preparing the pure tin 2D derivatives.

Graphene, a single-atom-thick lattice of carbon atoms, is often touted as a replacement for silicon in electronic devices due to its extremely high conductivity and unbeatable thinness. But graphene is not the only two-dimensional material that could play such a role.

University of Pennsylvania researchers have made an advance in manufacturing one such material, molybdenum disulphide. By growing flakes of the material around “seeds” of molybdenum oxide, they have made it easier to control the size, thickness and location of the material.

Unlike graphene, molybdenum disulfide has an energy band gap, meaning its conductivity can be turned on and off. Such a trait is critical for semiconductor devices used in computing. Another difference is that molybdenum disulphide emits light, meaning it could be used in applications like LEDs, self-reporting sensors and optoelectronics.

The study was led by A. T. Charlie Johnson, professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, and includes members of his lab, Gang Hee Han, Nicholas Kybert, Carl Naylor and Jinglei Ping. Also contributing to the study was Ritesh Agarwal, professor of materials science and engineering in Penn’s School of Engineering and Applied Science; members of his lab, Bumsu Lee and Joohee Park; and Jisoo Kang, a master’s student in Penn’s nanotechnology program. They collaborated with researchers from South Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University, Si Young Lee and Young Hee Lee.

Their study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

“Everything we do with regular electronics we’d like to be able to do with two-dimensional materials,” Johnson said. “Graphene has one set of properties that make it very attractive for electronics, but it lacks this critical property, being able to turn on and off. Molybdenum disulphide gives you that.”

Graphene’s ultra-high conductivity means that it can move electrons more quickly than any known material, but that is not the only quality that matters for electronics. For the transistors that form the basis for modern computing technology, being able to stop the flow of electrons is also critical.

“Molybdenum disulphide is not as conductive as graphene,” Naylor said, “but it has a very high on/off ratio. We need 1’s and 0’s to do computation; graphene can only give us 1’s and .5’s.”

Other research groups have been able to make small flakes of molybdenum disulphide the same way graphene was first made, by exfoliating it, or peeling off atomically thin layers from the bulk material. More recently, other researchers have adopted another technique from graphene manufacture, chemical vapor deposition, where the molybdenum and sulfur are heated into gasses and left to settle and crystalize on a substrate.

The problem with these methods is that the resulting flakes form in a scattershot way.

“Between hunting down the flakes,” said Kybert, “and making sure they’re the right size and thickness, it would take days to make a single measurement of their properties”

The Penn team’s advance was in developing a way to control where the flakes form in the chemical vapor deposition method, by “seeding” the substrate with a precursor.

“We start by placing down a small amount of molybdenum oxide in the locations we want,” Naylor said, “then we flow in sulfur gas. Under the right conditions, those seeds react with sulfur and flakes of molybdenum disulphide being to grow.”

“There’s finesse involved in optimizing the growth conditions,” Johnson said, “but we’re exerting more control, moving the material in the direction of being able to make complicated systems. Because we grow it where we want it, we can make devices more easily. We have all of the other parts of the transistors in a separate layer that we snap down on top of the flakes, making dozens and potentially even hundreds, of devices at once. Then we were able to observe that we made transistors that turned on and off like they were supposed to and devices that emit light like they are supposed to.”

Being able to match up the location of the molybdenum disulphide flakes with corresponding electronics allowed the researchers to skip a step they must take when making graphene-based devices. There, graphene is grown in large sheets and then cut down to size, a process that adds to the risk of damaging contamination.

Future work on these molybdenum disulphide devices will complement the research team’s research on graphene-based biosensors; rather than outputting the detection of some molecule to a computer, molybdenum disulfide-based sensors could directly report a binding event through a change in the light they emit.

This research also represents first steps that can be applied toward fabricating a new family of two-dimensional materials.

“We can replace the molybdenum with tungsten and the sulfur with selenium,” Naylor said, “and just go down the periodic table from there. We can imagine growing all of these different materials in the places we choose and taking advantages of all of their different properties.”

Now established in UV curing, UV LED technology will find growth opportunities in disinfection and purification and new applications by 2017/2018. Under its new technology and market analysis entitled “UV LED – Technology, Manufacturing and Application Trends”, Yole Développement (Yole) the “More Than Moore” market research, technology and strategy consulting company, reviews and details the traditional UV lamp business and its current transition to UV LED technology. Indeed industry players confirm their interest for cheaper and more compact technology.

UV LED market

Yole’s report presents a comprehensive review of all UV lamp applications including a deep analysis of UV curing, UV purification and disinfection and analytical instruments. It highlights the UV LED working principle, market structure, UV LED market drivers and associated challenges and characteristics, the total accessible market for UV LEDs. In this report, Yole’s analysts also detail the market volume and size metrics for traditional UV lamps and UV LEDs over the period 2008-2019, with splits by application for each technology.

Thanks to their compactness and low cost of ownership, UV LED technology continues to make its way in the booming UV curing business, through replacement of incumbent technologies such as mercury lamps.

“Thanks to this an overall UV LED market that represented only ~$20M in 2008 grew to~$90M in 2014, at a compound annual growth rate of 28.5 percent,” explains Pars Mukish, Business Unit Manager, LED activities at Yole. Such growth is likely to continue as LED-powered UV curing spreads across ink, adhesive and coating industries. And Pars Mukish from Yole, explains: “By 2017/2018, the UV LED market should also see part of its revenues coming from UVC disinfection and purification applications, for which device performance is not yet sufficient. The UV LED business is therefore expected to grow from ~$90M in 2014 to ~$520M in 2019.”This market’s evaluation takes into account only standard applications, where UV LEDs replace UV lamps.
Pars Mukish adds: “The potential is even greater, if we consider UV LEDs’ ability to enable new concepts in areas like general lighting, horticultural lighting, biomedical devices, and in fighting hospital-acquired infections (HAIs).”

Even this is just scratching the surface of UV LEDs’ real potential. While the new applications do not yet have a strong impact on market size, Yole expects them to possibly count for nearly 10 percent of the total UV LED market size by 2019.

In 2008, Yole started its investigation on the UV LEDs technologies. The consulting company highlights: “Less than ten companies were developing and manufacturing these devices at this time.” Since then, more than 50 companies have entered the playground, over 30 of these between 2012 and 2014, mostly attracted by the high margin when the overcapacity and strong price pressure from the “LED TV crisis” had taken its toll on the visible LED industry. These were mostly small and medium enterprises.

And recently some big companies from the visible LED industry – namely Philips Lumileds and LG Innotek – have also secured a foothold in the UV LED business. According to Yole’s analysis, the entry of these two giants will help to further develop the industry, the market and the technology based on their strong experience of the visible LED industry.

A good example of this is that they have made a nearly full transition of their process to 6” sapphire substrates. “Compared to a 2” based process, this can provide at least a 30 percent overall productivity increase, which would help to further reduce manufacturing cost…” comments Pars Mukish.