Category Archives: LED Packaging and Testing

April 16, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Intematix, phosphor supplier for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), released ChromaLit XT remote phosphor technology.

The ChromaLit series uses a phosphor composite substrate separated from the blue LEDs instead of coating them directly. This enables use of a blue LED engine instead of binned white LEDs. The technique reportedly eliminates glare, offers diffuse light, increases efficacy up to 30%, and improves color rendering and light quality.

ChromaLit XT targets higher-intensity light applications that require high lumen output in a small form factor, such as spotlights and floods. Users can see up to 65% lower cost per lumen and enhanced off-state neutral color when compared to conventional remote phosphors that are yellow, Intematix reports. ChromaLit XT is optically treated to maintain an off-state neutral appearance when the LED light is off. ChromaLit XT meets UL standards and is offered in a range of CCT and CRI options.

ChromaLit XT will be on display for the first time at the Light+Building trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany from April 15-20 and again at LIGHTFAIR in Las Vegas, May 9-11.

Intematix Corporation is a materials development company providing customizable, patented phosphors and remote phosphor components for LEDs. Learn more at www.intematix.com.

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April 13, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Light-emitting diode (LED) maker Cree Inc. (Nasdaq:CREE) achieved 254 lumen/watt on a white-light, power LED in research. The correlated color temperature is 4408 K.

Testing occurred at standard room temperature and 350mA. Cree’s previous R&D industry record was 231 lumens/watt.

The R&D LED uses elements of Cree’s SC3 Technology Platform, which is used in Cree’s XLamp LEDs. SC³ combines Cree’s advanced silicon carbide (SiC) technology, with an advanced LED chip architecture and phosphor, and a new LED package design.

Cree makes LEDs and LED lighting products, as well as semiconductor products for power and radio frequency (RF) applications. Internet: www.cree.com.

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April 4, 2012 — SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business added 3 Lexan LUX resin grades to its flagship portfolio of high-performance Lexan polycarbonate (PC) materials. The new Lexan LUX resins (Lexan LUX2110T, LUX2010T, and LUX2910T) are used in light emitting diode (LED) applications such as light guides and lenses. They are transparent and use a new formulation to improve initial color, color stability, and light transmission during heat aging.

Also read: LED test standards, packaging material challenges

These grades retain more than 98% of initial light transmission when exposed to a temperature of 130°C for more than 5,000 hours. At more typical heat exposure in the range of 90-110°C, the transmission retained is even higher.

They also provide improved light transmission (10 units better, compared to competitive products) after heat aging at low wavelengths typical of LED systems, according to the company.

Customers have a choice of flow characteristics for various LED applications, including automotive light guides and inner lenses and general lighting lenses. They also meet the UL 94 V-2 rating at 0.8mm and glow wire flammability index (GWFI) 850C at 1mm, according to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60695-2-12.

The resins complement SABIC’s existing Lexan LUX resins: non-chlorinated, non-brominated FR resins that meet the UL 94 V-0 standard at 1.5 mm in all colors.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is a top petrochemical company producing polyethylene, polypropylene, advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers. Its Innovative Plastics strategic business unit supplies engineering thermoplastics including thermoplastic resins, coatings, specialty compounds, film, and sheet. Innovative Plastics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC). Learn more at www.sabic-ip.com.

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March 30, 2012 — Barclays Capital finds that light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing and materials patents will soon run out, potentially draining value from material/chip/package suppliers and turning LEDs into commodities. These financial and market dynamics take-aways were gleaned from the Intertech Pira Phosphor Summit, a conference on phosphors being used in the LED industry.

For Barclay’s update on phosphor technologies, gleaned from the conference, read Phosphor trends for LED manufacturing

LED-related patents are buoying the top LED makers selling to lighting companies; however, core LED patents will expire in the next 4-5 years, leading to more intensified competition. Top LED makers — Cree, Nichia, OSRAM, and Lumileds — are the go-to sources for global lighting manufacturers — GE, Philips, OSRAM — thanks to strong patent protection. Barclays notes that cross-licensing arrangements between these LED makers make it difficult to gauge precisely when this patent position begins to erode.

Some Korean and Taiwanese LED makers — Epistar, Seoul Semi, Samsung, LG Innotek, and Forepi — have secured licensing agreements or partnerships with the top LED makers, gaining access to Acuity Brands, Zumtobel, Hubbell, Cooper and other top luminaire manufacturers in developed regions. But even as LED manufacturers in Korea, Taiwan, and even China ramp capacity and gradually improve their LED chip/component quality, global lighting conglomerates continue to purchase LEDs only from the top LED manufacturers.

The continual evolution in the LED structure makes it difficult to isolate which core patents remain a true barrier for new entrants (i.e. chip color, phosphor composition, chip structure, color mixing), Barclays notes. LED makers continue to develop novel ways to improve luminous efficacy (lm/W), CRI (color quality), thermal management, lifetime, and cost.

Although it is difficult to compare the various new product claims among the top LED makers (i.e. claims about theoretical luminous efficacy levels are often not apples to apples due to different specs around drive current and voltage, color temperature, LM70 lifetimes), what was clear from the various presentations and comments at the conference was that the top 4 LED makers maintain a noticeable quality leadership relative to Tier 2 and 3 players.

The majority of profits in the LED lighting sector will go to the lighting system manufacturers in the future, given an LED oversupply on the market and LED patents running out. Once core IP is no longer patent-protected, the materials, chip, and package suppliers will watch value fade from their offerings. Lighting companies can still differentiate products through design and distribution, while procuring commodity-like LED components. LED maker Cree’s push downstream "may be a prudent step," Barclays reports, given this trend.

Lighting suppliers and chip makers (Cree, Lumileds, and OSRAM made statements on recent earnings calls) confirm that IP does not make them immune to pricing pressure, with competition among the Tier 1 LED makers fighting for spots with lighting companies.

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March 30, 2012 — Semiconductor fab equipment supplier SUSS MicroTec has acquired Tamarack Scientific Co. Inc. in a share purchase of $9.34 million, plus an additional variable earn-out component which depends on the development of revenues for the next 3 financial years.

Tamarack makes ultraviolet (UV) projection lithography tools and laser micro-structuring systems for manufacturing 3D semiconductor packages, micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Laser processing tools include excimer and solid state; photolithography tools include proximity and projection.

Tamarack products are installed from R&D facilities to high-volume manufacturing plants. The company in based in the US, with an applications lab, cleanroom, and short-run manufacturing support in addition to its capital equipment offering.

The acquired intellectual property (IP) complements SUSS’s exposure technology portfolio with projection lithography. The additional core technology and product line for back-end semiconductor lithography gives SUSS a range of price/performance offerings for customers, said Frank P. Averdung, president and CEO of S

Keithley Instruments, Inc. introduced the Model 2657A High Power System SourceMeter® instrument, which is optimized for high voltage applications such as testing power semiconductor devices, including diodes, FETs, and IGBTs, as well as characterizing newer materials such as gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and other compound semiconductor materials and devices. It is also useful for characterizing high speed transients and performing breakdown and leakage tests on a variety of electronic devices at up to 3,000V.


The instrument offers a flexible, four-quadrant voltage and current source/load coupled with precision voltage and current meters. It combines the functionality of multiple instruments in a single full-rack enclosure: semiconductor characterization instrument, precision power supply, true current source, 6-1/2-digit DMM, arbitrary waveform generator, voltage or current pulse generator, electronic load, and trigger controller, and is fully expandable into a multi-channel, tightly synchronized system via Keithley’s TSP-Link® technology. The Model 2657A can source or sink up to 180W of DC power (±3,000V@20mA, ±1500V@120mA). The Model 2657A also offers 1fA resolution, allowing it to make fast, accurate sub-picoamp measurements even when sourcing up to 3000V.

Price starts at $17,900 USD, depending on configuration and geography. Shipments will begin in May, with lead times of two weeks ARO. ACS Basic Edition software: $5,000 USD. Model 8010 High Power Test Device Fixture: $6,500 USD.

March 27, 2012 — Barclays Capital shares some take-aways from the Intertech Pira Phosphor Summit, a conference on phosphors being used in the light-emitting diode (LED) industry. The analysts touch on LED efficiency and quality from phosphors, color mixing, remote phosphors, and silicone encapsulants for LED packages.

The phosphor market is largely a game of scale and relationships, as much of the intellectual property (IP) around phosphors was created in the 1970-80s (at least for select element combinations) and protection has by now expired, Barclays notes. However, Intertech Pira Phosphor attendees saw some of the top LED makers pursuing phosphor development to improve LED efficiency and color quality.

Phosphor color mixing: Most of the LED industry uses a blue LED die topped with a yellow-phosphor-coated lens for white light emission. Leading LED makers presented new manufacturing approaches, adding a red phosphor to the yellow phosphor to increase the white light quality (the color rendering index [CRI] increases from 67 to 78).

Remote phosphors: Philips introduced a remote phosphor architecture several years ago, wherein the LED die are arranged in a bulb or module topped with a phosphor-coated ceramic plate. This avoids the heat generation, lowered efficiency, and precise match between the wavelength of the die and the composition of the phosphor of putting the phosphor inside the LED package. Remote-phosphor packaged LEDs withstand higher system-level temperatures and enable more flexibility at system-level design — mixing and matching LED die and phosphor plates to achieve consistent light output and quality.

Remote phosphor plates use more phosphor than standard coated lenses. The presenters at the Intertech Pira Phosphor Summit are working on stacking the phosphors in a remote phosphor plate (i.e. a yellow followed by a red layer) rather than mixing them together.

Silicone encapsulants: The LED industry has traditionally used epoxy encapsulants to seal the LED, despite the materials’ tendency to brown with heat exposure. Now, LED makers are switching to silicone encapsulants.

Rare earths: Rare earths compose LED phosphors: terbium, europium, and yttrium. Phosphor is expensive and is increasing in price due to rare earth supply constraints instituted in China, where 95% of rare earth production is concentrated. The industry expects shortages of these rare earths to last through at least 2015. Phosphors account for ~10-15% of rare earth volume end demand. Given expectations for supply tightness and growing demand for LED phosphors as unit shipment continue grow, phosphor prices are likely to continue to move higher. However, phosphors explicitly account for <5% of an LED chip’s total cost, higher from a BOM perspective. Some pressure could come onto LED profit margins/selling prices if phosphor costs spiral upwards.

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March 23, 2012 – Marketwire — Luminus Devices, Inc., manufacturer of Big Chip LEDs, received accreditation to test light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to the LM-80 standard in its Boston-area R&D and Testing Laboratory. LM-80 is the approved method for measuring LED light sources under ISO/IEC 17025:2005, endorsed by the Department of Energy and the Illumination Engineering Society (IES).

The accreditation was bestowed under the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It included an evaluation of Luminus Devices’ technical qualifications and competence to carry out specific calibrations or tests.

The accreditation ensures accurate measurements to industry standards in LED quality and performance, said Arvind Baliga, Ph.D., VP of engineering at Luminus Devices, adding that it will help cut the company’s product development time. "The reports generated by our LM-80 testing are also critical if customers wish to seek an Energy Star certificate."

More on LED standards:

Luminus Devices, Inc. develops and manufactures high-performance, solid-state light sources. Luminus Big Chip LEDs enable major global brands who manufacture products for general lighting, signs and displays, projectors, entertainment lighting, portable lighting, medical devices and UV curing. For more information, visit www.luminus.com.

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March 16, 2012 — The global market for power semiconductors used in light-emitting diode (LED) lighting is forecast to reach over $3 billion in 2016, according to IMS Research.

Rapid LED lighting adoption, driven by energy awareness and government support, will lead to a $3+ billion power semiconductor market by 2016, shows "Opportunities for Power Components in LED Lighting," an IMS Research report. More than half of this market will come from retrofit LED lamps, which will contribute to more than $2 billion of the 2016 outlook.

The LED lamp market is projected to drive over $1.5 billion of AC-DC and DC-DC controllers and low power MOSFETs (used in solutions that use a controller with an external FET) in 2016. The expanding range of available lamps with varying electronics design, requirements and specifications are driving opportunities power semiconductor manufacturers. LED lighting systems require complex electronics, noted Ryan Sanderson, report co-author and senior market analyst. Most designs require power electronics experise, something many suppliers don’t currently have in-house.

LED luminaires present a huge opportunity for power semiconductor manufacturers.  One of the largest projected LED lighting markets in 2016 is high-power (>60W) LED luminaires for street, industrial, and other lighting applications. These applications will drive a power discrete market of more than $1 billion by 2016, largely power MOSFETs and rectifiers sold to LED luminaire makers and merchant power supply manufacturers. Some of the largest LED lighting manufacturers can design and manufacture power circuitry in-house, but even these companies need the added knowledge and expertise of the power semiconductor industry, said report co-author and market analyst Jonathon Eykyn.

A large portion of the power supply opportunity in LED lighting (particularly in LED lamps) will be absorbed by these companies as they become more vertically integrated. However, the power semiconductor opportunity will likely remain separate and addressable to all power semiconductor manufacturers. Eykyn added, “The opportunity is likely to increase further as manufacturers begin to add higher levels of intelligence to their LED lighting products, offering additional functionality to the consumer and increasing energy efficiency.”

“Opportunities for Power Components in LED Lighting” includes analysis of 8 power semiconductor products in 13 LED lighting applications. IMS Research is a leading independent supplier of market research and consultancy to the global electronics industry. Access reports at http://imsresearch.com.

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March 14, 2012 — Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC) uncrated the Primo TSV200E compact, ultra-high-productivity etch tool for 200mm wafer-level packaging (WLP), micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), CMOS image sensors (CIS), and other 3D IC applications.

The tool boasts a dual-station chamber architecture for faster throughput with single- or dual-wafer processing, integrated pre-heat stations, and a gas delivery design tailored for better uniformity and higher etch rates of through silicon vias (TSVs) in semiconductor die. A de-coupled high-density plasma source and bias increase etch rates at lower pressures and enable process control over a wide process window. This configuration can be extended to accommodate up to three dual-station process modules. An RF pulsing bias capability eliminates profile notching.

Also read: AMEC reactive ion etch tool enables sub-28nm nodes

AMEC claims a 30% capital-efficiency premium over other available TSV etchers. The system is flexible to etch a wide range of wafer-level features, said Tom Ni, VP at AMEC, noting a "constantly evolving" product mix at manufacturers.

Several Primo TSV200E tools are deployed for production at Q Technology Limited (Q Tech) and JCAP Corp. (JCAP) in China, supporting advanced packaging of semiconductors. 3D semiconductor packaging is "a key component of our technology roadmap, said JCAP president C.M. Lai. JCAP is meeting its product development milestones using the AMEC process modules for TSVs. JCAP has placed a repeat order, Lai noted.

AMEC expects orders soon from Taiwan and Singapore. AMEC notes that strong demand should come from China-based companies.

Development of a 300mm version is underway.

More data on the tool can be found at http://amec-inc.com/products/TSV.php.

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