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Analysis on LED Packaging Development Status: Lighting-Class LED
With the efficiency improvement and technology advancement, the application field of LED has gradually been expanded from the backlight and signal light segments to the Lighting-Class field. To solve the problem of light and heat, the LED manufacturers have put forward their own solutions covering the chip making, packaging and even the light fixture sections by offering products of various specifications. For reference of readers, LEDinside has collected and organized the current development situation of Lighting-Class LED technology as well as information of the chief products from different LED manufacturers.
Suitable LED light fixtures for LEDs of Different Specifications
The light sources currently adopted by bulb-type LED fixtures are mostly single high power LED or AC LEDs in single-chip or multi-chip package. The high power LEDs in single chip package are generally used in MR16 and LED spot light products which require focused and high directional light source, while high power LEDs in multi-chip package are used as light source in 10W-above LED bulbs for replacing compact fluorescent lamps. And the AC LEDs, limited by the technology bottle-neck of the AC LED chip, are generally used in 10W-below LED bulbs for replacing incandescent lamps. As to the bar-type light fixtures, most manufacturers currently adopt low-power LEDs in multi-chip package, with some using the high-power ones in multi-chip package.
Figure-2 Suitable LED light fixtures for LEDs of Different Specifications
Cost comparison between LED and traditional light sources
In terms of cost, the $/Lm of current LEDs is approximately USD 0.01~0.02. After the steep price dropping of LED last year, the price difference of LED and traditional light sources has been narrowed from 5-10 times to 2-4 times, which is also one of the reasons causing the warming of the Lighting-Class LED market.
However, as the traditional light source market is very mature, the prices of traditional lighting products are not changing in proportion with brightness, while it’s not the situation with LED products. As LED is semi-conductive component, the price will increase in proportion with the brightness. Considering the price, the 10W-below LED bulbs has the highest penetration rate currently. While the bar-type LED products with prices more than 20 times higher than traditional lighting bars are mainly introduced only to business places or government bids.
Figure-3 Comparison on $/Lm of LED and fluorescent lamp
Europe and the U.S. Lighting-Class LED suppliers
Cree is an integrate LED supplier whose business covering from the upstream chip to the downstream packaging. Its Xlamp series released in recent years is very competitive in both luminous efficiency and lifespan, and has won much recognition in the Lighting-Class LED market. It has used silicone carbide substrate instead of sapphire substrate as the chip material which has 10 times Vertical thermal characteristics than Saphire, and it is thermal conductive as well as electricity conductive, can vertically conduct the heat. Besides, the formula and painting of phosphor are also with patented technology. Cree’s current LED products have already met most of the specifications in LM 79、LM 80 of the U.S. Energy Star lighting standards to be released soon this year, thus are with substantial advantages in future shipment into the Lighting-Class lighting market in the U.S.
The High Power Xlamp series currently includes XR-E(7090 package)、XR-C，XP-E(3535 package)、XP-C，and MC-E(7090 4 chip package). The differences between XP and XR is in the size of the package body, with the XP downsized by nearly 80% to significantly saving the material cost. The luminous efficiency of XP has been improved to equivalent to that of XR, while the maximum suggestive operating current has been decreased to 700mA from 1Amp of XR series. XP-E with luminous efficiency up to 114Lm/W(cool white)MIN has entered large volume shipment. While the MC-E adopts 4 chip high power LED in multi-chip package, features a maximum overall luminous flux of 430Lm@350mA and the suggested maximum operating current of 700mA.
OSRAM
The LED segment of major Lighting-Class manufacture OSRAM is in the charge of subsidiary OSRAM Opto. OSRAM Opto boosts the integrate capability from chip making to the packaging, and has got several white LED patents. In the chip section, the company has developed the high brightness LED based on its Thin Gan technology. The process is to form a metal film on the InGaN substrate and then peel off the sapphire, and the metal film can offer a reflective effect and achieve light output. The light output rate is as high as 75％, according to data from OSRAM.
In terms of the specifications of the high power product line, the products are divided into Golden Dragon(1W)、Platinum Dragon(3W)、Diamond Dragon(5W) according to power, all in single high power LED packaged inside PLCC. For example, LUW W5AM, the fist product in the Golden Dragon series, features a luminous flux of 105Lm and luminous efficiency of 93Lm/W.
Japan’s Lighting-Class LED suppliers
Nichia mainly provides low power LEDs in multi-chip package by parallel connecting several low power LED chips on the PLCC package body. As the current distributed to each chip is rather small, the products can offer high luminous efficiency without generating excessive heat. In product strategy, Nichia has cooperated with Lumonus and will also release high power LED products this year.
The 083 model released by the company last year has been much prefered by many LED lighting fixture manufacturers. For instance, the current mainstream product 083B achieve a luminous efficiency of 100Lm/W at 300mA under 3.3V.
TG, the LED supplier with high market share in 3C backlight field, is also to release its 3W high power LED products this year. The process is to utilize the Flip chip technology to invert the high power LED upon the ceramic substrate, improving the reflection times though the reflective layer on the bottom. LeadFrame is not needed thus the LeadFrame masking problem is eliminated which improves the luminous efficiency to 80Lm/W and cut the product size to 3.5*3.5mm. The product is manufactured with inorganic materials thus boosts high reliability and long lifespan. The LEDs are already in the sample phase and is expected to enter mass production in the middle of this year.
Taiwan LED lighting suppliers
Edison Opto Corporation is a Taiwan-based leading high power LED packaging manufacturer. The company mainly offers high power LED components packaged in lead frames as well as in smaller-sized COB package since the latter half of last year. Its comprehensive LED product line ranges from 1 Watt to 100 Watt.
For example, Edixeon ARC Series, which adopts Taiwan chips and uses lead frame based single chip package offered in 1W/3W models, reaches a luminous efficacy of 100 LM/W at 350mA. In the product test, its optical attenuation is approximately 3% within 3000 hours. This series is designed for residential and commercial lighting.
Another example is Edistar series, sealed in multi-chip package on a ceramic substrate for high power 50W/100W models. It reaches a luminous flux of 4000/ 7000 Lm and luminous efficacy of 70Lm/W. This series receives many queries as it can be directly applied to street lamps. However, multi-chip package for high power LEDs has difficult thermal issues which will affect the luminous efficacy and use life. For the choice of this series, lighting fixture customers need to have considerable cooling capability.
Established in 2004, Lustrous Technology applies for patents in the United States through its parent company LUSTROUS, manufactures in Taiwan and sells products of the brand LUSTROUS.
Chia Chi Liu, Lustrous’s general manager specially mentioned the company’s patented COB typed package for high power LEDs. With almost all COB package in parallel structure on the market, Lustrous Technology is the only company capable of a vertical structure. Its high power LEDs are silicon wafer COB packaged emitting white light from mixed double-color Nitride phospher followed by another optical processing after packaging.
Its product line ranges from 5W to 10 W with 15 W to be developed in future. Currently the following three new specifications are available: Diamond/Dimond Pro Series, luminous efficacy of 70-80 Lm/W, CRI around 75%. Crystal Series, CRI up to 92%, suitable for commercial lighting in department stores and showcases. Its high power LEDs can last as long as 15,000 hours.
NeoPac which have put much emphasis in the LED streetlight field has changed its product strategy and has begun stressing on the introduction of its light source engines and development of various indoor or business lighting products. Jeffery Chen, CEO of the company noted that the company has got several patents covering chip manufacturing, packaging, cooling and so on, thus is to self-design the LED components and out-source the manufacturing.
NeoPac Emitter, the latest product released by NeoPac, is high power LED component in multi-chip package. The 30W model can retain a luminous flux up to 1,500Lm, with the component size to be merely 14.1×14.1mm. Despite the 50Lm/W luminous efficiency, the component is able to control the junction temperature under 60°C by combining the company’s cooling module, sequentially ensuring the endurance and lighting characteristics of the LED light source. CEO Chen stressed that the current actually measured luminous decay data has reached 21 thousand hours, and the product life is estimated to be as long as over 60 thousand hours under room temperature below 25℃. And the 70Lm/W model of NeoPac Emitter is also to be released this year.
