By improving all the technologies involved in the manufacture of LEDs, Osram development engineers have achieved new records for the brightness and efficiency of white LEDs in the laboratory, according to a report in LED Journal. Under standard conditions with an operating current of 350 mA, brightness peaked at a value of 155 lm, and efficiency at 136 lm/W. In generating these results, researchers used white prototype LEDs with 1 mm²chips. The light produced had a color temperature of 5,000 K, with color coordinates at 0.349/0.393 (cx/cy).

The key to Osram’s success was the efficient interplay among all the advances made in materials and technologies. A matched system of optimized chip technology, an advanced and efficient light converter, and a special high-performance package all combined to produce the world record performance results. Potential applications for this high-performance LED technology include general illumination, the automotive sector and any application that calls for large, high-power LEDs. These semiconductor light sources are also suitable for high operating currents. At 1.4 A, they can produce up to 500 lm of white

light. This means that in the future the LEDs can also be used for projection applications as blue and green chip versions.