eNewsletter

November 2007

Nuventix Introduces Two New LED Cooling Modules for LED Thermal Management

Nuventix has unveiled two new LED cooling modules. These two new products, utilize Neventix’ SynJet technology, provide high reliablity, low audible noise and power consumption cooling technology for two industry standard lighting configurations. Using the SynJet approach allows twice the light output compared to passible LED thermal management designs. The MR-16 SynJet cooling module was developed by Neventix for cooling 15 W heat source in an LED lighting application. The cooler is designed to fit the form factor of a MR-16 bulb and provides 300,000 hours L10 life at 60°C.

The PAR-38 is also a SynJet cooling module developed by Nuventix for active cooling of an LED PAR-38 light source. It can be integrated with a wide array of electronic and optical solutions in the PAR-38 form factor. The module cools 35 to 50 watts, provides 300,000 hours L10 life at 60°C and meets PAR-38 form factor while providing near silent acoustics.

“Finally the LED industry has a cooling technology that is well suited for LED illumination,” said Jim Balthazar, president and CEO, Nuventix. “General lighting LED solutions today are limited by the amount of heat that can be cooled. SynJet technology will allow the LED industry to double its light output in general lighting today, without compromising power efficiency and reliability.”

Nuventix’ synthetic jet cooling approach solves thermal management problems in a completely new way, providing a reliable, effective and flexible active cooling solutions for product designers across a variety of industries, including LED lighting, telecommunications and industrial electronics. SynJet cooling solutions enable new electronic designs by allowing designers to focus on functionality, not thermals.

The MR-16 and PAR-38 are available for purchase. Pricing is based on volume and customization.

New Three-Channel, Constant Current, LED Driver IC Family Offers Simple Design Solutions

Supertex Inc. has introduced a family of three LED driver ICs, the CL320, CL325, and CL330, each consisting of three channels of constant current output, designed to drive three LED strings at currents of 20 mA, 25 mA and 30 mA each, respectively. Each part comes in an 8-lead, power SOIC package. The only external component required is a single ceramic bypass capacitor, making the PCB designs extremely simple and the same capacitor may be shared with several drivers.

Separate Enable pins for each channel allow pulse width modulated (PWM) dimming, three-step linear dimming, or individual disconnection of any faulty LED string. Overtemperature protection circuitry shuts down all channels when the die temperature reaches 135°C. Normal operation resumes when die temperature drops by 30°C. The parts feature a 90 V standoff voltage and a fixed drive current with a ±6 percent tolerance over a VOUT range of 4 to 15 V. They are specifically designed for applications in low cost LED backlighting LCD panels, indicator lamps, decorative lights as well as general lighting.

“With the introduction of the CL3xx product family, Supertex further expands its line of high voltage and high performance LED drivers and strengthens its market position as a leading provider of high voltage LED driving solutions,” said Ahmed Masood, vice president of Marketing for Supertex. “The CL3xx product family features temperature compensation for consistently accurate drive current and independent Enable pins for each of the three channels to allow for design flexibility, ease of dimming control and disabling of any faulty LED string.”

All products in the CL3xx family are available in 8-lead, power SOIC packages (CL320SG-G, CL325SG-G, CL330SG-G). The parts are Green and RoHS compliant. Samples are available from stock. Lead-time for production quantities is 4 to 6 weeks ARO. Pricing is $0.90 each for the CL320SG-G, $0.91 each for the CL325SG-G and $0.92 each for the CL330SG-G, all in 1,000 quantities.   

Catalyst Semiconductor Adds to I/O Bus Expander Product Line with New 16-bit I 2C LED Dimmer

Catalyst Semiconductor, Inc., a supplier of analog, mixed-signal and non-volatile memory semiconductors , has expanded its line of bus products with the CAT9532, a 16-bit LED driver with dimmer and blinker control functions, which can also be used as a general purpose I/O expander.

A drop-in replacement for the PCA9532, the CAT9532 can drive 16 LEDs directly in parallel and provides LED dimming in 256 brightness steps for backlighting and RGB color mixing. The device can also turn each LED ON, OFF or blinking at one of two programmable rates for sensor control, power-switch, push-button and status indicator light applications with I 2C or SMBus interfaces.

Product Features:

• 16 LED drivers with dimming control
• 256 brightness steps
• 16 open drain outputs drive 25 mA each
• Two selectable, programmable blink rates:
  - Frequency: 0.593 Hz to 153 Hz
  - Duty Cycle: 0 percent to 99.6 percent
• I/Os can be used as general purpose I/Os
• 400 kHz I 2C bus compatible
• Packaging: 24-lead SOIC, TSSOP and 24-pad TQFN (4 by 4 mm)

The CAT9532 LED driver/blinkers are priced at $0.75 each in 10,000 piece quantities. Samples are available now. Projected lead-time for production quantities is currently 6 to 8 weeks ARO.

National Semiconductor Announces Highly Integrated, High-Brightness LED Drivers

National Semiconductor Corp. has added two new LED drivers to its PowerWise energy-efficient product family. National’s LM3401 and LM3405A LED drivers power 1 W to 5 W, high-brightness LEDs found in industrial and automotive applications as well as general illumination applications such as solid state and signage. Each offers a wide input voltage range and provides a constant current to regulate the LED brightness and low feedback voltage to minimize power dissipation.

Featuring a voltage range from 4.5 V to 35 V, National’s high-efficient LM3401 LED driver includes a scalable current drive of greater than 3 A and a 100 percent duty cycle. A low feedback voltage of 0.2 V and accuracy within 3 percent provides a constant current to provide constant color output from an LED.

The LM3405A LED driver features a voltage range from 3 V to 22 V and is able to regulate from a loosely coupled 12 V AC rail found in industrial and commercial lighting applications. The small SOT-23 package allows LEDs to be placed into small-form factor light bulbs to offer higher efficiency versus the traditional halogen and incandescent sources for illumination.

Technical Features of the LM3401 LED Driver

The LM3401 is a high-efficiency hysteretic PFET switching controller that provides a high-performance, constant current drive to a string of LEDs resulting in a constant color output. An adjustable hysteretic window allows for flexibility in component selection and overall design simplicity. No external compensation is required. The regulated LED current is sensed and is compared to the reduced feedback of 0.2 V for current sensing which eliminates the need for an output capacitor. Offered in an 8-pin mini SOIC package, the LM3401 has programmable over current voltage protection and a DIM input pin for PWM inputs to control dimming.

Technical Features of the LM3405A LED Driver

The new LM3405A extends the voltage range of National’s previously announced LM3405 up to 22V. Offered in a tiny 6-pin SOT-23 package, the LM3405A constant-current buck regulator delivers up to 1A of current to drive 3 W or 5 W LEDs.  With a 0.2 V reference voltage for constant-current feedback control, internal compensation and a fixed 1.6 MHz switching frequency, the LM3405A provides a simple, highly-efficient solution for driving LEDs.  The LM3405A also includes an EN/DIM pin for pulse-width-modulation (PWM) dimming. The LM3405A drives general illumination for industrial and commercial lighting applications from the 12 V AC and 12 V DC rail.

Available now, the LM3401 is priced at 75 cents each and the LM3405A is $1.30 in 1,000-unit quantities.

Osram Sylvania has released InspireLED, an LED module created to improve upon the current lighting options available for jewelry cases, retail display cases, and salad bars.

“The InspireLED module brings a unique and innovative solution whenever retail display items of different colors are shown side by side. By combining soft white and warm white LEDs in a single module, all display items, regardless of their color, are put in the best light,” said Jonathan Margalit, product manager.

Using 3,300°K and 4,700°K LEDs alternatively mounted on a single circuit board, the InspireLED’s color enhancing capabilities surpasses those of traditional fluorescent light sources for specialty applications such as shelf lighting and display case lighting. Additionally, because of the LED technology, no ultraviolet or infrared radiation is emitted from the light source, protecting the merchandise from potentially harmful radiation.

InspireLED offers a better efficacy (16 lumens per watt) than either incandescent or tungsten halogen light sources and has a low wattage of 17-watts. That high efficacy and low wattage, combined with a service life of up to 50,000 hours when temperature at the Tc-point is maintained at 40°C, results in low operation and maintenance costs.

Also, in further continuing its leadership in the lighting industry by providing complete system solutions, Osram Sylvania offers a wide range of Optronic 24 Volt power supplies specially designed to operate the InspireLED modules. The color blending effect is brought to perfection with the Osram Optronic OT DIM dimming control module.

Each InspireLED metal core circuit board has predrilled screw holes for easy mounting. The modules are pre-wired with 6-inch 18 AWG wires and have an innovative, sleek and extremely low profile design. With a height of less than 0.2 inches, a length of 11.5 inches and a width of 1 inch, the InspireLED can fit into almost any display application. 

Market research firm Strategies Unlimited expects worldwide LED sales to grow more than 60 percent during the next three years, reaching $8 billion during 2010, as LEDs make steady inroads into the general lighting market as well as applications in automobiles, cellular phones and LCD laptop and television back-lighting systems. Silicone encapsulants are helping to enable the LED market’s growth by improving device performance and durability.

Most LEDs are coated with protective encapsulants to prevent electrical and environmental damage while increasing light output and minimizing heat build-up. Encapsulants also can be molded into lenses to create specific light distribution patterns. Until recently, encapsulants were commonly made of epoxy and other organic materials because of their hardness, transparency and low cost.

Silicone encapsulants increasingly are gaining favor, however, as the electronics industry develops more powerful, high-brightness LEDs. Silicone encapsulants can withstand much higher LED operating temperatures than epoxy and are compatible with lead-free solder reflow manufacturing processes. Silicone encapsulants also offer high light transmittance, excellent adhesion to a variety of materials, low moisture absorption, and availability in a wide range of hardnesses and viscosities.

Dow Corning’s new two-part HRI encapsulants are available in three formulations, each optimized for different uses and manufacturing processes. Dow Corning OE-6665 A and B offers maximum hardness along with low viscosity. Dow Corning OE-6630 A and B offers a softer formulation with similarly low viscosity. Dow Corning OE-6635 A and B also offers a softer composition, but with twice the viscosity. All three products are highly transparent, with a refractive index of 1.53, compared with 1.4 for other silicone encapsulants on the market.

LED ‘Halo’ Technology Brought to New CCO Flagship North London Tower

A glowing halo of light that can be remotely tuned to any one of one billion hues to complement a client’s advertising creative or branding has been installed at Clear Channel Outdoor’s new flagship North London Tower.

The halo, which is operated remotely from Clear Channel’s headquarters in Golden Square, is created by 3,000 LEDs grouped into three color pixels. Each of the thousands of LEDs can be individually programmed so the halo can be set to display a single color, a color gradient or even one color melting into another at different times.

According to Pip Hainsworth, marketing director at Clear Channel Outdoor, “The unique combination of the vivid array of LEDs and diffusing filter produces an effect that will simultaneously reinforce a company’s corporate image and beautifully frame its creative. Following 12 months of research and development, the finished product displays a range of effects unrivalled in Europe.”

The ‘halo’ effect on Clear Channel’s North London Tower maximizes the impact for any brand advertising on the UK’s new mega-structure, the first and only architecturally-designed Tower targeting North and North West London, with two faces of 7.5 m by 5 m.

The North London Tower achieves more than 4.4 million (1) fortnightly impacts and is in proximity to the M1 motorway, Brent Cross Shopping Centre and Wembley Stadium. Clients who have already booked campaigns for the east and west elevations of the tower include HBOS, Next, Channel 5, IKEA and Nivea.

The North London Tower complements Clear Channel’s existing towers on the M4 and A40 Westway and forms part of Clear Channel Outdoor’s Pinnacle portfolio, the number one collection of premium sites in the UK.

(1) Source – Department for Transport

It’s time to Vote for the 2007 LED Journal Innova Awards

LED Journal is pleased to announce the first annual Innova Awards. These awards are designed to recognize companies that are striving for excellence and are achieving technology breakthroughs. Nominations have been selected for the following categories.

Visit http://www.ledjournal.com/led_innova.php to decide & vote for your favorites now!

Votes will be accepted until November 23rd.

Industry Leadership
This award goes to the company that has shown a commitment to excellence and is a leading innovator in the LED industry.

Product Development Excellence
This award goes to the product that shows the most innovation and cutting-edge technology.

Best Technology
This award goes to the technology that has the most promise of impacting/improving the LED industry.

Outstanding Application
This award goes to LEDs that have been successfully integrated and performed in an end-product.

Nominate your company in 2008! 

Quanlight Inc., an emerging company developing high power, high brightness red LEDs , has released the results of its testing of factory fabricated prototype models. The Quanlight devices, utilizing the novel material indium gallium nitride phosphide (InGaNP), delivered considerably improved color and brightness stability with changing temperatures when compared with traditional LEDs.

Tests were conducted on Quanlight-designed epiwafers manufactured on production scale Veeco MOCVD equipment; color stability at increasing temperature was tested by measuring the peak wavelength emitted while externally heating the LED from 25°C to 125°C. The resulting shift of three nanometers over this temperature range was one-fifth the shift of a conventional LED.

In a test of brightness stability, the light output from a Quanlight LED was measured as the external temperature was increased from 25°C to 150°C. At the high end, the Quanlight unit emitted 48 percent of its original light output compared to 25 percent produced by a conventional LED.

Furthermore, Quanlight’s simplified manufacturing process employs direct growth on a transparent gallium phosphide (GaP) substrate, eliminating the traditional AlInGaP LED step of removing the epilayer from an opaque substrate and bonding it onto a new transparent substrate. This minimizes the process steps, reduces the amount of material required, and leads to lower production costs.

Quanlight’s CEO Neil Senturia says, “For applications requiring high power or stable color output, such as traffic signals, signage, theatrical lighting and backlighting units for LCD televisions, these differences are dramatic. Benefits from the reduced wavelength shifts and improved high temperature efficiency will translate into simpler color control mechanisms and enhanced lighting intensity.”

Cree, Inc. and the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, have announced that Ann Arbor will join Raleigh, N.C. and Toronto, in the growing LED City initiative. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, Ann Arbor plans to become the first US city to convert 100 percent of its downtown streetlights to LED technology.

Ann Arbor expects to install more than 1,000 LED streetlights beginning next month. The City anticipates a 3.8-year payback on its initial investment. The LED lights typically burn five times longer than the bulbs they replace and require less than half the energy. Each fixture draws 56 watts and is projected to last 10 years, replacing fixtures with bulbs that use more than 120 watts and last only two years.

Full implementation of LEDs is projected to cut Ann Arbor’s public lighting energy use in half and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2,425 tons of CO 2 annually, the equivalent of taking 400 cars off the road for a year. Detroit Edison, Ann Arbor’s local utility provider, will meter the new LED streetlights with the intent to gather sufficient information to develop new LED-based tariffs.

“This decision is based on three years of extensive research on the energy and maintenance savings associated with LED lighting, citizen surveys and a very successful pilot of 25 LED lights spanning an entire city block,” said Mayor John Hieftje. As a result, the City received a $630,000 grant from the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority to fund retrofits for the downtown lights. “This initial installation should save the City more than $100,000 per year and reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 294 tons of CO 2. Our plan is to retrofit all downtown lights with LED alternatives over the next two years.”

“We applaud the tremendous efforts by Ann Arbor’s civic leaders to make energy efficiency a priority for the City,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. “We are especially pleased that Ann Arbor is joining the LED City program to share the results of their product testing and surveys with other municipalities to help accelerate the adoption of LED lighting worldwide.”

The LED streetlights currently installed in Ann Arbor are based on the New Westminster Series made by Lumec, Inc., which contain LED light engines from Relume Technologies, Inc. The light engines are based on the performance-leading Cree XLamp LED.

For additional information on the LED version of Lumec’s New Westminster Series streetlight, please call (248) 476-7676. For additional information on Relume LED light engines and fixtures, please call (877) 564-3133 or visit www.lumecon.com. For additional information on Cree XLamp power LEDs, please call (919) 313-5300 or visit www.cree.com/xlamp.

The LED Journal Knowledge Center is a place you will find the latest information and resources for the LED industry including white papers, webinars, archived articles, market reports, training courses, standards/regulations, industry links, literature & books, R&D and a calendar of events. Check back often as we are continually updating the content.

http://www.ledjournal.com/led_knowledgecenter.htm

Please send new information or content to be posted in the Knowledge Center to Heather Krier at heatherk@infowebcom.com.

11/12 - 11/18
LDI 2007
Orlando, FL

FlexBoost Technology: A Breakthrough Concept in the Battle for Efficiency in Mobile Handset Applications
California Micro Devices

November 2007

11/1-3/07
IESNA Light Matters Symposium: Quality Lighting in a Green World
St. Louis, MO

11/5-7/07
OLEDs
San Diego, CA

11/11 - 11/15
IMAPS 2007
San Jose, CA

11/12 - 11/18
LDI 2007
Orlando, FL

11/27 - 11/30
Interlight Moscow
Moscow, Russia

Don’t miss IntertechPira’s 3rd annual conference devoted exclusively to the digital signage industry!

Plan now to join over 100 colleagues and business partners at Power Signs 2007. This 3rd annual meeting will bring together leading suppliers, system designers and installers, network operators, advertising executives, media directors and planners, investors, and entrepreneurs. By attending, you’ll meet the industry’s leaders and get updated on the most current issues, trends, and applications for both indoor and outdoor digital signage markets. 

Chaired by Lyle Bunn of Alchemy, the conference will feature 16 presentations from companies including Clear Channel Outdoor, Panasonic, Nike, and Arbitron Out-of-Home. There will also be an expert panel, an exhibit area displaying the latest products and technologies, and plentiful networking opportunities. Plus, you won’t want to miss the preconference seminar: Digital Signage: Industry Fundamentals & Technology Considerations in Measuring Effectiveness – a three-hour intensive workshop being held the morning of December 4 th.

Sign up by phone +207-781-9631, by fax +207-781-2150, or by email mrobert@intertechusa.com. For more information or to register online, please visit our website: www.intertechusa.com/powersigns.

IQPCs  8th International Flagship Event

Intelligent Automotive Lighting

• Advanced Automotive LED Front Lighting
• Innovative Interior Lighting for Customer Well-Being
• Application Solutions for  OLEDs and EL-Foils

28th – 31st January 2008, Sheraton Towers Hotel,
Frankfurt, Germany

20 high-level speakers from companies and institutions such as FIAT, Ford, Siemens VDO, Global Light, Goodrich Lighting, Visteon, Faurecia and many more will report about first-hand experiences and latest developments:

• Add value through the implementation of innovative active front lighting systems for enhanced traffic safety
• Provide enhanced perception at night by learning about innovative night vision systems
• Master challenges for OLED displays and EL-Foils to benefit from new interior design opportunities

For further information, please visit: www.iqpc.com/de/lighting

To Register:

Fax: +49 (0) 30 20 91 33 12
Post: IQpC Gesellschaft für
Management Konferenzen mbh
Friedrichstraße 94
D-10117 Berlin, Germany
Online: www.iqpc.com/de/lighting
Email: info@iqpc.de