JAN 30

A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge has found a production method that could lead to cheaper LEDs within a few years.

LED lights are a technology that most EcoGeeks are hoping to see in widespread distribution. LED lights can be even more efficient than compact fluorescent lights, and they don't contain mercury like CFLs do. LEDs also have a much longer lifespan, and can operate for 10 times longer than fluorescents and 100 times longer than incandescents. They're just still a little expensive, up to $100 / bulb.

One problem with producing LEDs is that the substrate typically used for LEDs is sapphire, rather than silicon, which can be used for many other semiconductors. Many LEDs are made from gallium nitride which is grown into crystals at a temperature of around 1000 C (1832 degrees F). Unlike other electronic components, which can be fabricated on a silicon base, gallium nitride shrinks faster than silicon when it cools, which leads to cracking and failure. Sapphire has a rate of shrinkage and cooling that closely matches the LED compounds, which makes it a suitable substrate.

The University of Cambridge team's development is a method to make LEDs incorporating aluminum gallium nitride, which shrinks much more slowly as it cools, and allows the production of LEDs on silicon wafers like other components. "A 15-centimetre silicon wafer costs just $15 and can accommodate 150,000 LEDs making the cost per unit tiny."

With the commercialization of this process, inexpensive LEDs may become available, and a superior alternative for lighting can help save billions of kilowatt hours of electrical demand.

via: New Scientist

Comments (11)

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written by Clinch, January 30, 2009

Woo
The only complaint I have of this news is the "within a few years" part (as apposed to months, or even weeks).
Hopefully this cheaper technique will still be usable in future even-more efficient LEDs, although I don't think it'll have any impact on OLED prices (which I though would end up overtaking conventional LEDs in both efficiency and price, but that doesn't seem to have happend yet).

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:3 Yay!
written by Gab, January 31, 2009

I'm excited that LED lights will be cheaper. At least we know that in a couple of years we will have more efficient lights.

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Energy Efficiency Engineer
written by Tim, January 31, 2009

Is it just me or does no one care about the efficacy (Lumens per watt) of these lights? No where in this article is there mention of the efficiency of the lights in terms of Output per Watt!

LEDs surely have a place in our future -- replacing inefficient halogen spot lighting (which florescent lighting is incredibly bad at).

I get that LEDs are sexy, you can change the color temperature with easy, they last many times longer than flourescents, and don't have funky ballast issues with dimmers but lets not get carried away -- flourescents are still a big key in reducing our energy use.

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Lumens Per Watt Solved
written by Tattooedgeek, February 01, 2009

Because of the improved cost efficiency they will be able to increase the the number of LEDs in a bulb. Doubling the LEDs in a bulb would effectively double the wattage, lumens, etc. solving the low output issue. We are left with a more energy efficient bulb that last ten times longer than CFLs, no environmental worries, comparable lumen's, and comparable price. LEDs win hands down.

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@tim
written by Clinch, February 01, 2009

I think they're just normal avalible (or soon to be avalible) LEDs, but just much cheaper, so will have the efficiency of whatevery the current top LED bulbs have (the NewScientist article say three times more efficient than CFLs, but then that's still relitive depending on how good the best CLFs are).

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Great news
written by Chris, February 02, 2009

With even cheaper LEDs, chances are good that the technology can gain an even better foothold in the market, which might mean the breakthrough for LED outdoor and inhouse lighting.

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...
written by Tim, February 02, 2009

Security application and offices. Bye bye incans and flouro. I am very excited about LED advances. We are already planning to use them in our new business.

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Good news if reliability and lighting is
written by Robin Green, February 03, 2009

This is good news, I hope it helps make LEDs more viable, but there are still issues with reliability and quality of the light from LEDs that need to be resolved before LEDs really take off.

Many of the bulbs on the market today (some available for substantially less than the price quoted in the post) have quality problems and are prone to failure far sooner than the 35,000 to 200,000 hour touted lifetime. Also remember that LEDs dim over time, so while a light may last 100,000 hours, it's not going to give full light output for those 100,000 hours. And since the light emitted by LED bulbs is quite weak even when they're new (with typical claims of 'equivalent to a 50 watt incandescent' often grossly exaggerated), you'll be starting with something dim, and watching it get dimmer with age.

I'm happy to wait - for this new production method to be commercialized, and for the quality and light problems of current LEDs to be solved.

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LEDs cheaper already?
written by Joan K, February 11, 2009

I replaced my Christmas lights with LEDs over the last 3 years by purchasing in post Chrismas sales. Each year the LEDs were cheaper. I recently bought a string of patio lights with solar charger at Target for $9--not on sale but very reasonable already.

We have CFLs but would like to replace all of those with LEDs when they are finished--probably in 4 years.

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re: Geat News
written by Steve Bergman, February 11, 2009

With even cheaper LEDs, chances are good that the technology can gain an even better foothold in the market,

With "even" cheaper LEDs? You mean, like even less than $80 for a 50W equivalent that shines more like a flashlight than a real light bulb?

Even better foothold in the market? You mean even better than the nothing they have right now?

Wow...

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Led Downlights
written by Led Downlights, November 08, 2009

Led's are moving quite fast. There are some great led chips being manufactured but there aren't many products being produced with them and they are still quite expensive.Led Downlights that are less than 6W are a waste of time and the quality that i've seen is shocking. There are some local designers/manufacturers that look promising and the prices are slowly falling.

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