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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
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written by Gab, January 31, 2009
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written by Tim, January 31, 2009
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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written by Tattooedgeek, February 01, 2009
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written by Clinch, February 01, 2009
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written by Chris, February 02, 2009
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written by Tim, February 02, 2009
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written by Robin Green, February 03, 2009
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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written by Joan K, February 11, 2009
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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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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written by Led Downlights, November 08, 2009
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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).