Next gen IR LEDs offered in three wavelengths
Ams Osram has introduced its new IR:6 infrared LED chip technology, which increases brightness by up to 35 percent and efficiency by up to 42 percent compared to existing devices used in the company's IR LED emitters. The new generation devices come in 850nm, 940nm and a new 920nm wavelength option
Emitting light at 920nm has two main benefits. First it offers a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than at 940nm because of photodiodes’ higher sensitivity to shorter wavelengths, and second, it has a weaker visible red glow effect than at 850nm.
The IR:6 chip technology also includes a new central bond pad for better current spreading and a lower forward voltage, and better roughening of the chip’s surface for higher decoupling efficiency and higher brightness.
According to the company, the IR:6 thin-film chip technology will enable manufacturers of products such as security cameras and biometric authentication systems to achieve better illumination for improved image quality as well as the faster, more accurate recognition of biometric markers, while saving power and extending battery run-time.
In medical equipment such as light therapy fixtures for the treatment of tissue damage, the higher optical power output from the IR:6 chip will enable equipment manufacturers to use fewer LEDs while producing the same therapeutic effect, saving space and reducing bill-of-materials cost.
The first Ams Osram products to take advantage of the new chip are the OSLON P1616 series of high-power LEDs in a compact 1.6mm x 1.6mm package — and the OSLON Black family, which offers various viewing angle options, including a new rectangular field of illumination which is perfect for use with IR cameras.
