Technical Insight
Nitride LEDs get brighter with transparent ZnO contacts
LED manufacturers can boost chip performance by up to 30% if they replace ITO contacts with those based on ZnO, says Structured Materials Industries' Gary Tompa.
GaN LEDs are a great success. They have created a multibillion dollar market and are now used in many applications, including mobile phone displays and keypads, small screens and architectural lighting systems. However, if LED sales are to continue to grow at a rapid rate, then traction is needed in the next lucrative application, the $60 billion solid-state lighting market. But success in this sector will require cheaper, even more efficient LEDs that can only be achieved through refinements in high-volume manufacturing technologies.
