News Article
Soraa GaN On GaN LEDs break barriers
The firm's latest gallium nitride on gallium nitride LED outperforms the previous best documented lab result
Soraa has announced the next generation of its high external quantum efficiency GaN on GaN LEDs.
The firm says its new LED outperforms the best-documented LED laboratory result by Nichia Chemical Co. at current densities of 100 A/cm2 and beyond as described in the paper, "White light emitting diodes with super-high luminous efficacy," J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 43, 354002).
Soraa has published a paper on its ground breaking LEDs, entitled, "Bulk GaN based violet light-emitting diodes with high efficiency at very high current density" in Applied Physics Letters, 101, 223509. In it, Soraa reports an external quantum efficiency of 68 percent at 180 A cm−2.
"The record breaking performance from our next generation of GaN on GaN LEDs is a credit to the extremely talented research and development team at Soraa, and a testament to the vision of our founder and GaN on GaN pioneer, Dr. Shuji Nakamura," says Mike Krames, CTO of Soraa. "But what’s amazing is that we have just scratched the surface in terms of performance gains from our GaN on GaN LED technology."
Soraa says its GaN on GaN LEDs handle significantly more current and emit ten times more light per unit area of LED wafer material than LEDs created by depositing GaN layers on cheaper foreign substrates like sapphire, SiC or silicon.
However, the cost of GaN substrates is huge compared to its couterparts. For example, according to Lux Research, bulk GaN currently costs about $1,900 or more for a 2" substrate, compared with $25 to $50 for a far larger 6" silicon substrate.
Having said that, Lux predicts that HVPE (the cheaper alternative to MOCVD) 2" GaN substrate costs will fall by more than 60 percent to $730 per substrate in 2020, while 4" HVPE substrate costs will fall by 40 percent to $1,340 per substrate.
Soraa's GaN on GaN technology leverages the advantages of the native substrate, including over a thousand times lower crystal defect densities that allow reliable operation at very high current densities (the same principle that enabled Blu-ray laser diodes).
In addition to superior crystal quality, the native substrate’s optical transparency and high electrical and thermal conductivity enable a very robust, simple LED design that delivers maximum performance. Another advantage of the GaN on GaN approach is that it enables considerable flexibility in the choice of crystal growth plane.
"We firmly believe that GaN on GaN is the future for LEDs and we’ve developed a comprehensive intellectual property program and patent portfolio covering the technology to maintain our leadership position." adds Krames.
Soraa leveraged the advantages of its first generation GaN on GaN LEDs by introducing in 2012 the world’s first true full-visible-spectrum LED MR16 lamps - a superior alternative to 50-Watt halogen MR16 lamps.
The company’s LED MR16 lamps have a CRI of 95 and R9 of 95 (higher than most halogen lamps) and compared to halogen lamps, produce no UV or IR; last up to 10 times as long; use 75 percent less energy; run cooler; produce a much more consistent and efficient beam; and are compatible with existing lamp fixtures and lighting infrastructure.
The firm says its new LED outperforms the best-documented LED laboratory result by Nichia Chemical Co. at current densities of 100 A/cm2 and beyond as described in the paper, "White light emitting diodes with super-high luminous efficacy," J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 43, 354002).
Soraa has published a paper on its ground breaking LEDs, entitled, "Bulk GaN based violet light-emitting diodes with high efficiency at very high current density" in Applied Physics Letters, 101, 223509. In it, Soraa reports an external quantum efficiency of 68 percent at 180 A cm−2.
"The record breaking performance from our next generation of GaN on GaN LEDs is a credit to the extremely talented research and development team at Soraa, and a testament to the vision of our founder and GaN on GaN pioneer, Dr. Shuji Nakamura," says Mike Krames, CTO of Soraa. "But what’s amazing is that we have just scratched the surface in terms of performance gains from our GaN on GaN LED technology."
Soraa says its GaN on GaN LEDs handle significantly more current and emit ten times more light per unit area of LED wafer material than LEDs created by depositing GaN layers on cheaper foreign substrates like sapphire, SiC or silicon.
However, the cost of GaN substrates is huge compared to its couterparts. For example, according to Lux Research, bulk GaN currently costs about $1,900 or more for a 2" substrate, compared with $25 to $50 for a far larger 6" silicon substrate.
Having said that, Lux predicts that HVPE (the cheaper alternative to MOCVD) 2" GaN substrate costs will fall by more than 60 percent to $730 per substrate in 2020, while 4" HVPE substrate costs will fall by 40 percent to $1,340 per substrate.
Soraa's GaN on GaN technology leverages the advantages of the native substrate, including over a thousand times lower crystal defect densities that allow reliable operation at very high current densities (the same principle that enabled Blu-ray laser diodes).
In addition to superior crystal quality, the native substrate’s optical transparency and high electrical and thermal conductivity enable a very robust, simple LED design that delivers maximum performance. Another advantage of the GaN on GaN approach is that it enables considerable flexibility in the choice of crystal growth plane.
"We firmly believe that GaN on GaN is the future for LEDs and we’ve developed a comprehensive intellectual property program and patent portfolio covering the technology to maintain our leadership position." adds Krames.
Soraa leveraged the advantages of its first generation GaN on GaN LEDs by introducing in 2012 the world’s first true full-visible-spectrum LED MR16 lamps - a superior alternative to 50-Watt halogen MR16 lamps.
The company’s LED MR16 lamps have a CRI of 95 and R9 of 95 (higher than most halogen lamps) and compared to halogen lamps, produce no UV or IR; last up to 10 times as long; use 75 percent less energy; run cooler; produce a much more consistent and efficient beam; and are compatible with existing lamp fixtures and lighting infrastructure.
