Cree announces new SiC-based LED technology
Cree has launched the SC5 Technology Platform to power the next generation of lighting with the introduction of Extreme High Power (XHP) LEDs. This new class of LEDs can reduce system costs by up to 40 percent in most lighting applications, according to the company.
"As a technology company, we're focused on breaking the performance barriers that really matter to the lighting industry," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree Chairman and CEO. "The SC5 Technology Platform redefines what is possible in high-power LEDs by doubling the lumens out of a single LED, giving lighting manufacturers the flexibility to innovate significantly lower cost systems. This new platform establishes a new benchmark for LED lumens per wafer, which we believe will define the long-term success of our industry. This also validates our belief that high-power LED technology enables the best lighting system designs and a better lighting experience for end customers."
The SC5 Technology Platform is built on Cree's SIC technology and features significant advancements in epitaxial structure, chip architecture and an advanced light conversion system optimised for best thermal and optical performance.
With these advancements, the SC5 Technology Platform is said to achieve unparalleled lumen density and longer lifetime at higher operating temperatures than previous LED technology, which can significantly reduce thermal, mechanical and optical costs at the system level.
"LEDs are no longer the most expensive portion of an LED lighting system, but they fundamentally determine the overall system performance and cost," said Dave Emerson, vice president and general manager for Cree LEDs. "While other LED manufacturers only promise incrementally lower LED cost, our new Extreme High Power (XHP) LEDs leveraging the SC5 Technology Platform directly address the increased burden that thermal, mechanical and optical elements now place on total system cost."
The first available family of XHP LEDs is the XLamp XHP50 LED, delivering up to 2250 lumens at 19 watts from a 5.0 x 5.0-mm package. At its maximum current, the XHP50 provides twice the light output of the industry's brightest single-die LED, the XLamp XM-L2 LED, at a similar lumens per watt and without increasing the package footprint. By using Cree's latest reliability innovations, the XHP50 is designed to maintain L90 lifetimes above 50,000 hours even at high temperature and current.
