Lighting Technology News
The Slow–Light Race Is On
February, 2011 – Since the notion of slow light first became a reality more than a decade ago, scientists have been exploring its use in fundamental studies of light-atom systems as well as for long-term applications in all-optical data processing, quantum communication and sensors.
Photonics.com (2.2011) ( top )
Jewel–toned organic phosphorescent crystals: A new class of light–emitting material
Ann Arbor, Mich., Feb. 13, 2011 – Pure organic compounds that glow in jewel tones could potentially lead to cheaper, more efficient and flexible display screens, among other applications. University of Michigan researcher Jinsang Kim and his colleagues have developed a new class of material that shines with phosphorescence.
University of Michigan News Service (2.2011) ( top )
LED bulbs hit 100 watts as federal ban looms
New York, N.Y., May 16, 2010 – Two leading makers of lighting products are showcasing LED bulbs that are bright enough to replace energy-guzzling 100-watt light bulbs set to disappear from stores in January.
Associated Press (5.2011) ( top )
LED and Laser Diode Patent Holder Dies
Hartsdale, N.Y., Nov. 23, 2010 – A retired Columbia University professor who held the sole patent covering a method of producing LEDs and laser diodes widely used in consumer electronics— and who sued dozens of major electronics manufacturers in Asia and Europe for infringement— has died. She was 83.
Photonics.com (11.2010) ( top )
Diffuse-Illumination Systems for Growing Plants
Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Aug. 27, 2010 – NASA researchers at Stennis Space Center have developed a plant growing chamber which uses a highly reflective spherical chamber to mix light from discrete LED grow light sources and deliver it to all areas of growing plants.
NASA Tech Briefs (9.2010) ( top )
MOCVD Systems Meet LED Demand
Explosive growth in the backlighting market for televisions, displays, handheld devices and more is creating a ripple effect throughout the LED industry. LEDs are sought after for backlighting because of their proven performance, low power consumption, slim form factors, variety of colors and because, unlike fluorescents, they contain no mercury.
Photonics.com (3.2010) ( top )
Light Tied in Knots
BRISTOL, GLASGOW & SOUTHAMPTON, UK, Jan. 18, 2010 – A branch of abstract mathematics inspired by knots that occur in shoelaces and rope has been used to design holograms capable of creating knots in optical vortices.
Photonics.com (12.2010) ( top )
Researchers from the UJI create an electronic nose to facilitate the selection of more aromatic foods
CASTELLÓ DE LA PLANA, Spain, Dec. 12, 2009 – Researchers from the Agro-Food Quality Improvement Group at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) have developed a statistical methodology which enables the aromatic characteristics of different samples of a product to be compared efficiently, so that the best quality items can be selected.
Light Measures Glacial Melt
ZURICH, Switzerland, Dec. 4, 2009 – Changes in the thickness of a glacier traditionally are measured by means of wooden poles and snow shovels. The scientists now want to overcome that disadvantage of direct field measurement by applying laser technology.
Photonics.com (12.2009) ( top )
Capsules Mock Photosynthesis
WURZBURG, Germany, Nov. 11, 2009 – German chemists report progress toward achieving artificial photosynthesis by packing thousands of similar molecules together to create a tiny capsule, then using a different kind of molecule as a light absorbing and emitting "filling."
Photonics.com (11.2009) ( top )
Energy Focus LED Grant Extended
Energy-efficient lighting provider Energy Focus Inc. of Solon, Ohio, announced today that it has been awarded a $500,000 SBIR (small business innovation research) extension grant from DARPA to provide LED lighting for general use on Navy ships. The new fixtures will replace 50- and 110-W watertight incandescent fixtures.
Photonics.com (8.2009) ( top )
Inventor Mulls Widening Case
New York, New York, August 1, 2008 -- An inventor who holds the sole patent covering a method of producing LEDs and laser diodes widely used in consumer electronics is considering adding more companies to her patent infringement case in the US International Trade Court, her legal counsel announced.
Photonics.com (8.2008) ( top )
Light Pulse Speed Record Set
GARCHING, Germany, July 2, 2008 -- Researchers have set a new record in ultrafast metrology, producing the first light pulses lasting only 80 attoseconds (a billionth of a billionth of a second).
Photonics.com (7.2008) ( top )
SolarOasis Gro-Bar Professional Featured On HGTV Show "Gardening By The Yard"
First airing on 12/14/08, popular HGTV show "Gardening By The Yard" featured the SolarOasis Professional Gro-Bar. "Vertical Garden Kits" showed the Professional Gro-Bar as the supplemental light of choice for an indoor vertical garden.
New Solar Energy Material Captures Every Color of the Rainbow
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Researchers have created a new material that overcomes two of the major obstacles to solar power: it absorbs all the energy contained in sunlight, and generates electrons that are easier to capture.
30% Tax Credit Passes into US Law, Making Windspire an Extraordinary Deal!
On Friday, October 3rd the small wind tax credit legislation was signed into US law. This long-awaited incentive puts small wind systems on a similar playing field to other renewable energy options. For customers, this means a 30% tax credit, up to $4000 per property, off the installed cost of a small wind system. The tax credit makes the already affordable Windspire that much more economical!
Mariah Power (10.2008) ( top )
Center Aims for Smarter LEDs
TROY, N.Y., Oct. 8, 2008 -- A new research center that aims to replace existing lighting with smarter and greener LEDs and integrate them with optical wireless communications has been funded by a five-year, $18.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center (ERC) will be based at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.
Shining a light on hazards of fluorescent bulbs
Compact fluorescent light bulbs, long touted by environmentalists as a more efficient and longer-lasting alternative to the incandescent bulbs that have lighted homes for more than a century, are running into resistance from waste industry officials and some environmental scientists, who warn that the bulbs’ poisonous innards pose a bigger threat to health and the environment than previously thought.
Cree Completes Acquisition of LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc.
Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED solid-state lighting, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of privately held LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc. ("LLF"). Cree’s agreement to acquire LLF was announced February 8, 2008.
Lighting Industry Survey Confirms LED Lighting Market Growth
Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components, announces the results of an independent survey on the adoption, deployment and benefits of LED lighting.
Cree’s New Green XLamp XR-E LEDs Are 70 Percent Brighter
Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED solid-state lighting components, today announced commercial availability of green XLamp® XR-E LEDs that are 70-percent brighter than the company’s previous green power LEDs.
LUXEON® Rebel inspires innovative product...
A number of groundbreaking power LED lighting designs that have been made possible by the miniature package size and high output per mm2 of the LUXEON Rebel LED from Philips Lumileds are set to hit the market in the coming weeks.
Philips Lumileds (12.12.2007) ( top )
Fluorescents Are So Over
One of Philips’ major component suppliers, Cree, issued a press release from its headquarters in Durham, N.C., claiming it had designed a light-emitting chip that could power an L.E.D. bulb producing light comparable to the 75-watt incandescent bulbs so common in American homes.
New York Times (09.07.2007) ( top )
LED Backlighting Market Grows, Thanks to Applications in Larger Displays
The market research company IMS Research forecasts that the market for semiconductors in backlighting applications (including LEDs, LED-associated driver integrated circuits and ambient light sensors) will grow from just under $3 billion in 2006 to around $4.5 billion by 2012.
Photonics Spectra (09.01.2007) ( top )
Measuring LED Junction Temperature
Although LED performance has improved tremendously in the past 10 years, thermal management remains a major concern for manufacturers and end users alike. Running LEDs at elevated junction temperatures is detrimental to performance over both the short term (brightness and color shift) and long term (life expectancy).
Photonics Spectra (06.01.2007) ( top )
Philips Wins Broad Range of Awards at LightFair 2007
Philips (PHG) proudly announces its receipt of numerous lighting awards at the 2007 LightFair International Trade Show & Conference in New York City on May 6-10th.
Philips Lumileds (05.14.2007) ( top )
Torrance Company Says Web Site Was Copied
Last week, a customer in Sweden e-mailed Torrance-based LEDtronics Inc. to ask if the LED light bulb maker was located in China. The customer explained that he had been searching the Internet for LED bulbs when he came across a Chinese Web site nearly identical to that of LEDtronics.
LEDtronics (03.31.2007) ( top )
Designing Automotive Lighting with LEDs
The LED is driving a fundamental technological change in the lighting industry, and automotive lighting is no exception. Using LEDs in exterior automotive lighting provides product differentiation, longer life and lower maintenance costs. The challenge lies in the design.
Photonics Spectra (09.01.2006) ( top )
Gamma Scientific Announces Goniometric Measurement Assembly For Angular LED Measurement
Gamma Scientific, a leading manufacturer of light-measurement instrumentation, has introduced the 940-LED, a compact, low-cost goniometric measurement assembly optimized for fast, accurate angular LED measurement. Compatible with all Gamma Scientific spectroradiometers and photometers…
Gamma Scientific (07.20.2006) ( top )
Gamma Scientific Introduces Third-Generation Digital Light Source
Gamma Scientific, a leading manufacturer of precision light-measurement instruments, today introduced the RS-5B Digital Light Source System. This third-generation instrument is spectrally tunable and programmable, making it ideal for photometric and radiometric calibrations and as a standard for verifying the performance of solid-state light sources, photodiodes, imaging systems and CCD/CMOS sensors and cameras.