LUMILEDS™ RECEIVES USDC CONTRACT FOR HIGH LUMINANCE LED LIGHT ENGINE
The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a private/public partnership chartered with developing the electronic display industry supply chain, today announced that it has awarded a research and development contract to San Jose-based Lumileds, the world’s leading manufacturer of high-power light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a pioneer in solid-state lighting solutions. The $2-million project will be cost-shared equally between the USDC and Lumileds, and will focus on the development of LED-based illuminators for projection display applications.
Projection display applications, such as rear projection televisions (RPTVs) and front projectors used in business settings, require light separated into red, green and blue (RGB) components. Traditionally, illumination is provided by a high-intensity discharge lamp producing white light. An optical system, such as a color wheel or fixed dichroic filters, is then added to provide the RGB components. The disadvantage of this approach is fixed colorpoints and efficiency, with the color wheel absorbing approximately 65 percent of the light.
A more efficient approach is to use LEDs as the illumination source, and Lumileds’ LEDs are available in red, green and blue with turn-on times less than one microsecond. While LED luminance has not previously been sufficient for projection display applications, Lumileds leverages Luxeon ® high power RGB LEDs as illuminators. This innovative approach results in removing the need for a color wheel or other color separation optics.
“LEDs are enabling never before possible lighting applications, and our contract with the USDC provides us with an exciting opportunity to propel this technology into new applications such as projection displays,” said Gerard Harbers, advanced development manager of Lumileds. “We look forward to collaborating with the USDC to research and develop innovative ways to leverage our Luxeon LED technology expertise.”
Commenting on the award, Michael Ciesinski, USDC’s president, noted, “USDC member companies strongly endorse the Lumileds project because of its near-term consumer product impact. Based on its track record in developing LEDs for other applications such as automotive lighting, traffic signaling, backlights and signage, Lumileds is the ideal partner for looking at ways to enhance LEDs for the rapidly growing projection display market.”
According to data provided by market research firm, iSuppli Corp. ( San Jose ), the market for microdisplay-based RPTV market is currently $4.3 billion and is projected to grow 43 percent, compounded annually.
The goal of the USDC-sponsored project with Lumileds is to create a compact LED illuminator for development of a projection system with a longer lifetime and better color rendition. Among the technical issues to be addressed by Lumileds are component design, development and testing, packaging and thermal management, and systems integration and functional testing. Sample illuminators will be provided to USDC member companies for testing purposes at the end of the eighteen-month-long project.
The USDC R&D program is a collaborative effort of private industry partners and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, located in Adelphi , Md. “ San Jose area companies are playing a vital role in revolutionizing the display industry,” stated Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose), who represents the congressional district in which Lumileds is located. “This contract reflects the technical innovations that are a hallmark of Silicon Valley .”
For more information, please contact:
US Display Consortium
Heidi Hoffman
84 W. Santa Clara Street, Ste. 790
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 993-8111
heidi@usdc.org
About the U.S. Display Consortium
The U.S. Display Consortium is an industry-led public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display and flexible microelectronics manufacturers and developers, FPD users, and the supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the consortium’s primary mission is to fund supply-chain projects and share the results with USDC member companies. The USDC also provides a communication channel among industry, government and the financial communities for display issues; sponsors workshops to broaden the impact of technological developments; and educates consumers on the importance of displays in providing access to information technology. More information about the USDC can be found at www.usdc.org
About Lumileds
Founded in 1999, Lumileds Lighting is the world's leading manufacturer of high-power LEDs and a pioneer in the use of solid-state lighting solutions for everyday purposes including automotive lighting, traffic signaling, signage, LCD backlighting and general lighting. Lumileds is headquartered in San Jose , Calif. , with operations in the Netherlands , Japan and Malaysia and sales offices throughout the world. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.lumileds.com
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