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Philips Lumileds Leads Response to Lighting Industry Needs with New Reliability Analysis Tools for Power LEDs (11/5/2007)

Philips Lumileds has introduced a new reliability analysis tool that for the first time enables lighting designers to confidently determine lifetime performance of LEDs under different operating conditions. Philips Lumileds graphical representation of reliability allows designers to understand and evaluate the impact of temperature and drive current on lumen maintenance and failure rates of LEDs. Historically, only simple lumen maintenance data (x% lumen maintenance at y-hours) has been available and that single piece of information has been limited in scope. Details of the new analysis are available in a white paper published today, Understanding power LED lifetime analysis.

Providing comprehensive and statistically-relevant reliability performance data is a step towards bridging the communication gap between the LED semiconductor world and the lighting community.

Graphical representation clearly shows dramatic reliability performance differences between LEDs from different manufacturers and allows designers and engineers to make a more fully informed decision.

Simple lumen maintenance statements not enough to make intelligent lighting design decisions

When designing LED-based lighting systems, engineers need to understand LED reliability in similar terms to those used when designing with conventional light sources. In addition, designers need extra information to predict the lifetime of LEDs under a variety of operating conditions. Although a number of techniques to predict LED lifetimes have been proposed, none has generated sufficiently clear and unambiguous data for lighting engineers. Philips Lumileds graphical tool provides designers with information required to make decisions about product lifetimes, driver constraints, number of LEDs required, and thermal management.

LED reliability performance differentiation can be directly attributed to LED die, materials, and packaging technology. Philips Lumileds leadership in these areas enables its LUXEON K2 and LUXEON Rebel products to better withstand heat, current and environmental conditions to deliver the industry's best reliability.

With more than 40 years of LED technology development and testing, Philips Lumileds has the industry's largest accumulated database of LED lifetime test data. Components are tested in a matrix of different environmental and drive conditions for many thousands of hours, resulting in millions of device-hours of information. By continually adding to its database of actual lifetime data, Philips Lumileds will continue to present extremely reliable forecasts for power LED lifetime performance in the future.

www.philipslumileds.com