50
Novel
Low-Cost Technology for Solid State Lighting--Technologies
and Devices International, Inc., 12214 Plum Orchard Drive, Silver Spring, MD
20904-7800; 301-572-7834, www.tdii.com
Dr.
Alexander Usikov, Principal Investigator, usikov@tdii.com
Dr.
Vladimir Dmitriev, Business Official, vladimir@tdii.com
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83802
Amount:
$749,952
In the United
States, the amount of electricity used
annually for lighting residential and commercial buildings is equal to
approximately 20% of the total power generated. Widespread
use of white LEDs would reduce the overall electrical demand for lighting by
50%. At this time, the major hurdle
for solid-state lighting is the high cost of GaN-based LED production
technology. This project will
develop a novel epitaxial technology with substantially reduced process cost for
the fabrication of group-III nitride epitaxial structures for white LEDs.
This novel technology is based on hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), a
low-cost method for fabricating thick quasi-bulk GaN materials, GaN-on-sapphire,
and AlN-on-sapphire templates used as substrates for device fabrication. Phase I demonstrated that the technology could be used to
cost-effectively fabricate AlGaN-based structures and package violet,
ultraviolet, and white LED lamps for lighting application.
White LED lamps were assembled by packaging the violet LEDs with a white
light conversion phosphor blend. Phase
II will focus develop cost effective HVPE manufacturing technology for
multi-wafer, Al(In)GaN-based structures production.
The efficiencies of violet,
UV and white LED lamps will be improved, with brightnesses up to 100 Lm/W
anticipated.
Commercial
Applications and Other Benefits as
described by awardee: The
low cost and high throughput of HVPE should dramatically lower overall device
cost and enhance device and component development.
White-light LEDs are needed for wide variety of applications including
commercial, residential and building lighting, task lighting, aviation, and
hazard indicators. UV LEDs are
needed for biochemical agent detection and/or eradication systems. Blue-violet
LEDs already have found a market in full-color displays, back lighting, and
indicator lights.