10.  SOLID STATE LIGHTING

 

Today, solid-state lighting (SSL) products fall short of key priced and performance requirements needed to meet the complex demands of the general illumination market.  The DOE – in collaboration with the Next Generation Lighting Industry Association (NGLIA), industry stakeholders, and other Federal Agencies – has established aggressive and ambitious goals for Solid State Lighting (SSL) R&D.  In short, the program seeks to develop advanced SSL technologies that, when compared to other lighting technologies, are much more energy efficient, longer lasting, and cost-competitive.  To realize this ambitious long-term goal, a Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) has been developed that includes specific performance objectives for contributing technologies such as power supplies and LEDs, as well as for system efficiencies that are compliant with present and anticipated Energy-Star™ requirements.  Because not all aspects of the MYPP are suitable for small businesses under the funding and time constraints of SBIR/STTR programs, and for other technical and programmatic reasons, this topic is restricted to selected SSL-contributing technologies described below.  Much more comprehensive technical and commercialization information is available at http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/. 

 

This project has two distinct themes:  subtopics a and b areconcerned with SSL products; subtopics c and d are concerned with SSL core technologies.

 

  • By overcoming crucial key technical and design challenges, the DOE believes that some SSL products can be rapidly advanced to the market.  This topic seeks general illumination products that push the envelope of SSL performance and cost competitiveness.  Among the myriad of performance requirements enumerated in the MYPP, these new SSL products target a system efficiency that is 50 percent or higher with lighting that more completely reproduces the sunlight spectrum.  Grant applications submitted to subtopics a and bmust include (1) all required technical information, including specific, quantitative measures of anticipated performance (e.g., color, efficacy, and cost); (2) quantitative comparisons of the proposed product or innovation to existing products, with a clear and demonstrable advantage to the proposed approach; and (3) a clear, viable commercialization plan with identified linkages to a manufacturing route that is compliant with applicable SBIR/STTR guidelines.  Special consideration will be give to proposals that emphasize a manufacturing route within the USA. 

 

  • The DOE also is seeking to further the development of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic LEDs (OLEDs), which are core technologies for solid state lighting.  Although grant applications submitted to subtopics c and d need not include a detailed commercialization plan, applicants should indicate how the anticipated intellectual property would be made available for license to a manufacturer or how it would be used to support an existing business relationship or commercialization partner.

 

Grant applications are sought only in the following subtopics.

 

a. SSL Products for General Illumination Applications—Grant applications are sought to develop SSL sources, luminaires, and commercial products for general illumination, based on knowledge gained from previously-completed basic and applied research.  Ideally, this knowledge would be derived from prior projects supported by the DOE, but any source of R&D funding would still be considered.  Potential projects should systematically develop or improve commercially viable materials, devices, or systems, perhaps using technologies that are already in the stream of US commerce.  Approaches of interest include the development of:  (1) SSL-based integrated luminaires that incorporate the many inherent advantages of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) or Organic LEDs (OLEDs), including form factor flexibility for novel optical design, ability to be easily and efficiently dimmed, and operation at low power; (2) high efficiency SSL devices or arrays that are of very high flux with efficient étendue, which offer advancement over conventional designs with respect to extraction efficiency, internal quantum efficiency, current injection efficiency, improved thermal performance, and phosphor system efficiency; and (3) high performance  phosphors or encapsulant materials that offer improved quantum yield, broader emission spectrum, reduced thermal quenching, or some other optical-system efficiency advantage that would produce a more efficient, longer lived, or more cost effective product.  Proposed product development approaches may include “focused-short-term” applied research, but its relevance to a specific product must be clearly identified. 

 

Questions - contact Rick Orrison (Richard.orrison@hq.doe.gov)

 

b. “Off-Grid” SSL Products—The unique, low-voltage, direct-current power requirements of SSL devices are an ideal match to leading photovoltaic (PV) devices and many other renewable sources including wind.  The combination of these emerging technologies could lead to the creation of useful products that do not use electric power supplied by the US electric grid.  The combination would represent an ideal way to conserve power or to provide lighting service where grid power is either not available or of uncertain reliability.  Such illumination devices could serve DOE’s energy conservation goals by providing lighting service that is completely removed from the grid.  Already, many useful products have been introduced:   45% of commercially available PV/SSL products are used for outdoor lighting applications such as parking lots, walkways, architectural highlights, and illuminated signs.  Of this amount, about half are used in the transportation industry for markers, signaling, and other high visibility signs; the other half are used for emergency or industrial applications. 

 

Nonetheless, there is ample room for new, imaginative product ideas that completely remove electric loads from the grid by shifting power requirements to a renewable source, especially in the building sector.  When coupled to recent legislation and building code recommendations that encourage more use of renewable energy, there is plenty of financial incentive to include these new products inside the building envelope.  Therefore, grant applications are sought to develop novel products that use a combination of SSL, PV and batteries.  Product proposals may include architectural façade lighting, remote outdoor lighting, marine applications, security illumination, emergency or portable lighting, or any other niche application that takes advantage of the unique properties of any or all of these emerging technologies.  Grant applications that propose PV/SSL products that fit into the building envelope will be given special consideration.  Of particular interest are approaches that (1) use Commercial Off-The Shelf  (COTS) technology for the SSL source, photovoltaic collection system, batteries, and controls; and (2) are cost competitive with the designs they replace, as demonstrated by life-cycle cost comparisons.

 

Questions - contact Rick Orrison (Richard.orrison@hq.doe.gov)

 

c. “Core” Technology for Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)—The DOE has identified a list of contributing scientific issues that are thought to impact the attainment of the DOE’s goals for SSL.  Grant applications are sought to develop enabling “core” technologies that:  (1) increase quantum efficiency, specifically Internal Quantum Efficiency (IQE), of LEDs or phosphor performance, including light extraction, yield, or photonic loss mechanisms; (2) improve thermal management and reliability, and increase device performance of high brightness (HB) LEDs through advancements to contributing materials technologies, such as encapsulating or packaging materials; and (3) improve device life times and cost competitiveness for LEDs by employing advanced designs, device architectures, or novel manufacturing methods, including die growth or alternative substrate materials.  Grant applications must specifically address one or more of these areas of interest and completely describe how the proposed technology will produce improvements in performance or cost.

 

Questions - contact Rick Orrison (Richard.orrison@hq.doe.gov)

 

d. “Core” Technology for Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)—The OLEDs (both small molecule and polymer) intended for SSL applications possess critical limitations in practical lifetime, particularly when operated at the high current densities required for general illumination applications.  These applications entail brightness in the range of 1000 cd/m2 for prolonged periods of time (>10,000 hours) and operation in hot environments such as commercial buildings ceilings (where temperatures can exceed 125 C).  A variety of new materials and architectures of OLEDs have been proposed to overcome these limitations, which could lead to numerous opportunities for improvement.  Grant applications are sought to dramatically increase the performance of candidate OLED devices to MYPP levels by producing improvements in blue light performance (spectrum, efficacy and life), charge injection and balancing, electrode materials (reflectivity, transparency and conductivity), device stability and layer compatibility, out coupling enhancements, and thermal management.  Grant applications also are sought to develop new and compatible manufacturing technologies to support the anticipated high volume, low cost manufacturing of OLEDs on flexible substrates or thin glass, in order to meet the aggressive price and performance goals of the MYPP. 

 

Questions - contact Rick Orrison (Richard.orrison@hq.doe.gov)

 

References:

 

1.  Ferguson, Ian T., ed. "Eighth International Conference on Solid State Lighting." SPIE, Optics & Photonics 2008, 11 Aug. 2008, San Diego, CA. Eighth International Conference on Solid State Lighting. (Website: 

     http://www.confabb.com/conferences/55469-spie-optics-photonics-2008

 

2. Hong, E, et al, U.S. Lighting Market Characterization, Volume II:  Energy Efficient Lighting Technology Options, 2005, Navigant Consulting, Inc., Washington, DC, http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/publications/publications-ssltechreports.htm

 

3.  D.A. Steigerwald, J.C. Bhat, D. Collins, R.M. Fletcher and M.O. Holcomb, "Illumination With Solid State Lighting Technology", IEEE Journal Selected Topics  In Quantum Electronics, Vol. 8 (2), p. 310 (2002). (Website: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=999186)

    (Must have log-in)

 

4. Craine, S. and Halliday, D., “White LEDs for Lighting Remote Communities in Developing Countries,” Solid State Lighting and Displays:  Proceedings of SPIE, 4445:39-48, December 2001.  (For ordering information and to view abstracts, see:  http://www.spie.org/scripts/toc.pl?volume=4445&journal=SPIE)

 

5.  Solid-State Lighting R&D Multi-Year Program Plan FY’08-FY’13, 2007, Navigant Consulting, Inc., Washington, DC, (Full text available at: http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/publications/publications-techroadmaps.htm)

 

6.  Schubert, E. F., Light Emitting Diodes, Cambridge University Press, 2003.  (ISBN: 0-   521-82330-7)  

 

7.  Zukauskas, A., et al., Introduction to Solid State Lighting, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2002.  (ISBN: 0-471-21574-0)

 

8.  Kafafi, et al, Organic Electroluminescence, Taylor & Francis Group. 2005, (ISBN-10 0-8194-5859-7).