VTT Ventures Ltd. and Lumichip Ltd. have announced a joint LED company investment that will provide simpler, more cost-effective LED lamp manufacturing methods. LightTherm Ltd., a recent Technical Research Center of Finland (VTT) spinoff company, will use innovative materials and heat management solutions to introduce novel LED design and manufacturing capabilities. The company’s electro-thermomechanical technologies provide higher light output, leaner sizing and lighter weight in the products it produces for the LED replacement lamp and luminaire industry. The estimated global market for LED lamps is more than $20 billion, with more than 1 billion units due for manufacture this year. LED technology still faces some challenges, particularly where high light output is required for small, compact light units. The most significant hurdle with LEDs is the heat sensitivity of materials and components used. Overheating can shorten the LED’s life span and efficiency, while light output falls below product optimal specification as temperatures rise. LightTherm’s LED interconnection solution can yield better thermal characteristics and cooler semiconductor junction temperatures, providing better thermal efficiency management and impacting the lifetime of LEDs. “The high thermal management efficiency of this technology enables significantly higher light output — for example, from replacement spots — than is currently available anywhere in the LED market,” said Dr. Juha Rantala, chairman of Lumichip. LightTherm’s new production process will offer design flexibility, enabling the manufacture of new lighting applications for consumer and industrial luminaires, Rantala said. Privately held Lumichip supplies advanced LED packaging solutions and light engines to the lighting industry. For more information, visit: www.lumichip.com or www.vtt.fi