Nichia Claims Brighter White LEDs

TOKYO, Feb. 11 -- Nichia Corp. said it has developed surface-mount white LEDs with a luminous intensity fifty percent higher than current parts. The increased brightness results from a more efficient conversion of electricity to emitted white light, making the part useable in backlighting of full-color LCD screens in battery-powered mobile devices, the company said.

"Color displays have always been a big improvement over black and white," said Noboru Tazaki, managing director and general manager of Nichia's Optoelectronics Products Division. "Because they emit more light from less battery power, our new white LEDs make full-color LCD screens practical for a wider variety of mobile devices."

First samples for the new white LED will be available for Nichia's NSCW215 series, a side-view surface-mount LED.