Brighter LEDs Eyed for Homes

Nanoimprint lithography techniques that increase the brightness of LEDs could enable the solid-state lighting to replace incandescent lightbulbs in homes within three years.

LEDs, currently used in electrical equipment such as computers and cell phones, are several times more energy efficient than standard lightbulbs. However, because of their structure and material, much of the light in standard LEDs becomes trapped, reducing their brightness and making them unsuitable as the main lighting source in the home.

Now a team of researchers in Europe believes it has found a way of introducing a new generation of LEDs that are brighter and use even less power than standard energy-efficient lightbulbs, making them practical for home use.

Faiz Rahman, PhD, the researcher leading the project at the University of Glasgow, said, “By making microscopic holes on the surface of the LEDs it is possible to extract more light, thus increasing the brightness of the lights without increasing the energy consumption. As yet, LEDs have not been introduced as the standard lighting in homes because the process of making the holes is very time consuming and expensive."

Rahman said the However, by using world-class facilities at the University of Glasgow we believe we have found a way of imprinting the holes into billions of LEDs at a far greater speed, but at a much lower cost.

“LEDs not only use less power than current energy efficient lightbulbs but they are much smaller and can last years without needing to be replaced. This means the days of the humble lightbulb could soon be over,” he said.

The team uses a technique called nanoimprint lithography to directly imprint the holes, imperceptible to the human eye, onto the LEDs allowing more of the light to escape.

The project is being developed in conjunction with the Institute of Photonics at the University of Strathclyde, Mesophotonics Ltd., and Sharp Laboratories of Europe, as part of the BERR (Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) Technology Programme.

For more information, visit: www.gla.ac.uk