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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Carrier diffusion in long wavelength InGaN quantum well LEDs after injection through V-defects

The efficiency of operation of GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) to a large degree relies on realization of a uniform hole distribution between multiple quantum wells (QWs) of the active region. Since the direct thermionic transport between the QWs is inefficient, the hole injection through semipolar {$10\bar{1}1$} QWs that form on the facets of V-defects has been suggested as an alternative approach. However, for an efficient LED operation, the carrier distribution should be uniform not only vertically, between the QWs but also laterally, within individual QWs. In this work, the lateral carrier distribution in long wavelength InGaN/GaN QW LEDs is studied by the scanning near-field optical microscopy. The measurements have shown that emission is concentrated around the V-defect injectors. At high currents, the diffusion length of holes in polar QWs was found to be ∼0.6–1 μm and the hole diffusion coefficient ∼0.6 cm 2 /s. The obtained data should aid design of the V-defect injectors for a laterally uniform carrier distribution in the active region QWs.

Current crowding↗
DOE OSTI2025

The LED calibration systems for the mDOM and D-Egg sensor modules of the IceCube Upgrade: Design, production, testing and use in module calibration

The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, instrumenting about 1 km 3 of deep, glacial ice at the geographic South Pole, is due to be enhanced with the IceCube Upgrade. The IceCube Upgrade, to be deployed during the 2025/26 Antarctic summer season, will consist of seven new strings of photosensors, densely embedded near the bottom center of the existing array. Aside from a world-leading sensitivity to neutrino oscillations, a primary goal is the improvement of the calibration of the optical properties of the instrumented ice. This calibration will be applied to the entire archive of IceCube data, improving the angular and energy resolution of the detected neutrino events. For this purpose, the Upgrade strings include a host of new calibration devices. Aside from dedicated calibration modules, several thousand LED flashers have been incorporated into the photosensor modules. We describe the design, production, and testing of these LED flashers before their integration into the sensor modules as well as the use of the LED flashers during lab testing of assembled sensor modules.

Analogue electronic circuits↗
DOE OSTI2016

Electroluminescence properties of LEDs based on electron-irradiated p-Si

The electroluminescence (EL) in n{sup +}–p–p{sup +} light-emitting-diode (LED) structures based on Si irradiated with electrons and annealed at high temperature is studied. The LEDs are fabricated by the chemical- vapor deposition of polycrystalline silicon layers doped with high concentrations of boron and phosphorus. Transformation of the EL spectra with current in the LEDs is well described by six Gaussian curves. The peak positions of these curves are current-independent and equal to 1233, 1308, 1363, 1425, 1479, and 1520 nm. The dependences of the integrated EL intensity and of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the lines on current are examined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of Deep Centers on Charge-Carrier Confinement in InGaN/GaN Quantum Wells and on LED Efficiency

The deep-center-assisted tunneling of carriers in p–n structures of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs) makes smaller the effective height of the injection barrier, but leads to a dependence of the radiation efficiency on the density and energy spectrum of defects in GaN. In the case of hopping conduction across the space charge region, the forward voltage mainly drops near the QW boundary, where the density of deep states at the quasi Fermi-level is the lowest. As a result, band bending at the boundary decreases, and, with increasing current, the direction of the electric field also changes, which leads to a weaker confinement of holes, to their non-radiative recombination in the n barrier, and to an efficiency droop. The low efficiency of green GaN LEDs is associated with the dominance of deep centers and insufficient density of shallow centers in the energy spectrum of defects in barrier layers near the boundaries with the QW. The proposed model is confirmed by the stepwise experimental dependences of the current, capacitance and efficiency of green and blue LEDs in the case of forward bias, which reflect the contribution of color centers responsible for the defect photoluminescence bands in GaN.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

High Efficacy Green LEDs by Polarization Controlled MOVPE

Amazing performance in GaInN/GaN based LEDs has become possible by advanced epitaxial growth on a wide variety of substrates over the last decade. An immediate push towards product development and worldwide competition for market share have effectively reduced production cost and generated substantial primary energy savings on a worldwide scale. At all times of the development, this economic pressure forced very fundamental decisions that would shape huge industrial investment. One of those major aspects is the choice of epitaxial growth substrate. The natural questions are to what extend a decision for a certain substrate will limit the ultimate performance and to what extent, the choice of a currently more expensive substrate such as native GaN could overcome any of the remaining performance limitations. Therefore, this project has set out to explore what performance characteristic could be achieved under the utilization of bulk GaN substrate. Our work was guided by the hypotheses that line defects such as threading dislocations in the active region should be avoided and the huge piezoelectric polarization needs to be attenuated – if not turned off – for higher performing LEDs, particularly in the longer wavelength green and deep green portions of the visible spectrum. At their relatively lower performance level, deep green LEDs are a stronger indicator of relative performance improvements and seem particular sensitive to the challenges at hand.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

CALiPER Report 20.3: Robustness of LED PAR38 Lamps

Three samples of 40 of the Series 20 PAR38 lamps underwent multi-stress testing, whereby samples were subjected to increasing levels of simultaneous thermal, humidity, electrical, and vibrational stress. The results do not explicitly predict expected lifetime or reliability, but they can be compared with one another, as well as with benchmark conventional products, to assess the relative robustness of the product designs. On average, the 32 LED lamp models tested were substantially more robust than the conventional benchmark lamps. As with other performance attributes, however, there was great variability in the robustness and design maturity of the LED lamps. Several LED lamp samples failed within the first one or two levels of the ten-level stress plan, while all three samples of some lamp models completed all ten levels. One potential area of improvement is design maturity, given that more than 25% of the lamp models demonstrated a difference in failure level for the three samples that was greater than or equal to the maximum for the benchmarks. At the same time, the fact that nearly 75% of the lamp models exhibited better design maturity than the benchmarks is noteworthy, given the relative stage of development for the technology.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2014

Retail Lamps Study 3.1: Dimming, Flicker, and Power Quality Characteristics of LED A Lamps

To date, all three reports in the retail lamps series have focused on basic performance parameters, such as lumen output, efficacy, and color quality. This report goes a step further, examining the photoelectric characteristics (i.e., dimming and flicker) of a subset of lamps from CALiPER Retails Lamps Study 3. Specifically, this report focuses on the dimming, power quality, and flicker characteristics of 14 LED A lamps, as controlled by four different retail-available dimmers. The results demonstrate notable variation across the various lamps, but little variation between the four dimmers. Overall, the LED lamps: ~tended to have higher relative light output compared to the incandescent and halogen benchmark at the same dimmer output signal (RMS voltage). The lamps’ dimming curves (i.e., the relationship between control signal and relative light output) ranged from linear to very similar to the square-law curve typical of an incandescent lamp. ~generally exhibited symmetrical behavior—the same dimming curve—when measured proceeding from maximum to minimum or minimum to maximum control signal. ~mostly dimmed below 10% of full light output, with some exceptions for specific lamp and dimmer combinations ~exhibited a range of flicker characteristics, with many comparing favorably to the level typical of a magnetically-ballasted fluorescent lamp through at least a majority of the dimming range. ~ always exceeded the relative (normalized) efficacy over the dimming range of the benchmark lamps, which rapidly decline in efficacy when they are dimmed. This report generally does not attempt to rank the performance of one product compared to another, but instead focuses on the collective performance of the group versus conventional incandescent or halogen lamps, the performance of which is likely to be the baseline for a majority of consumers. Undoubtedly, some LED lamps perform better—or more similar to conventional lamps—than others. Some perform desirably for one characteristic, but not others. Consumers (and specifiers) may have a hard time distinguishing better-performing lamps from one another; at this time, physical experimentation is likely the best evaluation tool.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2015

LED System Performance in a Trial Installation—One Year Later: Yuma Border Patrol, Yuma, Arizona

The Yuma Sector Border Patrol Area is a high temperature and high solar radiation environment, providing an opportunity for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to study thermal effects on outdoor light-emitting diode (LED) luminaires outside of the testing laboratory. Six LED luminaires were installed on three poles on the U.S.- Mexico border in February 2014 as part of a trial installation, which was detailed in a prior GATEWAY report.1 The initial trial installation was intended as a short - term test of six luminaires installed on three poles before proceeding with the complete installation of over 400 luminaires. Unexpected delays in the full installation have prevented the detailed evaluations initially planned, but the six installed LED luminaires continue to be monitored, and over the past year illuminance measurements were recorded initially in February 2014 and again in September 2014 at about 2500 hours of operation and in March 2015 at about 5000 hours of operation.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2016

Tuning the light in senior care: Evaluating a trial LED lighting system at the ACC Care Center in Sacramento, CA

This report summarizes the results from a trial installation of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting systems in several spaces within the ACC Care Center in Sacramento, CA. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) coordinated the project and invited the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to document the performance of the LED lighting systems as part of a GATEWAY evaluation. DOE tasked the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to conduct the investigation. SMUD and ACC staff coordinated and completed the design and installation of the LED systems, while PNNL and SMUD staff evaluated the photometric performance of the systems. ACC staff also track behavioral and health measures of the residents; some of those results are reported here, although PNNL staff were not directly involved in collecting or interpreting those data. The trial installation took place in a double resident room and a single resident room, and the corridor that connects those (and other) rooms to the central nurse station. Other spaces in the trial included the nurse station, a common room called the family room located near the nurse station, and the ACC administrator’s private office.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2021

High-Luminance LED Platform for Improved Efficacy in Directional Applications (Final Technical Report)

In this project, Lumileds developed a platform of high-luminance LEDs and LED light engines to increase efficacy and reduce energy consumption of directional lighting applications. The platform was developed through innovations in three key areas: (1) epi and device architectures optimized for high drive current density, breaking through the tradeoff in efficacy (lm/W) vs. emittance (lm/mm 2 ) exhibited by state-of-the-art products; (2) a compact chip-scale package allowing high packing density and thus high overall luminance in multi-emitter arrays; and (3) phosphor technology to enable correlated color temperature (CCT) tuning in multi-emitter arrays with optimized LED utilization, efficacy, color uniformity and color quality. Directional indoor and outdoor lighting applications make up a major portion of the total lighting energy consumption in the U.S, accounting for >40% of the energy savings potential of solid-state lighting. Success of this project helps accelerate the realization of these energy savings both through higher system efficacy and adoption due to new functionality, and thus contributes significantly to realizing the DOE Lighting program goals.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

Carrier Dynamics of Polar, Semipolar, and Nonpolar InGaN/GaN LEDs Measured by Small-Signal Electroluminescence

The carrier dynamics in InGaN/GaN LEDs are directly tied to their efficiency and maximum modulation speed, which are important metrics for solid-state lighting, displays, and optical communication. We measure the carrier dynamics of nonpolar, semipolar, and commercial c-plane InGaN/GaN LEDs using small-signal electroluminescence methods. Rate equations and a small-signal circuit are used to model the carrier dynamics. The model is fit to the optical frequency response and input impedance of the LEDs to extract the carrier lifetimes and the recombination rates. The results offer insight into the underlying causes of efficiency droop and the green gap, and inform device design strategies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Energy and Operational Impacts of Using 0-10V Control for LED Streetlights

LED lighting is becoming widely adopted and displacing most traditional lighting technologies. However, the traditional methods used to control light sources have not seen similar displacement. Lighting systems have historically utilized either a proprietary control method, or one of a handful of standardized methods (e.g., 0-10V, DALI, DMX512). The utility and market success of the standardized methods has been limited for a variety of reasons. Analog 0-10V methods have long been popular due to their simplicity and low cost of implementation and are presently the most commonly available control interface for indoor and outdoor LED products in North America. The emergence of “connected lighting systems” with more modern network interfaces and luminaire-level sensors and intelligence was anticipated by many to mark the beginning of the end of analog control. However, 0-10V interfaces continue to be prevalent with these more “digital” systems. The use of 0-10V methods has significant tradeoffs. 0-10V standards have historically not explicitly defined the relationship between the luminaire input control signal and output luminous flux for the full control signal range. As a result, it is difficult to predict relative luminaire light output and input power at any particular control voltage, and in practice the performance across LED drivers and the luminaires power is inconsistent. While this inconsistency has long been acknowledged by experts in the field, it is not accounted for in standard practice deployment, and end-users continue to regularly see unexpected and undesirable performance. It is hoped that the results from this study will help the lighting industry and standards developing organizations better understand and possibly resolve the shortcomings of 0-10V products, and consider what is best for the industry – additional incremental improvements to this fundamentally limited analog technology, or fully moving on to existing digital approaches, such as DALI D4i, that deliver accurate and consistent dimming performance across all luminaires in the system and thus guarantee the delivery of expected light levels, and energy and cost savings. Recommendations consistent with these goals are made to lighting and driver manufacturers, lighting software developers, standard developing organizations, and system designers and specifiers.

0-10V↗
DOE OSTI2023

Post Access Report: Initial testing of wave energy powered UV-C LED anti-biofouling system

In the experiment entitled “Initial Testing of Wave Energy Powered UV-C LED Anti-Biofouling System,” a UV-C LED was used to treat platinum-coated titanium coupons emulating CTD electrode material. An additional control set of coupons were exposed to seawater without the LED treatment. The experimental setup was deployed in seawater tanks at PNNL-Sequim’s Marine and Coastal Research Laboratory (MCRL) for the duration of six months. Tank seawater temperature data were collected for the duration of the experimental campaign. At two-month intervals triplicate sets of coupons were removed from both treatment and control test chambers and weighed to characterize biomass accumulation. After weighing, the coupons were photographed in initial condition, with a stain applied to highlight biofouling growth, and after rinsing off excess stain. These photographs were analyzed using PNNL’s Biofouling Growth Index (BGI) software and with a calculation of percentage dark pixels after conversion to grayscale. Additionally, at the final 6-month datapoint triplicate sets of control and test coupons were sent to PNNL-Richland’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) for scanning electron microscopy. All data organization and collection methods are described in further detail in the document “TEAMER_3newable_Data_Guide.pdf.” Biomass accumulation increased over time on both sets of coupons, and percent area biofouled demonstrated a similar trend. Analysis of the collected data resulted in the findings that treatment method has an impact on biofouling growth, though to a much less significant extent than time does. Additionally, qualitative findings included the presence of advanced life forms such as worms in the control test chamber, but not in the treated test chamber.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demonstration of multi-active region p-down green LEDs with high quantum efficiency

Abstract Longer wavelength emitters such as green LEDs display a pronounced efficiency drop at higher current densities, resulting in relatively low wall-plug efficiency (WPE). Multi-active region approach can improve the WPE significantly and tackle the “green gap” challenge. This work reports multi-active region p-down LEDs with high external efficiency operating entirely in the green wavelength. Devices were developed using p-down topology, where the PN junction is oriented such that electric fields from depletion and built-in polarization dipoles are aligned. Ga-polar multi-active region green LEDs with excellent voltage and external quantum efficiency scaling, and significantly higher WPE is demonstrated in this work.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2013

Abbreviated epitaxial growth mode (AGM) method for reducing cost and improving quality of LEDs and lasers

The use of an abbreviated GaN growth mode on nano-patterned AGOG sapphire substrates, which utilizes a process of using 15 nm low temperature GaN buffer and bypassing etch-back and recovery processes during epitaxy, enables the growth of high-quality GaN template on nano-patterned AGOG sapphire. The GaN template grown on nano-patterned AGOG sapphire by employing abbreviated growth mode has two orders of magnitude lower threading dislocation density than that of conventional GaN template grown on planar sapphire. The use of abbreviated growth mode also leads to significant reduction in cost of the epitaxy. The growths and characteristics of InGaN quantum wells (QWs) light emitting diodes (LEDs) on both templates were compared. The InGaN QWs LEDs grown on the nano-patterned AGOG sapphire demonstrated at least a 24% enhancement of output power enhancement over that of LEDs grown on conventional GaN templates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

LED lamp

There is herein described a lamp for providing white light comprising a plurality of light sources positioned on a substrate. Each of said light sources comprises a blue light emitting diode (LED) and a dome that substantially covers said LED. A first portion of said blue light from said LEDs is transmitted through said domes and a second portion of said blue light is converted into a red light by a first phosphor contained in said domes. A cover is disposed over all of said light sources that transmits at least a portion of said red and blue light emitted by said light sources. The cover contains a second phosphor that emits a yellow light in response to said blue light. The red, blue and yellow light combining to form the white light and the white light having a color rendering index (CRI) of at least about 80.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2014

Lattice-mismatched GaInP LED devices and methods of fabricating same

A method (100) of fabricating an LED or the active regions of an LED and an LED (200). The method includes growing, depositing or otherwise providing a bottom cladding layer (208) of a selected semiconductor alloy with an adjusted bandgap provided by intentionally disordering the structure of the cladding layer (208). A first active layer (202) may be grown above the bottom cladding layer (208) wherein the first active layer (202) is fabricated of the same semiconductor alloy, with however, a partially ordered structure. The first active layer (202) will also be fabricated to include a selected n or p type doping. The method further includes growing a second active layer (204) above the first active layer (202) where the second active layer (204) Is fabricated from the same semiconductor alloy.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2014

System Reliability for LED-Based Products

Results from accelerated life tests (ALT) on mass-produced commercially available 6” downlights are reported along with results from commercial LEDs. The luminaires capture many of the design features found in modern luminaires. In general, a systems perspective is required to understand the reliability of these devices since LED failure is rare. In contrast, components such as drivers, lenses, and reflector are more likely to impact luminaire reliability than LEDs.

Davis, J Lynn↗