Dramatic changes are unfolding in lighting technology as semiconductor light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, have become as bright and efficient as incandescent bulbs. Until recently LEDs were used mainly as simple indicator lamps in electronics and toys, but now they are beginning to replace incandescent bulbs in many applications, such as traffic, automotive, display, and architectural area lighting. Applications requiring durability, compactness, cool operation, and directionality are all LED candidates.
Sandia will conduct solid-state lighting research and coordinate related efforts at several other national laboratories. Sandia also continues to work with leading universities and private industry in this research area. DOE will provide $5 million for seven research projects in solid-state lighting through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
The research will be conducted through the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), jointly operated by Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs, and four other DOE nanotechnology centers around the country. New LED technologies “offer excellent prospects for meeting our future lighting needs in a less costly, more efficient way than today’s incandescent and even fluorescent fixtures,” Bodman said. The research area also presents an opportunity to assume a leadership role in an emerging industry, he said.
Research is centering on several key challenges, including:
