Crystal IS Announces Record Performance from a Single Chip UVC LED

Crystal IS Inc. the leading manufacturer of proprietary high-performance ultraviolet light emitting diodes (UVC LEDs) for monitoring purification and disinfection applications has announced today that they achieved more than 65mW in optical output at 260 nm from a single UVC LED operated in a continuous mode.

The details of this breakthrough were recently published in Applied Physics Express.

“This achievement is a technological milestone in the continued development of brighter more efficient and reliable UVC LEDs. By employing die thinning and encapsulation techniques we were able to increase the photon extraction efficiency to over 15% “said Leo Schowalter founder and CTO. “By fabricating our LEDs on our home grown aluminum nitride substrates we continue to set the pace of what is possible for the combination of highest efficiencies and longest lifetimes in the 250-280 nm wavelength range far surpassing diodes fabricated on sapphire.”

“This R&D accomplishment represents a more than 6-fold increase in performance from just one year ago” said Larry Felton CEO. “Our progress in business operations continues on a like pace readying us and our LEDs for commercial success.”

UVC refers to ultraviolet light with wavelengths between 200 – 280 nanometers (nm). Light in the UVC wavelength can be used for disinfecting water sterilizing surfaces destroying harmful micro-organisms in food products and in air and for spectroscopy applications. Yole Développement estimates the UVC lamp market to be nearly $200 Million in 2012 with lamps being replaced increasingly by UV LEDs.

“Our products will address some of the most pressing health concerns of our time” said Therese Jordan Senior Vice President of Business Development. “We are seeing demand in both water and air for the disinfection and quality monitoring aspects of UVC. Similarly spectroscopic instruments are also taking advantage of the high light output available in a UVC LED. Unlike UV lamps UVC LEDs are mercury-free compact rugged and robust lending themselves to an array of designs and hold the promise of long life and environmentally friendly end-of-life disposal.”

About Crystal IS:

Crystal IS Inc. an Asahi Kasei company based in New York State is a leading manufacturer of proprietary high-performance UVC LEDs for monitoring purification and sterilization applications in the water food air and healthcare sectors. The performance and design freedom of our LEDs offer limitless possibilities for engineers to develop new applications and product designs unconstrained by the limitations of traditional UV sources.