12 January 2011

Lumileds wins Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation of the Year

Based on its recent analysis of the automotive LED market, market analyst firm Frost & Sullivan has recognized LED maker Philips Lumileds of San Jose, CA, USA with its ‘2010 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Technology Innovation of the Year’ for being a major factor driving the advance of improved lighting technologies for the global auto industry. Frost & Sullivan commends the firm for “successfully differentiating itself in a difficult global market and expanding the market potential for automotive LED systems”.

Compared to halogen, high-intensity discharge (HID), and incandescent lighting systems, LEDs offer enhanced functionality to vehicle owners. One of the primary benefits is their unlimited service life – unlike a filament bulb, the consumer never replaces it, unless the vehicle is involved in a collision. But the most attractive feature of LEDs is the ability to change color and brightness, giving vehicle designers the flexibility to develop mood lighting systems as a value-added feature.

Only three firms in the world have the technological capacity to produce automotive-grade LEDs that meet the exacting needs of vehicle manufacturers and their lighting suppliers, reckons Frost & Sullivan. Of these, Lumileds has done the most to advance the development of LEDs for motorists and the global auto industry, it adds. The firm has two main LED product lines for automotive lighting: the LUXEON line is designed for high-power headlamps and daytime running lights; the SnapLED and SuperFlux lines are red, red-orange and amber LEDs that are used for taillights and signaling applications.

“The main differences between Philips Lumileds products and its main competitors are its Thin Film Flip Chip (TFFC) technology, which offers improved thermal handling, and Lumiramic Phosphor technology, which improves light quality,” notes Frost & Sullivan program leader Stephen Spivey. “This represents a significant competitive advantage against the high-power devices of its two main competitors, particularly for the front of the vehicle, where the light requirements present the biggest challenges to lamp designers.”

TFFC technology allows Lumileds’ products to offer more lumens per Watt at a lower thermal resistance than those of competing LED suppliers, it is claimed. It also supports the firm's proprietary Lumiramic phosphor technology, which enhances the color control properties of LEDs. This equates to improved functionality, because it makes technologically advanced lighting more applicable to automakers and their suppliers.

“Philips Lumileds has also been a market leader in reducing the cost of LED technology,” comments Spivey. “This is important because LEDs still cost 2.5–10 times more than halogen and incandescent lighting, depending on application,” he adds. “Suppliers must be able to justify the premium to OEMs and consumers to drive adoption rates for LED lighting.”

By enhancing and refining its technology, Lumileds has increased the lumens per dollar its customers buy, it is claimed. It also offers drivers, support materials, engineering services and program management to help customers integrate its technology offerings. In addition, Lumileds maintains factory standards that meet automotive quality specifications at all of its production facilities. These standards exceed those of LEDs used in other industries.

“By 2020, revenues for LED lighting will exceed all other lighting technologies within the global auto industry,” reckons Spivey. “Considering Philips Lumileds’ enhanced technologies and relationships with automakers and headlamp manufacturers across the world, the company will be the leader in driving LED adoption rates within the auto industry,” he concludes.

Tags: Lumileds GaN LEDs

Visit: www.philipslumileds.com

Visit: www.awards.frost.com