Sponsor: Cree, Inc.

• Project duration: 10/1/2004 - 9/30/2007
• Total project (est.): $6,951,195
• Requested ATP funds: $3,383,865

Incandescent and halogen lamps are inefficient, consuming 42 percent of the energy used for lighting in the United States to produce only 16 percent of the nation's electrically powered lighting. More efficient lamps might be made of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) - tiny light bulbs illuminated by the movement of electrons in semiconductor materials. LEDs are compact and durable and are often used in traffic lights, small liquid crystal displays, and indicators in cars and electronics. But the efficiency, brightness and cost of large LED packages need to be improved before the technology can penetrate the lighting market. Cree, Inc. and business partner Nanocrystal Lighting Corp. (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) plan to demonstrate novel integrated white LED lamps that more than quadruple the brightness and double the efficiency of existing LED lamps as well as significantly reduce the cost per lumen. The companies propose to combine high-efficiency blue LEDs with phosphor nanomaterials that convert blue light to white light. Significant breakthroughs are needed in both materials and fabrication technology to improve light extraction while controlling costs and improving the stability of the nano-materials. The technical challenges involved in developing integrated LED lamps and appropriate nanomaterials would be virtually impossible for any single company to overcome by itself anytime soon. The ATP joint venture brings together two companies with complementary expertise: Cree, a leading maker of nitride LEDs, and Nanocrystal, a startup formed to commercialize nanomaterials. The project aims to accelerate the development of affordable, solid-state white lighting by at least three years. The proposed technology, if successful, would reduce the future price of white solid-state lighting by 50 percent, which together with high efficiency and long lifetimes could lead to new uses for LEDs in home and medical lighting, full-color and projection displays, backlighting for computers and television, and mobile appliances. The worldwide market for solid-state lighting could be worth as much as $ 40 billion. Widespread use of LED lamps would greatly reduce U.S. energy consumption, potentially saving billions of dollars annually while also reducing carbon emissions. The project also could generate jobs in the nanotechnology and semiconductor industries in the United States.

Active Project Participants

• Nanocrystal Lighting Corp. (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.)

For project information:

Cynthia Merrell, (919) 313-5359
Cynthia_Merrell@cree.com

ATP Project Manager

Carlos Grinspon, 301-975-4448
carlos.grinspon@nist.gov

This is the fact sheet for this project as it was announced on September 28, 2004.
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