White LED Breakthrough: Efficiency Doubles

It seems like the light emitting diode (LED) world is going from one breakthrough to the next. The last one was the accidental invention of warm white LEDs using quantum dots, and now a Japanese researcher at the Meijo University, professor Satoshi Kamiyama, has found a way to make white LEDs more efficient using a purple LED and a silicon carbide substrate. This new white LED has a brightness of 130 lumens per watt! "Normal incandescent light bulbs produce 15-20 lumens per watt; modern fluorescent bulbs produce between 60-110 lumens per watt; and current LED methods allow for a maximum of 60-70 lumens per watt. In short, if this is real, it's a big breakthrough." Professor Satoshi Kamiyama will establish a startup in January to manufacture and sell the LED units. He already has 40 million yen, but it is expected that other companies will want a stake in this. Thanks to reader Chris for the tip. ::White LED doubles efficiency, ::White LED Efficiency Breakthrough?, ::Brighter LED Break-Through

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