High Power LEDs

High power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are rapidly replacing older incandescent and fluroescent bulbs due to their significant efficiency and longevity advantages. Despite a higher upfront cost, high power LEDs use significantly less energy and can last 25-30 years under normal use without dimming over time like compact fluorescent bulbs.


Applications for high power LEDs range from vehicle headlights to streetlights to a variety of industrial uses. Recently, in May 2008, the U.S. Department of Energy started the Bright Tomorrow Lighting Prize competition with $20 million of prizes as incentive for the development of a 21st century solid-state replacement for incandescent lightbulbs. Many other countries have already made that transition, utilizing LED bulbs exclusively.

How LEDs Work

A diode is the simplest type of semiconductor device which allows current to travel in only one direction. As free electrons travel from one end of the diode to the other, they begin to fill in "electron holes". These holes represent a lower energy state and the difference in energy is released as a photon - the particle which makes up all wavelengths of light.


While most diodes (such as those made out of silicon) release photons in the ultraviolet frequency range, LEDs (typically made out of aluminum gallium arsenide) release photons which appear to humans as visible light. Hence the term "light-emitting diode". The brightness of an LED is related to the number of photons released, which is dependent upon the current passing through the diode. Higher current generally leads to a brighter LED.


For more information, refer to the excellent article at HowStuffWorks.com.

Today's Challenges

Modern LEDs typically use anywhere from 500mW to 10W in a single package, though this is trending upwards. One of the primary challenges facing high power LED manufacturers is heat transfer. While LEDs generate much less heat than incandescent bulbs, LEDs are not 100% efficient and some power is lost in the form of heat. If this heat is not removed, temperatures rise and efficiency, reliability and safety drops. Thus thermal management of high power LEDs is critical.

How Nanomaterials Help

Current high power LEDs use a conductive paste to glue the diode to the substrate. Blue Nano silver nanowires excel in these pastes due to their very high electrical and thermal conductivity.


  • Silver is the most electrically conductive element know to man. Silver nanowires' low electrical resistance reduces heat generation at high current levels.
  • Silver is the most thermally conductive element known to man and helps funnel heat away from the diode.
  • The increase in surface area provided by nanomaterials (up to 3,000x) also greatly decreases thermal resistance.

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