One Extreme High Power LED does the work of 48 mid power LEDs.
Your humble editor participated in a private conference call with Cree to discuss their new XHP LEDs. Cree is launching the SC5 Technology Platform which they claim will redefine high-power LEDs by doubling the lumen output of a single LED, giving luminaire manufacturers the flexibility to build at a significantly lower cost.
If a typical 5mm x 5mm wafer is 1000 or 1100 lumens at 10 watts, the SC5 will allow for 2250 lumens at 19 watts from the same 5mm x 5mm package. At its maximum current, the XHP50 provides twice the light output of the industry’s brightest single-die LED, the XLamp XM-L2 LED, at a similar LPW.
The SC5 Technology Platform is built on Cree’s industry-best silicon carbide technology and features significant advancements in epitaxial structure—expitxial is a word that I cannot pronounce, nor do I have any idea what it means–but what I do understand is that the new system will allow for a more advanced light conversion system optimized for best thermal and optical performance.
In the above chart, Cree shows that one Extreme High Power LED does the work of 48 mid power LEDs. The mid-range LEDs would cost $3.64 compared to just $0.12 for the XHP.
With the fixture becoming smaller, there is less need for optics and heat sinking. The above chart compares the cost of components of mid-size LED with the new XHP, resulting in a 40% material savings. One can also assume less material would result in less labor. Putting on my former product manager hat, we can extrapolate that less material and labor will result in less overhead being applied to that particular sku. The savings, on paper, could go as high as 50%.
“As a technology company, we’re focused on breaking the performance barriers that really matter to the lighting industry,” said Chuck Swoboda, Cree Chairman and CEO. “This new platform establishes a new benchmark for LED lumens per wafer, which we believe will define the long-term success of our industry. This also validates our belief that high-power LED technology enables the best lighting system designs and a better lighting experience for end customers.”
In addition, the XHP50 is designed for L90 lifetimes above 50,000 hours even at high temperature and current.