Development of white light source based on laser diode and suitable phosphor

Overview & Synopsis

In past few years InGaN-based semiconductors have attracted much more attention for application in solid-state lighting sources. Recently, their usage is constantly increasing on worldwide market. High-brightness white LEDs have been used due to their size, long life and energy saving. However, LEDs used in light sources suffer from a loss in external quantum efficiency as an operating current increases. This loss may lead to a shift in peak emission wavelength and broadening of emission spectrum. Laser diodes, in contrary to LEDs, do not suffer this loss. The output power increases linearly with injection current. Moreover, they can reach higher luminosity, for the same power, than LEDs. Additionally, laser-based devices can be operated in reflection mode, allowing for the phosphor to be placed on a reflection substrate that may also act as a heat sink to effectively dissipate heat away from the phosphor.