Verticle, Inc. is to start mass production of a hexagonal-shaped "Honeycomb" LED chip. The chip will be showcased and available for sale at LED China 2012 between 20 and 23 Feb 2012 in Guangzhou.

According to Mike (M.C.) Yoo, Verticle's CEO," This vertically structured LED chip features significant benefits that include higher light extraction and amore uniform beam profile than conventional square or rectangular LED chips based on sapphire or silicon substrates."

Firstly, Honeycomb delivers an improvement in diode performance when compared to square or rectangular type LEDs. The optical efficiency of an LED chip depends on the effective current density in the active region. The hexagonal architecture of the InGaN Honeycomb allows better control of current spreading, enabling the chip to operate at high currents and achieve higher brightness than conventional chips.

Secondly, a hexagonal-shaped LED chip is more similar to a circular chip, generates a much less distorted beam profile and a very small dark spot. With a circular lens, a hexagonal chip will achieve a higher lumen per Watt as compared to conventional square or rectangular chips having similar electro-optical properties. The Honeycomb chip can also be packaged in flat form like square or rectangular chips, meaning there is no additional cost or system modification needed.

Additionally, with its copper substrate, the Honeycomb has an excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, crucial for both long life and good thermal behaviour of the LED.

The main optical power range of the Honeycomb is between 370 - 420 mW at 350mA with a forward voltage range between 3.1 - 3.4V.