JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, the global leader in the development of standards for the microelectronics industry, announced the publication of a new series of standards for component level testing of high-brightness/power LEDs. Development within JEDEC’s JC-15 Committee involved LED industry leaders, and resulted in the new JESD51-5x series of standards aimed at thermal characterization of power LED components.  The series is in compliance with the International Commission on Illumination (CIE)’s existing LED measurement recommendations.

As the efficiency of power LEDs has improved over time (now in the range of 20-40% depending on the type of LED), the use of high-brightness/power LEDs as a lighting source has become widespread in diverse applications in numerous industries. In these use cases, thermal design is critical in order to ensure expected LED lifetimes and light output, and the design process requires accurate thermal data for LED components. Prior to the publication of the JESD51-5x series, a lack of widely accepted thermal testing standards for power LED components meant that published data sheet information was often questionable. Therefore, development of the new standards was urgently needed.

Both LED manufacturers and LED integrators who assemble LEDs to substrates will benefit from these new standards. They include clear recommendations for which data to include on LED data sheets, as well as test environments and procedures defined specifically for power LEDs, removing previously existing ambiguity about how thermal performance of an LED package or a metal core printed circuit board (MCPCB) assembled LED device is identified.

John Kelly, JEDEC President, noted, “Clear guidelines for the thermal testing of LEDs were needed, and the publication of JESD51-50, 51, 52 and 53 is the result of quick action by industry leaders and JEDEC’s JC-15 Committee.  JEDEC is pleased to offer manufacturers a comprehensive solution for their testing needs.”

The new standards will be featured in a presentation at the upcoming CORM (Council for Optical Radiation Measurements) 2012 event on May 31st in Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Andras Poppe of Mentor Graphics and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and a key author of the new standards within JC-15, will speak on the topic of “New JEDEC thermal testing standards for high power LEDs”.