Countries across the world have been investing large amount of resources to cut carbon emissions, as energy prices continue to climb, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA). According to statistics air conditioning and lighting systems consume the most energy in buildings. Replacing lighting with LEDs is the most commonly applied method, but LEDs have heat dissipation issues that can shorten the product’s lifetime and lower energy efficiency. These issues have affected users willingness to adapt LED lights.

The ministry’s Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) is supporting the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology through a science project to develop “aluminum nitride (AlN) LED lighting technology.” MOEA aims to use the technology to assist Taiwanese manufacturers to develop AlN LED lighting products, and will be transferring the technology to manufacturers including Taiwan Semiconductor Lighting Company (TSLC), ThinTech Materials Technology, Elit Fine Ceramics and MeiKei. The total sum of money involved in the technology transfer has reached more than NT $12 million (US $400,000).

Heat dissipation issues on LEDs can be reduced by using AlN material’s good insulation and high thermal conductivity properties to improve LED heat dissipation capacity. In the past, LED related products tend to have shorter lifetimes because of heat dissipation issues. By using AlN based LED lighting technology long term heat dissipation issues are improved and even lumen depreciation can be reduced. LEDs using AlN technology can extend lifetimes by 6,000 to 7,000 hours.

AlN LED Technology Automotive Lighting Applications

Application of AlN LED technology is broad and includes bulbs, streetlights, fishing lamps, high bay lights, automotive headlights, table lamps and other applications. In the automotive lighting sector, LED headlamps are more energy efficient and provide design flexibility advantages compared to mainstream halogen lamps and High-intensity Discharge (HID) lamps. LEDs energy saving features can be applied to emerging hybrid cars to increase energy efficiency benefits. Currently, many luxury brand cars, electric cars and diesel cars are starting to use LED headlamps as standard equipment, and has become a rising market trend.

Heat dissipation is still a major concern for LED automotive headlamp consumers. Thermal dissipation issues can especially LED headlamps lifetime and efficiency. To overcome this flaw, using better material design, such as bringing in “AlN LED lighting technology” to LED headlamps and create products with better heat dissipation. This can alleviate LED and car component damage caused by overheating, and significantly increase the headlamps durability.

For manufacturers to rise above the intensely competitive LED lighting industry, it is increasingly important to acquire leading technology and innovative breakthroughs. AlN LED lighting technology is expected to further spur high power LED lighting development. MOEA will be displayed some of its AlN LED lighting application results for AlN LED headlamps, and high power AlN LED lumianires at The 23rd Int'l Optoelectronics Exposition at the TWTC Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei, Taiwan on June 17, 2014.