Cree, Inc. records another LED industry first with the demonstration of a single high-power LED delivering nearly 1,600 lumens at 134 lumens-per-watt (LPW) with similar color quality as an incandescent light bulb. With this result, Cree achieved a breakthrough 25 percent increase in lumens per watt (LPW) over production LEDs of similar color quality under operating conditions found in real-world LED lighting applications. This important milestone coupled with Cree’s latest SC5 Technology™ platform will lead to LED systems with increased performance, lower cost and better light.

“Today, advancing LED technology goes beyond just increasing LPW,” said John Edmond, Cree co-founder and director of advanced optoelectronics. “Cree is also focused on improving spectral content and the efficacy of warmer color temperatures while pursuing tremendous opportunities to increase LPW at real-world operating conditions. This R&D result continues Cree’s high power LED technology innovation and provides a path to better lighting experiences at the lowest overall system cost.”

Many of today’s LEDs that provide excellent light quality do so by compromising LED efficacy, resulting in lower system performance or higher system cost. Cree’s latest innovation demonstrates a no-compromise solution that enables high quality light at the lowest cost. As an example of what Cree’s technology could achieve, a current 60W LED replacement lamp with average light quality (3000K CCT & 80 CRI) could be upgraded to incandescent-like light quality (2700K CCT, 90+ CRI & 90+ R9) with the same light output and power consumption levels at no additional cost. The recently approved California Title 20 appliance standard for LED bulbs highlights the importance of this type of performance without cost and energy savings compromises.

Cree reports that the R&D LED performance was measured at 1587 lumens at 350 mA and junction temperature of 85°C, delivering 134 LPW with a CRI Ra > 90 and R9 > 90 at 2700 K CCT.