LED Efficiency Puzzle Reportedly Solved
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 21, 2011 — Nitride-based LEDs are efficient, nontoxic and long-lasting, but they are considered impractical for general lighting because of a drop in efficiency when operating at high power. Researchers at the University of California said they have now figured out why.
Chris Van de Walle, a professor in the materials department at UCSB, and his colleagues investigated the drop in efficiency, a phenomenon known as “droop,” by performing quantum mechanical calculations.
LED droop....