10 February 2017

FLINGO EU project to develop new materials and processes to improve LED efficiency and durability

Given the growing demands placed on the electrical, optical and thermal functionality of LEDs, increasing attention is being paid to the development of new material properties. To this end, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) throughout its intended duration until January 2020, the project FLINGO (Functional Inorganic Layers for Next Generation Optical Devices) has been established to develop new materials (layers, in particular) and processes to improve the efficiency and durability of LEDs.

As project coordinator, Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH of Regensburg, Germany is working with universities, research institutes and companies to maintain and improve market leadership in innovative LED products. The FLINGO project is part of the M-ERA.NET EU initiative, an European Union-financed network set up to support the coordination of European research projects.

In FLINGO, researchers will investigate and combine different deposition methods for thin films such as atomic layer deposition (ALD), spray pyrolysis and the sol-gel process for manufacturing high-quality LED light sources. Under the leadership of Dr David O'Brien of Osram Opto, the project partners will work on the entire bandwidth of new component properties – including extended lifetime, smaller electrical layer resistance and improved light extraction. These require new materials and innovative or adapted deposition processes. "The project objectives can only be achieved with the assistance of a broad-based consortium because they call for improvements, new developments and especially expert know-how across the entire value-added chain," says O'Brien.

Interdisciplinary expertise from five project partners

The members of the FLINGO project (in addition to Osram Opto) are: Uninova from the New University of Lisbon, Portugal; Finnish thin-film technology company Picosun Oy; the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, Germany; and Vilnius University in Lithuania. Fraunhofer ISC provides support through its proficiency in the development of new inorganic layer systems that are to be used as the matrix for sensitive converter materials. Uninova adds its expertise in the manufacture of highly transparent and highly conductive layers that are needed for the p-contact in the LEDs. Picosun is developing ALD processes and new materials to ensure conformal coating of even heavily structured surfaces. The Institute for Applied Research at Vilnius University provides specialist knowledge in the development and characterization of non-destructive material properties and will analyze the new layers and layer systems developed in the FLINGO project.

As an end user of the technologies developed in FLINGO, Osram Opto will ultimately transfer the new thin layers and layer systems to its LEDs to test them for their suitability for the mass market. "The results of the project should lead to highly efficient and durable white-light LEDs with possible applications in general lighting, for example," says O'Brien. "Our intention here is to improve our competitiveness and that of European industry in this field."

Tags: Osram LED

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