Journal Article

Solid-State Light Sources Getting Smart

Kim, Jong Kyu, Schubert, E. Fred

2005

Overview

More than a century after the introduction of incandescent lighting and half a century after the introduction of fluorescent lighting, solid-state light sources are revolutionizing an increasing number of applications. Whereas the efficiency of conventional incandescent and fluorescent lights is limited by fundamental factors that cannot be overcome, the efficiency of solid-state sources is limited only by human creativity and imagination. The high efficiency of solid-state sources already provides energy savings and environmental benefits in a number of applications. However, solid-state sources also offer controllability of their spectral power distribution, spatial distribution, color temperature, temporal modulation, and polarization properties. Such \"smart\" light sources can adjust to specific environments and requirements, a property that could result in tremendous benefits in lighting, automobiles, transportation, communication, imaging, agriculture, and medicine.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: automobiles / color / Colors / Creativity / ecosystem services / Energy / Energy conservation / Energy efficiency / Energy use / Exact sciences and technology / fluorescent lamps / fluorescent lighting / Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications) / image analysis / Imagination / incandescent lighting / Lamps / Light / Light emitting diodes / Light sources / Lighting / Luminescence / medicine / Optical properties / Optical reflection / Optical sources and standards / Optics / Phosphors / Photons / Physics / Radiation / Review / Smart materials / Solid state devices / Spatial distribution / Technological change / temperature / transportation / Visible spectrum / Wavelengths