‘Off-The-Shelf’ Flexible LEDs

Why reinvent the wheel when pre-existing technologies can be used to make flexible LEDs?

AsianScientist (Aug. 24, 2015) – Researchers from National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan have created highly flexible, efficient white light-emitting diodes (LED) with potential use in wearable displays and non-flat surfaces, such as curved and flexible television screens. While the design itself is new, the LED was completely fabricated from pre-existing technologies, allowing others to easily replicate and build on the platform. Their results are published in the journal, Optics Express.

“Compared to organic LED, this design of flexible LED is very attractive, due to the low cost, prolonged lifetime and high efficiency. In addition, all of the technologies associated with this design are currently available,” said Lin Chien-Chung, an associate professor at the College of Photonics, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan.

The researchers’ ‘off-the-shelf’ LED device gets its flexibility from its two primary materials, polyimide and polydimethylsiloxane. To construct it, Lin and his colleagues first covered a polyimide substrate with copper foil shielding tape. In a process known as flip-chip bonding, which reduces thermal resistance and results in higher heat dissipation than traditional wire bonding, they mounted 81 Blue LED chips, measuring 1.125 mm x 1.125 mm, to the foil in an upside down position.

To provide a warm white-yellow light, the researchers then added another layer consisting of a yellow phosphor film that had been mixed and spin-coated in polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS, a widely used silicone-based organic polymer. It was chosen for its high degree of transparency, stability, and flexibility. The final film measured five centimeters by five centimeters, but there is no reasonable limitation to the size of the film.

The researchers ran the device for a standard 1,000 hours, to test its durability, finding that its emission decayed by only five percent. Its potential for use in wearables was demonstrated when subjected to bending tests. It held its power output when bent to a curvature with a 1.5-cm radius. It also exhibited a light efficiency of 120 lumens per watt.

“Because the components are all available by current technology, the combined reliability is very good,” Lin said. “Most of the novel processes or materials require a lengthy procedure to verify their reliability, but our design uses only available parts to avoid this issue.”

The article can be found at: Sher et al. (2015) Large-Area, Uniform White Light LED Source on a Flexible Substrate.

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Source: The Optical Society.
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