114
TECHNOLOGY / PRODUCT REVIEW
CRYSTAL CLARIFIED
David Morgan takes a look at NN Crystal’s latest developments in quantum dot technology - the Qshift Coral and Qshift Lucid - on show at this year’s Lightfair
Hidden away in the Renaissance Lighting booth at the recent Lightfair show in Las Vegas was an interesting combination of optical innovation and nanotechnology from two different companies collaborating to improve the efficiency and quality of white light from LED sources. The luminaire in- novation came from Renaissance Lighting while the nanotechnology innovations were provided by NN Crystal. Renaissance Lighting was formed to commercialise optical research work that had been inspired by research into laser- guided weapon countermeasures. The company was launched in 2005 and the key products are downlights incorporating their patented Constructive Occlusion technology. This is an indirect system whereby light from a number of LEDs is combined in a reflector mixing chamber to produce a low glare and consistent colour white or colour changing light source. Renaissance downlights also incorporate other patented design features to maintain light output over the life of the luminaire and to control
colour temperature.
NN Crystal is a division of NN Labs founded by professor Xiaogang Peng who was profes- sor of chemistry at the university of Arkan- sas. The synthetic techniques used to make semiconductor nanocrystals that Dr. Peng pioneered are now the standard used by all quantum dot manufacturers worldwide. One application for Colloidal nanocrystals (also known as quantum dots) that NN Crystal have developed is in LED lighting to convert blue or violet light from high power LEDs into good quality warm white light. NN Crystal claim that this process will be up to 40 percent more efficient than using the current LED design approaches where blue light is converted into white light us- ing yellow phosphors. Not only will the use of quantum dots be more efficient but it will also produce more stable colours than phosphors and will be less affected by high temperatures. Colour point stability in a fairly high temperature environment over a 50,000 hour life is one of the key issues with LED lighting and the remote phosphor
approach incorporated in the Xicato, GE Vio and Philips Fortimo LED arrays is one solution. Quantum dots would appear to be another perhaps more effective solution to this problem of colour shift during life. At Lightfair NN Crystal were showing two implementations of their technology; Qshift Coral and Qshift Lucid. With the ability to finely tune the light, Qshift Coral uses conventional colloidal nanocrystals (quan- tum dots) that allow the color of the light to be precisely controlled. Qshift Coral technology makes the lighting warmer and with improved light quality, while reducing its energy consumption for the same Lumen output compared with traditional phosphor- based warm white lighting.
Qshift Coral has already been incorporated into the Renaissance range of Solia down- lights that were presented at Lightfair this year. Renaissance claim that the incorpora- tion of this technique has increased Lumen output by over forty five percent with six percent better efficacy while maintaining a CRI of 80. Apparently in a side-by-side
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132