Thermal Management of High-power LEDs

Thermal Management Of High-power LEDs

High power light-emitting diodes (LEDs) use from 500 milliwatts to as much as 500 watts in a single package. Most of the electricity in an LED becomes heat rather than light (about 70% heat and 30% light). If this heat is not removed, the LEDs run at high temperatures, which not only lowers their efficiency, but also makes the LED less reliable. Thus, thermal management of high power LEDs is a crucial area of research and development. It is highly necessary to keep the junction temperature below 120°C to run the LED's for maximum lifetime.