SUMMARY
High efficiency InGaN based quantum wells (QWs) ligh-emitting diodes and laser diodes play an important role in solids sate lighting (SSL) and display applications. However, it is still challenging to achieve high-efficiency in the deep green and yellow regimes due to the in the increase in electrostatic fields leading to reduction of the electron-hole wave functions overlap and high threading dislocation density and phase separation resulting in poor material quality and high nonradiative recombination.
Lehigh University has developed an invention for the growth and thermoelectric properties such as thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity and the Seebeck coefficient of n-type high quality wurtzite AllnN grown on GaN template on sapphire substrate by MOVPE, in-plane lattice matched to GaN. Results showed AllnN based alloys as excellent candidates for thermoelectric devices, with significant potential for efficient thermoelectric generator or thermal cooling applications that can fully integrated with semiconductor technology.
Lehigh Tech ID# 112009-05
THE MARKET
The SSL market is predicted to reach $33 billion by 2013, growing annually at over 10%. This market is an umbrella market for LEDs, OLEDs, and PLEDs. LED technologies make up a majority of this market ($5.08 billion), with a growth rate of over 24%. Additionally, 22% of the United States electricity is consumed by lighting, which costs consumers over $50 billion each year. SSL technologies have the potential to reduce this consumption by up to six times less. This potential has led to increased market need, funding resources and science centers dedicated to SSL developments, such as the $46 million Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) for solid-state lighting science funded by the Department of Energy.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Lehigh University is interested in identifying an industry partner to license this technology.