Two photonics companies get SBIR Phase II grants for solid-state-lighting technology

Two solid-state lighting projects were among the 78 recipients of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase II grants announced this week by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and Basic Energy Sciences. SBIR Phase II grants — awarded to successful SBIR Phase I Release 1 recipients — are each worth about $1 million, and their duration is 24 months. The Phase II recipients working on SSL are: 1. Lumisyn (Rochester, NY): "Nanocrystal-based Phosphors with Enhanced Lifetime Stability" Lumisyn was selected for its advanced synthesis of compositionally novel nanocrystals that will maintain high efficiency simultaneously at high temperatures and optical flux, enabling the production of high-efficiency, long-lifetime, on-chip, narrow-wavelength (<50 nm) phosphors for phosphor-converted (pc) LEDs manufactured by a wide range of companies worldwide. Colloidal nanocrystal downconverting phosphors are not currently used in commercial pcLED products because they are thought to be inherently of low efficiency and poor stability when placed on chip. 2. PhosphorTech (Kennesaw, GA): "Plasmonic-enhanced High Light Extraction Phosphor Sheets for Solid State Lighting" PhosphorTech was selected for its effort to maximize the luminous efficacy of a phosphor downconverting LED using a combination of high-quantum-yield red phosphors, surface-plasmon resonance, and enhanced light-extraction efficiency. The combination is expected to yield at least a 42% improvement in efficacy while reducing the amount of phosphor material by 50%, lowering costs. These improvements will enable a wider range of new energy-efficient applications in LED packaging serving the general-illumination industry. Sources: 1. DOE SSL Updates 2. http://energy.gov/eere/ssl/two-sbir-grants-awarded-ssl-technology-fy16-phase-ii-release-1