LEDs light up big screens

PhlatLight chipsets from Luminus Devices Inc., Woburn, Mass., based on the company's photonic-lattice technology, are said to be the only commercially available solid-state light sources bright enough to illuminate large-screen, rear-projection television sets (RPTVs).

Photonic lattices are complex arrays of microstructures in a solid dielectric material that control the propagation of light in different directions. The arrangement effectively coaxes more photons out of a conventional LED by suppressing the lateral propagation of photons inside it. Lateral propagation traps photons and limits the amount of light that can be extracted. Photonic lattices produce more light and deliver it in a narrow, collimated beam.

PhlatLight chipsets are to go in Samsung HL-S5679W 56-in., high-resolution RPTVs, which are set for release this May.

Luminus Devices Inc., luminus.com
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., www.samsung.com