Japanese developed new technology can reduce deep UV LED cost significantly

Ritsumeikan University in Japan recently published a communique that its researchers have developed a technology to produce a low cost and efficient deep ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED); it is expected to be widely adopted deep ultraviolet light source after the mercury limit by United Nations .

Ultraviolet wavelength between 200 nm and 350 nm is called deep ultraviolet light, is widely used in water purification plants, hospitals, air sterilization, handling formaldehyde and other fields. In the past, a lot of deep ultraviolet light source used the mercury lamp, but United Nations organized parties signed the "led street light wholesale last year, aims to restrict the use of mercury greatly, it is necessary to develop alternative sources.
Deep UV LED can be used to substitute mercury, but it adopted sapphire substrates to produce such LED, which is too expensive to be widely used. A team led by Ritsumeikan University professor Yoshinobu Aoyagi reported that it can use cheap silicone to replace sapphire substrate, which cut the costs significantly.

In order to allow the current past through, the previous method need to peel part of the insulating layer on the substrate, but the new method is to attach indium nitride on the layer of silicon substrate as an insulator, and then open pores that allow electrical current to flow, it's no need to peel insulating layer, and short the process significantly. It can cut five days production to only one day, and avoid damage to the led street lighting fixture layer, also improve the luminous efficiency at the same time.

The research team believes that the new method can reduce the deep UV LED manufacturing costs substantially; it is expected to promote the mass production and widespread application of this deep ultraviolet light source.