LASER World of PHOTONICS 2011 to present the latest environmentally-friendly lighting technologies

The current public discussion concerning the future of energy generation and the awareness of increasing scarcity of resources are calling for sustainable action and responsible handling of existing energy reserves. Innovative lighting technologies are therefore increasingly replacing current energy-intensive lighting systems. LEDs and OLEDs are conquering new application areas across different industries. According to a current study of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German companies have a 12% share in worldwide sales of LEDs and are therefore maintaining a leading position in the international league table.

The subject area “Environment and energy” will be one of three focus topics at LASER World of PHOTONICS 2011. “Lighting” will play an important role, not least due to the short innovation cycles in this field. With regard to the key topic of “Climate protection and energy efficiency”, research institutes and companies will present new products and applications in lighting technology in the exhibition area “Lasers and Optronics“ in Halls B1 and C1 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre.

New application areas for LEDs
Light-emitting diodes, LEDs for short, are being used in more and more areas. They are currently acquiring new markets, especially in background lighting of displays and in automobiles. However, portable communication devices are also increasingly benefiting from LED technology, i.e. primarily from low power consumption which protects the device batteries and prolongs service life.

We are seeing a new trend particularly in the area of mobile applications,” said Rainer Friedrichs, Director of IR Marketing at OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH, Regensburg. “The combination of IR emitters, intelligent sensors and high-performance LEDs through to visible lasers will lead to a pronounced change in the functionality of smartphones or digital cameras. Whether flashlight, embedded projection, brightness control or touchless control, opto-semiconductor components in the visible and infrared spectrums have finally obtained here a permanent place in intelligent light management and function diversity on the rapidly expanding consumer market.” But even wherever no batteries are used, LEDs are gaining ground as energy conservers. Since 5 March 2010, it has only been permitted to sell electrical devices which consume less than 1 Watt in standby mode. This has also stimulated the market over the last 12 months.

LEDs as energy savers with added value
In addition to their low power consumption, LEDs are characterised by the fact that their colour and angle of radiation can be regulated in certain models. Intelligent lighting systems can therefore be developed, for example for use in car headlights.

The area of general lighting also still harbours great potential. Similar to energy-saving bulbs, an initial trend in indoor lighting is towards so-called “retrofit” solutions where LED lamps with conventional screw bases are offered for traditional lighting systems. Some independent market research institutes are therefore predicting a marked rise in sales of retrofit LEDs in 2011.

Green technology - OLEDs still on the increase
By contrast with LEDS and other conventional lighting systems, organic light-emitting diodes are flat light sources and therefore open up entirely new lighting possibilities. Several organic layers are applied to a glass substrate and two transparent electrodes are integrated. OLEDs are comparatively environmentally-friendly and, unlike many energy-saving bulbs, do not contain any heavy metals.

“The ‘Center for Organic Materials and Electronic Devices Dresden‘ (COMEDD) is working on solutions to make organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) market-ready for new lighting concepts,” said Dr. Christian May from the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS), Dresden. “OLEDs are opening up fantastic opportunities for the lighting market: they give off two-dimensional light, the light elements can be transparent and flexible OLEDs applied to plastic or metal films will soon illuminate round or curved surfaces. All this is possible with high energy efficiency and minimum material consumption – the OLED is therefore a genuine ‘green’ technology in all colours!”

A look into the future of OLED technology
OLED technology makes new, futuristic-looking applications possible: transparent screens or partition walls can be used for visual displays or as room lighting. Thanks to the relatively easy integration of touch sensors, very inexpensive and energy-efficient touch displays can be produced with OLEDS. The Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems (IPMS) will present a new OLED backlighting system for autostereoscopic 3-D displays, OLED light elements for general illumination and a bidirectional OLED microdisplay for mobile applications with a brightness of 1000 cd/m2 on Stand 417 in Hall B2 at LASER World of PHOTONICS 2011.

Together with the Fraunhofer IPMS, 3D-Micromac AG, Chemnitz, will exhibit a new OLED lighting element on Stand 364 in Hall C2. The prototype is intended for use in advertising signs or small lighting applications such as background lighting of LCD displays, and is characterised by its low operating voltage. The lighting element, which is just a few millimetres thick and has a diameter of 80 millimetres, is far more efficient than conventional OLEDs. With a brightness of 1000 cd/m2, it is almost impossible to detect any heat generation.

As part of the World of Photonics Congress, the practical talk entitled “Solid-state light sources” in the Photonics Forum in Hall B2 on 25 May 2011 will provide information on developments in LED technology. Indoor and outdoor lighting possibilities by means of LEDs and OLEDS will be described.

Picture shows Claudia Sixl - Show Director of LASER World of PHOTONICS

Information on the Congress can be found in the Internet at:
www.photonics-congress.com.


About LASER World of PHOTONICS
The LASER World of PHOTONICS trade fairs and their congresses are the most important marketplaces and think tanks for the worldwide laser and photonics industry and its users. They combine research and applications, and promote utilization and further development of optical technologies

LASER World of PHOTONICS has been held since 1973 every two years by Messe München International. The World of Photonics Congress, which is Europe’s largest photonics congress and is organized in cooperation with the world’s leading organizations in this field is held in parallel to the event. A sister event, LASER World of PHOTONICS China, is the leading regional trade show for optical technologies in China. It takes place in Shanghai every year in March.

With a total of 1,300 exhibitors and more than 50,000 visitors in Munich and Shanghai, Messe Muenchen International is one of the world’s leading trade show organizers for lasers and photonics. The World of Photonics websites at www.world-of-photonics.net offer information on the photonics trade shows, industry information, market data, details on product innovations, and application reports. They are the virtual platform for optical technologies.


Messe München International (MMI)
Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world´s leading trade-fair companies. It organises around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and key high-tech industries. Each year over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part in the events in Munich. In addition, MMI organises trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and South America. Via its six subsidiaries – in Europe and in Asia – and 64 foreign representatives actively serving over 90 countries, MMI has a worldwide business network. Environmental protection and sustainability are key priorities in all MMI´s operations, at home and abroad. Further information: www.messe-muenchen.de

About the conference program in the World of Photonics Congress
The world’s leading organizations in the field of photonics will organize conferences under the umbrella of the World of Photonics Congress from 22 to 26 May 2010: “CLEO/Europe-EQEC“, organized by the European Physical Society (EPS); “Optofluidics” and “Manufacturing of Optical Components”, organized by the European Optical Society (EOS); “LIM Lasers in Manufacturing“, organized by the Scientific Laser Society (WLT); “ECBO-European Conference on Biomedical Optics“, organized by SPIE and the Optical Society of America (OSA); “Optical Metrology“, organized by SPIE Europe; Application Panels – practical applications of lasers and photonics, organized by Messe München. More information at www.photonics-congress.com.