Seoul Semiconductor (SSC) has unveiled a new version of its Acriche AC-LED, a semiconductor light source that runs directly from an AC supply without a converter. The Acriche 2 W single emitter of octagon type has one AC-LED on an octagonal PCB with a diameter of 25 mm.
The efficacy of the new Acriche 2 W single emitter is 48 lm/W, and SSC says this is equivalent to a conventional power LED with an efficacy of 57 lm/W, after conversion losses (from AC to DC) of about 20% are taken into account.
Acriche was launched in November 2006 with versions featuring either two or four emitters on each PCB (see Seoul Semiconductor launches AC LED lighting source Acriche).
SSC says that the new single emitter design will make it easier for customers to use the product in various kinds of applications. Do Hyung Kim, who runs SSC's Acriche department, said: "Numerous customers have been requesting us to provide a single emitter without a PCB, so they can design their own PCBs and arrays. Meeting the customer needs, SSC is planning to sell Acriche single emitter without PCB soon."
SSC has improved the efficacy of Acriche by 20% in a few months, and has extremely ambitious plans for future developments, quoting targets of 80 lm/w in the fourth quarter of 2007, and 120 lm/W in 2008.
The company says that it is easy to apply secondary optics (collimators) to the new Acriche 2 W octagon type, according to the application. For instance, a lens with a narrow viewing angle can be used for the lighting fixtures with a narrow focus, such as reading lamps, while a lens with a wide viewing angle is more suitable for wider spaces, such as living rooms at home or offices.
