Luxim's tiny plasma lightbulb outshines LEDs
March 20, 2008 by Lisa Zyga
A Tic-Tac-sized lightbulb that gives off as much light as a streetlamp may offer a peek at the ultra-efficient lighting of the future. The bulb, developed by Luxim of Sunnyvale, California, uses plasma technology to achieve its brightness.
The tiny bulb contains an argon gas in the middle, as well as a component called a "puck." The bulb is partially embedded in a dielectric material. When electrical energy is delivered to the puck, the puck acts like an electrical lens. It heats up the argon to a temperature of 6000 degrees Kelvin, and turns the gas into a plasma that gives off light.
The plasma, whose 6000-degree temperature is similar to that of the surface of the sun, also emits a spectrum that looks very similar to the spectrum of sunlight.
The plasma bulb uses 250 watts, and achieves around 140 lumens per watt, making it very bright and highly efficient. By comparison, conventional lightbulbs and high-end LEDs get around 15 and 70 lumens per watt, respectively.
"A key advantage is that the energy is driven into the bulb without any electrodes, so you don't need any electrical connections to get the energy into the bulb," Luxim CEO Tony McGettigan explained to ZDNet.
Luxim is using different versions of its electrode-less plasma technology to develop lighting for ultra-bright projection displays, retail and street lighting, microscope lighting, and various medical applications.
More information: Luxim.com
via: ZDNet
2 hours ago
Seriously, connections are the least of the problems, efficiency is what matters.
..."the puck acts like an electrical lens" - What???
Doesn't sound too reliable. I doubt anything that uses a 6000K plasma is going to last long. Certainly not as long as a LED (IIRC record is around 140lm/W)
http://en.wikiped...ess_lamp
For those wonder how this is done and why.
Just one of the more recent articles I've come across: http://www.msnbc....3694819/
"Brilliant!"
Now, I'm just speculating but this looks similar to the older sulfur plasma lamps. They had problems with destroying the lamp because of the high temperature. While confining the plasma with varying E-fields, the heat transfer should be minimal. If we are to believe that the bulb is evacuated then backfilled with a small argon charge, then the thermal transfer goes with the Stefan Boltzmann law which is radiative and not conductive. That alone would help reduce the bulb temperatures.
This is a fantastic device and I would love to demo one! (Until those 300lm/W white LED's can produce this much light)
Thats 35000 Lumens boys and girls...I'd say they're onto something useful, if they can surpass the lifespan of LEDs that is!
Incidentally, the proposed laws I have heard about merely mandate more efficient lamps, not CFLs specifically. I am eager for better environmental solutions than the CFLs I have all around my house right now.
this could have massive benefits as the limiting factor with the newest surface mount leds is the junction temp at the board. i cant help but think that this would be even more efficient, plus when leds have such narrow out put frequencies this could lead to very high power laser diodes.