Silanna UV has announced a breakthrough in UVC-LED technology that provides tremendous advantage analysis for a variety of applications including disinfection, water quality monitoring, gas sensing, liquid chromatography, and chemical and biological applications.
Far better than the traditional VC-LED
It is understood that the breakthrough patent for Silanna UV technology lies in the short-period superlattice (SPSL) method overcoming many of the difficulties that beset the competing AlGaN VC-LED technology. In essence, Silanna UV effectively creates a new material, a nanostructure, that is easier to control and has properties far superior to conventional AlGaN.
Silanna UV Short-period superlattice (SPSL) method
According to expert UV, for many years, UVC-LED manufacturers have relied on traditional AlGaN (gallium aluminum nitride alloy) formulations. Theoretically, by adjusting the ratio of aluminum to gallium in the alloy lattice, the band gap can be adjusted to produce UV emission from 340nm to 210nm, covering most of the UV spectrum. In practice, however, emission below 260nm requires AlGaN with high Al content, which, unlike GaN, makes it difficult to achieve ideal N-type and P-type doping, especially at the shortest wavelength, resulting in poor electrical performance. In addition, due to the polarization of the emitted light, AlGaN with high aluminum content also has the problem of light extraction, resulting in significant loss of light output, especially in the far ultraviolet range below 240nm.
Deep and far ultraviolet leds are easier to make
To overcome these problems in the UVC-LED technology, Silanna UV uses a different method to produce UV light. Silanna uses short-period superlattice (SPSL) technology instead of the common AlGaN method. In this method, instead of using crude, old-fashioned ternary alloys, alternate layers of AlN and GaN (hundreds of layers) are carefully constructed to create what is known as SPSL. Unlike traditional ternary alloys, key properties of this SPSL - including band gap and conductivity - can be fine-tuned by simply adjusting the thickness of the component layers. This means that the problems caused by high Al content AlGaN are mitigated - particularly the poor electrical characteristics and short-wavelength light loss of the old method.
SPSL technology gives Silanna UV tremendous advantages over its UVC-LED competitors, including maintaining high power at shorter wavelengths, superior electrical characteristics and excellent service life performance.
Silanna UV points out that the new manufacturing method promises to make deep and far ultraviolet leds easier to manufacture, more efficient at shorter wavelengths, and more reliable. Of these, leds covering the 235nm and 255nm ranges are already in production, and products in other wavelength ranges are expected to hit the market in the near future.