Large Arrays of Microcavity Plasmas for Lighting and Medical Applications

EDEN PARK ILLUMINATION, INC. and the University of Illinois have formed a team to pursue the demonstration and commercialization of large arrays of microcavity plasmas capable of producing visible emission with luminous efficacies above 20 lumens/W. Originally developed in the Laboratory for Optical Physics and Engineering at the University of Illinois, microplasma array technology has recently advanced to the point of yielding planar radiators having active areas of at least 100 cm2 and efficacies of ~15 lumens/W. This proposal describes a nine-month, Phase I program designed to increase the efficacy of these arrays by a minimum of 33%, to beyond 20 lumens/W. The focus of this program is the Al/Al2O3 microplasma device structure developed at Illinois with which we are now able to control precisely the shape of the microcavity walls, thereby opening the door to optimizing both the electric field within each microcavity as well as the efficiency for extracting photons from the device. Furthermore, a design for fully addressable arrays will be developed in Phase I. BENEFIT: This STTR program will yield visible and ultraviolet (UV)-emitting arrays that are extremely lightweight (being made literally from Al foil), thin (< 1.5 mm in thickness) and having a form factor and efficiency superior to those for incandescent lighting. This technology will provide mercury-free lighting for DOD and the commercial sector that is inexpensive and, when sealed between thin plastic sheets, flexible. Aside from its impact on lighting, this technology will be of enormous value to: 1) medicine by providing flexible light sources ideally-suited for phototherapeutics, 2) the sterilization of operating environments, and 3) water and air purification.