DECEMBER 10, 2007--For outstanding research work on innovative lighting technologies, Klaus Streubel and Stefan Illek from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (Regensburg, Germany; www.osram-os.com) together with Andreas Bräuer from the Fraunhofer Institute for Optics and Precision Engineering in Jena, Germany, were awarded this year's prize for technology and innovation from German President Horst Köhler. The German Future Prize for 2007 was awarded specifically for thin-film chip technology and its application in the OSTAR family of LEDs.
Thin-film technology is the key to producing LED chips of extremely high brightness and also enables them to be packed tightly together to create a large illuminating surface. High-efficiency LEDs from OSRAM that are based on this innovative technology will open up new applications ranging from mini projectors and rear-projection televisions to night-vision systems in vehicles and general room lighting. LEDs can already be used, for example, in the headlights and taillights of automobiles, providing excellent visibility and giving automobile manufacturers enormous freedom to create new designs.
For the 2007 German Future Prize the judges were looking not only for exceptional technical, engineering, and scientific achievements, but also for practical applications, marketability, and job creation. "We are proud of the fact that our creativity and determination will speed up the triumphal march of LED lighting," said Streubel, spokesman for the winning team.
The German Future Prize is the most prestigious award for research and development in Germany and was presented this year for the 11th time. "OSRAM has been producing pioneering innovations for many years, and we are intensifying our efforts every year. This is a magnificent achievement for the team and OSRAM as a whole," said Martin Goetzeler, CEO of OSRAM. "This year's award confirms our position as an innovation driver and is also wonderful recognition of all the hard work done by our employees," said Rüdiger Müller, CEO of OSRAM Opto Semiconductors.
The technical innovation of the OSTAR LED is the ideal combination of different technologies, namely a new production process for high-power chips, a perfectly matched package platform, and special optics developed in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Optics and Precision Engineering. "With these technologies we have achieved a particularly high luminance for LEDs in all colors and also for infrared," said Streubel.
These development activities have been supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
For more information, please visit www.osram-os.com/german-future-prize-2007.
