Cree announces color LEDs in XB-D and XM-L family

Cree has announced new color LEDs that bring the same lumen output gains announced in white LEDs earlier this year to manufacturers of entertainment lighting products and exterior architectural lighting products where colors are a requisite.

Cree XB-D red LED

The new Cree XLamp XB-D color LEDs deliver a 40% gain in lumen output compared to prior-generation XP-E color LEDs. The new XLamp XM-L LEDs are multi-emitter, multi-color LEDs that are 60% smaller than prior-generation MC-E LEDs. In both cases, the new products deliver more lumens per dollar and enable color-lighting products for applications such as entertainment, architectural or façade illumination, vehicle usage, and display lighting.

The XB-D LEDs are in the same 2.45×2.45-mm package that Cree announced for the XB-D white LEDs early this year. The new blue, green, red, and red-orange components join the white LEDs that are available in the range of 2700-6200K.

At 1A of drive current, the XB-D LEDs produce from 92 lm for blue to 261 lm for red-orange. Note that those values aren't truly indicative of efficacy, because the lumen values specify the light the eye sees as opposed to the radiometric power output by the LED. The XB-D LEDs, in the small footprint, can be easily mixed for color-changing lighting including the white components.

Cree XM-L multi-color LED

The XM-L components measure 5×5 mm. But that footprint accommodates four emitters. The output ranges from 89 lm from the blue die to 272 lm for the white die.

The multi-die products will be especially suited for entertainment lighting. "The smaller and brighter XM-L color LED allows us to improve system performance and lower system cost," said Michael Johnson, vice president of engineering at The Black Tank. "We are excited that Cree is offering a higher performance multi-color LED."