Spectrum of Brilliance: Discover Full Spectrum, High CRI LEDs

The positive health effects of the uniform spectral power distribution of the SunLike LEDs from Seoul Semiconductor have been confirmed in two independent studies, by universities from Switzerland and South Korea.

The new SunLike technology brings a major improvement to the LED spectral power distribution (SPD) which now mimics the SPD of the sun within the bounds of the human visual range. The SunLike LEDs LEDs use a three-phosphor mix and a violet emitter to achieve the SPD. Seoul has said that the LEDs can be used in a variety of applications including in human-centric lighting or lighting for health and well-being where tunable lighting can be applied to improve human well-being.

A study published by the University of Basel in Switzerland titled “Effect of daylight LED on visual comfort, melatonin, mood, waking performance, and sleep” found that volunteers had better visual comfort, more alertness, and happier moods associated with exposure to SunLike LEDs  compared LEDs. 

The university published the research in the Journal of Lighting and Research Technology. Professor Christian Cajochen led the research team investigating what they referred to as LEDs with a daylight spectrum.

The innovative Optisolis LEDs from Nichia have a light spectrum that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight.

Introducing Nichia Optisolis LEDs: Harnessing the Full Spectrum of Sunlight for Various Applications

The world market leader in LED development, Nichia, has unveiled its latest innovation: the Optisolis™ technology. Optisolis™ LED emitters provide a natural light source with a spectrum that achieves the industry's closest match to that of standard illuminants, sunlight, and incandescent artificial light, boasting a color rendering index (CRI) of over 98.

The Optisolis family of LEDs are classified as Ultra-High CRI light sources, as they have maximum scores for all 16 color samples used in the color rendering index metric. The 5000K Nichia NF2L757G-F1 Optisolis LED can even achieve a Ra of 99 out of 100. Similarly, the scores with the new IES TM-30-15 light quality tests are equally high, with Rf at 98 and Rg at 99.

Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series, equipped with TRI-R technology, represents a groundbreaking advancement in LED lighting. These true natural spectrum LEDs produce light that closely emulates the spectrum of natural sunlight, thanks to a novel LED architecture. By using a purple emitter combined with a red, green, and blue (RGB) phosphor mix, SunLike LEDs offer significant improvements over conventional white LEDs, which rely on a blue emitter and yellow phosphor.

This innovative approach to full-spectrum LED lighting results in accurate color rendering, heightened awareness of contrast and texture, and an overall superior visual experience. In this article, we will delve into the unique properties of SunLike LEDs and their applications in art and museum lighting, which are truly transformative.

Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series LEDs are the world’s first natural spectrum LEDs, as they produce light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight.

This achievement comes from using a new LED architecture, with a purple emitter in combination with a red, green, and blue (RGB) phosphor mix, unlike conventional white LED that use a blue emitter and yellow phosphor.  By removing the blue LED light source and replacing it with a purple light LED chip, lighting technology is fundamentally transformed. For the first time it is possible to render colors accurately with very low energy use and positive effects on health. Compared with other LED lights, the new SunLike Series does not have a blue energy peak associated with eye discomfort and poor sleep patterns.

Furthermore, an ordinary LED spectrum is very different to sunlight, whereas SunLike’s spectrum is very similar. Thus, the light sources with SunLike Series LEDs will more accurately show the color of objects, as they would appear in natural sunlight. It's natural light spectra has color rendering of CRI-97 – close to CRI-100 of sunlight, and much higher than the CRI-80 of conventional LEDs.

The SunLike packaged LED technology from Seoul is based in part on a Toshiba phosphor technology called TRI-R. By using the TRI-R, the LEDs deliver a uniform and broad spectral power distribution (SPD) that is more like sunlight than are typical phosphor-converted white LEDs.

The applications of this new LED technology, with its diminished blue light peak, similar spectral curve to sunlight, accurate rendering of colors and reduced scattered reflection and glare are many, from Human Centric lighting for our home and office to commercial and art lighting.