Trends and Advances in Measuring UV LED Arrays

Jim Raymont, EIT

Abstract:As UV light sources continue to evolve, so must the devices and methods used to measure their output and efficiency. Not only is the fundamental nature of solid-state UV LEDs different from mercury-based lamps, but UV LEDs continue to expand in the availability of wavelengths, increased output power, and the geometry of UV LED arrays. As UV LEDs are adopted into more demanding automotive, aerospace, medical and electronic applications, the bar has been raised for improved accuracy and repeatability of UV process measurements. This paper describes some of the trends and advancements in UV LED measurement important to raw material suppliers, formulators, equipment suppliers and end users. Using data from a number of commercially available LED sources, this paper describes some of the important technical challenges and solutions to UV LED array measurement, instrument-to-instrument repeatability, calibration, and measurement standardization.