Dynamic opto-electro-thermal characterization of solid state lighting devices: measuring the power conversion efficiency at high current densities

Solid state lighting devices with high power densities require accurate characterization, as the rise of chip temperature impacts its optical, electrical, and lifetime characteristics. A detailed experimental study is performed in order to analyze opto-electro-thermal behavior as new high-power devices like laser diodes (LDs) are becoming of interest. The outline of this article was inspired by two major issues identified in previous experimental approaches. First, there is some debate in the literature about the linearity of the temperature coefficient of the forward voltage. Second, there is a limited number of experimental reports on the temperature dependence of power conversion efficiency. We have shown that prior variations are the result of a diversity in the selection of electrical parameters during thermal calibrations, as both linear and non-linear relationships for temperature coefficient of voltage can be obtained. On the other hand, it was discovered that report scarcity for temperature-dependent studies can be related to the use of passive approaches for temperature-dependent measurements. In temperature-controlled environments, short pulses with high current densities may not ensure the thermal equilibrium of the device under test due to small thermal capacitance. This issue, as well as the lengthy process of passive measurements can be addressed by implementing a dynamic measurement method presented in this study. Finally, linear power conversion efficiency trends with junction temperature are demonstrated for both blue light emitting diodes and LDs at high current densities.