Cree's High-Power White LED Delivers 121 lm/W

Cree’s high-power white LEDs reached a new efficiency milestone, delivering 121 lumens per watt (lm/W) at a current density of 35 A/cm². The company’s latest XLamp XP-G devices produced 267 lumens when driven at 700 mA, operating at 3.14 volts. These LEDs emitted cool white light with a correlated color temperature (CCT) of 6,850K and a color rendering index (CRI) of 72.  

The XP-G series was built on Cree’s advanced EZBright LED chip platform, whose first generation was partially developed with funding support from the U.S. Department of Energy.  

In a separate DOE-backed research project, Cree also improved LED chip performance through photonic crystal light-extraction features and more efficient packaging technology. These advances increased packaged blue LED brightness by 15% over the starting baseline of the two-year program.  

Because white LEDs rely on blue LED chips combined with phosphors or other color-conversion materials, improving the blue chip is one of the most effective ways to raise overall white LED efficiency. Better chip performance can benefit the full solid-state lighting supply chain—from chip makers to component manufacturers and final lighting systems.