SSL Performance Testing and

Measurements Techniques
September 23, 2009
Greg McKee
Director Systems Business Unit

Labsphere Company Information

A subsidiary of Halma p.l.c.

Part of the Halma Photonics
Group
Ocean Optics
Fiberguide Industries

Founded in 1979
70 employees, 20 with technical
degrees
ISO 9001:2000 certified
80,000 sq. ft. facility in New
Hampshire
Factory and sales office in
Shanghai

Systems Business
Unit
Standard and Custom solutions in
Light Measurement and Light
Sensor Calibration

IESNA LMs for Traditional Lamps

LM-9-09 Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Fluorescent Lamps
LM-66-00 Electrical and Photometric Measurements of Single-Ended Compact Fluorescent
Lamps
LM-45-00 Electrical and Photometric Measurements of General Service Incandescent
Filament Lamps
LM-51-00 Electrical and Photometric Measurements of HID Lamps
LM-54-99 Lamp Seasoning
LM-59-00 Electrical and Photometric Measurement of Low Pressure Sodium Lamps
LM-40-01 Lift Testing of Fluorescent Lamps
LM-47-02 Life Testing of High Intensity Discharge (HID) Lamps
LM-49-01 Life Testing of General Lighting Incandescent Filament Lamps
LM-60-01 Life Testing of Low Pressure Sodium Lamps
LM-65-01 Life Testing of Single-Ended Compact Fluorescent Lamps
LM-58-94 Guide to Spectroradiometric Measurements
LM-78-06 Total Luminous Flux Measurement of Lamps Using an Integrating Sphere
Photometer

IESNA LMs for Traditional

Luminaires
LM-41-98 Approved Method for Photometric Testing of Indoor Fluorescent Luminaires
LM-46-04 Photometric Testing of Indoor Luminaires Using HID or Incandescent Filament
Lamps
LM-10-96 Photometric Testing of Outdoor Fluorescent Luminaires,
LM-31-95 Photometric Testing of Roadway Luminaires Using Incandescent Filament and
HID lamps
LM-35-02 Photometric Testing of Floodlights Using High Intensity Discharge or
Incandescent Filament Lamps
LM-11-97 Photometric Testing of Searchlights
LM-75-01 Goniophotometer Types and Photometric Coordinates
LM-63-02 Standard File Format for the Electronic Transfer of Photometric Data and
Related Information.

Points to Note
LED sources generally cannot be separated from LED
luminaires by users.

The luminous efficacy (lm/W) of the whole luminaire (called

Luminaire efficacy) needs to be measured and evaluated.

Traditional lamp luminaires are commonly measured relative to

measured luminous flux of the bare lamp(s) used in the
luminaire (Relative photometry), which does not work for LED
luminaires.

Luminous efficacy (thus, total luminous flux) of small LED

luminaires can be measured in a similar way as LED lamps.

Problems/Concerns in the Industry

Some very low quality products in the market
(dim, short life, bad color).
Inaccurate performance claims
Insufficient information on product labels
Many questions on color quality (rendering)
Lighting designers still do not trust SSL
products. They say more standards are
needed.
Still high cost (but government incentives to
use SSL products are high.)

DOE Laboratory to Market Support

Y Ohno, NIST

IESNA (Illuminating Engineering Society of

North America)
Testing Procedures Committee
Subcommittee A Indoor Luminaires
Subcommittee B Light Sources
Subcommittee C Outdoor Luminaires
Subcommittee D Solid State Lighting

ENERGY STAR Program

Requirements for SSL Luminaires
Required standards for
Test method and measurement.... IESNA LM-79
Chromaticity specification ANSI C78.377
Test method for lifetime of LEDs.................. IESNA LM-80
Laboratory accreditation for measurement NVLAP EELP-SSL
Terminology . ANSI/IESNA RP-16

IESNA LM-79 Approved Method for Electrical and

Photometric Measurements of SSL Products
Test method used for DOE SSL Energy Star
Covers LED luminaires and integrated LED lamps.
Covers measurements of
Total luminous flux (lumen)
Luminous efficacy (lm/W)
Chromaticity, CCT, CRI (4 integrated)
Luminous intensity distributions
Methods using
Sphere-spectroradiometer
Sphere-photometer
Goniophotometer

Method Using a Sphere Spectrometer

Total spectral radiant flux standard lamp

4 geometry

2 geometry

Method Using a Sphere Photometer

Total luminous flux standard lamp

4 geometry

2 geometry

Method Using a Goniophotometer

9.3.7 Calibration
calibrated against the illuminance or luminous intensity
standards traceable to national standards
shall be validated by measurement of total luminous flux
standard lamps traceable to national standards.

ANSI C78.377 Specifications for the Chromaticity of

SSL products
For indoor
application only

No standards
for outdoor
lighting

IES LM-80-08 Approved Method for Measuring

Lumen Maintenance of LED Light Sources

Covers LED packages, arrays and modules

only (not LED luminaires).

Lifetime of LEDs is strongly dependent on the junction

temperature.

Lifetime of LEDs can be very long

(e.g., 50,000 h) so it is predicted
by extrapolation.
Final purpose is to determine lifetime of SSL products
(required by Energy Star).

Model 0
Model 1
Model 2
Model 3
Model 4
Model 5
Model 6
Model 7
Data

IES LM-80-08 Approved Method for Measuring

Lumen Maintenance of LED Light Sources
Defines Lumen Maintenance Life:
L70 (hours): 70% lumen maintenance
L50 (hours): 50% lumen maintenance

Does not consider failure rate.

Does not cover predictive estimations or extrapolation.
Test Method
Testing (aging) at the LED case temperatures 55C, 85C, and a 3rd
temperature selected by manufacturer, for 0 to 6000 h or longer, at every
1000 h. Ambient temperature within - 5C from the case temperature.
Measured color and any failures shall also be reported.
The ambient temperature during lumen and chromaticity measurements
shall be 25 1C.

Large Gap between LED manufacturers and

Lighting Industry
LED Manufacturer
LEDs measured in
production.
LEDs are measured
with short pulses.
LEDs are binned and
rated at Tj=25C.

Lighting Industry
Pulse vs. DC
LED Performance varies
with temperature

LEDs in luminaires are

hot (Tj= 60 C to over
100C)
Photometric
measurements in steady
DC mode.

Performance of LEDs Performance of SSL Products

An example of the temperature dependence of

luminous flux and CCT of a high-power white LED.

Relative Luminous Flux

CCT (K)

Y Zong, NIST

Goal for Measurement of High-power

LEDs

Y Zong, NIST

IESNA LM-xx Method using a sphere

spectroradiometer
DC mode operation of LED

2 geometry

4 geometry

IESNA LM-xx Method using a sphere spectroradiometer

IESNA LM-xx Method using a sphere photometer

2 geometry

4 geometry

Key Integrating Sphere Photometer

Features
Diffusely reflecting coating

High reflectance coating

Baffle(s) to screen direct view

between sample or light
source and detector
Spherical cavity

Ports to let light in or out

Substitution Method
Spectrometer

Spectrometer

Spectrometer

Spectrometer

t = s

Dt As
k
Ds At

SSL Test Methods

4 Substitution Method

2 Substitution Method

Reference
standard

Reference
standard

SSL
product

Cosineresponse

Cosineresponse
Auxiliary
lamp

Substitution

SSL
product

Baffle
Auxiliary
lamp

Baffle
Spectroradiometer

Spectroradiometer

Source: IESNA LM 79

Trend for Larger Spheres

LM-79
4 geometry
less than 2% of total area
of the sphere (ex. 30cm
in a 2M sphere
2/3 diameter for linear
lamps

2 geometry
1m or larger for compact
lamps
Less than 1/3 of sphere
diameter

2m for 500W or larger

How Practical?

Integrating Hemisphere

Spectraflect
Coating

Integrating Hemisphere
Base-UP lighting

Base-Side lighting

Base-Down lighting

Surface Radiance
i
Ls
M
A
Integrating Sphere (IS)

M=

1 (1 f )

Integrating Hemisphere (IH)

m
M =
+

m (1 2 f )
1

(
1

2
f
)
1

Relative Efficiency Comparison

1.00
0.90
0.80

Reflectance

0.70
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
350

400

450

500

550

600

650

700

750

nm
Integrating Sphere

Integrating Hemisphere

800

850

Application: SSL Down Lighting

Smaller Footprint
Orientation: Test in same orientation
it will be used
More accurate

More sensitive

Can mount sample in center of

hemisphere plane and associated
control/cooling electronics outside of
sphere
Surface radiance ~2X that of same
diameter integrating sphere for
same light source

Lower cost of ownership

Can go much longer without

recoating due to lower need to open
up interior to room contaminants

Application: Street Light

Luminous Flux Sensitivity: Ambient Air

34

Ambient Air Control: Luminous Flux

LM-79 & LM-80
states: 25 +/-1oC
Input and Output vents
Baffles
Heat Exchanger with
temperature feedback
loop

Spectral Flux Sensitivity: Case

Temperature
Spectral Radiant Flux (mW/nm)

Spectral Radiant Flux

Tc (K)

Wavelength (nm)

36

Thermal Electric Control

Characterize photometric, colorimetric, electric and efficiency as a function of
temperature.

Calibration

What is a Forward Spectral Flux

Standard?

Calibrated total forward spectral radiant flux standard light

source.
Provides a projected beam of light for situations where
calibration calls for the standard source to have a geometry
similar to the source being measured
SSL fixtures
Flashlights
Projectors
Minimizes substitution error in an integrating sphere
measurement since the standard and the device under test are
both external to the integrating sphere.

Need for a Forward Spectral Flux

Standard

Solid state lighting flux measurements using an integrating

sphere
IESNA LM-79
IESNA-LM XX
Flashlight flux measurement using an integrating sphere
ANSI/NEMA FL1-2009
Labspheres Integrating Hemisphere Light Measurement
Systems

Requirements of a Forward Flux

Standard
Requirements
Robust
Stable
Repeatable
Reproducible
Continuous
Current
Regulated

Luminous Flux Uncertainty Budget

MI

V
S
S
LT = T LR = T LR 0 R (1 t )
SR
SR
rR J R 0
Description

Symbol

value

units

type

DOF

Sensitivity

contribution

calibrated luminous flux of

working standard wl1

LR0

4.74E+00

1.65E+03

lm

25

1.00E+00

4.92E+00

working standard wl1

current monitor voltage

VR

1.00E-05

2.68E-01

volt

16

4.39E+04

4.39E-01

working standard wl1

current monitor resistor

rR

5.00E-06

1.00E-01

10

1.18E+05

5.88E-01

working standard wl1

current-flux relationship factor

MI

1.44E-01

6.87E+00

NA

inf

6.39E-01

9.20E-02

working standard wl1

aging factor

1.41E-03

9.80E-04

NA

inf

1.71E+03

2.42E+00

detector reading of luminous

flux output from wl1

SR

1.00E-10

7.45E-07

Amp

25

3.75E+08

3.75E-02

detector reading of luminous

flux output from FFS lamp

ST

1.00E-10

1.30E-07

Amp

25

2.22E+09

2.22E-01

Luminous flux repeatability

ST

1.14E-09

1.30E-07

Amp

18

2.22E+09

2.52E+00

combined uncertainty (lm)

expanded relative uncertainty (k=2)

2.70
1.35%

Spatial Distribution

Thank You

Questions / Inquiries?

Greg McKee
Director Systems Business Unit
Labsphere
E-Mail: gmckee@labsphere.com