Phosphor Thermometry in White Light-Emitting Diodes

A method for the in situ measurement of phosphor temperature in high-power white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) was demonstrated. The method is based on the dependence of the fluorescence decay time in inorganic phosphors on temperature. The decay time was estimated using the frequency-domain technique, which relies on the measurement of the phase shift of the sinusoidal waveform of fluorescence relative to that of the photoexcitation, obtained by driving the LED at high-frequency current. LEDs containing a single phosphor ("cool-white") and a phosphor blend ("warm-white") were examined. By comparison of the phosphor temperature with that of the LED junction and metal mount, the character of the spatial profile of temperature within the LED packages was revealed