A Systematic Approach to Address the Reliability of Solid State Lighting Drivers

Abstract

Solid State Lighting (SSL) technology is a new technology based on light emitting diodes as light sources. This technology due to its several outstanding characteristics such as lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, and higher design flexibility with respect to the conventional lighting technology has become very attractive to both manufacturers and consumers. It is applied in variety of applications such as in-door, out-door, automotive, and agriculture lighting. Like any other new and fast evolving technology, SSL technology reliability requires special attention, and its long lifetime brings extra challenges to this study. This research focuses on reliability of SSL devices electrical driver (SSL driver). In this thesis, a systematic approach to address the reliability of SSL drivers is introduced. There are many design variations for SSL drivers due to the application field criteria. It means SSL driver as one term refers to a wide range of devices. The systematic approach tries to provide guidelines suitable to be applied to different types of SSL drivers. In order to predict the SSL driver's thermal / electrical behavior and consequently to define its lifetime, a multi-physics reliability assessment methodology is introduced.