The course builds on its sister course, Solid State Lighting I (SC490) by providing more depth in many of the same technical areas such as in understanding the illumination characteristics of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and in illumination. While the prior course took a phenomenological approach in developing an understanding of SSL (and assumed that the student has minimal technical background or expertise in the area), this course develops a more quantitatively rigorous approach to understanding SSL in clearly defined technical metrics. The intent of this course is to provide a state-of-the-art review of Solid State Lighting technology from both the perspective of the solid state device engineer and the lighting designer. Additional coverage will be provided in phosphor technology and the operational characteristics of organic LEDs (OLEDs) that was not covered in Solid State Lighting I.

The recent development of high-brightness LEDs based on III-Nitrides and AlInGaP has led to the possibility of revolutionary new approaches for lighting that have become known as Solid State Lighting. Solid State Lighting technology has largely been developed by those in the compound semiconductor community who have little or no understanding of the lighting industry. A similar lack of knowledge also exists about the advances of LEDs for lighting applications in the general lighting community. The scope of this course is to provide a state-of-the-art review of the Solid State Lighting technology from both the perspective of the solid state scientist and those involved in the lighting industry.