News: LEDs
22 September 2020
Seoul Semi’s WICOP Bi-color LEDs used in headlamp of latest Audi A4
South Korean LED maker Seoul Semiconductor Co Ltd has supplied WICOP Bi-color (2 colors in one package) LED products for the daytime running lights (DRLs) and front turn signals in the headlamp of the 2020 Audi A4 (B9 facelift).
This is the first example of Seoul Semiconductor’s WICOP (wafer-level integrated chip on PCB) product being mounted on an Audi headlamp. The WICOP Bi-color LED is a core patented technology of Seoul Semiconductor that realizes both white and yellow in one package. It is designed to directly mount the LED chip on the board without an additional package.
“Due to the narrow space between the light-emitting surfaces of the Bi-color LED, it is technically beneficial to light up one cavity with yellow for turn and white for DRL,” says Dr Michael Hamm, head of development headlamps at Audi. “This advantage opens up the possibility of slimmer headlamp designs.”
In the meantime, Seoul Semiconductor has already developed the more compact WICOP Gen2 mini Bi-color emitter, including the advantages of the existing WICOP in combination with an even slimmer footprint.
“The [WICOP Gen2] family has been developed as a light source suitable for automobile main functions, daytime running lights and turn indicators,” says In Heum Park, VP of Seoul Semiconductor’s automotive division. “Actually, we are developing WICOP UHL (Ultra High Luminance), with excellent high-luminance and heat-dissipation performance for the next generation of slim headlamps,” he adds. “Accordingly, European headlamp customer inquiries for our innovative products have increased and we have been engaged with customers in more than 20 headlamp projects for next-generation cars.”
WICOP technology is widely applied not only to vehicle lighting but also to high-brightness TVs and LCD backlights for mobile phones, flash for smartphone cameras, and high-power general lighting, as it has high thermal conductivity and is easy to configure light, thin and compact lenses, says Seoul Semiconductor.
