Feature
Changing the Lights: Are LEDs Ready to Become the Market Standard?
Solid-state lighting promises higher efficiency than fluorescent or incandescent bulbs—and without their many limitations. Yet the bright new technology faces important challenges before it can truly replace Thomas Edison’s venerable invention.
Thinkstock
A dozen years into the 21st century, most artificial light in modern homes comes from a 19th century technology—the incandescent lamp. Considered for generations as the symbol of a bright idea, incandescent bulbs occupied about 80 percent of screw-in light fixtures in the United States in 2009.
…Log in or become a member to view the full text of this article.
This article may be available for purchase via the search at Optica Publishing Group.
Optica Members get the full text of Optics & Photonics News, plus a variety of other member benefits.