DURHAM, N.C., April 21, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the only LED manufacturer to offer lighting-class LEDs in the entire ANSI color space, Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq:CREE) announces expanded binning for the XLamp(r) XP LED family. Cree is sub-binning its entire warm/neutral white color space into the industry's smallest offerings while also standardizing two cool white bins.
Cree's XLamp XP-E and XP-C LEDs, in the industry's smallest warm-white bins, are now available to order with standard lead times. Cree has also standardized two cool white bins for the XLamp XP LED family covering the ANSI-defined 5700K to 6500K color space, primarily used for outdoor lighting.
"By offering smaller bins -- that are more in line with traditional lighting expectations -- we can better serve our customers' lighting-class LED needs," said Paul Thieken, Cree marketing director, LED components. "These new XLamp XP LED bins are 75 percent smaller than before, allowing customers better control, color and consistency."
"Noticeable color differences among similar white-light sources could reduce the visual aesthetics of the lighted environment," said Dr. Nadarajah Narendran, director of research at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Lighting Research Center. "Our previous research, sponsored by ASSIST, has shown that smaller bins offer improved color consistency among LED lighting fixtures."
The ANSI C78.377-2008 standard outlines eight quadrangles on the blackbody locus, covering the cool-to-warm-white color space. The U.S. Department of Energy cites this ANSI standard in its ENERGY STAR(r) Solid State Lighting 1.1 criteria.
Cree adopted the proposed ANSI-color space for warm and neutral white in 2007, nearly a year before the C78.377standard was formally published. Upon publication, Cree began offering 4 sub-bins within each ANSI quadrangle. With today's announcement, each warm/neutral ANSI quadrangle is sub-divided into 16 discrete bins -- each 75 percent smaller than previously offered and 94 percent smaller than the ANSI C78.377-standard.
About Cree
Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor solutions for wireless and power applications.
Cree's product families include recessed LED down lights, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radio-frequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.
For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk we may encounter delays or other difficulties in ramping up production of our new products; the risk we may be unable to manufacture products with sufficiently low cost to offer them at competitive prices or acceptable margins; customer acceptance of LED products; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree's products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 29, 2008, and subsequent filings.
Cree and XLamp are registered trademarks of Cree, Inc.
ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.