PACE Award 2015 goes to Osram Opto Semiconductors

Jury honors Osram Oslon Black Flat family of automotive multichip LEDs

Osram Opto Semiconductors has been selected as a winner of the PACE Awards organized by the trade journal “Automotive News”, one of the leading prizes for innovations in the automotive sector. The award is being given in recognition of the Oslon Black Flat product family. These multichip LEDs for front headlamps can generate more light from a small package than any other comparable product, giving automotive and headlamp manufacturers greater design flexibility.

This marks the third time that Osram Opto Semiconductors has won the coveted award, once again in the category “product” for innovation in new products, components or systems that have significant market impact and act as “game changers” in the automotive industry. Osram's Color-on-Demand conversion LED won in 2006, followed by the Osram Ostar Headlamp family in 2011. “This award shows yet again that Osram LEDs stand for quality and innovation. They enable us to generate entirely new headlamp solutions in collaboration with our partners in the headlamp and automotive industries,” says Peter Knittl, Director Automotive LED at Osram Opto Semiconductors, “Since its first white interior LED applications in 2002, Osram Opto Semiconductors has been the most recognized opto-semiconductor company in the history of the PACE awards.” Mike Godwin, North American Director LED Products, accepted the award on behalf of the company at the PACE Awards Ceremony in Detroit on April 20, 2015.

Technology know-how pooled in a single LED family

Osram Oslon Black Flat LEDs are based on UX:3 chip technology, which generates very high luminous flux even at high currents. This brightness is emitted from a comparatively smaller package, which in turn makes very compact headlamp designs possible. Thanks to surface mount technology (SMT), all members of this product family can be easily mounted on a printed circuit board and then processed further as part of standard soldering procedures. This soldering capability enables the LED to be integrated in a simple, standardized process and reduces the complexity of the processing steps, which saves considerable time and costs, especially compared to previous multichip LEDs. The black QFN package (Quad Flat No Lead) expands in a similar way to the circuit board during cyclic temperature loads, meaning that the soldered joints are exposed to much less strain and significantly stronger.

Annual award for automotive innovations

The US journal “Automotive News” for over 20 years has been giving PACE Awards in recognition of superior innovations, technological advancements and outstanding achievements in the automotive sector. The annual award ceremony is held in April in Detroit, USA. Comprised of experts from the fields of industry, science and economics, the jury evaluates innovations based on criteria like originality and market acceptance.

A list of all 2015 winners and more information on the PACE Awards can be found on the website.