Date: 13/07/2012

0.9mm high Infrared MIDLED produces 60 milliwatts per steradian IR waves

The new tiny infrared LED from Osram Opto Semiconductors is 0.9 mm high and produces IR radiation intensity of 60 milliwatts per steradian (mW/sr) at 100 milliamperes (mA). This LED comes in a package called MID (Molded Interconnected Device) and so is called MIDLED. This low-profile surface-mountable IR emitter is suggested for proximity sensors in devices where space is limited and for light barriers.

The advantage of the new Mini Midled according to Osram is its half-angle of 17°, producing a narrow light beam and a radiant intensity of 60 mW/sr at 100 mA. This is achieved by focusing the light with a metalized reflector integrated in the device.

The Mini Midled is the second SMT device from Osram Opto Semiconductors in MID (Molded Interconnected Device) technology, following the 1.6 mm high Midled. Thanks to new package technologies, Osram has managed to reduce the total height of the new infrared emitter to less than one millimeter but the new device can still be processed in the usual way.

This LED finds use in typical applications such as light barriers, smart phones and optical touch screens.

Bianka Schnabel, Marketing Manager at Osram Opto Semiconductors, has high expectations for the new mini emitter. “The low-profile Mini Midled is particularly suitable as an emitter for proximity sensors in smart phones and similar devices because it takes up very little space and yet delivers high power. Thanks to its sophisticated design, it also considerably reduces optical crosstalk so no optical shielding is required, which makes life easier for designers.“

Osram explains: Proximity sensors are a combination of an emitter and a detector. The emitter illuminates an approaching object, and the light reflected from the object is received by the detector. For proximity sensors to operate properly it is crucial that no light from the emitter should reach the detector directly (crosstalk). This is precisely what often happens with devices that are not equipped with a metalized reflector. But with the Mini Midled there is no need for shielding and the overall design is much simpler.

The non-metalized surfaces are dark colored so the Mini Midled can be mounted inconspicuously behind a smart phone cover.