POF Data Link Employing a Display-Type Green LED Fabricated from GaN Material

摘要

Data links incorporating a green light source at 520nm are required for use with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plastic optical fiber (POF) systems because they have a lower attenuation coefficient compared with conventional red light sources at 650nm. Recently, green LEDs have been developed based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) materials, and high optical output power GaN green LED lamps are now commercially available for general use in display applications. In this paper, we describe in detail the fundamental characteristics of these GaN green LEDs that are due to be employed in POF data links. We evaluate the temperature coefficients of the optical output power and the center wavelength shift and also demonstrate a green LED POF data link that complies with IEEE 1394 S100 operation. GaN green LEDs seem to be promising candidates as light sources for the next generation of POF data links for automotive applications or for long distance In-house multimedia networks. This is because, as we will show, they can operate both at high temperatures and with reduced temperature sensitivity compared with red LEDs fabricated from AlGaInP materials.