Failures of LEDs in Real-World Applications: A Review

With this paper, we review several different failure mechanisms of commercial light emitting diodes operating in real-life applications. We consider both high power and mid power devices, which represent the biggest share of the market. Real-life applications are particularly interesting since they reveal potential reliability issues and weaknesses of the optoelectronic devices, which are not detected/studied during conventional laboratory testing, due to their extrinsic origin. The analyzed failures mechanisms are mainly due to: 1) electrical overstress (surge and hot plugging); 2) assembly issues; 3) mishandling; and 4) chemical contamination. The results presented within this paper provide relevant data for the improvement of the reliability and robustness of current solid-state lighting systems.