Highly improved reliability of amber light emitting diode with Ca –α–SiAlON phosphor in glass formed by gas pressure sintering for automotive applications

Phosphor in glass (PiG) with 40 wt% of $\mathrm{Ca}–\alpha –\mathrm{SiAlON}$ phosphor and 60 wt% of Pb-free silicate glass was synthesized and mounted on a high-power blue LED to make an amber LED for automotive applications. Gas pressure sintering was applied after the conventional sintering process was used to achieve fully dense PiG plates. Changes in photoluminescence spectra and color coordination were inspected by varying the thickness of the plates that were mounted after optical polishing and machining. A trade-off between luminous flux and color purity was observed. The commercial feasibility of amber PiG packaged LED, which can satisfy international regulations for automotive components, was successfully demonstrated by examining the practical reliability under 85% humidity at an 85°C condition.