NLR and NDF Special Light Products have developed a new, innovative backlight technology for LCD screens. A backlight unit is a light source that is located behind the LCD screen. These screens can be adapted in cockpit display systems and they offer benefits of lower energy consumption and extreme sustainability.
These new LCD backlight units use colour conversion by Remote Phosphor. NDF Special Light Products, a company based in Roosendaal, will introduce this new technology on the international market. Owing to the support of Agentschap NL, NDF was able to involve NLR in the development of the new LCD backlight units.
The currently used LCD screens are illuminated by Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL). This technology has the disadvantage of requiring the use of toxic mercury. With this new technology however, this can be circumvented. The basic blue light is generated from the LED light source, from which a phosphor plate is emitted, ensuring that the blue light is converted into an extremely stable and high quality white light.
During the development of this new technology, NLR was responsible for the integration of the LEDs and the control thereof. NLR also developed the electrical and mechanical design and conducted the environmental testing. In short: an existing avionics backlight unit based on CCFL was converted into an LED colour conversion-based backlight unit.
