Features

• Nominal Wavelengths Ranging from 265 nm to 4300 nm
• White, Dual-Peak, and Broadband LEDs Also Available
• Minimum Outputs Ranging from 1.1 mW to 2000 mW
• LED Mounted on Metal-Core Printed Circuit Board for Excellent Heat Management
• Long Lifetimes (See Tables Below for Details)

Thorlabs' LEDs on Metal-Core Printed Circuit Boards (MCPCBs) are designed to provide high-power output in a compact package. Each LED package consists of a single LED that has been soldered to an MCPCB. These LEDs are ideal for OEM or custom applications; they should not be used for household illumination.

Thorlabs uses high-thermal-conductivity MCPCB materials. The MCPCB is designed to provide good thermal management. However, the LED must still be mounted onto an appropriate heat sink using thermal paste to ensure proper operation and to maximize operating lifetime. Mounting holes are provided on the MCPCB surface for attaching the LED to a heat sink; the Ø2 mm through holes are compatible with #1 (M2) screws (not included).

The spectrum of each LED and complete specifications can be viewed by clicking on the info icon () for each LED below for details. Multiple windows can be opened simultaneously in order to compare LEDs.

Thorlabs also offers mounted LEDs with an integrated heat sink, as well as collimated mounted LEDs, which are compatible with microscopes from major manufacturers. For fiber applications, we also offer fiber-coupled LEDs. For questions on choosing an appropriate LED and to discuss mounting requirements, please contact Tech Support.

Optimized Thermal Management
These LEDs possess good thermal stability properties; hence, degradation of the optical output power due to increased LED temperature is not an issue when the LED is properly mounted to a heat sink using thermal paste, thermal epoxy, or thermally conductive double-sided tape.

White Light, Dual-Peak, and Broadband LEDs
Our warm, neutral, and cold white LEDs feature broad spectra that span several hundred nanometers. The difference in appearance amongst these three LEDs can be described using the correlated color temperature, which indicates that the LEDs color appearance is similar to a black body radiator at that temperature. In general, warm white LEDs offer a spectrum similar to a tungsten source, while cold white LEDs have a stronger blue component to the spectrum; neutral white LEDs provide a more even illumination spectrum over the visible range than warm white or cold white LEDs. Cold white LEDs are more suited for fluorescence microscopy applications or cameras with white balancing, because of a higher intensity at most wavelengths compared to warm white LEDs. Neutral white LEDs are ideal for horticultural applications.

For horticultural applications requiring illumination in both red and blue portions of the spectrum, Thorlabs offers the MPRP1D2. This purple LED features dual peaks at 455 nm and 640 nm, respectively, to stimulate photosynthesis (see graph to compare the absorption peaks of photosynthesis pigments with the LED spectrum). The LED was designed to maintain the red/blue ratio of the emission spectrum over its lifetime to provide high uniformity of plant growth.

The MBB1D1 broadband LED has a relatively flat spectral emission over a wide wavelength range. Its FWHM bandwidth ranges from 500 nm to 780 nm, while its 10 dB bandwidth ranges between 470 nm and 940 nm. The MBB2D1 broadband LED features a spectrum with peaks at approximately 770 nm, 860 nm, and 940 nm.

Soldering
These LEDs have been soldered to a metal core with low thermal resistance. While this feature allows for good thermal management, it can also prevent the metal pads from reaching the appropriate temperature for soldering when the package is connected to a heat sink. To properly solder wires to the pads, first make sure that the metal core is not in contact with a heat sink or a metal surface. We recommend using a small vise or similar device to hold the MCPCB during the soldering process and wires with a minimum gauge of 24 AWG (0.25 mm²).

To solder wires to the MCPCB, first hold the copper bit of the soldering iron on one of the pads for approximately 30 seconds using a soldering temperature of about 350 °C. The soldering iron will heat the entire metal-core PCB, so do not touch the LED package until it has cooled down after the soldering process. Test the temperature by touching tin solder to the pad: the solder will melt and flow evenly over the entire pad at the correct temperature. Coat the other pads with tin solder. Now, solder the wires to the pads. Use tweezers or pliers to remove the MCPCB from the vise and place it on a heat sink or metal surface. The metal-core PCB will cool down in several seconds and is now ready for your application.

For convenient connection of the LEDs to the drivers listed on the LED Drivers tab, please order the optional CAB-LEDD1 LED connection cable below.

Driver Options and Pin Assignments
Thorlabs offers four drivers: LEDD1B, DC2200, DC4100, and DC4104 (the latter two require the DC4100-HUB). See the LED Drivers tab for compatibility information and a list of specifications. The LEDD1B is capable of providing LED modulation frequencies up to 5 kHz, while DC4100 and DC4104 can modulate the LED at a rate up to 100 kHz. The DC2200 can provide modulation at up to 250 kHz if driven by an external source. Please note that MCPCB LEDs are not compatible with the EEPROM feature of the DC2200, DC4100, and DC4104, which automatically adjusts for the current limits of our mounted LEDs. Therefore, care must be taken not to exceed the current limits of the LEDs offered on this page.

To connect the PCB to a controller, please note that the soldering pad labeled "+" is the Anode (+V), and the pad labeled "-" is the Cathode. Although it is not required to make any connections in order to operate the LED, the EEPROM IO and EEPROM GND connections can be used when any LED listed in the tables below is operated with a Thorlabs LED driver. The soldering pads on different items may be in different locations, but the labels are the same. 

Relative Power

The actual spectral output and total output power of any given LED will vary due to variations in the manufacturing process and operating parameters, such as temperature and current. Both a typical and minimum output power are specified to help you select an LED that suits your needs. Each metal-core PCB LED will provide at least the minimum specified output power at the maximum current. In order to provide a point of comparison for the relative powers of LEDs with different nominal wavelengths, the spectra in the plots below have been scaled to the minimum output power for each LED. This data is representative, not absolute. Excel files with normalized and scaled spectra for each set of the mounted LEDs can be downloaded by clicking below the graphs.

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The spectrum shown for M4300D1 is ideal. Please see the Spec Sheet for more information.

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LED Lifetime and Long-Term Power Stability

One characteristic of LEDs is that they naturally exhibit power degradation with time. Often this power degradation is slow, but there are also instances where large, rapid drops in power, or even complete LED failure, occur. LED lifetimes are defined as the time it takes a specified percentage of a type of LED to fall below some power level. The parameters for the lifetime measurement can be written using the notation B_XX/L_YY, where XX is the percentage of that type of LED that will provide less than YY percent of the specified output power after the lifetime has elapsed. Thorlabs defines the lifetime of our LEDs as B₅₀/L₅₀, meaning that 50% of the LEDs with a given Item # will fall below 50% of the initial optical power at the end of the specified lifetime. For example, if a batch of 100 LEDs is rated for 150 mW of output power, 50 of these LEDs can be expected to produce an output power of ≤75 mW after the specified LED lifetime has elapsed.

Optimizing Thermal Management

In order to achieve stable optical output power and maximize lifetime from your LED, the MCPCB must be properly mounted to a heat sink using thermally conductive paste in order to minimize the degradation of optical output power caused by increased LED junction temperature (see the graph to the right).

Compatible Drivers	UPLEDa	LEDD1B	DC2200a	DC4100a,b,c	DC4104a,b,c
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LED Driver Current Output (Max)	1.2 A	1.2 A	LED1 Terminal: 10.0 A LED2 Terminal: 2.0 Ad	1.0 A per Channel	1.0 A per Channel
LED Driver Forward Voltage (Max)	8 V	12 V	50 V	5 V	5 V
Modulation Frequency Using External Input (Max)	-	5 kHz	250 kHze,f	100 kHzf (Simultaneous Across all Channels)	100 kHzf (Independently Controlled Channels)
External Control Interface(s)	USB 2.0	Analog (BNC)	USB 2.0 and Analog (BNC)	USB 2.0 and Analog (BNC)	USB 2.0 and Analog (8-Pin)
Main Driver Features	USB-Controlled	Very Compact Footprint 60 mm x 73 mm x 104 mm (W x H x D)	Touchscreen Interface with Internal and External Options for Pulsed and Modulated LED Operation	4 Channelsc	4 Channelsc
EEPROM Compatible: Reads Out LED Data for LED Settings		-
LCD Display	-	-

• Automatically Adjusts the Driver's Current Limit via EEPROM Readout from LED
• The DC4100 and DC4104 can power and control up to four LEDs simultaneously when used with the DC4100-HUB. The LEDs on this page all require the DC4100-HUB and the CAB-LEDD1 cable when used with the DC4100 or DC4104 drivers.
• These LED drivers have a maximum forward voltage rating of 5 V and can provide a maximum current of 1000 mA. As a result, they cannot be used to drive LEDs which have forward voltage ratings greater than 5 V. LEDs with maximum current ratings higher than 1.0 A can be driven using this driver, but will not reach full power.
• The MCPCB LEDs sold below are compatible with the LED2 Terminal via the CAB-LEDD1 (available separately below).
• Small Signal Bandwidth: Modulation not exceeding 20% of full scale current. The driver accepts other waveforms, but the maximum frequency will be reduced.
• Several of these LEDs produce light by stimulating emission from phosphor, which limits their modulation frequencies. The M565D2, M595D3, and all purple or white LEDs may not turn off completely when modulated above 10 kHz at duty cycles below 50%. The MBB1D1 LED may not turn off completely when modulated at frequencies above 1 kHz with a duty cycle of 50%. When the MBB1D1 is modulated at frequencies above 1 kHz, the duty cycle may be reduced; for example, 10 kHz modulation is attainable with a duty cycle of 5%.

Item #	Information File	Available Ray Files	File Size	Click to Download
M385D1	M385_Info.pdf	1 Million Rays and 5 Million Rays	147 MB
M850D2a	SFH4715S_100413_info.pdf	100,000 Rays, 500,000 Rays, and 5 Million Rays	139 MB
M940D2a	SFH_4725S_110413_info.pdf	100,000 Rays, 500,000 Rays, and 5 Million Rays	140 MB

• A radiometric color spectrum, bare LED CAD file, and sample Zemax file are also available for these LEDs.

Ray data for Zemax is available for some of the bare LEDs incorporated into these high-powered light sources. This data is provided in a zipped folder that can be downloaded by clicking on the red document icons () next to the part numbers in the pricing tables below. Every zipped folder contains an information file and one or more ray files for use with Zemax:

• Information File: This document contains a summary of the types of data files included in the zipped folder and some basic information about their use. It includes a table listing each document type and the corresponding filenames.
• Ray Files: These are binary files containing ray data for use with Zemax.

For the LEDs marked with an superscript "a" in the table to the right, the following additional pieces of information are also included in the zipped folder:

• Radiometric Color Spectrum: This .spc file is also intended for use with Zemax.
• CAD Files: A file indicating the geometry of the bare LED. For the dimensions of the high-power mounted LEDs that include the package, please see the support drawings provided by Thorlabs.
• Sample Zemax File: A sample file containing the recommended settings and placement of the ray files and bare LED CAD model when used with Zemax.

The table to the right summarizes the ray files available for each LED and any other supporting documentation provided.