Table 2 Characteristics and Comparison of LED-based Light Sources for Phototherapy Applications

Light intensity

High ( ~ 1,000,000 nits)

Moderate ( ~ 10,000 nits achievable; EQE remains at 40% under 0–15,000 cd m⁻²)

High (> 300,000 nits)

^{43,61,101,106,107}

Emission area

Point light source

Uniform surface-emitting light source

Uniform surface-emitting light source

^25,83,116

FWHM

Narrow (15–20 nm)

Relatively broad (> 30 nm)

Narrow (20–30 nm)

^13,97

Flexibility

None per se (relies on flexible substrate and chip transfer technology)

Soft and flexible

Soft and flexible

^31,60,96

Life span

Long ( > 100,000 h)

Red/Green (Phosphorescent): Long (LT₅₀ > ~100,000 hours); Blue (Fluorescent): Medium (LT₅₀ ~ 10,000 hours); Blue (Phosphorescent): Limited but under improvement

Medium

^{13,95,98,100,106,108,109}

Stability

High, oxygen- and humidity- resistant

Moderate, oxidation- and moisture-sensitive (requires excellent encapsulation)

Limited

^{36,99,104,116,161}

Heat dissipation

Poor (spot high heat flow)

Excellent (uniform low heat flow)

Medium (faceted medium heat flow)

^13,31,97