Near-infrared power LED for emerging security and defence applications

High-power near-Infrared LED (IRED) are gaining more and more interest in a large variety of commercial, industrial and military applications. IRED are based on InAlGaAs semiconductor structures which cover a spectral range of 780 nm to 1100 nm. This wavelength range is supposed to be not visible to the human eye. But, depending on the radiant intensity and wavelength, a reddish glow is still evident. Therefore, in covert applications longer wavelength of 940 nm or even higher are preferred due to the much lower sensitivity of the human eye compared to 850 nm. On the other hand at around 850 nm the spectral sensitivity of CMOS or CCD cameras or other silicon based photo detectors is at its maximum. We present the latest developments in high power IRED in the quest for more than 1 W from a single 1mm2 die.