> I've heard speculation that one day light bulbs will 
> actually be
> multi-watt solid-state rgb lasers, precisely because the 
> maximum
> theoretical efficiency can be so much higher than LEDs.

> Solving the problem of creating a tamperproof enclosure 
> guaranteed to
> diffuse said multi-watt lasers into usable eye-safe light 
> is left as an
> exercise to the reader.

Maximum possible output for white (100% light out) is about 
350 lumens per Watt - about 7 times better than good LED 
industry practice now, 3+ times better than what you can buy 
at a price and 3- times better than the best lab results. 
I'd hazard that 2 years from now 50% efficiency is going to 
be available off the shelf and 3 to 4 years on it will be 
the norm. At that stage a LASER at 100% will only be twice 
as good as an average LED - ie unless the LASER has other 
advantages it will not be likely to be worthwhile.

It's a nice thought that the best power LEDs now need about 
30%+ less heat sinking for a given sink temperature than a 
resistor at the same power input. Gives "cool white" a whole 
new meaning.



        Russell

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