Cree Redefines High-Voltage LEDs

Cree, Inc. (Nasdaq: CREE), a market leader in LED lighting, announces the commercial availability of high-voltage XLamp^® XT-E and XM-L LEDs. These new LEDs can enable the use of more efficient, smaller drivers to lower cost for compact lighting applications such as candelabras and retrofit lamps.

"The XLamp XM-L High-Voltage LED eliminates the trade-off between size and efficacy, allowing us to take advantage of the efficacy of high-voltage drivers,” said Ken Chakravarti, chief technology officer, Ledzworld. "This translates to more efficient, better and more cost-effective small LED lamps and luminaires such as the B10 replacement lamp for our customers.”

Small-form-factor lighting, like candelabras, historically presented a host of challenges for LED technology. Prior LEDs were unable to deliver the required system-level performance in the form factor consumers demand.

"Maximizing the LED voltage, as Cree has done in the new high-voltage XM-L and XT-E LEDs, is a very effective way to minimize current through the LED driver output rectifier,” said Peter Vaughan, director of applications engineering, Power Integrations, Inc. "This can reduce losses and heat dissipation in the driver and increase the overall system luminous efficacy by several percentage points.”

"Never before have lighting OEMs been able to leverage the benefits of high-voltage LEDs with this level of performance,” said Paul Thieken, Cree director of marketing, LED components. "We continue to develop the right LEDs for the right applications—to accelerate the adoption of energy-efficient LED lighting.”

The XLamp XM-L LED delivers up to 600 lm in Cool White (6000K) and up to 462 lm in Warm White (3000K) at 6W, 85°C. The XLamp XT-E LED delivers up to 300 lm in Cool White (6000K) and up to 228 lm in Warm White (3000K) at 6W, 85°C. Both LEDs have a typical voltage of 46V at binning conditions.

XLamp XT-E and XM-L LEDs are available now in production quantities with standard lead times. For more information about Cree high-voltage LEDs, please visit www.creehighvoltage.com. To locate a distributor, please visit www.cree.com/buyxlamp.

About Cree

Cree is leading the LED lighting revolution and making energy-wasting traditional lighting technologies obsolete through the use of energy-efficient, mercury-free LED lighting. Cree is a market-leading innovator of lighting-class LEDs, LED lighting, and semiconductor products for power and radio frequency (RF) applications.

Cree’s product families include LED fixtures and bulbs, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and RF devices. Cree products are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, backlighting, electronic signs and signals, power suppliers and solar inverters.

For additional product and company information, please refer to www.cree.com. To learn more about the LED Lighting Revolution, please visit www.creeledrevolution.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Actual results may differ materially due to a number of factors, including the risk that we may be unable to manufacture these new products with sufficiently low cost to offer them at competitive prices or with acceptable margins; the risk we may encounter delays or other difficulties in ramping up production of our new products; customer acceptance of the new products; the risk that actual savings may vary from expectations; the rapid development of new technology and competing products that may impair demand or render Cree’s products obsolete; and other factors discussed in Cree’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2011, and subsequent filings.

Cree and XLamp are registered trademarks of Cree, Inc.