Chips Are Important for LED Grow Lights

LED grow lights are widely used in vertical farms, greenhouses, and other horticulture applications to help plants grow better. When selecting LED grow lights, growers may pay attention to specifications such as wattage, PPF, weight, certification, etc.

But few of them notice the chip of LED grow lights. Similarly, LED grow light manufacturers seldom indicate the chips of their horticulture lighting products. In fact, the chip is one of the most important components of LED grow lights. It plays a critical role in the light spectrum and photon flux, which is vital for plant growth. Premium quality LED chips can provide optimal lighting for plants. With that, growers can achieve better quality and higher yields.  

What is an LED chip

In simple words, an LED chip in an LED grow light is responsible for producing light. It is made of semiconductor layers that enable the free flow of protons and electrons. Then, the LED chips can convert electricity into light. Without premium-quality LED chips, an LED grow light cannot emit sufficient light even if other components are of high quality.

For LED horticulture lights, LED chips are divided into two groups: full-spectrum LED chips and narrow-band LED chips. Full spectrum LED chips are designed to mimic sunlight, providing blue and red light as well as other wavelengths to improve plant growth through the whole cultivation cycle. Narrow-band LED chips provide monochromatic light output, such as far-red light and green light, to meet the specific needs of plants.

Why chips are important for LED grow lights

As mentioned earlier, LED chips convert electricity to light. Furthermore, the light quality is directly determined by LED chips. High-quality LED chips are able to emit the right light wavelength. Besides, since LEDs produce less heat, they are more efficient than other light sources, helping growers save energy and reduce costs. In short, LED chips are important for LED grow lights because they can convert electricity to light, emit the correct light wavelength, and save energy and reduce cost.

Converting electricity to light

LED chips allow the flow of protons and electrons, converting electricity to light. Without LED chips, grow lights cannot emit light at all. Unlike other traditional grow lights, LED grow lights produce less heat. As a result, more electricity is converted to light rather than generating heat.

However, heat generation is inevitable when LEDs emit light. Overheating will accelerate light depreciation. That is why LED chips are important. High-quality LED chips are mounted on substrates or a heat sink to dissipate the heat. Since the heat is transferred, LED chips are capable of converting electricity with higher efficiency.

Emit the correct light wavelength

The major reason for growers to use LED grow lights is their ability to tailor the optimal spectrum for plant growth. Therefore, emitting the correct light wavelength is the key to lighting effectiveness. LED chips are important because they are detrimental to the light quality of grow lights. High-quality LED chips are composed of durable electronics. So they can produce the correct light wavelength that plants actually need.

Moreover, the light quality, including spectrum and intensity, will not change or decline after weeks or months of use. As is known, the light quality of artificial grow lights will decrease with long-term use. But well-designed LED grow lights with high-quality LED chips can keep about 70% of the initial output even for 5 years or more.

Save energy and reduce cost

Since LED chips determine the light quality of LED grow lights, it is important for energy costs. Using LED grow lights with an unsuitable spectrum to grow light is a waste of money. It also results in an undesirable high production cost. Another reason LED chips affect energy costs is photon efficiency. High-quality LED chips have advanced photon efficiency and minimized light loss. With the same electricity consumption, high-quality LED chips can convert more light compared to cheap LED chips. In other words, premium LED chips are capable of delivering more light for plants. Due to the higher efficiency, high-quality LED chips reduce energy consumption and help growers cut electricity bills.

Here at Atop lighting, we pride ourselves on providing premium LED grow lights for growers. We do utilize high-quality LED chips like Samsung full-spectrum LED chips and Osram 660nm red light LED chips to offer the correct light wavelength and effective light intensity. These high-quality LED chips contribute to better plant growth and lower operating costs. Any problem about horticulture lighting, please feel free to contact us.