Reliability and lifetime of

LEDs
Application Note

Published by ams-OSRAM AG
Tobelbader Strasse 30,
8141 Premstaetten Austria
Phone +43 3136 500-0
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Reliability and lifetime of LEDs

Application Note No. AN006

Valid for:
Infrared Emitters / visible LEDs

Abstract
This application note provides a fundamental insight into the topics of “reliability” and “lifetime”. The terms
lifetime and reliability are explained in further detail with respect to light emitting diodes (LEDs) and how
these terms are understood by ams-OSRAM AG. In addition, important factors which influence the lifetime
and reliability of LEDs are described. The appendix provides descriptions of the mathematical foundations
that are needed in practice.

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Table of contents
1 Introduction............................................................................................................ 3
2 The concept of reliability at ams-OSRAM AG ..................................................... 4
3 Reliability of LEDs ................................................................................................. 4
3.1 Extrinsic reliability period ................................................................................... 5
3.2 Intrinsic reliability period .................................................................................... 6
4 Validation and confirmation of reliability and lifetime ..................................... 12
5 On-site support regarding reliability and lifetime............................................. 14
6 Appendix .............................................................................................................. 14
6.1 Fundamentals — definition of terms................................................................ 14
6.2 Failure rate ...................................................................................................... 15
6.3 Distributions for reliability analysis................................................................... 17

1 Introduction
With the increasing complexity of technical equipment, modules or even individual components,
the aspects of reliability and lifetime and thus the costs involved with exchange and revision
become increasingly more important for the customer. Here, one must consider an optimization
between requirements, functions and costs over the lifetime of the product.

The single requirement that the device will not fail is no longer sufficient for modern, powerful
components or devices. More often, it is additionally expected that they perform their required
functions without failure. However, it is only possible to make a prognosis (probability) supported
by statistics and experiments as to what extent such requirements can be fulfilled. A direct
answer or statement as to whether an individual device or component will operate without failure
for a certain period of time cannot be given.

Nowadays, modern methods of quality management and reliability modeling are used in order to
investigate and verify these types of questions.

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2 The concept of reliability at ams-OSRAM AG

Zero Tolerance to Defects (ZTTD) is a rigid part of the corporate culture at ams-OSRAM AG.
Only in this way is it possible for our customers to also aim for zero defects in their production
and applications.

ams-OSRAM AG associates the term reliability with the fulfillment of customer expectations over
the expected lifetime. In other words, the LED does not fail during its lifetime under the given
environmental and functional conditions. The reliability of the products is thus based on the chain
of the materials, the manufacturing process and the function of the component (Figure 1). In
addition, the final application must also be taken into consideration.

High reliability can only be achieved if the changing effects and interdependencies of the
individual components are already taken into account during the development phase.

Neglecting this entirely or only focusing on one or two elements leads to a reduction in the quality
of the product and thus, to a decrease in reliability.

Figure 1: Basis of reliability of LEDs

Material

Function

Process

3 Reliability of LEDs
The reliability of a semiconductor element is the property that states how reliable a function
assigned to the product is fulfilled within a period of time. It is subject to a stochastic process and
is described by the probability of survival R(t).

A fault or failure is indicated if the component can no longer fulfill the functionality assigned to it.

Failures and failure rates are subdivided into three phases:

1. Early failures

2. Random or spontaneous failures

3. Wear-out period

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Since the failure rate is especially high at the beginning and end of the product cycle, the failure
rate over time takes the form of a “bathtub” curve (Figure 2). Thereby each single failure
mechanism exhibits its own chronological progression and shows therefore an individual bath-
tub curve.

For each of these phases, many different types of definitions, analysis methods and
mathematical formulas for reliability can be found in the literature. The most important definitions
and methods which apply to LEDs are described in this section and in the appendix.

Figure 2: Failure rate over time (“bathtube curve”)

Failure rate

1: Early failure period

2: Spontanous failure period
3: Wear-out period

1. 2. 3.

Time

For the sake of simplicity, the first two phases are combined into a so-called “extrinsic reliability
period”. The third phase, the wear-out period, is correspondingly designated as the “intrinsic
reliability period”.

3.1 Extrinsic reliability period

Extrinsic failures (early and spontaneous failures) are generated by defective materials,
deviations in the manufacturing process. More than 99 % of these extrinsic failures can be
observed during installation of the parts in the application (e.g. by soldering) or in the first hours
of operation. In contrast, between the early failure period and the wearout period, the
spontaneous failure rate for LEDs is extremely low.

In reliability mathematics, this failure period is described by an exponential distribution. An

exponential distribution is based on a constant failure rate over time. The average failure rate is
given in FIT (Failure unITs).

As a rule, an experimental determination of the middle failure rate is extremely difficult. For this
reason, ams-OSRAM AG uses the SN 29500 standard from Siemens AG, which incorporates
the experience of failures in the field into the typical failure rates for LEDs (Figure 3). In the
process, no distinction is made in regard to the cause of the individual failures.

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Figure 3: LED failure rate in the extrinsic period according to Siemens Standard SN29500

12
Random failure rate λ [FIT]

SN 29500-12 (2008)
10 for large power packages

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
Time [h]

3.2 Intrinsic reliability period

The intrinsic reliability period describes the so-called wear-out period of the component at the
end of the product cycle. It is based on increased wear and aging of the material. This continuous
change over time is generally measurable and is referred to as degradation. For LEDs, the most
significant degradation parameters are the changes in brightness or color coordinates. Other
parameters play a subordinate role.

During operation, LEDs experience a gradual decrease in luminous flux, measured in Lumens.
As a rule, this is accelerated by the operating current and temperature of the LED and also
appears when the LED is driven within specifications (Figure 4).

The term “Lumen maintenance” (L) is used in connection with the degradation of light in LEDs.
This describes the remaining luminous flux over time, with respect to the original luminous flux
of the LED.

Due to continuous degradation, a failure criterion must be established in order to obtain a

concrete evaluation of the LED failure. The point in time at which the luminous flux of the LED
reaches the failure criterion is then described as the lifetime of the LED.

As a rule, the failure criterion is determined by the application. Typical values are 50 % (L50) or
70 % (L70), depending on the market of the LED product.

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Figure 4: Degradation curve

100
Relative light output [%]

90

80

70
L70
60 100
00

50

40

30

20

10

0
1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000

Time [h]

Since aging is based on a change in the material properties and is therefore subject to statistical
processes, the lifetime values also are based on a statistical distribution.

The percentage of components that have failed is described by the term “mortality” (B). A value
of B50 thus describes the point in time at which 50 % of the components have failed. This value
is generally specified as typical median lifetime, t50 or tml, for LEDs. In addition to the median
value (B50), a value can also be specified when 10 % of the components have failed (B10 value).
This allows one to draw a conclusion about the width of the lifetime distribution (Figure 5).

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Figure 5: Cumulative failure distribution showing the lifetime

99 %
Cumulated failure distribution

90 %
50 %
B50
16 %
10 %
B10

1%

0.1 %

100 ppm

10 ppm

1 ppm
t10 t50

1 10 100 1,000 10,000 100,000

Time [h]

However, for thermo-mechanical stress on a component (e.g. temperature cycles), the

continuous aging process generally cannot be measured. This means that the constant aging
process that leads to failure cannot be described by means of a characteristic measurement
parameter such as light degradation during electrical operation. An extrapolation of the
degradation curve to a defined failure criterion as is shown in Figure 4 is not possible, here. In
this case, in order to be able to make statements about the time of failure or the failure
distribution, tests must be carried out until the first abrupt failures occur. An example of this is
fatigue in adhesive or bonded connections.Influencing factors with respect to reliability and
lifetime

Similar to conventional lights, the reliability and lifetime of LED light sources are also dependent
on various factors, or can be influenced by these factors. The most important physical influencing
factors include humidity, temperature, current and voltage, mechanical forces, chemicals and
light radiation (Figure 6).

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Figure 6: Influencing factors on reliability and lifetime

Humidity
Temperature

Chemicals

LED Reliability

Light

Mechanical forces
Current and voltage

These can even lead, in a worst case situation, to a total failure or influence the aging
characteristics in the long term (e.g. brightness), and thus produce a change in the reliability and
lifetime. Such direct influencing factors are the temperature and resulting junction temperature
Tj(unction) of the LED, for example, but the amount of current used to drive the LED is also an
influencing factor. Under otherwise equal operating conditions, an increase in the ambient
temperature as well as an increase in current produces an increase in the junction temperature.
In general, however, an increase in junction temperature brings about a decrease in lifetime
(Figure 7).

Figure 7: Dependence of lifetime on the junction temperature and solder point temperature

OSLON® Black LY H9GP

110,000
100,000
90,000
Lifetime B10/L70 [h]

80,000
70,000
TS TJ
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
IF = 1000 mA / L70/B10
10,000
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Temperature [°C]

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Another direct influencing factor is mechanical force. If large mechanical forces are applied to
the LED, for example, this generally results in damage which can additionally lead to total failure
of the LED. The origin of the individual factors can be found in different areas such as LED
design, LED processing, the customer application and the environment and from there, can be
traced back to various aspects and parameters (Figure 8). If these four areas are examined in
more detail, it can be determined that three of the four areas can be directly influenced by the
LED manufacturer or the user. The last area, the environment, ultimately cannot be changed and
must be considered as a given in the application.

For example, the source of the influencing factor, temperature, can be assigned to two areas:
LED design and the customer application. In the area of LED design, the source of the
temperature influence lies both with the electrical parameters and with the transfer of heat.

Figure 8: Sources of influencing factors

LED design Customer application

• electrical parameters • heat transport
• heat transport • PCB layout and material
• ESD layout ESD protection
• package • electrical circuit

Reliability
Assembly Envirnonment
• storage condition • ambient temperature
• soldering process • temperature cycles
• handling (pick & place; • humidity
ESD) • pollution
• light radiation

Depending on the current applied (IF) and the associated voltage (UF), a power dissipation is
created, which to a large extent, is converted into heat. This leads to an increase in temperature
in the junction of the LED. The amount of power dissipation is proportional to changes in the
junction temperature.

The proportionality factor is the thermal resistance of the housing (Rth, Junction-Solderpoint) of the
LED. This reflects the heat transfer characteristics of the LED. The lower the thermal resistance
of the LED, the better the thermal properties of the LED become. If heat is transfered efficiently
out of the package, the junction temperature increase is not as high. As an example, two
components with differing Rth values (2.5 and 8 K/W) are examined at the same solder point
temperature TS = 100 °C and the same operating conditions (current) (Figure 9).

The junction temperature of the component with low thermal resistance only increases to
~ 115 °C. In contrast, however, the component with the higher thermal resistance exhibits a
junction temperature of > 144 °C. As mentioned previously, the lifetime of an LED is reduced with
an increase in the junction temperature. At the same solder point temperature, the component
with the lower Rth achieves a longer lifetime than the component with the higher Rth. In addition
to an increased lifetime, lower thermal resistance offers an additional advantage: At the same
solder temperature, a component with a low Rth achieves a higher light output. The reason for

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this is the decrease in efficiency of an LED with an increase in junction temperature. For the LED
manufacturer, the influencing factors that have a significant influence on lifetime and reliability
can already be taken into consideration in the development phase.

Figure 9: The dependency of lifetime on temperature due to the influence of various Rth values (example)

110,000
Ts Ts TJ/TJ
100,000
90,000 'TJ-S
80,000
Lifetime [h]

70,000
60,000
50,000 'TJ-S
40,000
30,000
Low Rth High Rth
20,000
Ts TJ Ts TJ
10,000
IF = 1000mA / L70/B10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Temperature [°C]

The impacts of these factors can be reduced through the following measures:

• Robust design

• Optimal thermal management

• Stable and optimized production processes in order to minimize the risk of spontaneous
failure

• Customer support for including LED designs in the customer application

In the area of customer applications, the influencing factor of temperature can be traced back to
heat dissipation. Here, the layout and material of the printed circuit board (PCB) play an
important role.

Summarized under the term “thermal management” which among other things, includes the
selection of an appropriate PCB material (e.g. FR4, IMS), the layout of LEDs, the component
density, additional cooling, etc., the user also has the opportunity to specifically target his
application to accommodate for the influencing factors.

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The following measures can be taken:

• Optimal thermal board management

• Optimal design for efficient use of the LED

• Handling the LED according to specifications

• Considering the strengths and weaknesses of LEDs

An insufficient thermal management directly leads to a reduction of the reliability and lifetime of
the LED. For more information and an exact description on how the thermal resistance is
determined for the individual packaging types at ams-OSRAM AG please refer to the application
note “Package-related thermal resistance of LEDs”.

However, in general it can be ascertained, that in spite of the high reliability of ams-OSRAM AG
LEDs, only through the consideration of all areas and all changing effects and dependencies a
high overall or system reliability can be achieved.

4 Validation and confirmation of reliability and

lifetime
All LED packages and chip families from ams-OSRAM AG undergo a number of tests for
validation and confirmation of reliability and lifetime. The selection of tests, test conditions and
duration occurs by means of an internal ams-OSRAM AG qualification specification based on
JEDEC, MIL and IEC standards. In addition, the requirements profile of the component is also
included.

The following Table 1 shows the list of typically performed tests. In addition, the various test
conditions, the test duration and the stress factors involved are listed.

Based on the internal ams-OSRAM AG qualification specification and the requirements profile,
the selection of the test, the test conditions and test duration can be set.

The mechanical stability of an LED is checked by means of a solder heat resistance test as well
as powered and unpowered temperature cycle tests. Here, the cycle count and the temperature
difference serve as measures of stability. These types of tests are also drawn upon to evaluate
the failure rate.

For proof of reliability, the LEDs undergo individual tests of up to 1000 hours in duration. If the
properties and interactions of the integral parts of the LED are known, results can be taken from
already tested products and applied to other types of LEDs with the same material
characteristics. As a result, the general test scope is reduced, since fewer products must be
tested. This allows the test duration of individual products to be increased to a longer period.

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At ams-OSRAM AG, tests sequences are carried out for up to 10,000 hours, for example, in
order to investigate general effects. Individual technology platforms are even evaluated for more
than 35,000 hours.
Table 1: Example reliability test matrix for ams-OSRAM AG LEDs

Test Conditions Duration Stress factors

Resistance to Solder Heat Reflow 3 runs Temperature, Chemi-

(RSH) Soldering cals, Mechanical
JESD22-A113 260 °C / 10 sec forces

Resistance to Solder Heat, Wave soldering 3 runs Temperature, Chemi-

Through the Wave (RSH- 260 °C / sec cals, Mechanical
TTW) forces
JESD22-B106

Wet High Temperature Oper- T = 85 °C 1000 h Temperature, Humid-

ating Life (WHTOL) R.H. = 85 % ity
JESD22-A101 IF = 5 mA / 10 mA

Temperature Cycle (TC) - 40 °C / + 125 °C 1000 cycles Mechanical forces

JESD22-A104 15 min at extreme tem-
peratures

Power Temp. Cycling (PTC) - 40 / + 85 °C 1000 h Temperature,

JESD22-A105 IF = [max. derating] Current,
ton/off = 5 min Mechanical forces

High Temperature Operating T = 25 °C 1000 h Temperature,

Life (HTOL) IF = [max. derating] Current
JESD22-A108

High Temperature Operating T = 85 °C 1000 h Temperature,

Life (HTOL) IF = [max. derating] Current
JESD22-A108

Pulsed life test (PLT) T = 25 °C 1000 h Temperature,

JESD22-A108 IF = [max. derating] Current

ESD-HBM Human body model 1 pulse per Voltage

ANSI/ESDA/JEDEC JS-001- 2000 V polarity direction
2010 lt. AEC Q102

These types of selective, extremely long-term investigations provide a solid basis for calculation
of the lifetime. According to ams-OSRAM AG, however, the resulting test data should not be
“blindly” extrapolated to determine the average lifetime. Rather, this data should make it possible
to understand why the different materials used behave the way they do.

This allows a highly reliable extrapolation or prediction of the product performance

characteristics to be made, which is confirmed by a small deviation from target values.

Statements about lifetime that are based on mathematical results without test data and
background knowledge should generally be viewed with caution.

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5 On-site support regarding reliability and lifetime

ams-OSRAM AG supports its customers worldwide. This already begins in the pre-sales phase.
ams-OSRAM AG offers its customers assistance with the selection of an appropriate light source
and advises them in implementing an optimally executed application. In addition, we support you
with our technical expertise regarding quality and reliability.

For further information and questions regarding the lifetime and reliability of particular LED
products, our corresponding sales representatives and/or subsidiaries are available to offer
assistance.

6 Appendix

6.1 Fundamentals — definition of terms

In the following, the most important and relevant terms and definitions from the areas of quality
management and statistics are presented, as well as an example for a reliability distribution.
Reliability and failure probability

Reliability R(t) states the probability P, that a system or individual component remains functional
during a time-frame t under normal operating and environmental conditions. In complementary
terms, one speaks of the probability of failure F(t) or unreliability.

Thus, if n components are driven under the same conditions and the number of failures is r(t) at
time t, then the following applies:
r t 
F  t  = --------- = 1 – R  t 
n

At the beginning, all components function properly (time t = 0) and at some point, they all are
defective. That is,

R  t = 0  = 1 and R  t    = 0
This means that the probability of failure F(t) of a component starts at 0 (0 %) and increases to
1 (100 %) over time — an inverse relation to reliability.
Probability of failure density (failure density)

The failure density f(t) states the probability of a failure at a time t, with respect to a time interval
dt. Mathematically, it represents the derivation of the probability of failure.
dF  t  PT  t  dR  t 
f  t  = -------------- = --------------------- = – ---------------
dt dt dt

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Figure 10: Relation between reliability R(t) and probability of failure F(T)

1 F(t)
Probability

0.5

R(t)
0
t

6.2 Failure rate

The failure rate λ(t) is an important indicator for the reliability of lifetime of an object. It describes
the probability of a failure within a time interval dt, with respect to the components that are
functional at time t.
f t  f t 
  t  = ----------- = --------------------
Rt  1 – F t 

The failure rate states how many units fail on average within a period of time. Usually, failure
rates are given in units of [1/time unit] such as 1 failure per hour (-1/h).

Due to the low failure rate of electronic components, this is often stated as a FIT:
1 failure
FIT = ----------------------------------------------------------
9
10 component hours

Component hours = number of components * hours of operation

In general, the failure rate is not constant. In many cases, the failure rate usually follows the so-
called “bathtub curve” over the entire component life cycle (Figure 11). The chronological
sequence is comprised of three phases.

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Figure 11: Chronological progression of failure rate

Failure rate
λ(t)

Economic life

Early failure due to

Increase due to
weaknesses in the material,
aging, wearout, fatigue,
quality fluctations, application Random etc.
failures failure

Early failure period Spontanous failure period Wearout period

Phase I — the early failure period

At the beginning of the product lifetime, a higher failure rate can be observed, which quickly falls
off over time. This phase can be described with a Weibull distribution. This is generally caused
by design defects, weakness in the material, quality fluctuations in production or through
application failures (dimensioning, handling, testing, operation, etc.) or unreal, unconfirmed
failures.
Phase II — with constant failure rate

This phase corresponds to the actual period of economic usefulness. In this phase, the failure
rate is constant and can be described with an exponential or Poisson distribution. Here, failures
mostly appear suddenly and purely at random.
Phase III — wearout failures

In this phase, the failure rate increases at a faster rate due to aging, wearout, fatigue, etc. with
continuous operation. This phase also can be described by a Weibull distribution. With the
representation and interpretation of bathtub curves, it should generally be kept in mind that in
most cases, the curve is only based on a few test points. The mathematical description is
therefore somewhat imprecise, due to deviations and test-related scattering. A reliable
representation is therefore only possible if a statistically large quantity of data has been obtained.

In practice, it can also happen that the time periods of the individual phases are significantly
different. Depending on the complexity of the object and the maturity of the manufacturing
process, the initial failure period may not be present at all or may be characterized by a period
of up to a few thousand hours of operation.

In order to minimize the failure rate, specific preventative measures are already carried out by
ams-OSRAM AG during the development phase as well as in the subsequent manufacturing
phase. In addition, the failure rate is strongly influenced by the predominant operating conditions.
For example, for classic semiconductor elements, the failure rate doubles when the junction
temperature increases by 10 to 20 °C.

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6.3 Distributions for reliability analysis

The Weibull and exponential distribution functions used for describing the bathtub curve are
described in more detail in the following.
Weibull distribution

Due to its flexibility, the Weibull distribution is well suited to statistical analysis of all types (areas
I to III of the bathtub curve). The primary advantage of this function is that the curve can be
adjusted with the shape parameter b. In this way, a large number of well established fixed-form
distributions (such as normal, log, exponential distributions, etc.) can be realized (Figure 12).

Figure 12: Weibull distribution for various shape parameters b and with a characteristic lifetime of T = 1
Failure density f(t)

Failure rate λ(t)

lifetime t lifetime t
Failure probability F(t)

Reliability R(t)

lifetime t lifetime t

With a shape parameter b < 1, a decreasing failure rate (area I) is described, with b = 1, a
constant failure rate (area II — exponential distribution) is described and with b > 1, an
increasing failure rate (area III) is described.

In the biparametric form of the Weibull distribution, the probability of failure F(t) and its
complement, reliability R(t), become:
t b
–  ----
T
F t  = 1 – e ,b>0
t b
–  ----
T
Rt  = e ,b>0

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Their density function f(t) and failure λ(t) result in:

t b
–  ----
T
b  t b – 1
f  t  = ---
-  ---- e , b>0
T T

b  t  b – 1 , b>0
  t  = ---
-  ----
T T
, where b = shape factor and T = characteristic lifetime.
Exponential distribution

The exponential distribution particularly represents the lifetime distribution in Phase II of the
bathtub curve, the area of random failures. The failure rate is assumed to be constant over time.

With the exponential distribution, the following applies:

Probability of failure:
– t
F t  = 1 – e ,  t  0  and  > 0
Reliability:
– t
Rt  = e ,  t  0  and  > 0
Failure rate:
1 1
  t  =  = ---- = -----------------
T MTTF
In this area and in connection with irreparable systems, the term MTTF (mean time to failure) is
used to describe to average lifetime.

For a lifetime distribution with a constant failure rate, this means that at the MTTF, the probability
of failure is around 63 % or that on average, approximately 2/3 of all components have failed.
– t 1
F t  = 1 – e ,where t = MTTF and  = -----------------
MTTF
1  MTTF
–  ----------------
 MTTF- 
F  MTTF  = 1 – e

–1 1
F  MTTF  = 1 – e = 1 – ---
e
F  MTTF  = 63.2 %

Application Note Document No.: AN006 18 / 20

2022-09-08
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2022-09-08
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