Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1410851
current century that brought the development of InGaN and AlGaNP technology. This technology, along with advanced phosphor development, moved LEDs out of the realm of indicator lights and onto a growth path that offered the possibility of true "lighting class" LEDs. With the development and growth of LED technology, we see many similarities to the market path taken by earlier lighting technologies. The initial migration into retrofit applications and eventual transition into entirely new lighting designs is the most obvious similarity that comes to mind although more subtle technological similarities can be identified and will be shown later in this paper. The last background comment that needs to be presented is the remarkable similarity between SSL and the evolution of the personal computer. Those old enough to remember the rise of the personal computer (PC) in the early 1980s can remember the lack of structure and standards among the start-ups. At their start, PCs were typically soldered conglomerates of parts and devices with little commonality between manufacturers. Eventually, the PCs began to be segmented into subcomponents. The socketing of microprocessors and memory as well as the pluggability of disk drives and peripherals all were the end result of this segmentation. Driven by the push for manufacturing efficiencies as well as developing industry standards, this segmentation allowed for the out-sourcing of assemblies, lowered costs, eased final assembly, and allowed for interchangeability between component manufacturers. There are a number of similarities developing with SSL that will be explored later in this paper. As these common segments began to solidify across the industry during the 1980s, AMP Incorporated naturally began to try to create order out of these segments so connector selection and identification was easier for our employees and customers. In his 1992 paper, Richard Granitz first outlined the original Six Levels of Electronics Packaging [3]. Out of this effort rose the Eight Levels of Electronic Packaging that Tyco Electronics personnel are now intimately familiar with and that is likewise commonly acknowledged in the electronic packaging world. 6