Modular LED arrays for large area solar simulation

A modular array of light emitting diodes of six different wavelengths is modelled and experimentally tested to provide Class AAA solar simulator illumination over an area of 20 cm(2). The module demonstrates uniform distribution of light flux density across the sample test plane region, achieving Class A AM 1.5 G irradiance (100 mW/cm(2)) across the 400 to 1100-nm wavelength range. The new system has a spectral match of 99.5%, a spatial non-uniformity of 2.0%, and a temporal instability of <0.2%. The performance of the design (which will allow for large area simulators to be cheaply assembled from multiple modules) is then critically assessed in terms of the existing solar simulator standards and benchmarked against a conventional simulator.