example of how a light shaping diffuser eliminates hot spots on an LED strip light

You may not see the technology behind a Luminit Light Shaping Diffuser®, but you'll notice the effects of our optical diffusion lenses and light shaping diffuser film for LEDs. Light Shaping Diffusers® expand what’s possible with light using Luminit's advanced holographic beam shaping technology. Unlike conventional plastic light diffusion panels, Luminit's patented technology shapes light energy with holographic patterns embedded on polycarbonate film or rigid sheets. These patterns create a pseudo-random surface that can manipulate light by changing the direction of its energy. Available in both circular and elliptical formats, the diffusion ability of Luminit LED lighting diffusers is remarkably efficient, so high efficacy fixtures are possible. Many of our customers use Luminit diffuser sheets to diffuse LED strip lights to hide hotspots and produce a more uniform, homogeneous appearance. We also have the largest library of circular and elliptical beam angles in the world, ranging from 1° to 100° so there is an angle to tackle just about any application.  

How Do LED Diffusers Shape an LED Beam? 

How does a Luminit's LED hiding film help lighting designers and lighting manufacturers? Luminit diffuser sheets and films “clean up” and shape a light beam to suit a particular purpose, which makes it possible to achieve a smooth appearance or use fewer LEDs for the same effect. For example, LEDs are very efficient but hot spots and uneven light distribution remain a problem for lighting professionals. Our Light Shaping Diffuser® sheets homogenize and shape the light with 85% to 92% transmission efficiency, meaning less light loss compared to other diffusers. The above picture demonstrates options for LED strip diffusion and the effects of a 60° x 1° elliptical Light Shaping Diffuser® on an LED strip light. On the left are the bare LED diodes, and on the right are the same diodes with our light diffuser in front. The light is shaped by spreading the horizontal radiation 60° only 1° in the vertical direction (shown horizontally here). The result is the elimination of hotspots on LED lighting as well as CCFL, fiber optic and laser light sources, and a smooth, unbroken strip where the diodes are not individually visible.

There's a reason Luminit is one of the leading light diffusing manufacturers in the world. We have the largest catalog of LED optical diffuser sheets and light bending material as well the most angles and formats available to diffuse LED lighting for architectural environments, bio-medical illumination, semiconductor metrology, aerospace, automotive, laser and display applications. Our optical diffusion technology is based on a very thin microstructure on top of the clearest substrates available. The transmission efficiency of our thin film and thick rigid diffusers is practically equivalent.

  • light shaping diffuser microstructures seen close up

  • Light Shaping Diffusers® use surface relief structures that are replicated from a holographically-recorded master. These pseudo-random, non-periodic structures can manipulate light by changing the direction of its energy. The result is the elimination of Moiré, color over-angle, and precise angular beam control.

What is Circular, Elliptical, and Extreme Angle (Linear) Diffusion?

Luminit's Light Shaping Diffuser® is available in three type of angles: circular, elliptical, and extreme angle elliptical (also called linear). Circular angle diffusers are popular across multiple industries and spread a light source into a wide circular pattern depending on the angle selected. Our standard angles include 80°, 60°, 40°, 30°, 20° 10° and 5°. That is, if you purchase a 40° circular diffuser, the beam will be spread 40 degrees in every direction. This makes circular diffusers a popular choice for spotlights, downlights, flashlights, etc., where the light beam of LEDs is narrow (i.e., directional).

Elliptical diffusers incorporate two different angles in order to spread light asymmetrically and diffuse one axis more than the other. Elliptical angle diffusers are help lighting designers highlight a specific area more than another area. Our standard elliptical diffuser angles for lighting class include 80° × 50° and 60° × 10° and are commonly used in hallways and specialty lighting to highlight a specific area. Stairway lighting is a good example of how our elliptical angles can highlight the walls but place more light toward the stairs for obvious safety reasons. Extreme elliptical angle, or linear, diffusers such as our 60° × 1° (i.e., 60° along the width and 1° along the length) are commonly used in wall washing, wall grazing, and cove lighting applications where the beam angle must not increase in one axis. We have a helpful blog that covers our extreme angle diffusers in more detail.

 

photos of circular, elliptical and extreme elliptical angles
Left: circular diffuser, Middle: Elliptical diffuser, Right: Extreme elliptical/linear diffuser

 

Circular, elliptical, and extreme elliptical diffusers not only provide precise beam angle control, but our diffusers homogenize LEDs and fluorescent lamps and clean up striations for pleasing, human centric lighting. 

Luminit diffusers are popular in indoor and architectural lighting and can be found in some of the world’s most famous building, bridges, and structures. Our unique technology is also instrumental in high tech, display and automotive applications where we provide highly specialized Light Shaping Diffusers® and linear micro-prismatics.

What are the Benefits of Surface Scatter over Bulk Scatter?

High Transmission Efficiency

 

Because the principle of surface scatter is used instead of volume or bulk scatter, our LED diffuser sheets have a much higher transmission efficiency (~92%) than a conventional LED light diffuser. Holographic Light Shaping Diffusers® offer superior optical transmission between 400nm and 700nm. Depending on the angle of distribution, Luminit LED light diffusers achieve between 85% and 92% transmission efficiency. The low backscatter of the diffuser structures are anti-reflective in nature and utilize light that would otherwise be wasted due to Fresnel loss. A clear piece of polycarbonate substrate is 89% transmissive. With a Luminit LED light diffuser added, transmission improves to 92%.  Note that Luminit measures transmission utilizing an integrated sphere with the Light Shaping Diffuser® structure incident to the light source.  

an illustration that shows circular, elliptical and extreme angle light diffusers

Beam Shaping

Luminit LED light diffusers precisely shape, control and distribute light. The patented holographic master recording process allows a variety of circular, or elliptical light patterns, and a wide variety of standard elliptical angles are available. To find out more about how Luminit light shaping diffuser film for LEDs can solve your next challenge, contact one of our light diffusion experts. 

Homogenized Light

“Hotspots” and uneven light distribution are common problems with filament, arch, LED, CCFL, fiberoptic and laser light sources. Our LED light diffuser films smooth and homogenize sources while providing uniform light in critical applications such as LCD backlights, LED displays, machine vision, automotive lighting and viewing screens.

Luminit LED light diffusers:

  • Provide precise beam control

  • Eliminate striations and beam non-uniformity

  • Supply direct view homogenization

  • Provide superior near-ceiling wall washing

  • Offer even illumination from ceiling to floor

  • Allow light diffusion even in damp or wet locations

Download the Data Sheet or contact us with any questions or how to purchase our LED light diffusers.