Cree LED fits four colour dies into a 2.1 mm square

Cree LED has placed four colour dies in a 2.1 × 2.1 mm ceramic package, bringing the emitting points closer together in its new XLamp X21. Samples are available, and the company says production quantities are on standard lead times.

Die spacing affects the optic because each colour starts from a slightly different point. In Cree’s comparison, the X21 used a 38 mm mixing optic and the larger XP-L Color used a 45 mm one. Cree reports a tighter beam, better colour mixing and more intensity per lumen from the X21 setup.

The distinction matters when a fixture is already too shallow to take a larger optic. Cree’s example shows what the smaller package and a particular mixing optic achieved together, which is more useful than a die-size claim in isolation. It doesn’t tell you whether the beam would tighten by the same amount if the new LED went behind an optic selected for the older package.

The range uses eleven die colours across fourteen configurations, with Cree targeting directional, architectural and entertainment lighting among other applications.

Sources: Cree LED launch and optical comparison; XLamp X21 product family