Lighting technology & application consultants
SSLS consults on the science and application of light. We help manufacturers, growers, researchers, environmentalists, legal teams, and buyers understand, develop, and apply lighting.
SSLS measured spectral radiance at Mauna Kea clearly showing natural air glow emissions.
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What we do
From the physics of the semiconductor light emitter to how light interacts in a greenhouse, residence, eco-resort, wildlife habitat, or display. Most engagements require a full appreciation of light source technology and application considerations.
LED devices and materials, micro-LEDs, UV emitters, laser diodes, micro-cavity LEDs, quantum dots, OLEDs, displays, optical sensors & detectors, and opto-electronic materials — grounded in device physics and materials science.
Independent technology assessment, reliability, testing, and product evaluation across LED, laser sources, conventional, and alternative light sources.
Technology roadmapping, funding strategy, and proposal writing and review — including the national DOE SSL roadmaps.
Spectral engineering, form-factor design, and lighting R&D from concept to working prototype. Advanced chandeliers, historical lighting preservation & re-creation, and architectural-character lighting development.
Grow-light spectra, independent product selection, and controlled-environment agriculture R&D.
Night lighting audits, sky-radiance measurements, and responsible outdoor lighting for parks and protected areas, eco-resorts, and cruise ships.
Circadian and non-visual effects of light, photobiomodulation (red light therapy), therapeutic lighting, and germicidal UV.
Spectra engineered for the biology of wildlife, livestock, and aquatic species.
Testimony on lighting & display technology, product claims, intellectual property, and light pollution.
Selected work
A few of the projects that show our range — from setting the national research agenda to engineering light for a single species.
SSLS has developed specialized LED materials, devices, and lighting products for new businesses and clients. Lighting products include: commercial linear lamps, UV-A curing lights, UV-B lights, runway guidance lights, photobiomodulation (PBM) lights, and advanced horticultural lighting.
SSLS has initiated, participated in, and reviewed new lighting ventures — developing UV-A curing lights, UV-B health lights, deep-red 690 nm PBM lights, runway guidance lights with an IR signal, home plant lights, high-CCT/high-CRI light bars for fine work, novel form-factor horticultural lights, cannabis finishing lights, lighting control networks, advanced fluorescent replacements, and OLED materials and devices. Have an idea? Let’s explore working together.
SSLS consultants have evaluated and analyzed all types of LED & lighting product failures, including the blue shift of roadway fixtures. We can help characterize & document product failures and support warranty execution.
Phosphor-delaminated roadway light in West Virginia (on during the day)
SSLS can tear down, reverse engineer, measure, characterize, evaluate, & understand both lighting products and the lighting conditions of specific indoor & outdoor settings. We can measure intensity, spectral power distribution, illuminance, irradiance, spectral reflectance, color filters, luminescent materials & films, electrical inputs, circuit configuration, optical distribution, and other lighting characteristics. Measurements can be made in-situ or in the lab.
SSLS conducts night lighting audits and light pollution measurements across national parks, seashores, and urban environments. We provide lighting training to park rangers and develop best practices for lighting in parks & protected areas and lit areas to protect naturally dark skies, keep lighting safe and effective, and to minimize light pollution.
Head of horticultural lighting R&D for Luxx Lighting and product-development consultant, SSLS optimized grow-light spectra and ran controlled grow studies across crop types and stages. Helped very large scale greenhouse select & purchase high quality lights.
Working with biologists, SSLS developed a lighting layout to guide migratory eels away from hydropower infrastructure hazards — a specialty lighting application for wildlife protection.
As long-standing consultants to the DOE Lighting R&D Program, SSLS gathered expert input and authored successive annual editions of the national lighting R&D Roadmap and R&D Opportunities reports — defining priority research directions and performance targets that guided industry and government investment in the U.S. and globally.
Why SSLS
The team
SSLS was founded to work on lighting technology and its application without institutional constraints or the constraints of previous light source technologies — pairing deep device physics with practical, real-world problem-solving.
A materials scientist specializing in solid-state lighting and optoelectronic devices, Morgan has advised the U.S. Department of Energy's Lighting R&D Program for 20 years and is a lead author of DOE national lighting roadmaps. His work spans device physics, technology roadmapping, product development, lighting applications, and expert testimony. He is the founding and current chair of the IES Outdoor Nighttime Environments (ONE) Committee. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from UC San Diego, a Master's in Electrical Engineering from UC Santa Barbara, and a PhD in Materials Science from UC Santa Barbara.
A successful inventor & scientist focused on lighting technology and the nighttime environment. Lisa leads the light pollution field work efforts at SSLS and advises the DOE Lighting R&D Program on strategy and funded R&D project performance. She has a BS in Materials Science from MIT, a Master's in Materials Science from Stanford, a PhD in Materials Science from UC Santa Barbara, and is a registered patent agent. Earlier in her career, publishing as Lisa Kinder, she co-authored pioneering research on the magnetic tunnel junction — the device at the heart of modern MRAM and magnetic hard-drive read heads.
Resources
SSLS authors national technology roadmaps, peer-reviewed research, and trade articles on lighting technology and application. A selection is below.
Contact
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Engagement types
Advisory · retained expert · project-based consulting · expert witness
“There are two kinds of light — the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures.”
— James Thurber
