LED lamps with improved quality of light

1. An illumination system comprising:

at least one LED device configured in a housing structure, wherein the at least one LED device comprises an n-type region, a light-emitting active region, and a p-type region;

a wavelength conversion material optically coupled to the at least one LED device; and

a power source electrically coupled to the at least one LED device; wherein,

the at least one LED device is characterized by an external quantum efficiency greater than 45% measured at an ambient temperature of 25° C. and at a current density of 40 A/cm 2 ; and

light emitted by an interaction of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the at least one LED device and from the wavelength conversion material is characterized by a spectral power distribution (SPD) in which from 1% to 4% of the power in the SPD is emitted within a short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.

2. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the LED device comprises a gallium and nitride-containing substrate.

3. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one LED is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation within the short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.

4. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein,

the wavelength conversion material comprises a blue phosphor and a green phosphor; and

the green phosphor is configured to absorb electromagnetic radiation emitted by the blue phosphor.

5. The illumination system of claim 1 , comprising a second LED device, wherein the second LED device is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation within a blue wavelength range, within a green wavelength range, or within a red wavelength range.

6. The illumination system of claim 1 , comprising one or more luminaires and at least one lamp selected from a MR16 lamp, a PAR30 lamp, a AR111 lamp, an A-lamp, and a combination of any of the foregoing.

7. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein,

the SPD is configured to render a color or a white object comprising an optical brightening agent (OBA) to be substantially equal to a color of the white object under illumination by a reference illuminant; and

the SPD and the reference illuminant are characterized by the same correlated color temperature (CCT).

8. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein,

the SPD is configured to render a color of a white object comprising an OBA to provide a first color difference and a second color difference;

the first color difference is the difference between a chromaticity of the object under illumination by the SPD and a chromaticity of the SPD;

the second color difference is the difference between a chromaticity of the object under illumination by a reference illuminant characterized by a CCT as the SPD, and a chromaticity of the reference illuminant;

the SPD and the reference illuminant are characterized by substantially the same CCT; and

the first color difference and the second color difference are within a predetermined range and are substantially equal in direction and magnitude in color space.

9. The illumination system of claim 8 , wherein,

the white object is a high whiteness reference object;

each of the first color difference and the second color differences is a Du′v′ color difference; and

the predetermined range is ±3 Du′v′ points.

10. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the SPD is characterized by a correlated color temperature in the range from 2000K to 10000K and by a color rendering index of at least 90.

11. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the SPD is configured to have a color quality scale gamut metric Qg of at least 1.05.

12. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein from 2% to 4% of the power in the SPD is emitted within a short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.

13. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the wavelength conversion material is configured to provide a CRI of at least 90.

14. The illumination system of claim 1 , wherein the illumination system is characterized by a SPD violet fraction less than 25% and a short wavelength SPD discrepancy less than 0.5.

15. An illumination system comprising:

at least one LED device configured in a housing structure, wherein the at least one LED device comprises an n-type region, a light-emitting active region, and a p-type region;

a wavelength conversion material optically coupled to the at least one LED device; and

a power source electrically coupled to the at least one LED device; wherein,

light emitted by the at least one LED is characterized by a spectral power distribution (SPD) configured to render a white object comprising an OBA to provide a first color difference and a second color difference;

the first color difference is the difference between a chromaticity of the object under illumination by the SPD and the chromaticity of the SPD;

the second color is the difference between a chromaticity under illumination by a reference illuminant and a chromaticity of the reference illuminant;

the SPD and the reference illuminant are characterized by substantially the same CCT; and

the first color difference and the second color difference are within a predetermined range and are substantially equal in direction and magnitude in color space.

16. The illumination system of claim 15 , wherein,

the white object is a high whiteness reference object;

each of the first color difference and the second color difference is a Du′v′ color difference; and

the predetermined range is ±3 Du′v′ points.

17. The illumination system of claim 15 , wherein,

the white object is a high whiteness reference object;

each of the first color difference and the second color difference is a CCT-Corrected Whiteness difference; and

the predetermined range is ±15 whiteness points.

18. The illumination system of claim 15 ,

wherein the at least one LED is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation within the short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm; and

the illumination system comprises a second LED device, wherein the second LED device is configured to emit electromagnetic radiation within a blue wavelength range, within a green wavelength range, or within a red wavelength range.

19. The illumination system of claim 15 , wherein from 1% to 4% of the power in the SPD is emitted within a short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.

20. The illumination system of claim 15 , wherein the wavelength conversion material is configured to provide a CRI of at least 90.

21. The illumination system of claim 15 , wherein the illumination system is characterized by a SPD violet fraction less than 25% and a short wavelength SPD discrepancy less than 0.5.

22. An illumination system comprising:

at least one LED device configured in a housing structure, wherein the at least one LED device comprises an n-type region, a light-emitting active region, and a p-type region;

a wavelength conversion material optically coupled to the at least one LED device; and

a power source electrically coupled to the at least one LED device; wherein

the at least one LED device is characterized by an external quantum efficiency greater than 45% measured at an ambient temperature of 25° C. and at a current density of 40 A/cm 2 ;

a light emitted by an interaction of electromagnetic radiation emitted from the at least one LED device and from the wavelength conversion material is characterized by a spectral power distribution (SPD) having a short-wavelength spectra discrepancy (SWSD) less than 0.5.

23. The illumination system of claim 22 wherein,

the SPD is configured to render a color of a white object comprising an OBA to be substantially equal to a color of the white object under illumination by a reference illuminant; and

the SPD and the reference illuminant are characterized by substantially the same CCT.

24. The illumination system of claim 22 , wherein,

the SPD is configured to render a white object containing an OBA to provide a first color difference and a second color difference;

the first color difference is the difference between a chromaticity of the object under illumination by the SPD and a chromaticity of the SPD;

the second color difference is the difference between a chromaticity of the object under illumination by a reference illuminant and a chromaticity of the illuminant;

the SPD and the CCT are characterized by substantially the same CCT; and

the first color difference and the second color difference are within a predetermined range and are substantially equal in direction and magnitude.

25. The illumination system of claim 24 , wherein,

the white object is a high whiteness reference object;

each of the first color difference and the second color differences is a Du′v′ color difference; and

the predetermined range is ±3 Du′v′ points.

26. The illumination system of claim 22 , wherein from 2% to 4% of the power in the SPD is emitted within a short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.

27. The illumination system of claim 22 , wherein the wavelength conversion material is configured to provide a CRI of at least 90.

28. The illumination system of claim 22 , wherein the illumination system is characterized by a SPD violet fraction less than 25% and a short wavelength SPD discrepancy less than 0.5.

29. An illumination system comprising:

at least one LED device configured in a housing structure, wherein the at least one LED device comprises an n-type region, a light-emitting active region, and a p-type region;

a wavelength conversion material optically coupled to the at least one LED device; and

a power source electrically coupled to the at least one LED device; wherein

the at least one LED device is characterized by an external quantum efficiency greater than 45% measured at an ambient temperature of 25° C. and at a current density of 40A/cm 2 ;

the wavelength conversion material is configured such that from 2% to 4% of the power in the SPD is emitted within a short-wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm;

the wavelength conversion material is configured to provide a CRI of at least 90; and

the illumination system is characterized by a SPD violet fraction less than 25% and a short wavelength SPD discrepancy less than 0.5.