Soraa_Summary_Brochure_4.9

A Simply Perfect LED MR16
THE SORAA MR16 LAMP offers better light quality
than halogen, has a single light source, needs no fan
for cooling, has the highest compatibility with
dimmers and transformers, and fits all MR16 fixtures.
Perfect Light
Soraa LED lamps provide perfect illumination for you
and your environment.
Halogen Equivalent Performance
The light output of Soraa lamps look as good or, in
some cases, better than standard halogen lamps,
offering better beams, patterns, and shadowing than
halogens.
Perfect Beam Profile
Baffles, filters, and lensing are need to control the
beam and unwanted light spill of halogen lamps.
Soraa lamps have a perfect beam profile and do not
require additional accessories to control the light.
Color Matching
Similar to halogens, Soraa lamps emit a broad continuous
spectrum. They render more of the color
wavelengths than other LED lamps, making colors
look more vivid.
Color Consistency
Spectral output is consistent from Soraa lamp to
Soraa lamp. The color is controlled tightly, within a
3-Step MacAdam’s Ellipse so that objects are illuminated
consistently.
Color Over Angle
Soraa lamps maintain color control for uniform color
rendering over all angular beam profiles.
Cover Photo: Randall Whitehead

THE STORY OF GaN-ON-GaN
Transmission electron microscope
images show multiple dislocations
in conventional gallium nitride
material (left) and dislocation-free
Soraa GaN-on-GaN crystals (left).
In 2007, Soraa’s founders made a bet on an LED
technology platform completely different than
current industry practice, a technology most industry
experts at the time considered to be impossible to
execute.
They bet on Gallium Nitride substrates for LEDs, or
“GaN-on-GaN” LEDs.
Until Soraa, all LEDs worldwide were made of GaN
crystals grown onto a dissimilar base, usually a sapphire
or silicon carbide substrate.
Soraa bet that GaN-on-GaN LEDs would produce
more light and be more cost-effective than any of
these other combinations. This belief ran contrary to
every trend in the LED industry. But Soraa’s worldclass
team had the credentials to take that bet and
beat the odds:
• Dr. Shuji Nakamura, inventor of the blue laser
and the blue LED
• Dr. Steven DenBaars, founder of Nitres
• Dr. James Speck of the University of California,
Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering
How Does Crystal Structure Affect LED
Performance?
The fundamentally different crystal structure of Soraa
LEDS produced by GaN-on-GaN technology allows
the LED to operate at much higher levels and generate
more light per unit of LED material than any other
LED. Also, all other LEDs are based on dissimilar
crystal structures, which result in dislocations that
adversely affect performance. GaN-on-GaN crystals
are up to a thousand times more precise than any
other LED crystal.
Perfect crystals mean perfect light.
The bet paid off. Today, only Soraa uses perfect GaNon-GaN
crystals for its LED lighting products.

BENEFITS OF SORAA’S SOLUTION
Perfect Fit
No more guess work. Soraa lamps fit and work safely
wherever they’re installed. Soraa lamps conform to
the ANSI standard, so they fit standard lighting fixtures
when used as specified.
Performance
No more blinking, buzzing, noisy LED lamps or ones
that simply just don’t turn on. Soraa lamps turn on
and operate properly with both magnetic and electronic
transformers.
Class 1 & Class 2 Low Voltage Transformers
Don’t know what kind of transformer you have? It
doesn’t matter. While most LED lamps are designed
to work only with Class 2 systems, Soraa lamps are
UL listed for both NEC low voltage Class 1 and
Class 2 transformers, so you can use them with any
low voltage UL listed system.
UL Safe
Many MR16 LED lamps are only R-UL rated, which
means that they are UL recognized as a component
but are not UL listed. The R-UL label means additional
UL certification is required for installation in a UL
listed fixture. Soraa lamps are fully UL listed, so you
can trust them to work safely as a retrofit lamp in UL
listed fixtures.
Dimming
Experience perfected LED dimming. Unlike some
competitive LEDs, Soraa lamps work properly with
many commonly installed leading-edge and trailingedge
dimmers.
Perfect Form
The Soraa lamp takes advantage of the compact
MR16 form factor, while greatly improving performance
over halogen lamps.
Single Source
A high lumen density enables more light output from
a single, small source, giving you more flexibility to
design and control the lighting environment with a
single visible point of light.
More Natural Light
Soraa lamps give you halogen level performance
from a single LED light source. This replicates halogen
illumination, with one color and one shadow.
Elegant Design
The thermally optimized heat sink is intricately designed
with only 6 parts.
Lightweight
Soraa lamps are the same weight as standard halogen
lamps, so they won’t add weight to the lighting
system.
Energy Efficient
Lower energy use will shrink your utility bill – Soraa
lamps use about 75% less energy than halogen lamps.
They also reduce maintenance and waste because
they last more than 10 times longer than typical halogen
lamps.
The Soraa lamp’s single source (left) eliminates multiple
shadows and colors typical of multi-source LEDs.

What Makes Soraa Lamps Different?
Why Are Single Source LEDs Better?
A single LED source ensures crisp single shadows
with only one color. Lamps with multiple LED sources
project multiple shadows with multiple colors, yielding
less attractive results on objects being displayed.
Even halogen MR16 lamps, because they have multifaceted
reflectors, do not project shadows as crisply
as single LED lamps. Soraa’s LED MR16 single source
yields a single crisp shadow and color..
Halogen lamp
Typical LED lamp
produces multiple
shadows and colors
Visible Spectrum
Soraa lamp has crisp
shadow definition
Soraa Vivid 95 CRI Comparative Spectral Signature
Why Don’t LED Lamps Render Objects with
the Same Colors as Halogens?
There are several reasons for this. Other LED lamps
use a blue LED emitter with various phosphors to
make the LED emit white light. The resulting LED
spectrum does not exactly match the halogen black
body curve for the visible light spectrum. It has a high
blue spike and is missing part of the spectrum in violet
and cyan. LED lamps also can have values either
above or below the black body curve (u’, v’), making
the light look either more green or more pink than
halogen. Although the corrected color temperature
(CCT) may be the same value as halogen, colors and
whites can look different. Soraa’s LED MR16 closely
matches the black body curve, making whites and
colors render more like halogen sources.
Why is Form Factor Important?
In order to insure that LED MR16 lamps fit into existing
fixtures, they must meet the ANSI standard for
halogen lamps. Some LED lamps exceed this form
factor and do not fit into some existing fixtures. Also,
most LED MR16 lamps weigh significantly more than
halogen lamps, and may not be suitable for use in
fixtures not designed for heavy lamps.
Amplitude
Blue
Overshoot
Cyan Gap
Violet Gap
380 430 480 530 580 630 680 730 780
Wavelength (nm)
Halogen
Soraa 2700K
95 Vivid
Soraa
2700K
Conventional
LED
Other LEDs
2700K
Blackbody
Soraa’s MR16 lamp complies with the ANSI standard
and weighs only slightly more than a typical halogen
lamp.
ANSI
Maximum
Overall
Length
What’s the Difference Between a UL Listed
Lamp and One Bearing the R-UL (UL recognized)
Mark?
A lamp bearing the UL label is listed for use as a
finished product, in this case, an MR16 retrofit lamp.
A lamp bearing the RU label means that it is suitable
only for use as a component in a UL listed finished
product, and should be listed by that manufacturer as
a component in the fixture. To quote UL, “a product
bearing only a UL Recognized Component Mark
should be treated the same as an unlisted product.”

What Makes Soraa Lamps Different?
Why is Overall Beam Pattern Important?
There are three components of the beam angle in
directional lamps: center beam candle power (CBCP),
field, and spill. CBCP and field are what lighting
designers consider as usable lumens. Lumens falling
outside this area are called “spill.” Designers try
to eliminate spill by using baffles, lenses and other
accessories. Many LED directional lamps only concentrate
on CBCP, and produce minimal light in the
field, so they miss a key component of good lighting
design. Others have a significant amount of spill, so
even if they have lumens in this area, these lumens
are not considered usable. Most lamps have irregular
beam patterns with many artifacts and poor centerto-edge
color consistency. So when choosing an LED
MR16 lamp, it’s important to evaluate all the features
of usable light, including CBCP, field, beam shape,
and color over angle.
Only Soraa’s LED MR16 lamp delivers a perfect circular
beam, with the right amount CBCP and field,
minimal spill, soft transitions and high center-to-edge
color consistency.
What’s the Difference Between NEC Low Voltage
Class 1 and Class 2 Systems and Why is
This Distinction Important?
The National Electric Code (NEC) defines and determines
safety requirements for these systems. In terms
of 12VAC lighting, NEC Class 2 low voltage systems
are defined as systems using transformers that are
60W or less. These Class 2 systems have less stringent
safety requirements than other systems. UL defines
the transformer safety standards under UL1310:
Class 2 Power Units.
NEC Class 1 low voltage systems are over 60W in
12VAC and have more stringent safety requirements.
UL defines the transformer safety standards under
UL1012: Power Units Other Than Class 2.
Many LED MR16 lamps state that they are only for use
in Class 2 systems. Using a Class 2 lamp with a power
unit other than Class 2 violates UL and creates a potential
safety issue.
Some LED MR16 lamp manufacturers say nothing
about which UL transformers are suitable for use with
their lamp, so it is unclear if they are UL tested for
use with UL1012 transformers in Class 1 low voltage
systems, or only rated for Class 2 applications with
UL1310 transformers.
Soraa’s LED MR16 lamp is the ONLY UL listed lamp
that is specifically listed for use with both UL1012
and UL1310 Power Units in Class 1 and 2 low voltage
systems.
What Other Requirements Are Important?
LED lamps legally must comply with FCC requirements,
CFR 47 Part 15 and Part 18. Some LED lamps
may not comply with this requirement and may be
subject to FCC sanctions, including fines and recalls.
Soraa’s LED MR16 lamp complies with all FCC requirements,
as tested by an independent certified laboratory.
Halogen beam (top) shows
uneven pattern and spill.
Bottom image (rendered
from IES file) shows approximately
35% wasted lumens
projecting from top of lamp.
Beam from Soraa lamp (top)
shows even pattern and
minimal spill. Bottom image
(rendered from IES file)
shows a clean, efficient beam
pattern.

The Soraa Team
Founded in 2008 in Goleta, California by a team of pioneering professors from the worlds of engineering
and semiconductors, Soraa is the world’s leading developer of solid-state lighting technology
built on pure gallium nitride substrates, commonly referred to as GaN on GaN. Soraa’s
investors include Khosla Ventures, NEA, and NGEN Partners.
Professor Shuji Nakamura, founder
Professor Nakamura may have single-handedly changed the technological face of the world. His discovery
of p-type doping in Gallium Nitride (GaN) and development of blue, green, and white light emitting
diodes (LEDs) and blue laser diodes (LDs) has enabled energy efficient, solid-state lighting used in
displays, medicine, and the next generation of Blu-Ray optical storage. Now, Dr. Nakamura’s inventions
are poised to replace Thomas Edison’s light bulb and save the world billions of dollars in energy costs.
Dr. Steven P. DenBaars, founder
Professor of Materials and Co-Director of the Solid-State Lighting Center at the University of California
Santa Barbara, ranked number one in the nation by the National Research Council, Dr. Steven P. Den-
Baars’ interest in growth of GaN based semiconductors and their application to Blue LEDs, lasers and
high power electronic devices lead to the first US university demonstration of a Blue GaN laser diode
and more than seven patents pending on GaN growth and processing.
Professor Jim Speck, founder
Materials Department Chair at U.C. Santa Barbara, ranked number one in the nation by the National
Research Council, Professor Speck has worked extensively on the materials science of GaN and related
alloys. He received the Quantum Device Award from the International Symposium on Compound Semiconductors
in 2007, was named an inaugural MRS Fellow in 2008, received the JJAP Best Paper Award
in 2008, became an APS Fellow in 2009, and received the IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award
for his work on nonpolar and semipolar GaN-based materials and devices.
Eric Kim, CEO
Kim rocketed to fame in the IT world when Samsung appointed him to reinvigorate marketing in 1999.
At the time, Samsung was mostly a second-tier brand known for cheap electronics. As Global CMO/
EVP New Business Development, he transformed Samsung into a premium consumer brand. Not long
after, Kim moved to Intel as SVP/ GM for the Digital Home Group, delivering next-generation SoC
(System-on-a-Chip) for web-enabled SmartTVs.
Mike Krames, CTO
With 20 years of laser diode and LED R&D experience, Mike is a former Executive VP at Philips Lumileds,
where he formed and ran the Advanced Laboratories and its research on III-nitride epitaxy, LED
device technology, and luminescent materials. He spearheaded many key solid-state lighting advancements,
including flip-chip and thin-film flip-chip technologies, photonic crystal LEDs, ceramic phosphors,
and advancing understanding of the “droop” mechanism in InGaN-GaN LEDs. A senior member
of IEEE, he has published over 70 papers and has over 100 patents in the solid-state lighting field.
Frank Steranka, SVP Engineering
Dr. Steranka joined Soraa in June of 2010 and has been in the LED business since 1984. With Hewlett
Packard’s Optoelectronics Division, he worked on the successful commercialization of a wide variety
of LED products based upon the AlGaAs, AlInGaP, and InGaN materials systems. In 1999, he joined the
Agilent-Philips Lumileds Lighting joint venture where he served in many roles including Executive Vice
President of R&D and CTO. With a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Frank has participated in or led the release to market of over 200 LED products..
Neal Woods, SVP World Wide Operations
Mr. Woods joined Soraa in July, 2011 and has held a variety of executive manufacturing engineering and
manufacturing operations roles at Texas Instruments, Apple Computer, 3Com, and Cisco Systems. He
most recently served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Hewlett-Packard’s Imaging & Printing
Group. While at HP, he had ownership for IPG’s supply chain, which shipped both high volume and high
complex products with annual revenues in excess of $25B. He received his B.S.E.E. degree from Kansas
State University.

THE Soraa LED MR16 Product Family
Soraa MR16s are available in 2700K and 3000K color temperatures; 10°,
25°, and 36° beam spreads; and GU-5.3 and GU-10 base types.
PREMIUM
Soraa PREMIUM- Top of the Line
Soraa’s PREMIUM MR16 lamp line is the choice for interior applications
requiring a “no compromise” LED solution for a 50W halogen replacement.
The Soraa lamp meets and even exceeds the performance of halogen MR16
lamps, while saving 75% of the energy. Soraa’s PREMIUM lamp is the perfect
choice for retail, hospitality, restaurant, and any application where a high
quality of light is just as important as saving energy.
ESSENTIAL
Soraa ESSENTIAL- the Smart Choice
Soraa’s ESSENTIAL MR16 lamp line is a cost-effective quality solution for
halogen lamp replacement. Designed to replace standard 40W MR16 halogen
lamps, the Soraa lamp meets and exceeds the performance of halogen
lamps, while saving 75% of the energy. Soraa ESSENTIAL lamps are the
perfect choice for any application where the quality of light is as important
as saving energy.
OUTDOOR
Soraa OUTDOOR- Safe for Enclosed Fixtures
Soraa’s OUTDOOR MR16 lamp line is specifically designed and tested to
operate in difficult environments. Suitable for use in outdoor fixtures, or
indoors in enclosed recessed or small non-ventilated track fixtures, Soraa’s
lamp is the ideal LED choice for diverse applications. Designed to replace
standard 50W MR16 halogen lamps, the Soraa lamp meets and exceeds the
performance of halogen lamps, while saving 75% of the energy.
Soraa OUTDOOR lamps are the perfect choice for outdoor and enclosed
or non-ventilated indoor applications where lamp reliability and quality of
light are as important as saving energy.
VIVID
Soraa VIVID- High CRI, Perfect Color Rendering
Soraa’s VIVID MR16 lamp line is the choice when quality of light is the
primary consideration. With a CRI of 95, rich saturated color rendering
and excellent color stability, the VIVID lamp is the only choice for demanding
display applications. Designed to replace standard 50W MR16 halogen
lamps, the Soraa lamp offers superior light quality, while saving up to 75%
of the energy of halogen lamps. Soraa VIVID lamps are the perfect choice
for museums, galleries, designer retail, premier hotels and resorts, and any
application where providing superior light quality is as important as saving
energy.
Soraa Inc.
6500 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555
510.456.2227
www.soraa.com