The Ancestor of Light — The Meaning of Fire
Fire first appeared during the era of Homo erectus about one million years ago. From its initial use as a source of warmth and protection, fire later became recognized as one of the Five Elements in ancient Chinese philosophy, regarded both as a civil resource and a material force. Beyond its practical uses in daily life, rituals, and social activities, fire also evolved into a philosophical concept as one of the fundamental elements of existence.
Milestones of New Inventions After the Industrial Revolution
In 1854, Heinrich Göbel (1818–1893), born in Springe, Germany, became the first inventor to create a practical incandescent lamp using electric light. In 1879, Thomas Edison—after experimenting with more than 1,600 materials and conducting thousands of tests—discovered a commercially viable filament material and patented his incandescent bulb. With mass production of incandescent lamps, lighting gradually became widely accessible.Modern lighting has since shifted toward energy efficiency, evolving from compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and CCFL technology to today’s LED light sources. Advances in materials and design now allow lighting to adapt to diverse spaces, environments, and atmospheres, elevating illumination from mere practicality to spatial aesthetics, environmental comfort, and creative visual design. Lighting has become as essential and pervasive as air and water—an inseparable part of human life and environment.
Fluorescent lamp-
螢光燈，又稱日光燈，螢光燈是利用電子激發氣體中的水銀蒸氣，產生紫外線。紫外線照射到燈管內壁的螢光粉上，使其發出可見光。螢光燈發光效率比白熾燈高4到5倍, 壽命則長5到7倍。
Compact fluorescent lamp（ CFL）
1980 年代後期，1891 年飛利浦在恩荷芬（Eindhoven）成立燈泡工廠，省電燈泡（Compact fluorescent lamp, CFL）剛推出的時候，價格是白熾燈的 10 倍以上，消耗電力只有 1/4 或更低，且壽命也是 10 倍以上。
CCFL冷陰極管
CCFL為冷陰極管的英文簡稱，全名為 ( Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp )發光原理與我們日常常見的日光燈相似，屬於氣體放電燈源(Gas-discharge light source)。差別在於CCFL並非採用熱電子放射方式去激發出紫外光，優點是可以得到小型化(管徑較小)與壽命較長的燈管。此點對於薄型化錙銖必較的IT產業與消費性電子來說，是相當大的優勢。可應用於導航系統、LCD螢幕、手機及數位相機，更是LCD TV不可或缺的背光材料之一。
CCFL屬於低壓水銀放電燈，是在玻璃管的內壁塗上一層螢光粉，並在內部封入少量不活性氣體及微量的水銀。當電源加入並放電，由燈管兩端直接加入高壓，使管內水銀電子與氣體原子相互衝擊產生紫外線，經由紫外線碰到管壁螢光分而轉換為可視光。由於冷陰極燈管不使用燈絲，無燈絲燒斷或摔斷問題，故比一般燈管壽命更長。
LED發光二極體
發光二極體（LED）照明也可稱之為固態照明（SSL），其光源是以發光二極體（LED）發光，不同於鎢絲燈泡或氣態放電發光，利用 n 型與 p 型半導體材料中電子與電洞的結合，把電能直接轉化成光能。與傳統的白熾燈泡及螢光燈相比，發光二極體（LED）照明所產生的熱能散失或能源損失較少。此外，發光二極體（LED）是固態操作模式，提供了較好的抗震動、擺動、磨損的性質，因此可以有效地增加壽命。LED 的壽命約為螢光燈的 4 倍，環境控制得宜可達 30,000 小時，光效可到螢光燈的 2 倍以上，不含螢光燈設計上的有害物質。
智能照明—未來的照明
智慧照明被認為是自燈泡發明以來最重要的照明技術創新。從火光到 LED，照明的歷史反映了人類文明的進步。隨著科技的不斷發展，照明技術也將繼續進步，未來的照明將更加節能、環保、智能化。