Electronics & Semiconductors
A new paper from the University of Surrey and the University of Cambridge has detailed how two relatively unexplored semiconducting materials can satisfy the telecommunication industry's hunger for enormous amounts of ...
Aug 26, 2021
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483
Engineering
Energy efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used in our everyday life for many decades. But the quest for better LEDs, offering both lower costs and brighter colors, has recently drawn scientists to a material ...
Mar 10, 2021
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113
Electronics & Semiconductors
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are devices that emit light when electrical current flows through them, traditionally fabricated using semiconducting materials. Over the past few years, scientists and electronics engineers have ...
Consumer & Gadgets
University of Texas at Dallas researchers and their international colleagues have developed a method to create micro LEDs that can be folded, twisted, cut and stuck to different surfaces.
Aug 31, 2020
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90
Engineering
Adding a layer of nanoparticles to LED designs could help them produce more light for the same energy, and also increase their lifetime.
Aug 7, 2020
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16
Consumer & Gadgets
Think Europe, think bicycles, as adults of all ages off to work or daily errands are on the road shared with automobiles. In 2020, bikes have become even more popular as environmental concerns have led to governments eager ...
Energy & Green Tech
LED light bulbs are getting cheaper and more energy efficient every year. So, does it make sense to replace less-efficient bulbs with the latest light-emitting diodes now, or should you wait for future improvements and even ...
Nov 15, 2017
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18
Energy & Green Tech
Smart 3D-printed braces that incorporate nontoxic batteries and lights could reduce the time and costs involved in realigning and straightening teeth.
Oct 25, 2017
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1
Security
Researchers at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) Cyber Security Research Center (CSRC) have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to covertly siphon sensitive files, passwords or other critical data ...
Jun 5, 2017
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32
Engineering
Researchers at Disney Research and ETH Zurich have demonstrated that consumer-grade light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs can, with some modifications, do double duty—both illuminating a room and providing a communications link ...
Jun 27, 2016
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18
A light-emitting diode (LED) (pronounced /ˌɛliːˈdiː/, or just /lɛd/), is an electronic light source. The LED was first invented in Russia in the 1920s, and introduced in America as a practical electronic component in 1962. Oleg Vladimirovich Losev was a radio technician who noticed that diodes used in radio receivers emitted light when current was passed through them. In 1927, he published details in a Russian journal of the first ever LED.
All early devices emitted low-intensity red light, but modern LEDs are available across the visible, ultraviolet and infra red wavelengths, with very high brightness.
LEDs are based on the semiconductor diode. When the diode is forward biased (switched on), electrons are able to recombine with holes and energy is released in the form of light. This effect is called electroluminescence and the color of the light is determined by the energy gap of the semiconductor. The LED is usually small in area (less than 1 mm2) with integrated optical components to shape its radiation pattern and assist in reflection.
LEDs present many advantages over traditional light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size and faster switching. However, they are relatively expensive and require more precise current and heat management than traditional light sources.
Applications of LEDs are diverse. They are used as low-energy indicators but also for replacements for traditional light sources in general lighting and automotive lighting. The compact size of LEDs has allowed new text and video displays and sensors to be developed, while their high switching rates are useful in communications technology.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
