What are light emitting diodes? - physicscatalyst's Blog

What is LED?

A LED is a forward biased P-N junction diode which emits visible light when energized.
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting. Introduced as a practical electronic component in 1962, early LEDs emitted low-intensity red light, but modern versions are available across the visible, ultraviolet, and infrared wavelengths, with very high brightness.
When a light-emitting diode is forward-biased (switched on), electrons are able to recombine with electron holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence and the color of the light (corresponding to the energy of the photon) is determined by the energy gap of the semiconductor.For Si and Ge junctions , greater percentage of thei energy is given up in the form of heat so that the amount of emitted light is insignificent.But in case of semiconducting material like gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium phosphide (GaP), a greater percentage of energy released during recombination is given out in the form of light. The color of the emitted light depends on the type of material used. LEDs does not emit light when they are in reverse biased mode and operating LEDs in reversed biased mode will quickly destroy them.

LEDs are often small in area (less than 1 mm²), and integrated optical components may be used to shape its radiation pattern. LEDs present many advantages over incandescent light sources including lower energy consumption, longer lifetime, improved robustness, smaller size, and faster switching.
LEDs powerful enough for room lighting are relatively expensive and require more precise current and heat management than compact fluorescent lamp sources of comparable output.

Light-emitting diodes are used in applications as diverse as aviation lighting, automotive lighting, advertising, general lighting, and traffic signals.
LEDs have allowed new text, video displays, live video, and sensors to be developed, while their high switching rates are also useful in advanced communications technology.
Infrared LEDs are also used in the remote control units of many commercial products including televisions, DVD players, and other domestic appliances.