In 1961, American experimenters Robert Biard and Gary Pittman working at Texas Instruments, found that GaAs emitted infrared radiation when electric current was applied and received the patent for the infrared LED.
The first practical visible-spectrum (red) LED was developed in 1962 by Nick Holonyak Jr., while working at General Electric Company. These red LEDs were used mainly for indicator lamps in devices and emitted low-intensity red light.
Later, other colours became widely available and also appeared in appliances and equipment. In 1992, the first high-brightness blue LED was demonstrated by Shuji Nakamura of Nichia Corporation. The existence of blue LEDs and high efficiency LEDs quickly led to the development of the first white LED, which is used for indoor and automotive lighting and display walls.
What is LED?
LED is a type of semiconductor diode made of p-n junctions. When a forward voltage is applied, electrons bearing a negative charge are able to recombine with holes, which are positively charged, within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is known as electroluminescence, and the colour of the light emitted is determined by the energy gap (bandgap) of the semiconductor. When different LED manufacturing materials are used, different LED colours are emitted for their respective use in various lighting applications.
Common elements used in LED lighting are Gallium (Ga), Arsenic (As), Phosphorous (P), Aluminium (Al), Nitrogen (N), Calcium (Ca), as well as Indium (In).
Benefits of LED
The benefits of using LED light sources instead of traditional light sources can be summarised as follows:
Long life span of up to 50,000 hrs
Environmentally friendly – no mercury or other hazardous compounds
No harmful radiation to human body as there is no Infrared (IR) or Ultraviolet (UV) output
Very energy efficient; low voltage operation results in energy and cost savings
Vivid saturation colours
High vibration and shock tolerance
Rapid start-up time (<100nano sec)
Small form factor
Advantages of AZ e-Lite’s LED Lighting
Up to 80% savings in energy
Additional 70% savings in energy when using motion sensor
Faster start-up time
Long operating life (up to 50,000 hours)
Brighter than conventional lighting
Reduced maintenance and replacement costs
More sturdy, for ease of transportation and maintenance
Able to apply and trade for carbon credits annually
