light emitting diode

A light-emitting-diode, or LED, is a semiconductor used as a source of light. Semiconductors are materials with a potential for electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of a conductor and an insulator. Due to their low energy consumption, LEDs are used on a wide variety of devices, to signal the state of that device, or indicate buttons and other features. LEDs are also used in many industries, such as entertainment and advertising, to produce luminescent signs that are clearly visible in the dark. A popular LED sign is the red "Exit" sign, usually used to indicate evacuation routes in emergency situations.

In the early 1960, the LEDs used on devices only emitted low intensity red light. However, nowadays LEDs are available across the entire infrared, visible and ultraviolet spectra of light, and can emit with varying degrees of intensity. As such, they have some degree of applicability in numerous areas of interest for people, and are now used in aviation lighting, for traffic signs, in automotive lighting, and many other situations. Infrared LEDs are also used in the remote controls of numerous household devices, including television sets, DVD players, air conditioners and more.

Various inorganic semiconductor materials are used to produce LEDs. Some of these include gallium arsenide, zinc selenide, silicon, boron nitride and more, depending on the color of light they can emit. LEDs also come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with the most common type being the classical 5 mm long, cylindrical red LED, which accounts for 80% of the worldwide production of light emitting diodes. The color of the plastic used to house the LED is usually of the same color as the light emitted by that LED, however, there are a few exceptions. For example, in the case of infrared LEDs, purple plastic is used.

Unlike incandescent light bulbs, LEDs can actually emit more light per Watt, making them a very efficient source of light. In addition, due to their small size, they can easily be mounted on circuit boards. Since they radiate very little heat when compared to incandescent bulbs, they do not threaten the devices they are mounted on.

You'll find bloggers talking about light emitting diodes at sites like ati.utexas.edu and nrel.gov.

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