LED Lighting Technology

By: Dan Kaser

9/17/2007

What Are LEDs?

LED is an acronym for Light Emitting Diode

Instead of a filament they use a semiconductor diode which emits narrowspectrum light.
Depending on the composition & condition of the semiconducting material
used (Silicone, germanium), they come in either Infrared for sensing heat,
Visible for every day use, or Near-Ultraviolet for spotting stains at a crimescene.
An LED consists of a chip of semiconducting material that has been doped
with impurities in order to create a p-n junction.
A p-n junction is basically a junction between an anode and a cathode.
Current flows easily from the p-side to the n-side, but never in the reverse
order.
The wavelength and color of the LED depends on the band-gap energy of
the materials forming the p-n junction.

Where do we see LEDs?

Everywhere!!

Current uses of LEDs

Status indicators on all sorts of equipment: your cell phone, computer, monitor, stereo
Traffic lights
Architectural lighting
Exit signs
Motorcycle and bicycle lights
Railroad crossing signals
Flashlights
Emergency vehicle lighting
Message displays at airports, railways, bus stations, trams, trolleys and ferries
Military and Tactical missions utilize red and/or yellow lights to retain night vision.
Movement sensors
LCD backlighting in televisions
Christmas Lights
Lanterns

LEDs Vs. Incandescents

Incandescent
Positives

Cheap to manufacture & buy

Easier to come by

Generally stronger light output

Better for seeing through Fog and Smoke

Negatives

VERY breakable

Horrible patterns in light

Hot burning

Heavy on battery consumption

Short lifespan

Yellowish color filters out anything with

yellow in it, IE: White looks yellow, yellow
doesnt show, red looks brown, green looks
black.

LED
Positives

Virtually indestructible

100,000 hour lifespan

Low energy consumption

Symmetrical beam with little-to-no artifacts

Cheap to manufacture

Available in a multitude of colors without

requiring a filter.

Pure white light means no color will be

filtered out.

Low functioning temperature

Negatives

Less potential output (for now)

Slightly more expensive to purchase

Potential uses in the future

LEDs are already being used in tail-lights for cars, and some companies like
Lexus are experimenting with LED headlights
Home lighting: Imagine a light-bulb with 100,000 constant hours of use. In other
words:
100,000 hours/24 hours a day = 4,166 days
4,166 days/365 days a year = 11.4 years.
Not only will the light bulb last for 11.4 years, but it will also require much less
current than a traditional light-bulb. If one LED-light bulb requires half the energy
of one Incandescent light-bulb, we may not have to suffer through rolling blackouts
ever again!
LEDs are already getting brighter. Here is an example of one of the most recent
LEDs to hit the market titled the Luxeon Rebel. It is both twice as bright, and
uses half the current of its predecessor of only 2 years.
Technology will eventually dictate that LEDs are the light source of the future.

How of
will
this on
affect
the business
Impact
LEDs
the world
of Business
world?

With the horizons of LED technology broadening, many light manufacturers

are putting their top scientists to work:
Maglite, for instance, always made Incandescent lights, but have
recently begun creating drop-in LED modules for their incandescent
torches.
If one car company comes out with LED headlights that manage to function
at a higher efficiency and also increase output, it is inevitable that all other
car companies will follow. Nobody likes a burnt out headlight!
Energy is an expensive commodity! The more money we can save on
energy, the more money we can spend on more important business
aspects. One office building that solely uses LED bulbs could save
thousands a year in Energy use alone.
When the sun explodes we wont be able to make anymore energy and we
will have to rely on LEDs and their efficiency to find food in the pitch black.

THE END!