What is an LED?

LED is the acronym for “Light Emitting Diode”. LEDs are semiconductor
devices that produce light. These were initially used as indicator lights but
are now used extensively for indoor, outdoor and decorative lighting. Here is
a picture of an LED:

White LED picture showing the electrodes housed in a plastic case. (Picture
credit http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007-07-
24_Light_emiting_diode_(LED).jpg)
Below is the electronic symbol of the LED:
Symbol of the light emitting diode showing the cathode, anode and the
direction of light emitted.

The LED has a long history dating back to 1907 when a British physicist
discovered that silicon carbide crystals could produce light when subjected
to electric currents. Rubin Braunstein of the Radio Corporation of America
and Robert Biard and Gary Pittman of Texas Instruments contributed to the
development of the infrared LED. In 1962, a GE scientist, Nick Holonyak
developed the first visible light LED. This LED produced red light. Later
George Craford developed the yellow light LED. The humble LED then cost
close to $ 200 for a single LED! Within a few years the cost had fallen to 5
cents. Since then the cost of the LED has been falling while light output has
been going up.

How does an LED work?

The P-N junction is the basis of the functioning of the LED. The LED has an
anode and a cathode separated by a crystal of semiconductor material.
Addition of impurities to the semiconductor material produces P-N junctions
within the chip. The entire assembly is housed within a plastic cover that can
also double up as a lens to guide the light emitted by the LED.
A schematic diagram of a Light Emitting Diode. (Picture credit
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LED_Device.jpg)

When a voltage is applied across the electrodes the current flows from the
anode (P side) to the cathode (N side). When an electron meets a hole at the
P-N junction it falls in to a lower energy state. The difference in energy of the
two states is called the ‘Band gap’which is a characteristic of the material
comprising the P-N junction.
 The excess energy of the electron is emitted as a Photon. More is the ‘Band
Gap’ higher is the energy difference and shorter is the wavelength of the
light emitted.

The picture above shows the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation. Of the

different constituents of visible light red has the longest wavelength of 700
 nm (least energetic) while violet has the shortest wavelength 400 nm (most
energetic).

Since an LED produces light in a narrow band of wavelengths phosphors are

often used to improve the spectrum of white light produced by an LED. It is
also possible to combine several LEDs each producing a different wavelength
to produce full spectrum light.

LED Devices
The following are important for increasing the lighting efficiency of LEDs

 Advances in material sciences to create materials with better band gaps

 Better fabrication techniques for reducing the cost and increasing the
efficiency
 Improvement in heat dissipation
 Light extraction from the material comprising the diode. New materials allow
more light to be extracted, thus, improving the lumen per watt
characteristics of LEDs.
 Improvements in phosphor technology to increase the efficiency of
conversion of light from one wavelength to a wider band of wavelengths.

A single LED is very small and produces a defined amount of light according
to its design type. There are low-, mid- and high-power LEDs. Several LEDs
need to be combined to produce the desired amount of light.

The picture below showing 9 LED menorah resting on a fingertip indicates

the relative size of an LED:
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/459499832/sizes/m/)

This small size makes it possible to combine LEDs in any combination and
imparts versatility to LED powered lighting devices. According to the design
of the printed circuit board each LED will fail independently or a group of
LEDs will fail together. It means the chances of failure of all LEDs
simultaneously are very remote.

Now that you know what an LED is, it is time to understand what are LED
bulbs made of. LEDs need to be combined to increase the light output per
bulb to suitable values. You could try to do it on your own by soldering
several LEDs on a metal core printed circuit board but it is better to choose
packaged bulbs. Packaged bulbs are better because all LEDs have the same
voltage and current requirements, the integration of the sub parts of the
bulb is better and the aesthetic appeal of a manufactured LED bulb is
difficult to imitate.

The image below is a graphic representation of a section of an LED light:

A LED product the following parts –

LED cluster – Produces the required amount of light.

Driver Electronics – Change the household Alternating Current to Direct

Current and maintains the right current to power the LED. The electronic
ballast converts input voltage to 12V or 24V which is the often occuring input
voltage for LED circuit boards. Other Voltages are also possible, even AC
driven LEDs. The driver is the brain of the LED bulb. The two main
components of an LED driver are
a) The driver integrated circuit and
b) The driver circuit the driver circuit is also called the electrical control
gear.

Instead of using ICs and driver circuits, the required voltage drop can be
achieved by simply using a resistor. But resistors can lead to unacceptable
voltage drops and far higher currents than the LED is designed to handle
optimally.

Heat sink – The heat generated by the electronic parts and the LED need to
be dissipated. If heat sinks are not designed properly or excess drive
currents result in overheating it can result in elevated junction temperatures
that in turn will compromise both - the life and the light produced by the
LED.

For good thermal management three things are important

a) Substrate material – Often a metal core PCB is used to mount LEDs.

Besides providing a substrate for mechanical mounting of LEDs, the metal
core spreads the heat over a larger area and helps to transfer it to the heat
sink.

b) Interface materials – Usually a film or grease is employed as an

interface material. These help in removing heat while simultaneously
electrically separating the passive heat sink from the energized
components.

c) Heat sinks - Heat sinks are of two types. Active heat sinks often employ
fans to circulate air. Passive heat sinks use metal fins to dissipate heat.
Additional structural features can also be used to improve air flow around the
metal fins and ensure better heat dissipation. Active heat sinks dissipate
more heat but given the advances in passive heat sink design these are not
needed in most applications. Only when several LEDs are being used in a
confined space an active sink may be needed to control temperatures.

Optics – LED light is directional light. The standard light distribution angle of
a LED is 180 degrees, the light is emitted into the upper half-space. For some
LEDs the distribution angle is adjustable, there are narrow-, wide-beam till
batwing optics available. The viewing angle can be altered by lenses. Lenses
can be built into the structure of the LED (first optic) or a secondary lens can
be used to further control the viewing angle. Either there can be one
secondary lens for several LEDs in a bulb or each LED may be given a
separate secondary lens for tighter control of light output. Polycarbonate
lenses are preferred as they have very little light loss and are relatively easy
to manufacture. The surface quality and accuracy of shape are vital to
ensure even spread of light and for restricting losses in light output.

LED devices at MyLEDLightingGuide have high quality LEDs with excellent

light output, high quality driver electronics, aluminium heat sink and
patented optical diffuser for optimum performance.

Advantages of LED Technology

Light output - In 2002, light output from LEDs was in the region of 20
lumens per watt. Today LED Commercial lighting devices routinely produce
100 Lumens per watt. Experimental LEDs are reported to produce as much
as 208 Lumens per watt. This is far in excess of the light produced by
incandescent bulbs (15 lumens per watt) or fluorescent tubes (80-95 Lumens
per watt). Lower power consumption means that a typical LED light at
myledlightingguide.com can pays for itself in a little under 2 years.

Life span - LED lights last anywhere between 30,000 to 100,000 hours. Most
commercially available LED lights are rated for a 30,000 to 50,000 hour life
span. This means that once installed an LED will last anywhere between 10
to 30 years, depending on the running hours per day. The long life span
reduces maintenance expenses and makes these bulbs particularly suitable
for difficult to reach locations and for streetlights where maintenance costs
can be significant.

Operating characteristics – LED operate at lower temperatures, are not

sensitive to low temperature and unaffected by on off cycling. This makes
them safer, more efficient in cold environments (outdoor lights, refrigerator
lights and cold room lights) and better for applications requiring frequent
switching of and off lights. These bulbs are unaffected by vibrations making
them the best choice for places like bridges.

Shock resistant – The energized components of the LED are well separated
from the outer surface with high quality insulation. The electrodes are
embedded in the bulb matrix and the driver electronics are encased in its
shell. A layer of interface material between the LED and the heat sink
ensures that no current can leak to the heat sink.

Vibration resistant – If you look that at the picture of the LED at the
beginning of the page you will notice that the electrodes are encased in
transparent acrylic. There are no suspended filaments. Consequently, LEDs
are resistant to vibrations. Many avid off road driving fans use LED
automotive lights in their SUVs because of this feature alone.

No bulb replacements for decades – what will lighting

companies do?
Some people wonder that if LEDs will not need replacements for decades
lighting companies will be devoid of customers. The reality is quite the
opposite. The world is witnessing a drive to bury the incandescent bulb. The
versatility of LEDs is ensuring that for a decade or more lighting companies
will be busy supplying the need of customers who are replacing their burnt
out bulbs and tubes. Driven by an understanding of the eyes’ response to
light and the importance of pupil lumens high-pressure sodium lamps and
mercury vapor lamps will witness replacement in favor of LEDs.

A new wave of intelligent lighting systems shall probably be the biggest

business opportunity for lighting companies. It will also translate into one of
the biggest savers of carbon dioxide emissions. San Jose is already
experimenting with intelligent LED street lights and so are several retail
stores.

Given its technical superiority LEDs are rapidly being adopted in a range of
applications including automotive lighting, billboard lighting, indoor lighting
in art galleries and museums to protect rare paintings and artifacts, flood
lights, grow lights, wall washers, troffer lights, high bay lights among others.