The History of LED Light Bulbs

They&#;ve been lighting up our rooms since the s, but what is the history of LED light bulbs and why did they become such a popular light on the market?

For more information, please visit our website.

The initial invention of the LED light bulb dates back to the early s, to be exact, when a British engineer by the name of Captain Henry Joseph Round discovered electroluminescence. This optical and electrical phenomenon works using electrical currents or fields to produce light.

However, it was more than half a century and several stages later before this invention became cost effective enough for LED lights to be sold commercially.

Lights and action

The light-emitting diodes, which give LEDs their name, came into popular existence in the s, but not in the form of lights as we know them. Rather, they were used to play music on record players.
The next stage of the LED&#;s existence was in the form of the discovery of near-infrared light emission. Fast forward to and the first red LED had come into existence, followed by the development of yellow and red-orange LEDs.

Making LEDs commercially viable proved a relatively lengthy process for US manufacturers, but in the s, a company by the name of Fairchild Optoelectronics bought this revolutionary light to market.

LED lights

Today, LED bulbs have cemented their reputation as being the most cost-efficient, energy-efficient and reliable light bulb on the market &#; and there&#;s a range to choose from as well.

From spotlights to downlights, strip lighting to different sized bulbs, not to mention fairy lights for the Christmas tree, LED bulbs have fast become the preferred choice of many homeowners, traders, builders and commercial developers. They&#;re both decorative and practical, making them suitable for a range of rooms and buildings.

Although at the higher price end of the market, a comparison between LED lights and incandescent bulbs shows they are well worth the investment. Incandescent bulbs produce approximately 1,500 hours of light to an LED bulb&#;s 25,000. That equates to approximately 17 incandescent light bulbs per LED bulb.

LED light technology

Like many other areas of technology, LED lights have evolved as time has progressed. Here at Evergreen Energy, they&#;re certainly our preferred lighting option, not least for their sustainability. LED bulbs use very little energy and have the longest lifespan of any bulb on the market, thus making them a more environmentally viable option.

The most exciting thing about LED bulbs isn&#;t just their versatility, as they&#;re suitable for most rooms in the house, providing everything from bright lights in bathrooms and mood lighting in hallways. As technology continues to develop, so too will LED bulbs. They have potential to become even more sustainable, more energy efficient and cost effective for the user.

Light-emitting diode (LED) is right now the most energy-efficient lighting technology available for use in commercial and business purposes, and it is only natural that it is also one of the most rapidly-developing technologies. LED is a kind of solid-state lighting where a semiconductor converts electricity to light (without producing heat) usually in a small area of about 1 square millimeter or less (the diode). So in an LED lamp, there are actually multiple light-emitting diodes. The light that generates from an LED projects in one direction, which does away with the need to use diffusers and reflectors.

The Development of the Concept of Electroluminescence

The history of LED lighting begins with the discover of electroluminescence. The concept of electroluminescence lies at the heart of the development of LED lights. In , Henry Joseph Round observed this phenomenon in Silicon Carbide. However, the yellow light emitted was too faint to be of any real use. No further research was conducted into this phenomenon then. In , Bernhard Gudden and Robert Wichard Pohl used Zinc Sulphide with Copper to replicate the phenomenon.

But once again, the light emitted by this material was too faint to be of any practical use. Research again stops on this phenomenon. The term &#;electroluminescence&#; was coined by George Destriau in when he published a report on the phenomenon of light being produced by Zinc Sulphide powder when electric current was conducted through it.

For more information, please visit Joineonlux.

The First Light-Emitting Diode with Practical Use In The History of LED

In , Robert Biard and Gary Pittman invented an infra-red LED while they were working for Texas Instruments. However, this light did not have any practical use because it was invisible to human beings. This was an accidental invention because Biard and Pittman were actually working on a laser diode.

Experimenting with the use of the semiconductor Gallium Arsenide that had started during the s subsequently led to the development of the very first LED with practical use. In , Nick Holonyak, Jr. invented the first LED that could produce visible red light. He invented these red diodes during his employment with General Electric. For his achievement, Holonyak has earned the title of &#;Father of the Light-Emitting Diode.&#;

Experimentation with the type of semiconductor that could produce more efficient LEDs continued throughout the s. In the early years of this decade, LEDs were made using Gallium Arsenide Phosphide on a Gallium Arsenide substrate. Using Gallium Phosphide as the substrate increased the efficiency of the lights and brighter red LEDs came into being. Soon afterwards, orange LEDs begin production.

The History of LED Lighting In Mass Production Begins at Monsanto

In , M. George Craford of the Monsanto Company used two Gallium Phosphide chips&#;one red and one green&#;to make LEDs that emitted a pale yellow light. Incidentally, Monsanto Company is the first company to produce LED lights on a large scale and for mass consumption. Craford also invented an LED that emitted about ten times brighter light than Holonyak&#;s version.

During the mid-s, scientists started using only Gallium Phosphide to make LEDs that emitted a pale green light. These experiments resulted in improved versions of LEDs by the end of the decade. These LEDs could produce pure green light.

The use of LED lights became popular during this decade when Fairchild Optoelectronics began to produce low-cost devices.

The First Generation of Super-Bright LEDs

Continuous and intensive research and development work into the LED technology led to the development of the first generation of super-bright red, yellow, and green LEDs in the early years of the s. In the early s, scientists experimented with Indium Gallium Aluminum Phosphide as the semiconductor material to produce ultra-bright orange-red, orange, green, and yellow LEDs.

In , Shuji Nakamura invents the ultra-bright blue LEDs using Gallium Nitride. Just afterwards, he develops high-intensity blue and green LEDs using Indium Gallium Nitride. These ultra-bright blue LEDs led the foundation for the development of cost-efficient and supremely functional white LED lights that are now commonly installed in commercial and manufacturing spaces, as shown in the image below. Scientists discovered that by coating the blue light-emitting chip with fluorescent phosphors, the diode could be made to emit bright white light.

The United States Encourages Development of the White LED

The results produced by the white LEDs were impressive, and the U.S. Department of Energy encouraged the development of the white LED technology keeping in mind the needs of business owners to light up their commercial spaces with cost-efficient solutions. The result is that today&#;s LEDs lights are six to seven times more efficient than the traditional incandescent bulbs. The LED lights use an impressive 80 percent less energy than their incandescent counterparts. They also last 25 times as long. LED lights are cost-efficient for installation on a large scale.

Meanwhile, research into LED technology continues. There are right now LEDs that emit pure violet and even ultra-violet &#;black&#; light. The increased energy efficiency of LED lights has prompted business owners to use these on a large scale in their offices, industrial operations, and commercial developments to invoke more cost-savings.

[caption id="attachment_261" align="alignright" width="300"] The history of LED lighting shows that light emitting diodes were first available in the s as indicator lights. source: Wikipedia[/caption][caption id="attachment_365" align="alignright" width="300"] A 100 watt corn lamp from 3BL.[/caption]

The company is the world’s best wholesale LED strip lights supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.