How does an LED work?
At INUI we are proud of our constantly evolving LED range which is why we thought it would be interesting to take a look at how an LED actually works.
Key Stats:
Usage: Downlight's, in technology (such as mobile devices), night lighting, outdoor lighting
Life Expectancy: Approx. 50,000 hours
Cost: Low initial and running costs
Benefits: Low cost, doesn't get hot, long life expectancy
An LED is a basic semi conductor device - there are two types of semi conductor materials within the device; P-type which are positively charged 'holes' and N-type which are negatively charged 'electrons'.
When a current supply is connected to them it forces the negatively charged electrons to move in one direction and the positively charged holes to move in the opposite direction. When they collide, or come together, the energy that's released forms a photon or a unit of light. The amount of photon released determines the colour of the light.
The type of material and process involved when creating the N-type and P-type materials dictate the colour of the photons as well as the efficiency of the LED. After processing the material to an LED chip, the chip is installed in a package which allows an electrical connection and directs as much light as possible in the desired direction.