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Light Emitting Diodes 1

LEDs form an inevitable part in the modern electronics as simple indicators to optical
communication devices. Light Emitting Diodes exploit the property of the p-n junction to emit
photons when it is forward biased. LEDs are specially made diodes to emit light when a
potential is applied to its anode and cathode. The history of LED date backs to !"# when
$aptain %enry &oseph observed the property of electro-luminescence in 'ilicon $arbide. The
first LED was designed in !(). *t was developed by %olonyak worked at +eneral Electric
,+E-. *t was a +a.s/ device. The first commercial version of LED came in the market during
!("s. LED industry became a boom during !#"s with the introduction of +allium .luminium
.rsenide ,+a.l.s-. These LEDs are high bright types and are many times brighter than the old
diffused types. 0lue and 1hite LEDs was introduced in !!" which uses *ndium +allium
2itride ,*n+a2- as the semiconductor. 1hite LED contains a blue chip with white inorganic
/hosphor. 1hen blue light strikes the phosphor3 it emits white light.
What makes LED ideal?
LEDs are extensively used in electronic circuits because of its advantages over bulbs. 'ome
important features that make LED ideal in electronic circuits are
. LEDs are encapsulated in plastic or resin cases so that they can withstand mechanical shocks.
). 4nlike bulbs3 LEDs do not generate heat and power loss through heating is practically nil.
5. LEDs re6uire very low current and voltage typically )" milliampere current and .7 volts. 'o
these are ideal in battery operated circuits.
What is inside an LED?
*nside the casing of an LED3 there are two terminal posts connected by a small chip made of
+allium compound. This material exhibits the property of photon emission when the p-n
junction is forward biased. Different colours are produced by dopping the base material with
other substances.
LEDs follow some physics
0rightness is an important aspect of LED. %uman eye has maximum sensitivity to light near
88" nm region of yellow 9 green part of the visible spectrum. That is why a +reen LED appears
brighter than a :ed LED even though both use same current. The important parameters of LED
responsible for its performance are
1. Luminous flux
*ndicates the light energy radiating from the LED. *t is measured in terms of Lumen ,lm- or
;illi lumen ,mlm-
2. Luminous intensity
The luminous flux covering a large area is the luminous intensity. *t is measured as $andela ,cd-
or milli candela ,mcd- 0rightness of LED is directly related to its luminous intensity.
3. Luminous efficacy
*t is the emitted light energy relative to the input power. *t is measured in terms of lumen per
watt ,lm w-.
<orward current3 forward voltage3 =iewing angle and 'peed of response are the factors affecting
the brightness and performance of LEDs. <orward current , *< - is the current flowing through
the LED when it is forward biased and it should be restricted to " to 5" milli amperes
otherwise LED will be destroyed. =iewing angle is the off 9 axis angle at which the luminous
intensity fall to half its axial value. This is why LED shows more brightness in full on
condition. %igh bright LEDs have narrow viewing angle so that light is focused into a beam.
<orward voltage ,=f- is the voltage drop across the LED when it conducts. The forward voltage
drop range from .7 = to ).( =olts in ordinary LEDs but in 0lue and 1hite it will go up to 8
volts. 'peed of response represents how fast an LED is switched on and off. This is an
important factor if LEDs are used in communication systems.
Is LED e!uies a "allast esisto?
LED is always connected to the power supply through a series resistor. This resistor is called
as> 0allast resistor> which protects LED from damage due to excess current. *t regulates the
forward current to the LED to a safer limit and protects it from burning. =alue of the resistor
determines the forward current and hence the brightness of LED. The simple e6uation =s 9 =f ?
*f is used to select the resistor value. =s represent input voltage of the circuit3 =f the forward
voltage drop of LED and *f3 the allowable current through the LED. The resulting value will be
in @hms. *t is better to restrict the current to a safer limit of )" m..
#he ta$le gi%en $elow shows the fowad %oltage dop of common LEDs.
&ed 'ange (ellow )een "lue White
.7 = ) = ). = ).) = 5.( = 5.( =
. typical LED can pass 5" 9A" m. safe current through it. 2ormal current to give sufficient
brightness to a standard :ed LED is )" m.. 0ut this may be A" m. for 0lue and 1hite LEDs.
$urrent limiting ballast resistor protects LED from excess current that is flowing through it. The
value of the ballast resistor should be carefully selected to prevent damage to LED and also to
get sufficient brightness at )" m. current. The following e6uation explains how a ballast
resistor is selected.
: B = ? *
1here : is the value of resistor in ohms3 = is the input voltage to the circuit and * is the
allowable current through LED in .mps. <or a typical :ed LED3 the forward voltage drop is
.7 volts. 'o if the supply voltage is ) = ,=s- 3 voltage drop across the LED is .7 = , =f - and
the allowable current is )" m. , *f - then the value of the ballast resistor will be
=s 9 =f ? *f B ) 9 .7 ? )" m. B ".) ? ".") . B 8" @hms.
0ut 8" ohms resistor is not usually available. Therefore A#" ohms resistor can be used even
though the current through the LED slightly increases. 0ut is advisable to use C resistor to
increase the life of the LED even though there will be a slight reduction in the brightness.
<ollowing is a ready reckoner for selecting limiting resistor for various versions of LEDs at
different voltages.
'upply voltage :ed @range Dellow +reen 0lue 1hite
) = A#" E A#"E A#" E A#" E 5!" E 5!" E
! = 55" E 55" E 55" E 55" E )#" E )#" E
( = 7" E 7" E 7" E 7" E )" E )" E
8 = 7" E 8" E 8" E 8" E (7 E (7 E
5 = 8( E A# E A# E 55 E - -
*dded colous
.n LED that can give different colours is useful in some applications. <or example3 an LED
could indicate all systems @C when it becomes +reen and faulty if it becomes :ed. LEDs that
can produce two colours are called 0icolour LEDs. . bicolour LED encloses two LEDs
,usually :ed and +reen- in a common package. The two chips are mounted on two terminal
posts so that the anode of one LED forms the cathode of the other. 0icolour LED gives :ed
colour if current passes in one direction and turns +reen when the direction of current is
reversed. Tricolour and multicolour LEDs are also available which have two or more chips
enclosed in a common package. The Tricolour LED has two anodes for red and green chips and
a common cathode. 'o it emits red and green colours depending on the anode that carries
current. *f both the anodes are connected to positive3 both the LEDs lights and yellow colour is
produced. $ommon anode and separate cathode type LEDs are also available. 0icolour LED
glows in different colours ranging from green through yellow orange and red based on the
current flowing through their anodes by selecting suitable series resistor to restrict anode
current. ;ulticolor LED contains more than two chips-usually red3 green and blue chips- within
a single package. <lashing type multicolor LEDs are now available with two leads. This gives a
rainbow colour display which is highly attractive.
Infa &ed diode + #he ,ouce of In%isi$le light
*: diodes are widely used in remote control applications. *nfra red is actually a normal light
with a particular colour which is not sensitive to human eye because its wave length is !8" nm3
below the visible spectrum. ;any sources like sun3 bulbs3 even the human body emit infra red
rays. 'o it is necessary to modulate the emission from *: diode to use it in electronic
application to prevent false triggering. ;odulation makes the signal from *: LED stand out
above the noise. *nfra red diodes have a package that is opa6ue to visible light but transparent to
infra red. *: LEDs are extensively used in remote control systems.
-hoto diode + It can see light
The /hotodiode generates current when its p-n junction receives photons from visible or
infrared light. The basic operation of a photo diode relies on the absorption of photons in a
semiconductor material. The photo-generated carriers are separated by an applied electric field3
and the resulting photocurrent is proportional to the incident light. The velocity at which the
carriers move in the depletion region is related to the strength of the electric field across the
region and the mobility of carriers. . photon that is absorbed by the semiconductor in the
depletion region will cause the formation of an electron- hole. The hole and electron will be
transported by the electric field to the edges of the depletion region. @nce the carriers leave the
depletion region they travel to the terminals of the photo diode to form a photo current flowing
in the external circuitry. *n most circuits the photo diode is reverse biased3 so that charge is
carried by extrinsic charge carriers. The response time of a photo diode is typically )8" nano
seconds.
L*,E& Diode + -ointing a $eam
. laser diode is similar to an ordinary transparent LED but produces Laser with high intensity.
*n the laser beam a number of atoms vibrate in such a fashion that all the emitted radiation of a
single wave length is in phase with each other. Laser light is monochromatic and passes in the
form of a narrow pencil beam. The beam of typical laser diode is A mm x ".( mm which widens
only to )" mm at a distance of 8 m. Laser diode can be switched on and off at higher
fre6uencies even as high as +%E. 'o it is highly useful in telecommunication systems. 'ince
the laser generates heat on hitting the body tissues3 it is used in surgery to heal lesions in highly
sensitive parts like retina3 brain etc. Laser diodes form important components in $D players to
retrieve datas recorded in compact discs.
D. .ohan kuma

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