A Brief History of LED Lighting

Nowadays, light-emitting diodes (LED) are known to be the most energy-efficient light bulbs used in households and industries around the North Shore of Sydney.

Moreover, they are among the most rapidly-developing technologies as they continue to improve through the years.

Modern LED lights had gone through numerous research and experiments before it became the most energy-efficient light bulb ever made. Besides, different early scientists and innovators tried but failed to achieve a high-quality LED light.

To give you further insights, here’s a brief summary of the history of LED lighting.

The Discovery of Electroluminescence

In 1907, British experimenter Henry Joseph Round of Marconi Labs observed a yellowish light from a silicon carbide when applied with an electric current. However, the light produced was not bright enough to have meaningful use.

A few years later, Robert Wichard Pohl and Bernhard Gudden tried to observe the same phenomenon using zinc sulphide and copper in 1920. However, the result still produced a faint light and was not a relevant achievement.

Later between 1924 and 1930, Oleg Vladimirovich Losev from Russia observed and investigated the phenomenon of light emission from silicon carbide and zinc oxide. He published numerous reports about his investigations and observations. However, his works were lost, and records were destroyed during the Second World War.

On the succeeding years, numerous experimenters around the globe tried to replicate the light-emission phenomenon using different substances. In 1936, George Destriau coined the term “electroluminescence” on his report as he observed the same phenomenon of light being emitted by zinc sulphide powder conducted with electrical current.

The Rise of the First Light-Emitting Diode

It took decades to see relevant improvements on the creation of the first LED light. In 1955, Rubin Braustein of Radio Corporation America reported that some simple diodes produced infrared light when linked with electrical current.

Furthermore, Gary Pittman and Bob Biard of Texas Instruments discovered in 1961 that gallium-arsenide diode releases infrared light as current passes through it. They acquired a patent for the infrared LED on the same year. However, it was not of practical use since it was invisible to the naked human eye.

The experimentations of gallium arsenide as semiconductors led to the rise of the first-ever LED with significant usage. In 1962, Nick Holonyak, Jr. employed in General Electric, created the first light-emitting diode which produced a visible red light. He was recognised for his achievement as the “Father of the Light-Emitting Diode”.

The accomplishment of Nick Holonyak encouraged further researches and experiments on the succeeding years. Some experimenters used gallium arsenide as a substrate. This substrate produced a brighter red LED with increased efficiency. Later then, LEDs with orange light came into being.

In 1972, M. George Craford of Monsanto Company developed the first LEDs which emitted yellow light. He used a red and a green gallium phosphide to create such illumination. Likewise, he improved the red LED which was first discovered by Holonyak, producing a ten times brighter red light-emitting diode.

On the mid-1970s, scientists conducted numerous experiments to produce improved versions of LED lights. As the decade ends, an LED with a pure green light was created and added to the inventions.

LED Light Development Continues

The continuous and intensive studies of LED technology developed high output LED lights in the early 1980s. Scientists invented super-bright red, yellow and green LEDs, and later created additional LED colours through its combinations.

In 1994, Shuji Nakamura of Nichia Corporation created the first blue LED for commercial use. Subsequently, he was able to develop ultra-bright blue LEDs using indium gallium nitride. These high-intensity blue LEDs later progressed as the cost-efficient white LED lights that are now widely used in households and commercial buildings.

The modern LED lights are continually developing through the use of technology. Today, we consider LED lights as the most energy and cost-efficient type of light bulbs, multiple times better than traditional incandescent bulbs and fluorescent lamps.

Conclusion

LED lights took several decades to become the most energy-efficient bulb ever-present in the lighting industry. It has gone through a lot of failures and improvements before reaching its best form.

Nowadays, people use LED bulbs to light up houses, landscapes, and industries. The increase in its energy-efficiency level has encouraged a lot of people to have their own LED lights and experience its other significant benefits.

If you are planning to install your household LED lightings and need some help, Sydney North Shore Electrician is ready to assist you. We have highly skilled Level 2 electricians for reliable installation of your home or office’s LED lightings.

We guarantee a 100% satisfactory service at your most convenient time. Our team is here to address your electrical-related concerns 24/7.

Team up with our master electricians today and call us at (02) 8378 2828.