The Light Emitting Diode (LED)

The first practicle red light-emitting diode (LED) was developed in 1962 and advances in semiconductor technologies, material sciences and optics technology have caused LED efficieny and light output to rise exponentially, with a doubling occuring about every 36 months since.

It wasn't until 1995 that the blue LED was developed. The existence of blue LEDs and high efficiency LEDs quickly led to the development of the first white LED. Today, full color displays use red, green and blue diodes to produce a full spectrum of colors. Monochrome displays just use a single color for the entire display, such as red, amber (yellow) or white.

LED's consume far less electricity, requiring less than one-tenth the energy of incandescent bulbs. While light bulbs burn out relatively quickly, LEDs can last for more than 100,000 hours. A single LED is made up of several compents including the LED chip, molded epoxy lens and frame leads for connection.