Solid-state Lighting: LED Physics and Engineering Inventions

Did you know the tiny lights inside your phone, TV, and room lamps are made from materials so remarkable they earned a Nobel Prize? From the first dim red and green LEDs to the brilliant blue LEDs that transformed global lighting and displays, LEDs have completely changed the way we see the world. Why was creating bright blue LEDs nearly impossible for decades? How are superbright white LEDs made? How can silicon be made to glow? How do organic LEDs (OLEDs) work? In this semilab, you will explore how light-emitting solid-state materials, built from elements in Groups III and V of the periodic table, convert electrical energy into light with incredible efficiency. You will discover quantum physics and chemistry principles, inventions in materials science and engineering, which literally light up the modern world. You will experiment with different LED designs, measure their emission spectra and power efficiency, mix colors to create warm and cool white light, and even fabricate and test simple organic LEDs yourself!