The Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to inventors blue LED – The World

While red and green LEDs have been around for half a century, the discovery of a blue component in 1992 has enabled the development of light sources white much less energy than traditional lighting and develop optical drives of larger capacity. The blue LED also sheds light on liquid crystal displays (TV, smartphones, tablets).

The three researchers are devoted to this invention that enables significant energy savings, said the jury in a statement. He reminded that the diode lamps result of the work of the three winners and a luminous efficiency of up to 300 lumens per Watt (L / W), respectively, against 70 l / W and 16 l / W fluorescent tubes (neons) and incandescent bulbs. Oil lamp with 0.1 l / W.

FLAT SCREENS, FLASHES AND LAMPS

Since a quarter of global electricity consumption is absorbed by the light, the invention of the blue LED is of considerable importance in terms of energy savings, said the Nobel Committee, which stresses its interest in particular in countries developing countries where the advent of such diodes could allow access of the poor lighting by storing photovoltaic energy.

The discovery of blue LED was the result of several years of effort of the three winners, who persisted in a line of research that many then felt like a dead end. They chose as materialSteel basic gallium nitride. In 1986, MM. Akasaki and Amano won their first success, but it took until 1992 for the development of a first blue diode. On the same date, Mr. Nakamura produced the same result, with a slightly different method of producing different semiconductor layers allowing the emission of blue light.

In the process, Shuji Nakamura managed to put developed a blue laser light, able to store four times as much data per area as infrared previously used in optical disc drives. These developments have led to the development of players blu-ray discs.

It should also be made of the use of these blue LEDs in flat screens, flashes lights and also that the can be found in smartphones, cameras or cameras.