Light Emitting Diode

The Light Emitting Diode was developed by Professor Nick Holonyak Jr. in 1962 during his employment at General Electric.  Following up on prior research on gallium arsenide Holoyak began to develop the L.E.D. He hypothesized that the gallium arsenide would produce visible light when the right amount of electrical current is applied to the leads. This modern marvel has led to major innovations since Professor Holoyak’s demonstration in 1962. The L.E.D can now be found the majority of our technological device. Over the past few years as the technology has, become more affordable we see the L.E.D popping up throughout our daily lives.  Ranging from Cellphones, TV, Lights, computers, and in automobiles.

Works Cited:

"LED 50th Anniversary Symposium." LED 50th Anniversary Symposium. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. http://www.led50years.illinois.edu/index.html

Aronson, Deb. "Features." Debaronson.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. http://www.debaronson.com/features/The%20LED%20is%20Ubiquitous%20%E2%80%94%20But%20Its%20Home%20Is%20Illinois

"University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign." About Us: History: Hall of Fame. ECE ILLINOIS, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. http://www.ece.illinois.edu/about/history/hall-of-fame/leds.html

Light Emitting Transistor

The Light Emitting Transistor (LET) was developed by Professors Nick Holonyak Jr. and Milton Feng in 2004. The LET is fabricated from indium gallium phosphide, indium gallium arsenide, and gallium arsenide. It is the unique properties of these materials that produce the infrared photons. Added benefits of the LET are that it is faster than the LED at producing light. Light intensity can be controlled by adjusting the electrical current. The third transistor port allows for superior control of the electrical and optical outputs. Future applications for the LET involve replacing the wires in electronics with fiber optics producing higher performance devices.

Works Cited:

Kloeppel, James E. “NEW LIGHT-EMITTING TRANSISTOR COULD REVOLUTIONIZE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY.” News Bureau Illinois, Jan 2004. Web.05 Jan.2004 http://news.illinois.edu/news/04/0105LET.html

Light Emitting Transistor and Laser. Office of Technology Management University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, n.d. Web. http://otm.illinois.edu/technologies/light-emitting-transistor-and-laser

Light Emitting Transistor Procured from Milton Feng :
http://cas.illinois.edu/person/milton-feng/