LED EXPLANATION?

[yolandy]

Hello. This is Yolandy. This is my first time using this website. Thank you for having it open for me.

Will you please explain how LED lights work?

Thank you.

[barretttomlinson]

Try searching Google for "how LEDs work". It will return several good explanations, one of which is:

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/led.htm

Hope this helps.

[Wen Phan]

LED stands for "light-emitting diode." A diode consists of two "special" materials that are "put" together. For a regular (non-light emitting diode), when a voltage is applied with one polarity, current flows. In the other polarity, current does not flow. For an LED, when you apply the right voltage polarity (also called a bias) such that current flows, some of the electrons that flow in the current "move" to a lower "energy state." When an electron moves to a lower energy state in an LED, it emits a photon, or light. The amount of energy level change (also called the bandgap energy) determines the color (frequency) of the light.

I hope this helps.

-Wen