Nobel Prize in Physics for the blue LED – Politics

Solid blue LED was essential for the creation of LED bulbs that already displace all other light sources in the future for sure will become dominant in the light. It is estimated that in about 20 years the world will be illuminated only this type of sources.

LEDs are incomparably more powerful and many times more viable from existing sources. The record efficiency of LED sources is 300 lumens per watt (and we must remember that LEDs are still being improved), while their average lifespan is 100 thousand. hours. For comparison, the performance standard bulb is approx. 16 lumens per watt, and its lifetime is less than 1000 hours. Even modern fluorescent sources, with a capacity of tens of lumens per watt and vitality of approx. 10 thousand. hours can not be with LED-s match.

These unusual properties of LEDs take mainly from the fact that the light-emitting diode directly converts electricity to photons, while in other sources of electricity is used to heat something as a last resort after lights. The light bulbs or halogen lamps are normal fibers which, when heated, start to glow. In fluorescent lamps, the carrier is a gas that also tightly heated, it begins to shine. However, a significant portion of the energy supplied is lost in this way, since it produces the necessary heat. The LED-s the problem does not exist.

This year’s winners were awarded for the construction of the blue light-emitting diodes. Without it, the creation of white light sources – that is, such that we need in lamps – was impossible. Although half a century, there were light-emitting diode red and green, but it was not enough to build a source that emits white light. Only make the Japanese, the creation of blue LED is enabled. At the same time, it seems that the Academy also awarded for their persistence in the study. Physicists working on this issue for years and even knew that the construction of the blue light emitting diode is required gallium nitride – obtained artificially semiconductor used in optoelectronics. To create the glowing blue semiconductor was needed, however, crystalline gallium nitride of very high quality, which long failed to achieve. At the end of the 80 twentieth century. Managed to do just today awarded.

When, in December Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura will come to Stockholm for the awards ceremony will be doubly satisfied. First, get the Nobel Prize, and second – after the ceremony they want to go for a short walk, we will gladly find that almost all of Stockholm is already lit LED-s. This year’s verdict is a bit different than those of recent years. For the first time in a long time awarded physicists who, although engaged in very advanced physics, but their achievements have given extremely practical possibilities.