The creation of the LED was the result of various studies with different types of semiconductors. For example, infrared emissions, the development of simple optical communication links, photoreceptors, and more.
In 1962, scientist Nick Holonyak developed the first LED that radiated within the visible spectrum, producing red light. Ten years later, the yellow LED was invented, and the brightness of red LEDs increased tenfold, but they were still not suitable for commercial or residential use.
The first LEDs were used as luminous indicators of operation, mainly in seven-segment displays, which are also very common. At that time, the cost of producing an LED was quite high, but as manufacturing became industrialized, LED production became much more affordable.
30 years later, the blue LED arrived, a very high-brightness LED developed by Shuji Nakamura which, in combination with the work carried out by two of his compatriots, Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano, earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014.
The true revolution came with the white LED. These used a phosphorescent material that absorbed part of the blue light and produced yellow light. The combination of yellow and blue, which are complementary colors, appears white to the human eye, thus maintaining a high color rendering index. In addition, by using materials with certain properties, green and red light can be obtained through fluorescence.
The history of the LED has a long trajectory, where it has been possible to observe how this technology has evolved from something with no practical use to becoming the most efficient and eco-friendly option for illuminating any space, with its applications continuing to grow every day.