LAB: Exploring Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Summary:

Report Due 4/18/11

In this lab, we will be exploring the characteristics of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). In order to light up our LEDs, we will set up a simple circuit that allows us to control how much current we put into the LED. An important characteristic of individual LEDs is the current-voltage curve (abbreviated I-V curve). The I-V curve is a graph that plots the current (I) passing through the LED vs the voltage (V) across the LED. We will be working with different colored LEDs, and will explore the relationship between the colors of light emitted and the voltage, current, and power needed to light them up.

Background Information:
All visible light is a form of electro-magnetic (EM) radiation. Different colors of light have different wavelengths and corresponding frequencies. In this lab, we will be using five LEDs in five different colors. The colors and corresponding wavelengths are shown below: Color Blue Green Yellow Red Wavelength (nm) 470 525 589 660

* Remember, a nm (nanometer) is equivalent to 10-9 meters. In addition, you will be working with two additional LEDs labeled Mystery LED #1 and Mystery LED #2. The colors and wavelengths of these mystery LEDs are not disclosed to you at this time. The material that is used to make the diode determines the color of the LED. In class, we learned that GaN is used to make blue and white LEDs. Examples of materials used to produce different colored LEDs are Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), which produces red LEDs, and Gallium Phosphide (GaP), which produces green LEDs. The white LEDs that we are working with are actually blue LEDs. The blue LEDs shine blue light onto a phosphor that emits yellow light, and these colors combine to produce light that appears white. If you look at the white LED from above, you should be able to see the yellow phosphor. If you look at all the other LEDs, you will not see any yellow phosphor.

Equipment:
We will be using some lab electronics to power our LEDs and measure their current and voltage characteristics. The electronics descriptions are below: (some descriptions courtesy of UCSB Prof. Bob York, ECE 2B)

1. DC Power Supply:
The DC power supply can provide a constant voltage and/or constant current to your circuit. In other words, it is a large variable battery; we simply turn a knob to increase or decrease the voltage or current. It consists of two identical, independently adjustable DC power supplies that can vary the voltage from 0 to 30V and the current from 0 to 2A. We will only use the left-hand DC power supply.

Relevant Features 1. LED display for left power supply. 2. AMPS/VOLTS switch for left power supply. 3. AMPS indicator light for left power supply. 4. VOLTS indicator light for left power supply. 9. POWER button. 10. CURRENT knob, used to set the maximum current for left power supply. 13. OUTPUT terminals for left power supply 14. VOLTAGE knob, used to set the voltage level for left power supply. Supplying a positive DC voltage 1. Turn the power button ON. 2. Set the AMPS/VOLTS switch to VOLTS (2, in the Figure 1 above). 3. Use the voltage knob (14) to set the voltage to the desired value. (If the voltage doesnt seem to go high enough, make sure the current knob (10) is turned on. The current should be set to the lowest possible value to achieve the desired voltage. This avoids potentially damaging devices and components that have current limitations.) 4. Connect the supply to your circuit using output terminals (13) as follows. The red terminal on the right is the positive output-- connect this lead to the red knob on your circuit. The black terminal on the left is the negative output-- connect this lead to the black knob on your the circuit. The green terminal in the middle is earth ground. We will not use this terminal in this lab. Supplying a negative DC voltage 1. Follow the same steps as the supplying a positive DC voltage, above, except this time connect the red lead to the black knob and connect the black lead to the red knob on the power supply.

2. Table-top Digital Multi-meter (DMM):

Can be used to measure DC voltage, current and resistance

1. On/off button

2. Measure DC current button

3. Shift button

4. Input to measure current. Red lead goes here

5. 2nd input to measure current. Black lead goes here

Using the DMM 1. Turn the power button ON. 2. We want to measure DC current, so find the DC I button labeled 2 in the figure above. Press shift and then that button to measure DC current. You should see mADC come up on the display screen. This stands for milli-amps direct current.

3. Portable Digital Multi-meter (DMM):

The operation of this portable DMM is similar to the desktop DMM above, with similar buttons and settings. We will measure DC voltage (marked V---) using the portable DMM. We will not measure any voltage greater than 20 V, so we will use the scale setting of 20, as shown in the figure. We will also use this DMM to measure the resistance of the resistor. Resistance is measured in units called ohms, whose symbol is . So to do this, move to the area marked and select the 2000 scale since we will not be measuring any resistances greater than 2000 .

3. Breadboard:
The board that the LEDs and wires are connected to is called a circuit board or a breadboard. Many components can be directly plugged into the holes and wires can be used to form interconnections between them. The holes in the vertical column to the right of the red line are connected (shorted) together, as are those in the column to the left of the blue line. (In the figure below, these columns are also designated by + and symbols.) For the rest of the board, the holes are connected across horizontal rows. In the Figure below, the five holes in the top row (Row #1, Column a, b, c, d and e) are connected together. This means that if we apply a voltage to hole b1, the rest of the holes in the row (a1, c1, d1, e1) will have the same voltage.

Procedure
1. Read all of the information on pages 1-4. 2. Unpack the bag and make sure you have all the LEDs (white, blue, green, yellow, amber, red, Mystery LED #1, and mystery LED #2), the breadboard with correct circuit set-up, a digital multi-meter (DMM), 1 pair of alligator clips and two pairs of alligator connectors. 3. The breadboard will be set up initially with a 222 ohm resistor (its the solid brown one) 4. Verify the resistance of this resistor using the hand-held DMM. DO NOT turn on the power supply when you measure resistance. 5. By applying voltages to the circuit, fill out the table for the resistor in the results section. You will need to measure the current in the circuit at -3V, -1.5 V, and 0V from the power supply. (to apply a negative voltage to the circuit, you just need to switch the leads so that the black connector from the power supply is connected to the red connector on the circuit and vice-versa) Then adjust the power supply voltage until you measure 5, 10, 15, and 20 mA current. For each level of current, you will need to measure the voltage across the resistor. Remember, power (mW) = current (mA) voltage (V) 6. Make a plot on graph paper (well provide it) for the resistor table measurements. Put current (mA) on the y-axis and voltage (V) on the x-axis. After plotting the points, make a best-fit line connecting the points together.

7. Remove the brown resistor from the breadboard and insert one of the known LEDs in its place. Note that longer leg of the LED is the positive end, also known as an anode. The shorter leg is the negative leg, also known as a cathode. For the forward bias (light emitting) condition described in class, you will need to connect the longer leg to line 35 on your breadboard and the shorter leg to line 30. If you are unsure about this step ask Darby or Stacy. If you do this incorrectly you might burn out the LED in the next step. 8. Fill out the tables for all the known LEDs. You will need to find the current corresponding to -3 V You will take the same measurements as you did for the resistor, but in addition there is another line where you should fill in the voltage and current needed when you first see the first bit of light. You will have look carefully from above the LED to see that first glimpse of light. We can call this voltage the turn-on voltage (Vturn-on) and label it accordingly. WARNING: Adjust the power supply slowly and carefully. Do not apply more than -3 V (3V in the reverse direction) or 20 mA of current in the forward direction, or the LED will burn out. 9. As you fill out the tables for each LED, on the same plot as the resistor, plot the points on the graph for at least two LED colors. Join the points together with smooth lines for each LED. Try using colored pencils to differentiate easily between the LEDs. 10. Fill in the table for Mystery LED #1. You should notice that this LED gives off light that is not visible to our eyes. Plot these points as well on your graph. 11. Now try Mystery LED #2. You do not need to fill a table out for this LED. You only need to identify the colorit will be one of the questions due with this report. What happens when you put this LED the other way around (reverse the cathode and the anode in the circuit)?

Name: ____________________________________________________ Other Group Members:________________________________________________________ Results: Fill out the following tables for measurements on the resistor and the LEDs 222 Ohm Resistor Voltage (V) Current (mA) -3 -1.5 0 5 10 15 20 Power (mW) Green LED Voltage (V) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on= Current (mA) Power (mW)

5 10 15 20

Yellow LED Voltage (V) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on=

Current (mA) Power (mW)

Blue LED Voltage (V) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on=

Current (mA) Power (mW)

5 10 15 20

5 10 15 20

White LED Voltage (V) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on=

Current (mA) 0 5 10 15 20

Power (mW)

Red LED Voltage (V) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on=

Current (mA)

Power (mW)

5 10 15 20

Mystery LED #1 Voltage (V) Current (mA) -3 -1.5 0 Vturn-on= 5 10 15 20

Power (mW)

For your reference.

Figure 1: The Electromagnetic Spectrum

Figure 2: The Visible Light Spectrum

Lab Report (Turn in all answers in class on April 18, 2011).

1. Hand in the tables showing current, voltage and power consumed for each LED and the resistor. Remember, the equation:

Power (mW ) = Current (mA) Voltage(volts )

2. In class, hand-sketch the I-V graph for the resistor, at least two known LEDs and Mystery LED #1, showing current (I) on the y-axis and voltage (V) on the x-axis. Try to use different colors for the each curve, and join their point smoothly together. (This question is also described in steps 6, 8, 9 of the lab procedure.) 3. At home, either in Microsoft Excel or another graphing program, plot the I-V curves for all the known LEDs, mystery LED #1, and the resistor. Comment on your chart, in particular comment on the difference between LEDs and the resistor and on the differences between the graphs for different LED colors. 4. Make a bar chart comparing power at 20 mA for each LED color. 5. Make a chart comparing the turn-on voltage for each LED color. Choose the type of chart that you think best illustrates this information. Use color to differentiate between the LED colors. Comment on your chart. What is the qualitative relationship between the LED color and the turn-on voltage? 6. What wavelength do you think the mystery LED #1 is? You must justify your answer. Prizes will be given to the person who gives the most accurate wavelength and also to the person with the best reasoning for his/her wavelength estimate (even if the actual answer is not the most accurate). 7. What color is Mystery LED #2? (Hint: This may be a trick question of some sort) How do you think the LED is designed to give the color(s) you saw? What happens when you turn this LED around? For all graphs, Label the graph with a meaningful title. Make sure your axes have the correct numbers and units and provide a meaningful label for each axis (e.g. Current in mA) Use different colors to differentiate between different curves in the same graph. If a graph has multiple curves, provide a legend that identifies each of the curves. If you dont have access to a color printer, email your charts and graphs (as a single document) to [email protected] for color printing. You are encouraged to discuss things in groups while working on this lab report, but all answers must be your own. Ask Darby or Stacy any questions if you are stuck or need help with Excel.