UNIT 4

LED
 LED
• An LED will pass current in its forward direction but block the flow of
current in the reverse direction.
• Depending on the semiconductor material used and the amount of doping,
when forward biased an LED will emit a coloured light at a particular
wavelength.
• The phenomenon in which a material emits light in response to the passage
of an electric current is known as electroluminescence.
• The emitted light may be visible or invisible. The amount of light output is
directly proportional to the forward current, i.e., higher the forward current,
higher is the light output.
• The amount of light output is directly proportional to the forward current,
i.e., higher the forward current, higher is the light output.
 LED Construction & Operation
• The layers are N-type semiconductor (bottom), P-type
semiconductor (top) and the active region (middle) which
emits light when electron and hole recombine.
• When a PN junction diode is forward biased, current flows
through the PN junction.
• Free electrons cross the N-side and recombine with holes on
the P-side.
• Free electrons are in the conduction band and therefore have
greater energy than holes, which are in the valence band.
• So, when electrons in conduction band recombine with the
holes in the valence band, it releases energy as it falls into the
lower energy state.
• If the material is translucent, the light is emitted and the
junction becomes a light source.
 LED
Advantages of LED
• Very low voltage and current are enough to drive the LED. (Voltage range 1
to 2 volts. Current – 5 to 20 mA).
• Total power output will be less than 150 mW.
• The response time is very less – only about 10 nanoseconds.
• The device does not need any heating and warm up time.
• Miniature in size and hence lightweight.
• Have a rugged construction and hence can withstand shock and vibrations.
• An LED has a lifespan of more than 20 years.
Disadvantages of LED
• A slight excess of voltage or current can damage the device.
• The device is known to have a much wider bandwidth compared to the laser
The temperature depends on the radiant output power and wavelength.
OLED-ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE
• OLED technology is now being used for many applications
from televisions to mobile phone displays.
• Organic LED, OLED technology has many of the properties of
a traditional LEDs. It utilises a PN junction and light emanates
from this when a current flow in the forward direction.
• OLEDs utilise organic compounds for the PN junction rather
than in-organic ones used for traditional LED technology.
• The organic LED materials include a variety of substances,
including Aluminium hydroxyquinoline and diamene.
However many other substances can also be used for OLED
technology.
• The organic material is electrically conductive due to the
delocalization of electrons caused by conjugation over all or
part of the molecule, and the material therefore functions as an
organic semiconductor.
 ACTIVE MATRIX OLED (AMOLED)
• The AMOLED is a form of OLED display technology that incorporates more
elements of the drive circuitry, making it easier to address individual elements
as well as providing more flexibility and a greater level of overall performance
and capability.
• In the display, the AMOLEDs have full layers of cathode, organic molecules and
anode, but the anode layer overlays a thin film transistor, TFT array matrix.
The TFT array itself determines which pixels are activated to form the image.
• AMOLEDs consume less power than PMOLEDs because the TFT array requires
less power than external circuitry, so they are more efficient for large displays.
• Another advantage of AMOLED display technology is that they have a faster
refresh rate and this makes them suitable for video.
• AMOLEDs are typically used in applications like computer monitors, large-
screen TVs and electronic signage. The best uses for AMOLEDs are computer
monitors, large-screen TVs and electronic signs or billboards .
 LCD
• The Liquid Crystal Display (or LCD) is a flat panel display
technology commonly used in TVs and computer monitors. It
is also used in screens for mobile devices, such as laptops,
tablets, and smart phones.
• LCD has backlight that provides light to individual pixels
arranged in a rectangular grid.
• Each pixel has a red, green, and blue RGB sub-pixel that can
be turned on or off. When all of a pixel's subpixels are turned
off, it appears black. When all the sub-pixels are turned on
100%, it appears white.
• By adjusting the individual levels of red, green, and blue light,
millions of color combinations are possible.
Working of LCD
 Working of LCD
• when light from a backlight source is emitted and allowed to fall on
the vertical polarizer. Then the un polarized light by the source gets
vertically polarized.
• When initially no external potential is provided between the two
electrodes, the molecules of the liquid crystal remain twisted. This
causes the vertically polarized light to get horizontally polarized due
to the orientation of the molecules.
• The orientation of the two polarizers is 90° in accordance with each
other. Thus, the polarizer at the other end is a horizontal polarizer.
• Hence, when the horizontally polarized light from the output of the
crystal is fed to the horizontal polarizer then it passes the light
thereby causing illumination of the pixel. Hence, generates a visible
image on the screen.
 Working of LCD
• Suppose when a large voltage is applied between the two
electrodes. Then this applied voltage causes the twisted
mechanism of the molecules to get damaged causing it to
operate in a straight manner.
• Due to this, the vertically polarized light while passing the
crystal does not change its polarization. This blocks the
vertically polarized light to pass the horizontal polarizer
thereby generating a dark pixel at the display.
• In this way, bright and dark images are generated. Also, by
applying a controlled voltage between the two electrodes it
becomes possible to generate various colour levels on the
screen.
 Advantages of LCD &
Disadvantages of LCD
Advantages of LCD
1. The heat generated during operation is less as compared to
CRT and LED display.
2. The power consumption by an LCD is very less in comparison
to other display devices.
3. LCDs can be suitably used with MOS integrated circuits.
4. The overall cost of the device is low.
Disadvantages of LCD
1. It needs an external source of light for displaying the image.
2. Its operating temperature range is limited that lies in between 0
to 60°C.
3. LCD are less reliable display units.
4. The image visibility relies on light intensity.
 Applications of LCD
• LCD finds its major applications in displaying the images in
the screens of various electronic gadgets like television,
calculator, computer monitor etc.

• These are also used in digital watches and mobile screens.

• These are also used in visualizing RF wave in transmission

through waveguides and in medical applications like in liquid
crystal thermometer etc.
SEVEN SEGMENT DISPLAY: (SSD)
i). Common anode: The anodes of all LEDs are given as a common
pin. In this case cathode is connected to the external resistors.
 Common anode
• The anodes of all the diodes are connected together to the
positive terminal of the dc voltage source.
• The cathodes are connected to the external resistors. The
external resistors are necessary to limit the current through the
LED.
• By grounding the external resistors, we can form any digit
from 0 to 9. For example, by grounding a, b, g, e and d, we can
form the digit 2 as shown in Fig
ii). Common cathode: The cathode of all the LEDs are as a common
pin. In this case the anode is connected to the external resistors.
 Common cathode
• The cathodes of all the diodes are connected
together to the negative terminal of the dc voltage
source.
• The anodes are connected to the external resistors.
The external resistors are necessary to limit the
current through the LED.
• By giving positive voltage to the external resistors,
we can form any digit from 0 to 9. For example, by
giving positive voltage on a, b, g, e and d, we can
form the digit 2.