GS3 PYQ (Mains Answer Writing): Blue LED's for Nobel Prize | Science & Technology for UPSC CSE PDF Download

The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for the invention of Blue LEDs in 1990s. How has this invention impacted the everyday life of human beings? (UPSC GS3 Mains)

The 2014 Nobel Prize for physics has been awarded to a trio of scientists Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the early 1990s.
Importance of Blue LED

• Although LED had been around for more than 50 years but these LED were monochromatic (one color) in nature. Only red and green color LED were available, the blue color LED was not invented which restricted the making of white LEDs. 
• As white LED can only be made by a combination of the three primary colors LED, e., green, red, and blue. So, Gallium nitride was the key ingredient used by the Nobel laureates in their ground-breaking blue LEDs. The invention of blue LEDs opened floodgates for several applications.  

Impact of LED on Everyday Life

• LED have replaced the traditional incandescent bulb, as the latter was only monochromatic and energy guzzler. While LED is available in different colors and energy efficient. 
• LED have become an essential component in digital screens because they offer higher contrast than their predecessor technologies and are also energy efficient. 
• The recent development in LED is o-LED or organic-LED which offers flexibility in shaping the screens. o-LED has now widely used in wearable devices, smartphones etc. 
• LED have a greater durability which up to 10 times more than the incandescent bulbs. 
• The amount of light from LED can be varied, i.e., LEDs can very easily be dimmed by modulating the input current which is not possible in the earlier light bulbs. 
• LED offers great variation in size, their size range from few millimeters to several foots. It makes compatible for wide range of application from circuit boards to home lighting.

Even the government has realized their importance in energy conservation and have encouraged their use by several schemes like UJJALA (Unnat Jyoti by Affordable LEDs for All) and Street Light National Programme. Thus, it is apt to say that LED has revolutionized our lives.