The high-brightness LED

When the visible-light-emitting diode became commercially available in 1963, it brought to the market a device that promised advantages in the areas of efficient and reliable operation and of cost. This discussion of the light-emitting device considers some of the trade-offs with regard to the LED as well as the kind of performance that can be expected in actual use at the present state of the art. Particular emphasis is placed on the significant increase in performance over previous similar devices and the resultant increased compatibility with microcircuits.