Microelectronics has changed our planet thoroughly. Now it is on the verge of revolutionizing lighting technology. Light has a long history. In primeval times, our ancestors learned to make use of fire for warmth, light and cooking. Since then, fire has fulfilled three main functions, which have reached their respective apices in modern central heating, ceramic hobs and lighting technology. As far as physics is concerned, filament lamps still belong to the caveman era. Whereas Edison used bamboo shavings in his first lamps, today tungsten has replaced bamboo – but the problem remains the same: filament lamps are tamed fire and turn 95 % of the energy supplied into heat.

According to our myths and religious beliefs, God divided the light from the darkness. Now mankind divides light from fire.

Light Emitting Diodes – LEDs – are cold light illuminants, man-made products manufactured in microchip factories. They consist of crystals with implanted impurity atoms. The electrons circling the atomic nuclei (GaN, SIC, ALLnGaP) are thrown off their course by the influence of electricity. Upon regaining their position, they emit part of said electrical energy in the form of light. This process is comparable to the glow of a shooting star that ionizes when entering the atmosphere.

Diodes provide up to 100,000 hours of service life. By comparison, conventional flashlight bulbs last 20 to 100 hours and filament bulbs approximately 1,000 hours. Since LEDs give off far less heat, their power consumption is remarkably low. A standard LED uses up only 0.1 watt, and our new, ultra-bright power chips use up between 0.8 and 3 watts. In addition, diodes are shockproof and almost indestructible.

Owing to their small size, LEDs enable designers to create lamps and flashlights with spectacular forms and shapes, and permit further miniaturizing in the world of lamps. Another advantage of LEDs consists in the fact that the various wave lengths – i.e. colors – of light can be emitted in a direct way, without filters.