Fifti yia i go pinis, ol manmeri i save pinis long ol as save olsem ol semikondakta samting inap long kamapim lait, na namba wan 'diode' we ol i salim long stua i bin kamap long 1960. LED em i sotpela nem bilong 'Light Emitting Diode'. Besik straksa bilong en i gat wanpela 'electroluminescent semiconductor' samting we ol i putim antap long wanpela 'lead frame', na bihain ol i pasim wantaim 'epoxy resin' long lukautim ol 'internal core waya', na dispela i givim ol LED gutpela 'shock resistance'.
As bilong wanpela lait-emitting diode em i wanpela 'chip' we i gat p-taip na n-taip semikondakta. Namel long p-taip na n-taip semikondakta i gat wanpela transisen leia ol i kolim ap-n junksen. Long PN junksen bilong sampela semikondakta materiel, taim ol liklik karia we ol i putim insait long en i bung gen wantaim ol bikpela karia, dispela ekses eneji i save kamap olsem lait, na dispela i save senisim ilektrikel eneji i go long lait eneji. Taim ol i putim wanpela 'reverse voltage' long PN junksen, ol 'minority carriers' i hat long putim, olsem na i no gat lait i save kamap.
Dispela kain 'diode', ol i wokim long rot bilong 'injection electroluminescence', ol i kolim 'light-emitting diode', we planti man i save kolim olsem 'LED'. Taim em i stap long 'forward operating state' (olsem, ol i putim wanpela 'forward voltage' long ol 'terminal' bilong en), taim pawa i ron long LED anod i go long 'cathode', 'semiconductor crystal' i save givim lait bilong ol narapela narapela kala stat long 'ultraviolet' i go long 'infrared', na strong bilong lait i save go wantaim pawa.
