The Nobel Prize in Physics of 2014 was jointly awarded to Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for the invention of…

Question

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 ?

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

The blue LED made efficient white LED lighting possible, transforming lighting, screens, data storage, off-grid access and newborn care. An LED lamp lasts up to 100,000 hours against about 1,000 for an incandescent bulb, and India's UJALA has distributed over 36 crore LED bulbs.

**Introduction**

The 2014 Nobel Prize in Physics honoured Akasaki, Amano and Nakamura for efficient blue LEDs that enabled bright, energy-saving white light. Without blue there could be no white LED, so their gallium nitride breakthrough began the LED age.

**Blue LED and the Lighting Revolution**

SKETCH: flow | From Blue LED to White Light
- Gallium nitride chip
- Blue light emitted
- Yellow phosphor coat
- White LED lamp

1. **Energy saving**: An LED lamp lasts up to 100,000 hours against about 1,000 for an incandescent bulb (Nobel Committee, 2014), and lighting uses about a fourth of world electricity.
2. **UJALA in India**: Over 36 crore LED bulbs distributed since 2015 save about 48 billion kWh a year (EESL), and over a crore streetlights have switched to LEDs.
3. **Off-grid light**: A small solar panel can run LEDs, replacing kerosene lamps, as TERI's Lighting a Billion Lives showed.

**Blue LED Beyond Lighting**

1. **Screens**: Blue and white LEDs backlight smartphones, laptops and televisions and made full-colour LED billboards and stadium screens possible.
2. **Data storage**: The related blue-violet laser made Blu-ray discs store about 25 GB per layer.
3. **Health**: Blue-light phototherapy treats newborn jaundice, and nitride UV LEDs disinfect water.
4. **New risks**: Night-time blue light suppresses melatonin and disturbs sleep, and light pollution has grown.

**Way Forward**

1. **Make and recycle**: Use PLI support to build LED chip capacity, set warm-light standards and collect old lamps under the E-Waste Rules 2022.

**Conclusion**

The blue LED turned light into a cheap, durable and clean everyday good, from village solar lamps to smartphone screens, showing how one discovery can serve both people and the planet.

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 ?

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