MAY11

Make your own LED from SiC

How about making your own LED? It is really simple, you just need some SiC (Silicon Carbide or Carborundum) crystal, electrodes and electric current. The phenomenon was discovered accidentally by an American radio engineer in 1907, and the first LED using this material was produced in 1960 into a working blue LED.

Here you can see a simple green LED from Carborundum crystal. It is important to clamp the crystal with positive electrode. After that, the current must be limited to around 30mA because more will heat up the crystal. Now, where the negative electrode (a needle) is touching the crystal a light in various colors should be produced. Color of the produced light depends on the electric current and the electrodes location on the crystal.

Yep, it is that green dot where the electrode is touching the crystal.

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© Michael T. Lippert