The Sir John Monash Lecture

The Invention of High Efficiency Blue LEDs and the Future of Solid State Lighting

Brief Synopsis

In the 1970's and 80’s, efficient blue and green light-emitting diodes (LED) were the last missing elements for solid state display and lighting technologies due to the lack of suitable materials.

At that time, III-nitride alloys were regarded as the least possible choice due to various difficulties. However, a series of unexpected breakthroughs in the 1990's totally changed people's views. Finally, the first high efficiency Blue LEDs were invented and commercialised in 1993. Nowadays, III-nitride-based LEDs have become the most widely used light source in many applications. The LED light bulbs are more than ten times efficient than incandescent bulbs, and last for 50 years. At their current adoption rate, by 2020, LEDs can reduce the world’s need for electricity by the equivalent of nearly 60 nuclear power plants.

In his talk, Prof Nakamura will describe the evolution of the invention of the Blue LED, and the future of Solid State lighting.

Speaker's Profile

Professor Shuji Nakamura specialises in the field of semiconductor technology. He is a Professor of Materials and Electrical & Computer Engineering, at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is the inventor of the blue LED, a major breakthrough in lighting technology for which he received the 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics.