The New Generation of LED Bulbs

LED lights are very efficient, but because of their structure, much of the light in standard LED becomes trapped, reducing the brightness of the light. Because of this, LEDs are only useful for "task lighting" in the home - as floor lamps and desk lamps. Now researchers believe they have found a way to introduce a new generation of LEDs into households that are brighter and use even less power than standard energy efficient light-bulbs.

Dr Faiz Rahman, the researcher leading the project at the University of Glasgow, said: "By making microscopic holes on the surface of the LEDs it is possible to extract more light, thus increasing the brightness of the lights without increasing the energy consumption. As yet, LEDs have not been introduced as the standard lighting in homes because the process of making the holes is very time consuming and expensive. However, by using world-class facilities at the University of Glasgow we believe we have found a way of imprinting the holes into billions of LEDs at a far greater speed, but at a much lower cost.

"LEDs not only use less power than current energy efficient light-bulbs but they are much smaller and can last years without needing to be replaced. This means the days of the humble light-bulb could soon be over."