Are LEDs inherently directional light sources?

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Volume 7 Issue 3	May 2003

Beam angle - The angle at which luminous intensity is 50 percent of the maximum intensity. Convection - The process of removing heat from an object through the surrounding air. Cosine distribution - A property of a light source such that its luminous intensity in a particular direction is proportional to the cosine of the angle from the normal to the source. Driver - For light emitting diodes, a device that regulates the voltage and current powering the source. Heat sinking - Adding a material, usually metal, adjacent to an object in order to cool it through conduction. Illumination - The process of using light to see objects at a particular location. Indication - The process of using a light source as something to be seen as in signaling. Bin - To sort or classify light sources (such as light emitting diodes) into groups according to their luminous intensity or color appearance. Conduction - The process of removing heat from an object via physical contact with other objects or materials, usually metals. Junction temperature - For light emitting diodes, the temperature of the light-emitting portion of the device (see PN junction), which is inversely correlated with its light output. Lumen maintenance - The lumens produced by a light source at any given time during its operating life as a percentage of its lumens at the beginning of life. Monochromatic - For light, consisting of a single wavelength and having a very saturated color. PN junction - For light emitting diodes, the portion of the device where positive and negative charges combine to produce light. Pulse width modulation - Operating a light source by very rapidly (faster than can be detected visually) switching it on and off; the frequency and the duty cycle (percentage of time the source is switched on) are important parameters in the modulation. Semiconductor - A material whose electrical conductivity is between that of a conductor and an insulator; the conductivity of most semiconductors is temperature dependent. Spectral power distribution (SPD) - A representation of the radiant power emitted by a light source as a function of wavelength. Substrate - For light emitting diodes, the material on which the devices are constructed. Tri-phosphor - A mixture of three phosphors to convert ultraviolet radiation to visible light in fluorescent lamps; each of the phosphors emits light that is blue, green or red in appearance with the combination producing white light.

No. Since early LEDs were developed for indicator applications, the most efficient optical design for this purpose was to use the familiar epoxy capsule, which focuses light forward. However, there is nothing inherent in this degree of directionality for LED devices. An LED semiconducting element can potentially emit light in many directions, and many illumination-grade LEDs have fairly broad distribution (see Are LEDs available in different beam distributions?). Note that the opacity of heat sinking materials in some LED systems can limit the resulting distribution of light.