KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KNUST), KUMASI

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE
FACULTY OF COMPUTATIONAL AND PHYSICAL
SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

EXPERIMENT TITLE:
Determing the iv characteristics of a red, yellow and green led

Name: GILBERT BLAH QUARSHIE

Index Number: 4280520
Date: 28/02/2023
Abstract
The aim of the experiment was to determine the IV characteristics of a red LED, yellow LED and
green LED. The apparatus used for the experiment was a Red LED, Yellow LED, Green LED,
Bread Board, Ammeter, Voltmeter, 470Ω Resistor rated 1W, a Programmable Power Supply, and
a DC Power Source. The Programmable Power Supply was connected to the DC Power Source,
which was then connected to a 470Ω Resistor rated 1W. The ammeter was then connected
between the resistor and a Light Emitting Diode (LED), which was forward biased. A Voltmeter
was connected across the LED. After the connection was complete, the DC Power Source was
switched on, and the voltage and current were recorded successively between the interval of 0V to
15V, after which the LED was replaced with another. This was done three times for each LED,
during which the values were tabulated, later to be represented as a graph. After the experiment,
the threshold voltages, as obtained from the IV characteristics curves of the Red LED, Yellow
LED and Green LED were 1.80±0.2V, 1.80±0.5V and 2.15±1.35V respectively. The IV
characteristics graph depicted a non-linear resistance between the current and voltage readings.
This implies that an increase in input voltage would result in an exponential rise in current, hence
leading to a decrease in resistance. In the end, the experiment was successful in, explaining how
and LED works, obtaining the threshold voltage of the red, yellow and green LEDs and detecting
the differences in different coloured LEDs. A manufacturer could use this information to design a
circuit that suits the operation of either a red, yellow or green LED. This experiment could even be
extended to blue and white LEDs in the near future.
Introduction
Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are a type of diode that permit current to flow in one direction
while emitting light in the process. It is used in many different industries, such as optical
communication, remote-controlled operations, robotics, alarm and security systems, etc. It is used
in a variety of applications due to its long lifespan, low power requirements, quick response time,
and quick switching capabilities. LEDs are also commonly found in advertising boards with light,
TV back lighting and in automotives.

LED operate on the principle of electroluminescence. This is when electric current passes through
a device to emit light. This phenomenon was first discovered in 1907 by an English experimenter
named H. J. Round of Marconi Labs. He discovered this by passing current through a crystal of
silicon carbide, or carborundum which emitted yellow light. About 20 years later, a Russian
scientist named Oleg Vladimirovich Losev investigated the work of Round. Today, he is credited
with being the first person to create an LED. The work of these two scientists were then tried,
tested and modified by several scientist years later. This was done in order to obtain the LED we
know today.

Although LEDs have a lot of applications today, research is still being made to make
improvements to the device. One of the reasons why the working of LEDs is being revised is
because its performance largely depends on the ambient temperature of the operating environment.
Operating and LED in high temperatures can cause it to malfunction. These devices are also
voltage sensitive, meaning one would have to operate them above their threshold voltages and
below their current rating. One would need and current regulated supply as a result, which
increases the overall cost of the circuit being built. Another major problem with LEDs is that they
do not produce heat. This becomes a huge disadvantage in environments that have low
temperatures (winter), but are using LED based traffic lights. Since the LED does not produce
heat, the light emitted by the LED can get blurred out by frost, hence, making it difficult for
drivers to see. Despite these problems, some scientists have made some head way in their research.
This includes a new variate of LEDs called Perovskite LEDs (PLEDs). This is a new family of
LEDs which are based on the semiconductors called perovskites, which are materials whose
crystal structure follow the formular ABX3. These devices are said to have the ability to produce
light from electrons, unlike the conventional LEDs which produce Light from photons. These
devices solve the problem of high manufacturing cost, as well as improves the efficiency of the
LED.
Theoretical Analysis
The Light Emitting Diode (LED) works like the normal P-N Junction, such that, it permits current
to flow in one direction (Forward Bias) but not in the opposite direction (Reverse Bias). When the
LED is operating in the forward bias mode, it exhibits a phenomenon called Electroluminescence.
This occurs when electric current passes through the LED, causing light to be emitted. During this
process, excess minority charge carriers recombine with the majority charge carriers at the
junction, releasing energy. This energy is released by a normal P-N Junction diode as heat;
however, it is released by the LED as photons of light. The energy emitted by a single photon is
given as:

hc
E= were λ is wavelength of emitted photon; c is the speed of light in a vacuum and h is
λ
plank’s constant.

The wavelength of photon emitted belongs to the visible spectrum in the Electromagnetic
Spectrum. This is influenced by the type of material used, and the amount of doping.

Biasing is a common phenomenon associated with a all diodes. This phenomenon allows diodes to
control the direction of current. When an LED is forward biased, such that the Anode (the longer
terminal) is connected to the positive terminal of the DC source while the Cathode (the shorter
terminal) is connected to the negative terminal of the source, charge carriers flow towards their
adjacent regions, causing the P-N Junction to diminish. This reduces the barrier potential, allowing
electric current to flow. During this process electroluminescence takes place, causing the emission
of light. When the LED is reversed biased, the terminals of the DC are interchanged. This causes
an increase in the barrier potential, causing no flow of electric current
Methodology
Apparatus: Red LED, Yellow LED, Green LED, Bread Board, Ammeter, Voltmeter, 470Ω
Resistor rated 1W, a Programmable Power Supply, and a DC Power Source

The Programmable Power Supply was connected to the DC Power Source, which was then
connected to a 470Ω Resistor rated 1W. The ammeter was then connected between the resistor and
a Light Emitting Diode (LED), which was forward biased. A Voltmeter was connected across the
LED. After the connection was complete, the DC Power Source was switched on, and the voltage
and current were recorded successively between the interval of 0V to 15V, after which the LED
was replaced with another. This was done three times for each LED, during which the values were
tabulated, later to be represented as a graph.
 Figure 1: Schematic Diagram of Setup
‘

Figure 2: Picture of Setup

Table 1: Tables of Voltage and Current for Red, Yellow and Green LEDs

Red LED Yellow LED Green LED

Vin/V VD/V ID/mA Vin/V VD/V ID/mA Vin/V VD/V ID/mA
0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00 0.0 0.00 0.00
1.0 0.89 0.00 1.0 0.97 0.00 1.0 0.97 0.00
1.5 1.46 0.00 1.5 1.46 0.00 1.5 1.25 0.00
2.0 1.77 0.00 2.0 1.80 0.30 2.0 1.96 0.00
2.5 1.82 1.20 2.5 1.86 1.18 2.5 2.17 0.22
3.0 1.85 2.16 3.0 1.88 2.14 3.0 2.29 1.19
3.5 1.88 3.31 3.5 1.90 3.12 3.5 2.34 1.97
4.0 1.88 3.69 4.0 1.92 4.12 4.0 2.40 3.10
4.5 1.91 5.31 4.5 1.93 5.12 4.5 2.42 3.41
5.0 1.92 6.39 5.0 1.94 6.13 5.0 2.49 5.06
5.5 1.93 7.15 5.5 1.95 7.12 5.5 2.52 5.89
6.0 1.94 7.97 6.0 1.96 8.07 6.0 2.56 6.99
6.5 1.94 8.29 6.5 1.97 9.08 6.5 2.59 7.92
7.0 1.95 9.38 7.0 1.97 10.10 7.0 2.63 9.01
7.5 1.96 10.85 7.5 1.97 10.62 7.5 2.65 10.06
8.0 1.97 12.37 8.0 1.98 11.33 8.0 2.68 11.11
9.0 1.98 14.38 9.0 1.99 12.24 9.0 2.71 12.35
10.0 2.00 16.75 10.0 2.00 15.60 10.0 2.78 15.13
11.0 2.00 18.84 11.0 2.01 17.82 11.0 2.80 16.41
12.0 2.01 20.97 12.0 2.01 19.61 12.0 2.84 18.60
13.0 2.02 23.03 13.0 2.02 21.58 13.0 2.86 20.06
14.0 2.02 25.25 14.0 2.02 23.46 14.0 2.90 23.10
15.0 2.03 27.41 15.0 2.02 25.74 15.0 2.92 25.12
 I-V Characteristics of a Red, Yellow and Green LED
30.00

25.00

20.00
ID/mA

15.00

10.00

5.00

0.00
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50

VD/V
Calculations
From the IV characteristics of the Red LED;
1. The threshold voltage is 1.80V.
2. The forward static resistance at 10mA is;
1.95V
¿ =0.195 k Ω
10 mA
3. The minimum current needed to make the LED light up is 1.20mA.
From the IV characteristics of the Yellow LED;
1. The threshold voltage is 1.80V.
2. The forward static resistance at 10mA is;
2.0 V
¿ =0. 2k Ω
10 mA
3. The minimum current needed to make the LED light up is 0.30mA.
From the IV characteristics of the Green LED;
1. The threshold voltage is 2.15V.
2. The forward static resistance at 10mA is;
2.65 V
¿ =0.2 65 k Ω
10 mA
3. The minimum current needed to make the LED light up is 0.22mA.
4. The colour of the light bulb is determined by the amount of doping and the material of the light
bulb.

Error Analysis
The actual threshold voltage of a Red LED is 2.0V.
Absolute Error ¿|1.80−2.0|V =± 0.2; Hence, the threshold voltage is 1.80±0.2V
The actual threshold voltage of a Yellow LED is 2.3V.
Absolute Error ¿|1.80−2. 3|V =±0. 5; Hence, the threshold voltage is 1.80±0.5V
The actual threshold voltage of a Green LED is 3.5V.
Absolute Error ¿|2.15 −3.5|V =± 1.3 5; Hence, the threshold voltage is 2.15±1.35V
Results and Discussions
After the experiment, the threshold voltage of the Red LED, Yellow LED and Green LED are 1.80
±0.2V, 1.80±0.5V and 2.15±1.35V respectively.

The threshold voltage of a diode is the minimum voltage at which current starts flowing when the
diode is in forward bias mode. However, this is different for the LED. The LED operates on the
principle of Electroluminescence. Due to this, current flowing through the LED would emit
photons of a particular spectral wavelength. This is because when the LED is in forward bias
mode, majority and minority charge carriers flow towards the p-n junction. A few of the charge
carriers recombine while others cross over to the adjacent region. It is due to this recombination
that emits photons which our eyes detect as coloured light.

Different coloured light are emitted by LEDs. This is as a result of the kind of material used in the
semiconducting element of the LED and the concentration of dopants in it. The two primary
materials used by the manufacturers are Aluminum Gallium Indium Phosphide alloys and
Indium Gallium Nitride. Aluminum alloys are used to obtain Red, Orange and Yellow Light
while Indium alloys are used to obtain Green, Blue and White light. Slight changes in the
composition of these alloys can change the colour of the light emitted.

The IV characteristics of the LED depicts a non-linear resistance between current and voltage.
This shows that it is wrong to classify the LED as an ohmic device, as it does not obey ohms law.
However, it can be observed that the resistance of each curve decreases as the input voltage
increases.

According to the graph, it was observed that the LED with the highest threshold voltage is the
Green LED, while the one with the lowest is the Red LED. This is because, red light has a lower
energy than green light. If the energy of the red light is low, it means that the number of charge
carriers that were able to recombine at the p-n junction of the red LED are less than that of the
green LED. This results in a lower threshold voltage, since the width of the barrier potential
depends on the number of charge carriers that were able to recombine. Hence, the minimum
current that will be permitted by the red LED will be higher than that of the green LED, since the
barrier potential of the green LED is bigger. This truth can be seen in the static resistances of the
LEDs at 10mA. In theory, the red LED should have a lower static resistance than green LED, and
even the yellow LED. The values in the graph correctly predicted this. This can also be observed
in Table 1, when comparing the current readings of the red LED and the green LED. The
explanation also answers the reason why the threshold voltage of the yellow LED is closer to the
red LED than the green LED. This is because, the energy of yellow light is closer to the energy of
red light than green light, though yellow light has a higher energy than red light.

A huge portion of the errors that greatly influenced the recorded values are from the measuring
instruments that were used. Other sources of errors can be detected in the environment. For
instance, errors in the current readings are due to the inefficiency of the wire since part of the
energy used to drive the electrons will be lost as heat.

Precautions
1. It was ensured that the leads were connected in forward bias mode.
2. It was ensured that connections were tightly secured on the bread board.
3. It was ensured that current passing through the LED did not exceed the prescribed limit.

Conclusion
The experiment yielded the expected results. It was able to explain how and LED works, obtain
the threshold voltage of the red, yellow and green LEDs and successfully detected the differences
in different coloured LEDs. Ample knowledge can be drawn from this experiment for any one who
would want to go further into the research of LEDs, although the recorded values are not without
errors. A manufacturer could use this information to design a circuit that suits the operation of
either a red, yellow or green LED. This experiment could even be extended to blue and white
LEDs in the near future.