Low-cost Light-emitting Diode Research Articles

Deep learning-assisted low-cost autofluorescence microscopy for rapid slide-free imaging with virtual histological staining.

Slide-free imaging techniques have shown great promise in improving the histological workflow. For example, computational high-throughput autofluorescence microscopy by pattern illumination (CHAMP) has achieved high resolution with a long depth of field, which, however, requires a costly ultraviolet laser. Here, simply using a low-cost light-emitting diode (LED), we propose a deep learning-assisted framework of enhanced widefield microscopy, termed EW-LED, to generate results similar to CHAMP (the learning target). Comparing EW-LED and CHAMP, EW-LED reduces the cost by 85×, shortening the image acquisition time and computation time by 36× and 17×, respectively. This framework can be applied to other imaging modalities, enhancing widefield images for better virtual histology.

Red Electroluminescence from Light Emitting Diodes Based on Eu-Doped ZnO Embedded in p-GaN/Al2O3/n-ZnO Heterostructures

Heterojunction p-GaN/n-ZnO light emitting diode (LED) structure using Eu-doped ZnO (ZnO:Eu) as an active component is demonstrated in order to realize low-cost and environmentally-friendly red LEDs with sharp linewidth and temperature stability against surrounding environment including operating temperature and injection current. Chemically stable Al2O3 is inserted as an electron blocking layer between p-GaN and ZnO:Eu/n-ZnO in order to facilitate the injection of carriers into the ZnO:Eu active layer. Al2O3 insertion with a moderate thickness (∼10 nm) facilitates the carrier recombination at the ZnO layer with comparatively low resistivity. Device characteristics of the p-GaN/Al2O3/ZnO:Eu/n-ZnO LED structures show red luminescence under current injection with reversed bias voltage originated from Eu3+ ions in the ZnO host. Detailed optical characteristics of the ZnO:Eu layer in the LED structures utilizing the combined excitation emission spectroscopy measurement enable the identification of the luminescence centers contributing to Eu luminescence under both indirect excitation and collisional excitation. The luminescence center contributing to Eu luminescence under indirect excitation via the ZnO host is different from that under collisional excitation, which would pave the way to understand the Eu luminescence mechanism in ZnO:Eu, and hence realize high-brightness LED structures based on rare-Earth doped ZnO as an active component.

The influence of LED road stud color on driver behavior and perception along horizontal curves at nighttime

Scotopic lighting conditions (reduced level of natural light or presence of artificial lighting) may impair driving performance and, therefore, impact on road safety. Thanks to technological developments, low-cost light emitting diode (LED) studs are now being considered as an alternative and affordable pavement marking solution to assist drivers in these conditions. By helping them to maintain their vehicle within the marked lane, the studs should prevent any deterioration in driver performance when negotiating curves at nighttime. However, the few studies that investigated the impact of LED studs on driving performance produced inconsistent results, and the question of whether they actively improve driver performance remains open. Furthermore, while international road regulations allow the use of LED studs, they do not provide consistent prescriptions for their lighting color.Here, we assessed the influence of different LED lighting colors (red, white, and unlit) on longitudinal and transversal driver behavior when negotiating road curves with different radii and sense of direction. In the study, thirty-six drivers drove a dynamic virtual scenario featuring twenty-four curves. After the driving simulation, participants completed a static perception test in which they assessed each curve in terms of the perceived levels of risk, pleasantness, and arousal they experienced while driving on it.In comparison with the unlit and red lit curves, those marked with white lighting LED studs were perceived as less risky, less arousing, and more pleasant independently of the radii and curve direction. Furthermore, when entering these curves, participants tended to shift their driving trajectories towards the center of the road. This effect was most evident on the central part of the curve. Further studies are expected to corroborate these results by focusing on different road geometries and LED stud layouts, as well as testing driving behavior in controlled road field studies.

Compact Fluorescence Detection System Based on a Monolithic DBR-Integrated III-Nitride LED Chip.

Portable applications of fluorescence detection systems have gained much attention in various fields and require system components to be small and compact. In this work, we report on a compact fluorescence detection system and demonstrate its application for fluorescence sensing and imaging. The light source and filter are integrated on a single chip for the proposed system, which not only realizes the separation between excitation and fluorescent lights but also improves the light-emitting diode (LED) light extraction efficiency. Furthermore, the detection system allows for a removable sample unit. The results indicate that the performance of the distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) filter based on an amorphous dielectric film is excellent with selection ratios larger than 4600:1. The peak emission wavelength of the LED is 528 nm. The influence of green light leakage can be neglected, and the fluorescent red light is dominant when the fluorescence detection system is used for sensing and imaging. The low-cost and monolithic DBR-integrated III-nitride LED chip makes the proposed architecture a competitive candidate for portable fluorescence detection applications.

Simplified Low-Cost LED Nephelometer and Turbidity Experiments for Practical Teaching

This work describes the design and testing of a low-cost light-emitting diode (LED)-based nephelometer for turbidity analysis. It also describes the use of this nephelometer for context-based learning (CBL) experiments designed for teaching laboratories. The LED nephelometer is simple, low-cost, and robust, providing similar results as a commercial device. Data collection and analysis is quick and intuitive, allowing time and opportunity for discussion about the analytical process and the chemistry involved. The experiments described here are based on real-world applications to emphasize the usefulness of chemical analysis and quantification of turbidity in everyday life.

Ambient fabrication of efficient triple cation perovskite-based near-infrared light-emitting diodes

In addition to their widespread use as an outstanding light-harvesting material, solution-based organometallic halide perovskites have also recently emerged as a promising material for light-emitting diode (LED) applications. However, their stability under an ambient environment remains a challenge. Triple cation perovskites offer an appealing solution as it reduces the sensitivity to the processing conditions and improves the purity of the perovskite films. This work describes a facile ambient-processed thiocyanate-doped triple-cation perovskite Csx(MA0.17FA0.83)Pb(100-x)(I0.83Br0.17)3 used for high-performance perovskite-based LEDs with peak emission at 750 nm. Using the perovskite film tailoring technique by mixing DMF (N,N-Dimethylmethanamide) with perovskite precursor, we are able to reduce the perovskite grain size and optimize the film thickness while preserving its crystalline structure. With optimized processing techniques, we achieve a ∼90% improvement of the perovskite LEDs external quantum efficiency (EQE) from ∼3.1% to ∼5.9%. We believe this triple cation perovskite synthesis approach and film tailoring technique yields excellent device performances and constitutes a significant step towards low-cost and efficient LEDs.

Finger-Gesture Recognition for Visible Light Communication Systems Using Machine Learning

Gesture recognition (GR) has many applications for human-computer interaction (HCI) in the healthcare, home, and business arenas. However, the common techniques to realize gesture recognition using video processing are computationally intensive and expensive. In this work, we propose to task existing visible light communications (VLC) systems with gesture recognition. Different finger movements are identified by training on the light transitions between fingers using the long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network. This paper describes the design and implementation of the gesture recognition technique for a practical VLC system operating over a distance of 48 cm. The platform uses a single low-cost light-emitting diode (LED) and photo-diode sensor at the receiver side. The system recognizes gestures from interruptions in the direct light transmission, and is therefore suitable for high-speed communication. Gesture recognition accuracies were conducted for five gestures, and results demonstrate that the proposed system is able to accurately identify the gestures in up to 88% of cases.

Virtual Fluorescence Color Channels by Selective Photobleaching in Digital PCR Applied to the Quantification of KRAS Point Mutations

Multiplexing of analyses is essential to reduce sample and reagent consumption in applications with large target panels. In applications such as cancer diagnostics, the required degree of multiplexing often exceeds the number of available fluorescence channels in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) devices. The combination of photobleaching-sensitive and photobleaching-resistant fluorophores of the same color can boost the degree of multiplexing by a factor of 2 per channel. The only additional hardware required to create virtual fluorescence color channels is a low-cost light-emitting diode (LED) setup for selective photobleaching. Here, we present an assay concept for fluorescence color multiplexing in up to 10 channels (five standard channels plus five virtual channels) using the mediator probe PCR with universal reporter (UR) fluorogenic oligonucleotides. We evaluate the photobleaching characteristic of 21 URs, which cover the whole spectral range from blue to crimson. This comprehensive UR data set is employed to demonstrate the use of three virtual channels in addition to the three standard channels of a commercial dPCR device (blue, green, and red) targeting cancer-associated point mutations (KRAS G12D and G12V). Moreover, a LOD (limit of detection) analysis of this assay confirms the high sensitivity of the multiplexing method (KRAS G12D: 16 DNA copies/reaction in the standard red channel and KRAS G12V: nine DNA copies/reaction in the virtual red channel). Based on the presented data set, optimal fluorogenic reporter combinations can be easily selected for the application-specific creation of virtual channels, enabling a high degree of multiplexing at low optical and technical effort.

Controlling Phosphor Particle Distribution for High-Angular-Color-Uniformity and Low-Cost LEDs Based on Thermalcapillary Flow

Low cost and high performance are the pursuing goals of the light-emitting diode (LED) packaging. The phosphor layer configuration of LEDs significantly influences optical performances. In this study, thermalcapillary flow was introduced in the phosphor coating by the blue laser local irradiation. It has been demonstrated to successfully manipulate the phosphor particle distributions. In the phosphor dispensing coating, a centripetally concentrated particle distribution was realized and resulted in high angular color uniformity (ACU) and low-cost manufacture. Its angular correlated color temperature (CCT) deviation was reduced by more than 65%, compared to the traditional phosphor dispensing coating. Besides, the phosphor amount is saved by about 12%. The mechanism of ACU enhancement is analyzed. The realized phosphor particle distribution can inspire further development of the optimized phosphor layer configuration.

Photoacoustic imaging demonstration

Experiments [T. J. Allen and P. C. Beard, “High power visible light emitting diodes as pulsed excitation sources for biomedical photoacoustics,” Biomed. Opt. Express 7(4), 1260–1270 (2016)] describe the use of a visible light-emitting diode (LED) as an alternative to using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser as a photoacoustic excitation (1 mJ pulse) source for below-the-surface vascular imaging. They describe the feasibility of using a low-cost LED, overdriven by a factor of 10 in current, with short pulses ∼200 ns operating at a 0.01% duty cycle to achieve ∼10 μJ in an imaging experiment involving hemoglobin absorption (wavelength of 623 nm). A version of the experiment is demonstrated where an SST-90R LED (λ = 620 nm, 18 A maximum CW current) is driven from a home-made MOSFET pulsed driver, capable of providing pulses up to 50 A. Our demonstration of photoacoustic tomography involves a ∼1cm diam LED beam illuminating three closely-spaced vertical 1.4 mm tubes filled with blood (35% haematocrit), mounted in an open acrylic water tank. An immersion transducer (3.5 MHz, cylindrically focused PZT with 60 dB gain) detects time-averaged photoacoustic signals versus rotation angle. Then back-projection imaging can construct a two-dimensional image.

High-power light-emitting diode array design and assembly for practical photodynamic therapy research.

.Significance: Commercial lasers, lamps, and light-emitting diode (LED) light sources have stimulated the clinical translation of photodynamic therapy (PDT). Yet, the continued exploration of new photosensitizers (PSs) for PDT often requires separate activation wavelengths for each agent being investigated. Customized light sources for such research frequently come at significant financial or technical cost, especially when compounded over many agents and wavelengths.Aim: LEDs offer potential as a cost-effective tool for new PS and multi-PS photodynamic research. A low-cost-per-wavelength tool leveraging high-power LEDs to facilitate efficient and versatile research is needed to further accelerate research in the field.Approach: We developed and validated a high-power LED array system for benchtop PDT with a modular design for efficient switching between wavelengths that overcome many challenges in light source design. We describe the assembly of a low-cost LED module plus the supporting infrastructure, software, and protocols to streamline typical in vitro PDT experimentation.Results: The LED array system is stable at intensities in excess of with 2.3% variation across the illumination field, competitive with other custom and commercial devices. To demonstrate efficacy and versatility, a primary ovarian cancer cell line was treated with two widely used PSs, aminolevulinic acid and verteporfin, using the LED modules at a clinically relevant light dose that induced over 90% cell death for each treatment.Conclusions: Our work provides the community with a tool for new PS and multi-PS benchtop photodynamic research that, unlike most commercial light sources, affords the user a low barrier to entry and low-cost-per-wavelength with the goal of illuminating new insights at the forefront of PDT.

Simulation of a new architecture of organic white-light-emitting diode by quantum dot and photonic crystal to improve efficiency

A novel inverted hybrid quantum dot/organic light-emitting diode (IH-QDOLED) with a transparent conducting oxide photonic crystal structure is proposed in this study. Such improved electrical and optical characteristics as luminescence efficiency, extraction efficiency, external quantum efficiency, carrier injection, size-tunable color of QDs, and solution-processable fabrication make IH-QDOLEDs a good candidate with which to achieve high-performance and low-cost LED (light-emitting diode) devices. These efficient LEDs consist of three rows of CdSe quantum dots with different sizes blended in TPBi. In order to optimize the IH-QDOLED structure, we have performed a simulation based on the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. Also, the characteristics of this novel structure have been compared with those of a conventional structure. As it is found, the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) is increased from 30 % to 50 %, and the turn-on voltage has risen from 4.5 V to 5.5 V, compared to the conventional structure. Our results show that the angular distribution of the radiant power is uniform over a wider range of view angles, which can be attributed to the interaction of guided modes with an embedded photonic crystal structure.

Realisation and assessment of a low-cost LED device for contact lens disinfection by visible violet light.

This study presents a device for efficient, low-cost and eye-friendly overnight disinfection of contact lenses by visible violet light as an alternative to disinfection with biocide-containing solutions. Bacterial solutions with one Pseudomonas and one Staphylococcus strain each were irradiated for up to 8 h in commercial transparent contact lens cases by the presented light-emitting diode (LED) device. Samples were taken at different intervals and distributed on agar plates. The surviving bacteria were determined by counting of colony-forming units and compared to the specific requirements of the stand-alone test for contact lens disinfection of the hygiene standard ISO 14729. The concentration of both microorganisms was reduced by three orders of magnitude after less than 4 h of irradiation. The LED current and intensity have not yet been at maximum and could be further increased if necessary for other microorganisms. The presented device fulfils the requirement of the stand-alone test of the contact lens hygienic standard ISO 14729 for the tested Pseudomonas and Staphylococcus strains. According to literature data, the inactivation of Serratia marcescens, Candida albicans and Fusarium solani seems also possible, but may require increased LED current and intensity.

Photon-Counting Underwater Wireless Optical Communication by Recovering Clock and Data From Discrete Single Photon Pulses

To realize a long-distance underwater communication by using low-cost light emitting diode (LED) and single photon avalanche diode (SPAD), we proposed a method for recovering clock and data directly from discrete random pulse sequences output by SPAD. On this basis, a new communication model is established, taking into account not only fluctuations in photon flux and quantum efficiency of photon detection in a time-slot, but also the phase difference of the recovered clock caused by it. A photon-counting underwater optical wireless communication (UOWC) system was built. The effects of the system setting parameters such as the number of gating signals, synchronous character length and baud rate on the average bit error rate (BER) were verified by experiments. The experimental results show that under condition of only average 10 photons in one time-slot, photon-counting UOWC with a BER of 3.51 × 10 -4 and a baud rate of 1 Mbps can be achieved.

A low-cost, high-efficiency LED probe compatible with optical fiber port for optogenetics

Optogenetics, combining optical techniques with genetics study and aiming at probing the neural circuits of intact mammals and other animals, has rapidly become an essential technique in neuroscience. Typically, the awake behaving optogenetics experiments are conducted either by inserting into the brain a remote-laser-tethered optical fiber or by implanting a light emitting diode (LED) that connects to a remote power source wirelessly. However, the tethered fiber presents several problems, such as the mice biting the optical fiber and restricting the range of mice movement. The implanted LED solutions successfully solve these problems by moving the source of light close to the brain and implanting an LED mounted on a flexible substrate into the brain. Nevertheless, the tethered optical fiber system is still used as a universal method for its strong output power and long working time that cannot be replaced. But due to the variable implanted LED setups, optogenetics experiments are hard to be conducted, because the different implanted setups cost a lot of efforts and resources to adapt to the different interfaces. Here we developed a miniature, low-cost, high-efficiency, and modular LED probe to solve this problem, which is compatible with the optical fiber port, as a universal interface in optogenetics experiments.

Diamond-like carbon structure-doped carbon dots: A new class of self-quenching-resistant solid-state fluorescence materials toward light-emitting diodes

The construction of simple and low-cost light-emitting diode (LED) based on carbon dots (CDs) powder is an important and challenging task. Here, diamond-like carbon (sp3C) structure-doped carbon dots (D-CDs) powder was prepared within 8 min via a one-step microwave-assisted pyrolysis route with a high production yield of 67.8%. The obtained D-CDs powder emits bright solid-state fluorescence without any other additional solid matrices and exhibits a quantum yield of 67.7%. Self-quenching effect caused by direct π-π interactions and fluorescence resonance energy transfer is strongly suppressed by the sp3 and sp2 carbon hybrid structure and the single energy level in the D-CDs powder. The D-CDs powder was directly employed as phosphors in LED, and bright blue LED was successfully constructed with maximum luminance achieving 3922 cd m−2. More importantly, the introduction of diamond-like carbon (sp3C) structure opens a new era for the preparation of CDs powder with solid-state fluorescence.

Development of a Low-Cost Multi-Waveband LED Illumination Imaging Technique for Rapid Evaluation of Fresh Meat Quality

Determining the quality of meat has always been essential for the food industry because consumers prefer superior quality meat. Therefore, the food industry requires the development of a rapid and non-destructive method for meat-quality determination. Over the past few years, a number of techniques have been presented for monitoring meat–chemical attributes. However, most previous techniques are quite expensive, destructive, and require complex hardware to operate. Thus, in this work, we demonstrate a low-cost sensing technique (eliminating the expensive equipment and complicated design) for meat–chemical quality detection. The newly developed system was integrated with a low-cost monochrome camera and ordinary light-emitting diode (LED) light sources, with fifteen different wavebands ranging from 458 to 950 nm. The monochrome camera captures images of the meat sample across a spectral range from 458 to 950 nm using a single snapshot method. The chemical values (e.g., moisture, fat, and protein) were also determined using conventional methods. The collected images were combined to produce a multispectral data cube and to extract spectral data. Partial least squares (PLS) and support vector regression (SVR) modeling were used on the extracted spectra and chemical values. The developed models for meat samples displayed accurate chemical-component prediction ( R 2 > 0.80). Our model, based on a monochrome sensor using only fifteen wavebands, provided reasonable results compared with the previously developed expensive spectroscopic techniques. Therefore, this complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based multispectral sensing technique may have the potential to detect meat quality, thereby facilitating a simple, fast, and cost-effective method applicable to small-scale meat-processing industries.

Alternative Type Two-Dimensional-Three-Dimensional Lead Halide Perovskite with Inorganic Sodium Ions as a Spacer for High-Performance Light-Emitting Diodes.

Two-dimensional (2D) lead halide perovskites with long-chain ammonium halides display high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs), because of their size and dielectric confinement, which hold promise for a high-efficiency and low-cost light-emitting diode (LED). However, the presence of an insulating organic long-chain spacer cation (L) dramatically deteriorates the charge transport properties along the out-of-plane nanoplatelet direction or adjacent nanocrystals, which would limit the device performance of the LED. To overcome this issue, we successfully incorporate small alkaline ions such as sodium (Na+) to replace the long organic molecule. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements verify 2D layer formation with a preferred crystallite orientation. In addition, the incorporated sodium salt also generates amorphous sodium lead bromide (NaPbBr3) in perovskite as spacers to form a nanocrystal-like halide perovskite film. The PLQY is dramatically improved in the sodium-incorporated film because of its enhanced photoluminescence lifetime. Upon incorporation of a low concentration of an organic additive, this two-dimensional-three-dimensional (2D-3D) perovskite can achieve a compact and uniform film. Therefore, a 2D-3D perovskite achieves a high external quantum efficiency of 15.9% with good operational stability. We develop a type of 2D-3D halide perovskite with various inorganic ions as spacers for promising high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Design of a Low-Cost Underwater LED Fishing Light Attractor

Fishermen generally use light as a common way to attract fish in the fishing industry. This study aimed to design a model of an underwater fishing using Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp which is less costful and suitable for fishermen of Tanzania. Most fishermen currently use kerosene based lamps like candela which consumes lots of energy leading to high cost in terms of money used to regenerate the energy. This running cost automatically rises up the price of fish in the market. Thus with the use of LED lamp the cost will be reduced. The findings from this study showed that the LED lamp consumes little amount of energy (energy saving) compared to candela lamp which consumes 6 liters of kerosene per 36 hours which is equivalent to three nights, while the LED lamp takes 7 batteries at once for 36 hours. The 6 liters of kerosene cost around 7 USD and that of 7 batteries cost is near 2 USD. The LED lamp can be accessed by only 15 USD the price which is nearly half the price of the candela lamp. The candela lamp in the market is sold around 31 USD. This shows that LED lamp is more efficient in terms of conserving energy and cost effective than candela lamp. It is recommended that fishermen in the fishing industry in Tanzania should employ the usage of underwater LED fishing lamps as they are energy efficient. This will help the fishermen of Tanzania to undertake the fishing activity at low cost which will result to the decrease of price of fish in the market. This shows that this LED lamp has high efficiency and effectiveness to be used by fishermen compared to traditional method used by majority of them.

LED-pumped whispering-gallery laser

A low-cost light-emitting diode (LED) is sufficient to pump a quasi-continuous-wave bidirectional high-Q whispering-gallery resonator laser made of Nd:YVO4. This is remarkable because of the very limited spatial and spectral coherence of an LED. The LED, delivering up to 3.5 W, centered around 810 nm, is turned on in intervals of 100 μs duration, and for these periods a laser output exceeding 0.8 mW has been verified. Furthermore, 0.1-s-long laser pulses are demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an LED-pumped high-Q whispering-gallery laser. The concept can be extended easily to other laser active materials. A prospect is also to pump several of such lasers with a single LED.