Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!oucsace!bwhite
From: bwhite@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bill White)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Blue and UltraViolet LED's
Summary: Ya want UV LED's?  I'll give ya UV LED's :-)
Message-ID: <1551@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU>
Date: 15 Jul 90 04:50:53 GMT
References: <17596.2699d803@uctvax> <1990Jul11.233848.29098@zoo.toronto.edu>
Organization: Ohio U, home of the mighty Hocking River!
Lines: 37

In article <1990Jul11.233848.29098@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes:
>In article <17596.2699d803@uctvax> murray@uctvax writes:
>>Also does anybody out there know anything about the possibility of building
>>a LED in ultraviolet? I know about IR LED's, but a UV LED would be useful!
>
>If you thought a blue LED was a long time coming, I suggest not holding
>your breath waiting for UV LEDs.  The problems get exponentially worse,
>so to speak, as the wavelength shortens.

	My simple procedure for getting UV out of an LED (use yellow, as they
are cheaper).

	1. Take a power cord.
	2. Insert a diode in-line with one lead (after all, you want 120VDC,
	not AC)
	3. Wire up the LED
	4. Plug it in.

Bingo!  You will (briefly) see a blinding white light that contains some
UV.  Now all you have to do is filter out the visible portion, and find some
way of cleaning up the mess you just made (avoid inhaling the fumes).

All kidding aside, I actually used to take those micromini clear-cased red
LED's (with the two leads coming out axially, they looked a bit like surface
mount resistors) and put the leads across a 9V battery.  They would glow
white! (and burn my finger!)

I also wouldn't hold my breath for UV.  Hey, if you really want to wait a
long time, ask for an X-ray LED (or gamma ray, for that matter)



-- 
|   Bill White			Internet: bwhite@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu	|
|	VIQUE'S LAW:							|
|		A man without religion is like a fish			|
|		without a bicycle.					|