How the First Infrared LED Was Invented
Texas Instruments' 1962 patent for the first practical semiconductor diode that emits infrared light when electricity passes through it.
Original patent title: “Semiconductor radiant diode”
Texas Instruments' 1962 patent for the first practical semiconductor diode that emits infrared light when electricity passes through it. Granted to Texas Instruments Inc in 1966 with 2 claims and 54 forward citations, and it is now in the public domain.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
The device uses a gallium-arsenide crystal body with two distinct layers, a p-type and an n-type, which meet to form a p-n junction. When an electrical current is applied through the contacts, the junction emits infrared light. The patent specifically details a design with a large contact on one side and a specialized, multi-part contact on the other to efficiently manage current flow and light emission. This structure was the foundational blueprint for modern light-emitting diodes.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover visible light LEDs, as this specific design emits infrared radiation.
- Does not cover LEDs made from materials other than gallium-arsenide.
- Does not cover light-emitting devices that rely on non-semiconductor materials like filaments or gas discharge.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The inventors realized that gallium-arsenide was far more efficient at converting electrical energy directly into light than the silicon or germanium used in transistors at the time.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Infrared remote controls
Fiber optic communication systems
Early optoisolators
Night vision illumination systems
Why it matters
The bigger picture
This patent marks the birth of the light-emitting diode (LED). It transitioned light production from heat-based methods, like incandescent bulbs, to efficient electron-based emission. It is the ancestor of everything from your TV remote's signal to fiber optic data transmission.
Filed
August 8, 1962
Granted
December 20, 1966
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
Companies like Cree, Nichia, and Lumileds have built upon the foundational physics of semiconductor light emission established by this Texas Instruments invention. The entire modern LED lighting and display industry traces its technical lineage back to this specific gallium-arsenide discovery.
Market impact
This patent effectively launched the optoelectronics industry. By proving that semiconductors could emit light efficiently, it enabled the development of solid-state lighting and high-speed data transmission, eventually replacing mechanical and vacuum-tube-based light sources in countless applications.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
The device uses a gallium-arsenide crystal body with two distinct layers, a p-type and an n-type, which meet to form a p-n junction. When an electrical current is applied through the contacts, the junction emits infrared light. The patent specifically details a design with a large contact on one side and a specialized, multi-part contact on the other to efficiently manage current flow and light emission. This structure was the foundational blueprint for modern light-emitting diodes.
The clever bit
The inventors realized that gallium-arsenide was far more efficient at converting electrical energy directly into light than the silicon or germanium used in transistors at the time.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover visible light LEDs, as this specific design emits infrared radiation.
- Does not cover LEDs made from materials other than gallium-arsenide.
- Does not cover light-emitting devices that rely on non-semiconductor materials like filaments or gas discharge.
Patent Journey
From filing to expiry
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
35/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
1/20
Narrow claimsclaimsThe numbered statements at the end of a patent that legally define what the inventor owns.Read more →
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$25K – $81K
Midpoint $50K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
2 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Biard, J. R., & Pittman, G. E. (1966). How the First Infrared LED Was Invented (U.S. Patent No. 3,293,513). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3293513/infrared-led-biard-pittman
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How the First Infrared LED Was Invented cover?
Texas Instruments' 1962 patent for the first practical semiconductor diode that emits infrared light when electricity passes through it.
Who owns patent US 3293513?
Texas Instruments Inc owns this patent, granted in 1966.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 3293513 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 54 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
This patent marks the birth of the light-emitting diode (LED). It transitioned light production from heat-based methods, like incandescent bulbs, to efficient electron-based emission. It is the ancestor of everything from your TV remote's signal to fiber optic data transmission.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover visible light LEDs, as this specific design emits infrared radiation.
Same assignee
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