# 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.

- **Patent:** US 3293513
- **Original title:** Semiconductor radiant diode
- **Owner:** Texas Instruments Inc
- **Granted:** 1966
- **Status:** Public domain (expired)
- **Times cited:** 54
- **Field:** semiconductors, telecommunications, consumer_electronics

## What it does

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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Real-world examples

1. Infrared remote controls
2. Fiber optic communication systems
3. Early optoisolators
4. Night vision illumination systems

## Why it matters

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.

## 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.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3293513/infrared-led-biard-pittman

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US3293513

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._


## Related patents

Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus:

- [The Invention of the Junction Transistor](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2569347/junction-transistor) — William Shockley's 1951 patent for the junction transistor, the fundamental building block of all modern digital electronics.
- [How Organic Diodes Make Light Using Special Molecules](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/4356429/oled-organic-light-emitting-diode) — Eastman Kodak's 1982 patent on creating light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using organic materials, specifically a layer of porphyrinic compounds to help inject electrical charges.
- [The Invention of the Modern Field-Effect Transistor](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3102230/mosfet-field-effect-transistor) — This 1960 patent describes the fundamental structure of the MOSFET, the tiny electronic switch that powers every modern computer processor.
- [How Nichia Created the First Practical Blue LED Electrodes](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5563422/blue-led-gallium-nitride) — A foundational patent describing the specific metal contacts needed to make gallium nitride LEDs efficient and commercially viable.
- [The Invention of the Transistor](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2524035/point-contact-transistor) — Bell Labs' 1950 patent for the point-contact transistor, the fundamental electronic component that makes all modern computing possible.