infrared LED (IR-LED)
Infrared LEDs(IR LEDs) emit infrared light with wavelengths between 700 nm and 1,000 nm in the near infrared range. This infrared range is above the visible red range.
The main differences between light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for visible light and infrared light are that infrared LEDs generate the light directly in the semiconductor and thus have a high efficiency and a cutoff frequency of about 80 MHz. IR LEDs have lower bias voltage and higher rated current, which is related to the material properties of gallium arsenide( GaAs) and aluminum gallium arsenide( AlGaAs) in light emission. Thus, the values for the driving current of infrared LEDs can be as high as 50 mA. Unlike normal LEDs, the emission power is not expressed in candela( Cd), since it is not visible light, but in milliwatts (mW), although there are IR LEDs with power values of several hundred milliwatts.
Infrared LEDs are used in consumer electronics in remote controls, garage door openers, photoelectric sensors and motion detectors, and also in communications technology in IrDA and infrared LANs.