Light-emitting diode UV LEDs for sterilization. LEDs have also been used as a medium-quality voltage reference in electronic circuits. The forward voltage drop (e.g. about 1.7 V for a normal red LED) can be used instead of a Zener diode in low-voltage regulators. Red LEDs have the flattest I/V curve above the knee. Nitride-based LEDs have a fairly steep I/V curve and are useless for this purpose. Although LED forward voltage is far more current-dependent than a Zener diode, Zener diodes with breakdown voltages below 3 V are not widely available. The progressive miniaturization of low-voltage lighting technology, such as LEDs and
Light-emitting diode generally attributed to the parallel development of other semiconductor technologies and advances in optics and materials science and has been called Haitz's law after Dr. Roland Haitz. Light output and efficiency of blue and near-ultraviolet LEDs rose as the cost of reliable devices fell. This led to relatively high-power white-light LEDs for illumination, which are replacing incandescent and fluorescent lighting. Experimental white LEDs have been demonstrated to produce 303 lumens per watt of electricity (lm/w); some can last up to 100,000 hours. However, commercially available LEDs have an efficiency of up to 223 lm/w. Compared to incandescent bulbs, this is