WSJournal. Dazzling Diodes From FireFlies. Ma

WSJournal. Dazzling Diodes From FireFlies.

Mason jars fixed with small lights mimicking lighting bugs attract real lighting bugs.

Inspired by fireflies, scientists in Belgium, Canada and France have developed a way to increase the output of light-emitting diodes by up to 55%.

Among their many uses, LEDs serve as car lights and indicator lamps in electronic devices. The researchers copied the jagged pattern of tiny scales on a firefly's lantern. These scales maximize light output by minimizing internal reflections, thereby helping flashing fireflies attract mates. Scientists aped this design by using a laser to create a saw-tooth pattern 5 micrometers high atop a standard gallium nitride LED. The result, published in the journal Optics Express, was a big increase in efficiency. The authors say that their work could show up soon in the manufacturing of LEDs.