Power Supplies for LED Driving

CHAPTER 11 Selecting Components for LED Drivers

This chapter will be very practical in orientation. It will describe how different materials and component types can affect the performance of LED drivers. This will be detailed, showing how the physical construction of components could have an effect.

11.1 Discrete Semiconductors

Atoms of materials have a core (nucleus) of positively charged proton and uncharged neutrons. They have negatively charged electrons orbiting around this nucleus, like planets around the Sun. When atoms combine, they share electrons in their outer orbit (the valence band). Lighter atoms, like silicon, are most stable when there are eight electrons in their outer orbit. Semiconductors are (usually) made from silicon, which ...