Chip LED is the smallest component unit that functions as an LED
“LED (light-emitting diode)” made as a compound semiconductor cannot be illuminated by passing electricity in the state of the element as it is. Therefore, for us to use, LED elements are placed on a small substrate, electrodes are connected, and resin coating is applied. In this way, it becomes a “chip LED”, which is the smallest component unit that can function as an LED. Chip LEDs are also called “surface-mount LEDs” because they were originally made to mechanically solder to the surface of a printed circuit board. In English, it is an abbreviation for Surface Mount Device and is also called “SMD LED”.
* In addition to chip LEDs, LED packages made as electronic components come in several forms, such as “bullet-shaped LEDs” and “flux LEDs.”
The number in the name of the chip LED indicates the size
Chip LEDs are called with 4-digit numbers such as 1608 chip LED, 3216 chip LED, and 5050 chip LED, but this number indicates the size of the chip LED, and 1608 is ” “1.6 mm x 0.8 mm size”, 3216 is “3.2 mm x 1.6 mm size”, 5050 is “5.0 mm x 5.0 mm”, and so on.
This size is compared to toothpicks. You can see how small the sizes 1005 and 1608 are.
The standard of ultra-small chip LED is 1608 size
Among the small size of chip LEDs, the standard that is often used for self-made work is 1608 (1.6 mm x 0.8 mm size), and each manufacturer has a relatively rich lineup such as the type of emission color.
There is also a smaller size, 1005 (1.0 mm x 0.5 mm size), but there are still a few types.
LEDs have polarities (plus and minus) called anodes and cathodes. It can be turned on by connecting the positive side of the power supply to the anode of the
LED and the negative side of the power supply to the cathode, but it will not illuminate if connected in reverse. Electrodes (metal terminals) are connected to the board part of the chip LED separately on the anode side and the cathode side, so solders the lead wire etc.
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Chip LED Polarity How to distinguish between anode and cathode
How to distinguish the polarity of the chip LED (anode “+” and cathode “-“) depends on the type of chip LED, so basically it is necessary to check by looking at the manufacturer’s datasheet. For small size chip LEDs such as 1608, 2012, and 3216, you can see the polarity by looking at
the “triangle, T-shaped, convex, etc. marks” on the board side surface.
As shown above, there are “triangle, T-shaped, convex, etc. marks” on the surface on the board side, which indicate the direction of current flow. (The current flows from the anode to the cathode of the LED.)
In other words, the electrode on the sharp side (tip side) such as is the cathode. For large chip LEDs such as 3528, 5630, and 5050, PLCC, and reflector type, the cathode is usually on the side with the notch at the corner. * However, in rare cases, the notched side may be the anode for some manufacturers and model numbers, so in principle, be sure to check the polarity by looking at the datasheet
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