An LED (from the English light-emitting diode) is an electronic semiconductor component constructed as a diode that emits light when current passes in the forward direction. This can be visible light in various colors, but also infrared radiation or ultraviolet radiation. After their invention in 1962, LEDs were initially only used as an indicator light and for signal transmission. As a result of technological improvements, light output has increased and by the end of the 1990s LEDs could be produced that were suitable as a light source for ordinary daily use. An LED is usually built into a small transparent housing of a few millimeters in size, which also functions as a lens.