A microscopic LED could offer data centers a more energy-efficient way to move information between computing systems. Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Notre Dame have developed a micro-LED with record optical switching performance. The device achieves an optical modulation bandwidth of 2.75 gigahertz while consuming just 25 milliwatts of power.

The achievement could help reduce the energy demands of short-range optical communications. Data centers increasingly rely on light-based links to move information at high speeds. However, conventional optical transmitters typically use lasers, which consume considerable power and generate heat.

The researchers believe their design could provide an efficient alternative for these connections. Their findings also establish a development roadmap for engineering smaller LEDs without sacrificing performance.

The research team focused on gallium nitride quantum well LEDs, a widely used semiconductor design. They investigated how device dimensions affect switching speed and electrical power consumption. Their experiments covered micro-LED diameters ranging from 100 micrometers down to just 2 micrometers.

Surprisingly, the smallest devices did not deliver the best overall performance. Researchers identified 5 micrometers as the optimal diameter for balancing bandwidth and power consumption.

The optimized device achieved 2.75 GHz of optical modulation bandwidth. This measurement indicates how quickly an LED can switch its light output in response to electrical signals. Beyond that frequency, the optical signal can lose intensity and become less useful for reliable data transmission.

Lead author Abdelghany Abouelnagga said the team challenged the assumption that smaller devices always perform better. Their findings provide a systematic approach to evaluating the relationship between device size, switching speed, and energy requirements.

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