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Prelab Quiz: Determination of Plancks Constant using LEDs

Read the manual and answer the following questions:
1. What is a diode? Define diodes turn-on voltage.

2. Show how the turn-on voltage is obtained from the IV curve of a diode.

3. How is the Plancks constant determined from the experiment?

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Section

Determination of Plancks Constant using Light Emitting Diodes

Objectives
By the end of this activity, you should be able to:
determine the turn-on voltage of light-emitting diodes from the IV-curve
relate the turn-on voltage of a diode to the bandgap energy
experimentally determine Planck's constant
Introduction
Max Planck (1858-1947) was a pioneer in the field of quantum mechanics. In 1900, he developed
the concept of a fundamental unit of energy, a quantum, to explain the spectral distribution of blackbody
radiation. Planck proposed that atoms absorb and emit radiation in discrete quantities given by [1]
(1)
E nhf
where n is an integer known as a quantum number, f is the frequency of vibration of the molecule, and h is
the Planck's constant equal to 4.135 x 10-34 eVs. In this experiment, the value of the Plancks constant will
be determined by finding the turn-on voltage of light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Theory
An LED is made up of p-type and n-type semiconductor. The n-type has excess free electrons while the ptype has spare holes. On the boundary where both types of semiconductors meet, the free electrons of the n-type
recombine with the holes of the p-type which creates a depletion zone. This zone is negatively charged on the p-type
side and positively charged on the n-type side. The recombination causes an electric field on the boundary to inhibit
the movement of free electrons through the depletion zone.
If the LED is connected to a voltage source and the voltage is taken sufficiently high to give the electrons
enough energy to overcome the electric field in the depletion zone, then the electrons can flow from the n-type to
the p-type material and recombine with the holes. During recombination, electrons go from a higher energy level
(the conduction band) to a lower energy level (the valence band). The energy difference is emitted in the form of
light and the LED turns on. The minimal necessary voltage for this to happen is called the turn-on voltage.

Figure 1. Electrons and holes recombination [2]

The photon which is emitted when the electron recombines with a hole has an energy that corresponds to
what the electron received when the voltage source was turned on. This energy is equal to

E eV0

(2)

where e is the charge of the electron and V0 is the turn-on voltage. From this it follows that

E hf

hc

eV0

(3)

Materials
Light emitting diodes (red, orange, green, blue, and violet)
PCB circuit
Variable DC power supply
Ammeter
Voltmeter
Connectors
Plotting tool
Procedure
A. Set-up
1. Set-up the circuit as shown in Figure 2 for the red LED using the PCB circuit.

Figure 2: Circuit
2. The ammeter is connected in series with the LED while the voltmeter is connected in parallel. Connect
the longer leg of the LED to the positive terminal of the power supply and the other leg to the negative
terminal of the power supply.
3. Have your Instructor check your circuit before plugging in the power supply.
B. I-V curve
1. Turn on the power supply and increase the voltage slowly by turning its knob clockwise. Record the
current and voltage readings in Table 1. Take a minimum of two (2) current-voltage readings before the
LED lights up and a minimum of five (5) current-voltage readings after it eventually lights up. Do not
exceed 4 V.
2. Sketch the current vs voltage graph of the red LED in Figure W1. Mark in your graph the turn-on voltage
by drawing a line from the maximum to the minimum current reading when the LED lights up as shown
in Figure 3.

Fugure 3. I-V curve of LEDs [3]

C. Calculation of the turn-on voltage

1. Repeat the measurement of the current and voltage of the circuit for the orange, green, blue and
violet LEDs. Record your data in Tables 2 to 5.
2. For the instances when the LED is on, find the equation of the best-fit line for each I-V curve by plotting
in MS Excel. With the slope and y-intercept, calculate the turn-on voltage by finding the x-intercept of
the graph. Record your answers in Table 6.
D. Calculation of Planck's constant
1. Plot the turn-on voltage vs frequency for the LEDs in Figure W2. Determine the best-fit line. The slope of
the line gives the Planck's constant in eV-s.
2. Compare the experimental Plancks constant with the textbook value.
3. Complete Table 7.
Suggested Extension Experiment

Determine the wavelength emitted by the different LEDs using student spectrometer
Study the turn-on voltage of the system of LEDs in series and/or parallel

References
[1] Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman, and A. Lewis Ford. University Physics with Modern Physics, Chapter

35. Addison Wesley, 12th edition, 2007.

[2] Hands-On Activity: Measuring Plancks constant with LEDs, www.quantumspinoff.eu
[3] Physics 73.1 Laboratory Manual Authors, 2013.

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Section

Worksheet: Determination of Plancks Constant using LEDs

A. I-V Curve of Red LED
Table 1: Measured Data for Red LED
LED off/on

Current (mA)

Voltage (V)

Off
Off
On
On
On
On
On

Figure W1. I-V curve of the red LED

B. I-V Measurements
Table 2: Measured Data for Orange LED
LED off/on

Current (mA)

Voltage (V)

Table 3: Measured Data for Green LED

LED off/on

Off

Off

Off

Off

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

Table 4: Measured Data for Blue LED

LED off/on

Current (mA)

Voltage (V)

Current (mA)

Voltage (V)

Table 5: Measured Data for Violet LED

LED off/on

Off

Off

Off

Off

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

On

Current (mA)

Voltage (V)

C. Computation of the Turn-on Voltage

Table 6: Computation of Turn-on Voltage
Frequency
Slope
y-intercept
Color
14
(x 10 Hz)
(mA/V)
(mA)
Red
4.74
Orange
4.90
Green
5.62
Blue
6.53
Violet
7.43

Turn-on Voltage
(V)

D. Computations of Plancks Constant

Table 7 Computation of Plancks Constant

Slope
y-intercept
hexpt
% Deviation

Figure W2. Turn-on Voltage vs frequency plot

Questions
1. Explain why the light from an LED can be used in this experiment. Why could you not use the light from a
small incandescent or fluorescent light bulb?

2. What is the function of the resistor in the circuit?

3. A green LED produces a 530 nm-light. What is its turn-on voltage?