Scholarship furthers Illinois senior's work on efficient green LED lighting

Jason Li, a physics major pursuing an electrical and computer engineering minor, works in the Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Laboratory under Professor Can Bayram. Along with a team of researchers and graduate students, they are developing more efficient white LED lighting. 

Currently, white lighting is created using blue light—the most efficient LED—coated with phosphor, which converts some of the blue light into yellow. However, Li said this process sacrifices some efficiency. 

“A better way to do it is by mixing red, blue and green light together,” he said. “Essentially, a green LED is just a blue LED with a higher indium content, so you shift the wavelength toward green,” Li said. 

But green light poses a problem. Their group previously identified that green LEDs perform worse due to various effects. Nearly 50% of efficiency loss stems from Auger-Meitner recombination, a process that occurs in all LED devices according to Li. Another focus of their research is creating cubic-phase gallium nitride LEDs, which they hope will reduce such losses.  

Li was awarded a $15,000 fellowship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which includes access to the Foundation’s alumni network. The financial support and networking opportunities will aid him as he continues his education.  

There have been other Illinois students who received this award. Li is the first student within the Holonyak Micro & Nanotechnology Laboratory as well as the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics departments to receive this award. 

Research has been a constant in Li’s life. “I grew up in the Research Triangle,” said Li, who is from Cary, North Carolina. The region is nestled between Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University. “So, there’s just a lot of tech companies within the Triangle.” 

Both of Li’s parents earned degrees in electrical engineering. His mother now teaches math, while his father works in the engineering field. Li said he may pursue a doctorate in electrical engineering and is currently preparing his graduate school applications. 

As he continues his studies, Li sees a connection between his childhood aspirations and his current path. “I think, as a kid, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to make new things,” he said. “And I guess in some ways, that is what research is. You’re making new science—whether it be fundamental science or engineering new devices.” 

Part of what drives Li is the desire to help people. More efficient white light could reduce carbon emissions and save money. “The Department of Energy, I think a couple of years ago, cited that if they meet their goal for green LED efficiency by 2035, we’ll save 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year,” he said. “That’s two to three percent of our annual emissions in the U.S.”

Li believes science should serve the public good. “As scientists, we are empowered to make a difference. I think that you are also empowered to be an advocate. I think this is very important,” he said. “This is something that people need to think about—especially young students—how you can be an advocate and change your community.” 

He said the science community should not only focus on improving lives but also on fostering a more inclusive culture. “You want to think about how your science can help people, but you also want to think about how you, as a person, can communicate the science—and how you can shape the community you’re part of.