Blue LEDs may be caught in a trap

Blue LEDs are notoriously difficult to make, which has slowed down the production of cheap, highly efficient white LED light bulbs. Now, UK scientists think they know why. They have discovered that one of the key ingredients to create the semiconductor sandwich for blue LEDs, magnesium, may be behind the manufacturing problems. Their work could help to develop new manufacturing strategies to overcome this problem, driving down the cost of white LED lights.