Haciye imyaka mirongo itanu, abantu bari bamaze gutahura ubumenyi bw’ishimikiro bw’uko ibikoresho bishobora gutanga umuco, kandi diode ya mbere ishobora kugurishwa yakozwe mu 1960. LED ni ijambo ry’inyongera ry’ijambo Light Emitting Diode. Igishushanyo caco c’ishimikiro gifise ikintu gica ibibatsi c’umuyagankuba gishirwa ku gicapo c’amabuye y’agaciro, hanyuma kigakingirwa n’ivyuma bita epoxy kugira ngo kirinde intsinga z’imbere mu mubiri, ivyo bikaba bituma amatara y’umuyagankuba ashobora guhangana neza n’ugukubitwa n’inkuba.
Ishingiro ry’umuco-itanga diode ni igice gikozwe n’ibice vy’umuyagankuba vy’ubwoko bwa p-n’ubwoko bwa n-. Hagati y’ibice vy’umubiri vy’ubwoko bwa p-n’ubwoko bwa n- hariho uruzitiro rw’inzira rwitwa ap-n junction. Mu nzira ya PN y’ibikoresho bimwebimwe bifata umuyagankuba, iyo ibikoresho bikeyi vyinjijwe bisubiye gufatanya n’ibikoresho vyinshi, inguvu zirenga zica zisohoka mu buryo bw’umuco, gutyo zigahindura ata guca ku ruhande inguvu z’umuyagankuba zikaba inguvu z’umuco. Iyo hakoreshejwe umuriro w’inyuma ku nzira ya PN, ivyuma bitwara ibintu bikeyi biragoye gutera, rero nta muco usohoka.
Ubwo bwoko bwa diode, bukozwe hakoreshejwe ingingo ngenderwako y’uguca ibibatsi kw’umuyagankuba, bwitwa diode itanga umuco-, izwi cane kw’izina rya LED. Iyo iri mu gihe c’ugukora imbere (ni ukuvuga, umuriro w’imbere urakoreshwa mu bice vyayo vyose), uko umuriro uva ku anode ya LED uja ku cathode, iyo crystal semiconductor itanga umuco w’amabara atandukanye kuva ku ultraviolet gushika ku infrared, kandi uburemere bw’umuco burafitaniye isano n’umuriro.
