MulticolorLEDs

Multicolor LEDs are light-emitting diodes designed to emit more than one color, most commonly by integrating several LED dies within a single package. The standard configuration is RGB, containing red, green, and blue dies. By adjusting the current in each die, the effective color of the emitted light can be varied across a wide gamut using additive color mixing. Some packages add a white die (RGBW or RGBWW) to improve the production of neutral whites and color rendering.

In a single package, dies typically share a common anode or common cathode lead. The packages are available in common footprints such as 5050 or 3535 SMD, as well as through-hole types. Bi-color LEDs contain two dies (often red and green) in one package and can show two colors; if both dies are driven simultaneously, an additional mixed color (e.g., yellow) may appear depending on the device.

Each color channel requires its own current path, and the forward voltage differs by color (red around 1.8–2.2 V; green and blue typically 2.8–3.5 V). Because brightness depends on current, most implementations use a constant-current driver and PWM to adjust intensity. RGBW variants add a fourth channel that is used to produce white light more efficiently than mixing RGB.

Multicolor LEDs are used for indicator lighting, decorative and architectural lighting, displays, backlighting for consumer electronics, and automotive lighting. Their compact size, long life, and energy efficiency enable dynamic color control and effects, often integrated with microcontrollers or dedicated LED driver ICs.