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Neon signs produce radiant self-emitted light. They contain neon, argon, other inert gases, or combinations of various gases at low pressure. Neon gas emits a red glow. Argon can emit yellow, blue, green, or white.

Neon lights are a type of cold cathode gas-discharge light. A neon tube is a sealed glass tube with a metal electrode at each end, filled with one of a number of gases at low pressure. A high potential of several thousand volts applied to the electrodes ionizes the gas in the tube, causing it to emit colored light.

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With LED neon, the reaction comes when electrons pass through a semiconductor, which is typically a material known as aluminium-gallium-arsenide. The LEDs must be positioned close to each other so they produce a steady source of light. This is similar to the effect of neon gas glowing inside a glass tube.

Most neon signs are expected to last between eight and 15 years, although many continue to function for much longer than that. Leaving a sign switched on for prolonged periods can shorten its lifespan, and leave it at risk of overheating or sustaining damage from electrical surges.

Although the shapes and colors vary, all neon signs operate on the same simple scientific principle: an electrical current passes through a sealed glass tube filled with a stable, inert gas, usually neon or argon. The gas in the tube glows when it is charged, emitting a steady stream of light.

When charged with an electrical current, neon is capable of generating only a reddish-orange lightit will never glow blue or green, for example. The shade of red or orange it produces depends on how energised the neon atoms inside the glass tube become when electricity is run through it. See How neon signs work above.

Claude quickly filed a patent, and displayed his neon tubes in December 1910, at the Paris Motor Show. People were dazzled, but the tubes werenʼt ideal for general lighting. But they were perfect for signage, and in 1912, Claude sold his first neon sign to a barbershop on the Boulevard Monmartre.