Neon is mainly used for lighting and as a low‑temperature refrigerant in specialized equipment.

Lighting and signs

• The largest and most familiar use is in advertising signs and decorative lighting, where electrified neon gas produces a bright reddish‑orange glow.

• It is also used in small neon glow lamps as power‑on indicators and in some traffic and safety lights.

Electronics and lasers

• Neon is used in vacuum tubes, high‑voltage indicators, lightning arresters, and various gas‑filled electronic tubes.

• Mixed with helium, it forms helium–neon lasers, which are used in scientific instruments, semiconductor manufacturing, and some medical and research applications.

Cryogenics and other uses

• In liquid form, neon serves as a very cold cryogenic refrigerant, for example to help cool superconducting magnets where extreme low temperatures are needed but liquid helium is not required.

• Neon and neon mixtures can also be used for leak detection and as tracer gases in some industrial and environmental applications because the gas is inert and easy to track.