QD applications

Korea-based OLED and QD materials developer Duksan Neolux says it has secured core material technology for QD-EL microdisplays on silicon (QLEDoS), aimed at AR and VR devices. The company plans to start prototype production and customer evaluations in 2027.

According to industry sources, Duksan Neolux has filed four QD-related patents as part of a project to develop a photopatternable RGB independent-pixel frontplane for QLEDoS displays with a pixel density of 6,000 PPI or higher. The patents cover technologies that protect the structure of the QD particles in order to improve stability and maximize luminous efficiency.

Canon announced that it has developed new perovskite quantum-dot inks for use in next-generation displays, with improved durability and potential for application in high-image-quality displays.

Canon's new perovskite quantum-dot inks are cadmium free, and thanks for Canon's proprietary technologies, the QDs feature protective shell that enables high lifetime and efficiency. Canon's QDs are about 20% more efficient in light converstion compared to standard QDs, and cover 94.4% of the BT.2020 color gamut - higher than regular InP quantum-dot inks (that usually cover around 88% of the same color gamut).

MSI says it will launch an "super ultra wide" QD-OLED monitor in early 2023 (during the CES conference). The company did not disclose much - beyond saying that it will offer a 240Hz refresh rate, and that its current name is Project 491C.

Samsung is the only QD-OLED Panel maker, and it does not offer a 240Hz panel yet (the only monitor-sized QD-OLED is a curved 34-inch 175Hz 3440x1440) - so it seems as if MSI is using a panel that hasn't entered production yet. This will be interesting to watch!

According to a report from Korea, Samsung Display has decided to increase its QD-OLED production capacity, and start making panels for monitors, with sizes of around 27-inch (currently the smallest QD-OLED panel in production is 34-inch). Samsung aims to supply these panels to Apple.

It is said that SDC debated whether to adopt RGB (direct-emission) OLED displays for its future monitor panels, but the lower cost of producing QD-OLED panels led Samsung to this decision. It will continue to produce RGB OLEDs for its tablet and laptop displays.

VR headset maker Pimax announced a new device, called the Reality 12K QLED VR. The display used in the headset will be a 5.5" mini-LED backlit (5,000 LEDs) QD-LCD, which achieves a resolution of 12K, a refresh rate of 200HZ and a horizontal FOV of 200-degrees.

The new headset, based on either Qualcomm's Snapdragon VR engine or Pimax's own customized PC VR engine, will also feature technologies such as Nvidia's DLSS, VRSS, DSC, Cloud XR and 11 cameras used for eye tracking and facial expression tracking. It will also support full-body tracking.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have assessed the status of research into colloidal quantum dot lasers with a focus on prospective electrically pumped devices, or laser diodes.

Their review analyzes the challenges for developing lasing with electrical excitation, and presents approaches to overcome them.

Guest post by: Fraunhofer IAP & Fraunhofer CAN

"People push towards the light, not to see better, but to shine better" - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844 - 1900)

Quantum dots (QDs) represent the latest generation of hybrid inorganic-organic nanomaterials. They form a triad of inorganic nanotechnology, organic semiconductor technology and solution-based processability. The emission properties of inorganic, luminescent nanoparticles depend directly on the particle size. This size quantization effect makes it possible to control the band gap and thus the emission color of semiconductor materials. The target parameters are a high quantum yield of the luminescence as well as high stability and environmental compatibility.