Sunday, January 24, 2010

Latest Display Technology

Many expect that quantum dot display technology can compete or even replace liquid crystal displays (LCDs) in near future, including the desktop and notebook computer spaces and televisions. These initial applications alone represent more than a $1-billion addressable market by 2012 for quantum dot-based components. 

Straight From The Press Release
Nanosys Completes Commercial Agreement with LGIT for its Quantum Rail™ Lighting Products


About Nanosys, Inc.
Nanosys, Inc. is an advanced material architect, harnessing the fundamental properties of inorganic materials into process ready systems that can integrate into existing manufacturing to produce vastly superior products in lighting, electronic displays, solar power, energy storage and medical. For more information, visit www.nanosysinc.com.

Palo Alto, Calif., January 21, 2010 – Nanosys, Inc. today announced that it has signed a definitive commercial agreement with cutting edge electronics component manufacturer LG Innotek (LGIT). The agreement, involving Nanosys' quantum dot phosphors for use in displays, represents the first real world commercial application of quantum dots in electronics.

Use of Nanosys' architected quantum dots enables LGIT to be the first company in the world to provide ultra high color gamut displays to its customers such as LG Group and others. The agreement secures sales of Nanosys' process ready components into the display market for many years.

"Our Quantum Rail™ device takes quantum dots out of the lab and delivers them as process ready components for customers such as LGIT," said Jason Hartlove, CEO of Nanosys. "With a reputation for quick implementation, LGIT is the perfect commercial partner."

Nanosys, Inc. is an advanced material architect, harnessing the fundamental properties of inorganic materials into process ready systems that can integrate into existing manufacturing to produce vastly superior products in lighting, electronic displays, solar power, energy storage and medical. For more information, visit www.nanosysinc.com.

About Quantum Dot 

With many promising advantages, QD LED is considered as a next generation display technology. QDs can be incorporated into a new generation of applications such as flat-panel TV screens, digital cameras, mobile phones, personal gaming equipment and PDAs

Quantum dots (QD) are a form of light emitting technology and consist of nano-scale crystals that can provide an alternative for applications such as display technology. This display technology differs from cathode ray tubes (CRTs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), but it is similar to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, in that light is supplied on demand, which enables new, more efficient displays, which is enabling mobile devices with longer battery lives. Unlike inorganic semiconductor based LEDs, organic electroluminescent devices can be deposited over larger areas and on flexible or non-planar substrates. Large area display or general illumination devices have been fashioned from these molecules and have begun their entry into the market. However, the light emitting organic molecules tend to degrade and are particularly sensitive to humidity and oxidation. Quantum dots incorporate the best aspects of both organic light emitters and inorganic light emitters.

The properties and performance of these unique crystals is determined by the size and/or composition of the QD. Given QDs are both photo-active (photoluminescent) and electro-active (electroluminescent) they can be readily incorporated into new emissive display architectures.

Working Principle

Pros and cons

Pros

1) Color range: Nanocrystal displays should be able to yield a greater portion of the visible spectrum than current technologies. As shown in the diagram, QD Vision calculates as much as 30% more of the visible spectrum would be available using QDs in a QD-LED vs. a CRT TV.

2) Low power consumption: QD Vision estimates its nanocrystal displays could use 3 to 5% less electrical power than an LCD, in large part because nanocrystal displays don't need a backlight.

3) Vibrant colors: Nanocrystal displays would yield more purity in colors than other types of display technologies. Some display technologies, such as LCDs, can’t create a pure red, green, or blue for the display; instead, they need to add a few other colors to those three to display pure colors. Quantum dots, on the other hand, create pure red, green, and blue to create all other colors.

4) Brightness: 50~100 times brighter than CRT and LCD displays ~40,000 cd/m2

5) Color purity: the color produced by QDs provides for an improved viewing experience for the end user

6) Added flexibility: QDs are soluble in both aqueous and non-aqueous solvents, which provides for printable and flexible displays of all sizes, including large area TVs

7) Improved lifetime: QDs are inorganic, which can give the potential for improved lifetimes when compared to alternative OLED technologies. However, since many parts of QD-LED are made of organic materials, further development is required to improve the functional lifetime.

Other advantages include better saturated green, manufacture ability on polymers, thin display, same material used to generate difference colors, and higher resolution.


Cons

1) Less saturated blue: Blue quantum dot is pretty difficult to manufacture due to the timing control during the reaction. Blue quantum dot is just slightly above the minimum size, where red to green can be easily obtained. Also, human eyes need 50x brighter blue than green in order to detect the same signal.

2) Heat emission: They either emit light or heat, one or the other due to fermions (e- + e+ → photon or heat).

3) Causes overexposure on cameras.

Commercialization of quantum dot display is yet to come. Compared to LCD and OLED, the manufacturing cost of QD-LED is relatively high and development of novel and more cost-efficient fabrication process is desired in future.

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