What is an HDR Quantum Dot LCD Device?

Quantum dot LCD devices are challenging the status quo of the digital display market. Building on the proven technology of liquid crystal display (LCD) matrices with an additional layer of photoemissive nanocrystals, a quantum dot LCD screen provides unmatched color representation and the most vibrant images currently available on the market.

The current generation of quantum dot LCD displays owes its superior performance levels to these nanoscale semiconductors, which are based on chemical compounds of either indium phosphide (InP), cadmium selenide (CdSe), or superior perovskite metal halides. When excited with incident blue light from edge or backlighting, these nanocrystals fluoresce colors of outstanding purity based on their chemical composition, structure, and size. This quality makes it possible to finely tune the emissive wavelengths from pixel-to-pixel and generate the broadest possible spectrum of colors across the entire screen.

The wide color gamut (WCG) capabilities of quantum dot LCD devices enable high dynamic range (HDR) performance for a technology that has dominated the display sector for decades. HDR is one of the key performance indicators of modern electronic devices, yet it typically requires an enormous increase in energy output to meet the required levels of luminance with conventional architectures. A TV display utilizing an LED backlight must achieve a peak brightness of 1,000 nits to meet HDR standards, presenting several challenges to conventional LCD matrices.

The Challenges of HDR for LCD Technology

The entirety of the visible light generated by an LCD screen originates from the LED backlight which propagates through several layers before an image is generated onscreen. It is relatively easy to increase the peak brightness of an LCD’s backlight compared to organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies. Yet increasing the brightness of the backlight may hinder the achievable black levels of the screen, which is a major indicator of HDR capabilities.

Some manufacturers utilize local dimming to reduce luminance at distinct localities on the display. This can, in turn, reduce the performance of bright sub-pixels within the locally-dimmed segment. There is also a concern that increasing the overall peak brightness of an LCD screen will have an impact on the display’s efficiency because as much as 66% of the white light generated by an LED backlight is blocked by color filters in the LCD architecture.

The Benefits of Quantum Dot LCDs

Quantum dot LCD displays can meet and exceed current HDR capabilities due to the self-emissive nature of the semiconducting layer. Energy wastage is significantly reduced by implementing a blue incident light source which generates all of the blue light visible on-screen. Red and green wavelengths are produced in distinct sub-pixels by quantum dots that have been excited by blue light. This represents an enormous improvement over the black level capabilities of existing LCD displays and incomparable peak brightness performance.

Leading quantum dot LCD devices can effectively reduce the impact of light from neighboring pixels while delivering the highest possible peak brightness currently available on the display market. Quantum dot LCD displays can produce up to 2,000 nits with as much as 90% coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space. This represents the most dynamic imagery with the highest levels of efficiency.

Quantum Dot Technology from Avantama

Avantama is one of the world’s leading developers of perovskite quantum dots for display applications. Our unique metal halide engineering process has yielded materials with superior qualities to alternative compositions, providing the basis for future quantum dot LCD technologies and beyond.

If you would like any more information about our quantum dot formulations, please do not hesitate to contact us.