QD for Color Filter: 3 Theoretical Benefits

Several formats of quantum dot (QD) displays have been engineered and released on the commercial market in just a few short years. Optical arrays utilizing QD-filled tubes at the edges of displays were initially commercialized, but have been widely replaced by film-type QD integration. This method uses a backlight of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to excite a QD containing film of green and red QDs. It is similar to traditional LED display architectures and subsequently requires color filtering and polarization to produce fully-saturated high-definition images on the display panel. QDs for color filters remain the ideal end-game for truly next-generation display technologies, but the progress of QD color filters has been hindered by industrial and market challenges.

Perovskite Quantum Dots

Overcoming the thermodynamic instabilities of QDs in solution is vital in ensuring that nanocrystals survive the photopatterning or inkjet printing process. This is problematic for conventional QD materials synthesized with functional core-shell structures, as thermal stresses can cause this interface to deteriorate and cause loss of functionality. Panel production demands adjustment to meet the unique requirements of QD film production – and this is just one of the technical challenges posed in the manufacture of QDs for color filters.

In lieu of true QD for color filter technology, manufacturers such as Samsung are exploring the possible hybridization of QDs with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). QD-OLED technologies would theoretically benefit from all of the enhanced functionalities of each technology, albeit with slightly increased device scale and thickness compared to conventional OLEDs.

However, industry experts still expect viable QDs for color filters to enter the market in the coming years, with cadmium-free QDs representing increasingly improved intermediate- and end-product functionalities. Devices constructed using QD color filters would have myriad benefits over alternative architectures, including:

  1. Unmatched Performance

Theoretically, QDs for color filters equipped with an in-cell polarizer and high blue wavelength absorbance could achieve 110% coverage of the DCI/P3 protocol, outstripping the >98% coverage of current OLED displays. It would also achieve new levels of Rec.2020 coverage, exceeding the 75% coverage of commercial OLEDs available today. Avantama has developed QDs that can recreate as much as 93% of the visible colors in nature, representing the highest performance QDs for color filters.

  1. Unmatched Efficiency

QDs for color filters have the additional benefit of eliminating passive color filtration, which works by blocking wavelengths of light. An active color filter is integrated with nanomaterials that fluoresce colors of distinct wavelengths when excited by a monochromatic backlight. This would increase the electrical efficiency of QD displays by as much as 66%, representing significant short- and long-term cost savings for consumers.

  1. Thinner Displays

One of the primary drawbacks of existing QD technologies is the requirement for multiple sequential layers and a bulky backlight of LEDs. OLEDs can be engineered in extremely thin films and are self-emissive, enabling the construction of lightweight and extremely thin televisions and monitors with excellent levels of performance. QDs for color filters are essential in reducing the thickness of QD displays to improve the technology’s commercial positioning in an increasingly discerning marketplace.

QDs from Avantama

Avantama is a world-leader in the development and manufacture of QDs for high-performance display architectures. If you have any questions about the state of QDs for color filters, simply contact us directly.