Quantum Dots - Page 11

Quantum Dots enhanced LCDs are starting to enter the market, with reports saying that both LG and Samsung will release such TVs in 2015. Michael Grund, the managing director of Merck Korea, however, says that this technology will not have a significant impact on the global TV and display markets - unlike OLED which could be a game changer.

Quantum Dots are used to enhance the color gamut and efficiency of LCD displays. Sony already commercialized quantum-dots TVs and smaller panel display, as the QD-LCDs are far easier to produce compared to OLED TVs.

Reuters reports that LG Electronics decided to develop Quantum-Dot LCDs. In the long run LGE still sees OLED as the superior technology, but QD does provide "tangible benefits" for its current line of LCD panels.

LGE 55-inch OLED TV

Only a few days ago the Korea Times reported that Samsung is set to introduce the first cadmium-free QD TV in 2015. Samsung is collaborating with Dow Chemical on those QDs, and according to Korea Times LG is also working together with Dow on cadmium-free QDs.

Samsung is still on the side lines regarding OLED TVs, and reportedly the company is aiming to produce quantum-dot enhanced LCDs soon. One of the problem with QDs is that they include Cadmium, and now the Korea Times says that Samsung is collaborating with Dow Chemical to develop cadmium-free displays.

According to the report, Samsung Electronics aims to introduce the first cadmium-free QD TV in 2015. Dow chemical already started to produce the cadmium-free QD materials in its Korean's plant.

Samsung Display's CEO, Park Dong-gun, said that the time is not yet ripe for OLED TV panel investment for SDC. While Samsung already have the related production and infrastructure technology to produce OLED TVs, they are still waiting for decisions at Samsung Electronics.

This is of course in stark contrast to LG, who's far more committed to OLED TVs, and it seems that LG's WRGB technology was a better bet (at least for the moment) than Samsung's direct-emission tech.

DisplayMate posted yet another interesting display shoot-out, this one testing Samsung's new QHD (2560x1600) Super AMOLED displays used in the upcoming Galaxy Tab S (8.4 and 10.5) tablets. As these displays are very similar to the GS5 display, it's not surprising that DisplayMate found those tablets to offer the best performing displays ever. This is yet another testimony to how great OLED displays are - and the rate of improvement in OLEDs is very rapid.

As DisplayMate found out, the Galaxy Tab S establishes new records for best Tablet display performance in: Highest Color Accuracy, Infinite Contrast Ratio, Lowest Screen Reflectance, and smallest Brightness Variation with Viewing Angle. These are also the highest resolution tablets at QHD.

Update: it turns out that researchers from Durham University have also published an article on OLEDs for Li-Fi networks, just a couple of months ago

Researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland are investigating how OLEDs can be used to enable better Li-Fi networks. A Li-Fi network uses rapid flickers in room lighting to send communication signals which complements Wi-Fi and increase bandwidth.

The idea is that patterned OLEDs are placed on top of small blue LEDs (which are themselves driven by high-speed chips). The OLEDs actually perform as a color conversion layer - they multiplex the signals into other colors. The researcher imprint a diffraction grating into the OLED panels, and these gratings control the direction in which the signal was sent. This is used for relatively slow-speed direction-controlled communication - to provide increased security or reduce power consumption.

Sharp developed a new LCD backlighting unit (BLU) that improves the displays color gamut. The new BLU enables a 90% NTSC color gamut - without sacrificing the brightness. The new BLU is based on a blue LED with new green and blue phosphors. Below you can see an LCD with the new BLU (right) next to a conventional Sharp LCD.

Sharp usually uses a BLU made of blue LED and yellow phosphors, which achieves 72% NTSC color gamut. Some of Sharp's LCD use a blue LED and red and green phosphors to achieve 83% NTSC gamut, but this lowers the brightness by 20%. 

StoreDot is an Israeli startup company that was established in 2011 to develop and commercialize new peptide-based technology originally discovered in Tel Aviv University. Storedot's technology allows them to synthesize new nano materials ("inspired by nature") that can be used in a wide variety of application - displays, batteries, memory and more.

StoreDot invited me for a visit in their offices (thanks guys!) to learn more about the company and the technology. The company's display technologies may compete and complement OLED panels, so this should be an interesting company to watch.

Nanomarkets released a new report on Quantum dots (Market Opportunities for Quantum Dots in Lighting and Displays) in which they discuss, QD-Enhanced LCDs, light-emitting QDs (QDLEDs) and QD in lighting. They say that QDLEDs may challenge OLEDs in the future as they are more efficient and last longer. Nanomarkets forecasts that in 2018 QD-LED sales will reach $7.3 billion.

The Quantum Dot material market will reach $200 million in 2018 and this will grow to $560 million by 2020. QD-Enhanced LCDs (which are already by sold by Sony) will grow to reach $10.5 billion in retail by 2016. Most companies will license the technology although some big display companies are dong their own R&D.

About four months after LG launched the world's first curved TV (the 55" 55EA9800 OLED TV), both Samsung and Sony launched curved LCDs - showing us that LCDs can also curve. Samsung actually announced two models, in 55" and 65". Both offer UHD (4K) resolution (and so Samsung proudly says these are the world's first curved UHD panels).

Sony S990A

Sony's S990A curved LED-backlit LCD is 65" in size, and "only" Full-HD. It features the color-enhancing Triluminos display technology (QDVision's Quantum-Dot films). Sony's TV is closer to market - in fact the company already accepts pre-orders in the US for $4,000. It will ship in late October 2013. Sony also showed the 4K 56" OLED TV protoype, which seems to be the same one shown at CES 2013: