Nanosys unveils Quantum Dot Enhancement Film for LCDs, promises all kinds of colors
Another day, another step closer to quantum dot reality. Today, Nanosys unveiled its new Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEF), marking the first time that the nanotechnology is available for LCD manufacturers. According to the company, its optical film can deliver up to 60 percent of all colors visible to the human eye, compared with the 20 to 25 percent that most displays offer. To create QDEF, Nanosys' engineers suspended a blend of quantum dots within optical film and applied it to a blue LED, which helped get the nanocrystals excited. Once they started hopping around, the dots emitted high-quality white light and a rich, wide color gamut, without consuming as much power as white LED-based materials. No word yet on when we can expect to see QDEF in consumer displays, but Nanosys claims that the film is "process-ready" and easy for manufacturers to integrate. For now, you can amuse yourselves by comparing the two frogs pictured above and guessing which one is covered in quantum dots. Full PR after the break.
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Nanosys Unlocks Full Color LCD Viewing Experience with Nanotechnology
Announces the Release of First of Its Kind QDEFTM High Color Gamut Optical Film for LCDs, Ushers in New Era of Content Creation and Experience
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nanosys, Inc., an advanced materials architect, today announced that its next generation LCD technology, the Quantum Dot Enhancement Film (QDEFTM), is available to display manufacturers. Device designers can now increase color gamut by as much as three times without making the trade offs in cost, size and brightness they've had to make in the past. This means richer, more viscerally vibrant reds and a deeper palette of greens – the color the human eye sees more intensely than any other color.
QDEFTM represents the first time that quantum dot technology is available to display makers in an optical film, which can be scaled to any size including large televisions. The current generation of displays in smartphones, tablets, laptops and large format TVs can only express 20 to 35 percent of the colors the human eye can see. QDEFTM displays will unleash a whole new level of content creation and revolutionize user experience by delivering over 60 percent of visible colors.
"We believe color will be a significant differentiator for early adopters of quantum dot technology; and, QDEFTM will give display makers a competitive edge by providing consumers with a color quality experience they have only seen in movie theaters and professionally printed photos," said Jason Hartlove, president and CEO of Nanosys. "Almost all content available today has to be dialed down to match the limited capabilities of current displays, but with a QDEFTM enabled display developers and producers can create a photo-quality color experience for the user."
Designed to be process-ready, display makers can easily integrate QDEFTM into current manufacturing operations without retooling an existing line, as is the case with other technologies. This not only extends the life of their current capital expenditures, it allows for the reuse of equipment, reducing industrial waste.
QDEFTM is engineered using Nanosys' patented quantum dot materials dispersed in a polymer matrix and suspended within an optical film. The advanced material creates an improved quality white light with an unprecedented range of hues when excited by an energy-efficient blue LED. This results in better color and less power consumption than when using white LEDs.
Last year, Nanosys commercialized its quantum dot technology with the QuantumRailTM, a process-ready component for smaller format LCDs that improves color gamut and power efficiency. The company plans to expand its manufacturing capacity as it continues to commercialize its LCD and energy storage technologies.
