May 2016 – As LCD FPD are being challenged by OLED and AMOLED, the technology is seeking solutions to keep their manufacturing cost advantage and increase performance. One of the areas of performance increase is in the area of color space addressed. Nanosys is a long time leader in quantum dot technology, several years ago they partnered with 3M to create a new color film as part of the lamination stack for LCD displays.
This year’s show was highlighting their Hyperion Quantum Dots. This new Quantum Dot material system is a major step towards unlocking the market for displays meeting the BT.2020 UltraHD color standard. Additionally the Hyperion Quantum Dots match the color performance of cadmium-based materials without requiring an exemption to the European Union’s Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive. The Hyperion QD solution will be available in production in 2017.
Nanosys Hyperion UHD Quantum Dot Technology
The technology focuses on the creation of a homogeneous coating surface. As displays move to higher resolution ink jet technology for patterning of the active components, the planarity and homogeneity of the quantum dot coating becomes a constraint. This is a key step in the move from consumer displays into long life cycle and high duty cycle digital signage products. At the SID conference, 3M presented on the lifecycle of the QD films in session 27-2 of the conference. The conclusion of the accelerated lifetime testing was the quantum dot enhancement films still maintained 85% of original brightness at close to 1100 hours of operation, while maintaining the full color space.
The films are not only being used in television displays, but also in mobile devices such as the Asus Zenbook 4K 15” display. The quantum dot technology is not resolution limited through the 8K display technology that is being developed at this time. The anticipation is that scaling to higher resolutions beyond 8K will also not be a problem, however the film technology is only known through that resolution at this time.
