Fully RoHS Compliant Infrared Light Emitting Diodes Based on Novel Lead-free Quantum Dots

Infrared light-emitting diodes (IR-LEDs) serve a broad range of applications including fiber-optic communications, night vision as well as clinical diagnosis and biomedical imaging.

Within the family of nanomaterials, colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) offer exceptional promises for IR-LEDs due to their unique optical properties and low-cost solution-processability.

So far, state-of-the-art QD IR-LEDs are based on lead-containing QDs, which has been severely restricted by the environmental directives e.g. EU’s “Restriction of Hazardous Substances” (RoHS). In fact, current challenges of IR-LED technology are to identify and develop novel and efficient lead-free QDs.

INFLED aims at demonstrating the first RoHS-compliant and efficient QD IR-LED based on innovative and environmentally friendly material design and device engineering.

The project targets the most efficient heavy metal-free infrared QD using a novel synthesis technique as well as rationally nanoengineering at material level.

Furthermore, the resultant design at device level will lead to low trap state density, high solid-state quantum efficiency and thereby efficient LEDs.

Hence, the key objectives of this proposal are: i) a novel QD synthesis method; ii) material design at nanocrystalline level; iii) LED device engineering at supra-nanocrystalline level.

INFLED is at the crossroad of chemistry, physics and engineering, and therefore is expected to attract significant attention from different disciplines along with offering new insights toward next-generation infrared and quantum network technology.