Charting the future of Quantum Dots

14 February 2012

Dr. Seth Coe-Sullivan, Co-Founder and CTO, QD VISION, INC., will be presenting "Quantum Dots: Transformational Color for Lighting and Displays" at the Phosphor Global Summit 2012. Dr. Coe-Sullivan shared with us some of his thoughts on the state of the industry, and what he sees as some of the biggest challenges it still faces.

Q: In your opinion, what are the latest (and most ground breaking) technologies for Quantum Dots and how do they impact the Phosphors industry?
I think that the first applications of QDs will be in the lighting and display industries. In both cases, QDs will offer the highest possible color quality, without the sacrifice in efficiency or cost that usually goes along. In both cases, quantum dots will be replacing conventional phosphors or multi-color LED solutions - but we don't see this as a loss for the phosphors industry. I think that the Phosphors industry has been largely synonymous with what was really a Luminescent Materials industry, and quantum dots are just the next chapter in a field that has understood how light and matter can interact with each other, and bring color to our electronic world.

Q: What are the challenges still out there for QD and would you like to share any recent success stories?
QDs are admittedly at a very early stage of development. The first products are gaining market acceptance. As an industry we are just starting to convince our potential customers that QDs are no longer a scientific curiosity but rather a realistic design alternative that can make their products more vibrant, and provide a better consumer experience. To keep this momentum, we will need a series of successful product introductions that move consumers to buy products that are enhanced by quantum dots.

We've recently had several technology breakthroughs in materials performance that have really opened up some new application spaces for QDs, previously thought by some to be unreachable. I look forward to sharing these new performance levels with the phosphor community at PGS.

Q: What are you looking forward to hear at this year's Phosphor Global Summit in Scottsdale?
I look forward to getting updates from all of the major players in downconversion materials this year - GE, Philips, Osram amongst others. We are particularly interested in any new innovations in narrowband emitters, and any mechanistic insights from the academic community that might inform how we think about material stability and high temperature performance.

Click here to register for Phosphor Global Summit to hear Dr. Coe-Sullivan's presentation.