The Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP in Germany and Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) announced their cooperation on the development of printed quantum dots (QD) color filters for Micro LED displays.

Dr. Youngsam Kim, President of KETI and Prof. Alexander Böker, Head of the Fraunhofer IAP seal the continuation of their cooperation. 

Quantum dots are nanocrystals with optical, magnetic or electronic properties. These nanocrystals have a diameter of about 1-10 nm. The small diameter causes so-called quantum effects to occur in the crystals. There is a whole class of materials, mostly semiconductor materials, that can be used to make QDs. By adjusting the size of a QD, its properties can be adjusted specifically for the desired application. As a result, the applications may vary widely.

Quantum dot-based color filters for Micro LEDs help to enhance display quality with better efficiency and compact size, in comparison to displays with conventional color filters. The new research project, named “CoCoMe” (Color Converting Micro LEDs), is aimed to develop QD-based color filters and printing technology of these color filters for Micro LED displays.

In this research project, scientists from Fraunhofer IAP and KETI will develop QD color filters. Conventional color filters suffer from high light loss and relatively low color purity. Color filters based on quantum dots are highly efficient because they do not filter light but absorb it with significantly lower losses and release it again in high purity.

Fraunhofer Director Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker, said, “We develop new functional materials for a wide variety of organic electronics applications, as well as technologies for efficient processing using printing technologies. We are delighted that we are able to continue our long-term cooperation with the KETI by signing the MoU and the new research project ‘CoCoMe,’ and that we can profitably use our expertise for display development.”