Loading...
News Article

LED design could enable more immersive displays

News

Researchers develop cheap, ultra-small LEDs for full-colour imaging at high resolution 

From pterodactyls flying overhead in a game to virtually applying cosmetics prior to making a purchase, augmented reality and other immersive technologies are transforming how we play, observe, and learn. Cheap and ultra-small LEDs that enable full-colour imaging at high resolution would help immersive displays reach their full potential, but are not currently available.

Now, in a study 'RGB monolithic GaInN-based μLED arrays connected via tunnel junctions' recently published in Applied Physics Express, a team led by researchers at Meijo University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has successfully developed such LEDs. They say the simplicity of their fabrication, via presently available manufacturing methods, means they could be readily incorporated into modern metaverse applications.

The realism of augmented and virtual reality depends in part on resolution, detail, and colour breadth. For example, all colours must be evident and distinguishable from one another. GaInN semiconductors are versatile materials for LEDs that meet all of these requirements. However, constructing them as a single unit on the same substrate – rather than as separate elements – is essential for obtaining optimum performance. This is what the researchers set out to do.

We sequentially stacked blue, green, and red micro-LED arrays – connected by tunnel junctions, based on the quantum mechanical principle of electron transport through a thin insulating layer – onto the same wafer, explains Motoaki Iwaya, senior author (Meijo). We fabricated complex mesa architectures and attained a pixel density of 330 pixels per inch.

At a current density of 50 amperes per square centimetre, the emission wavelengths of the LEDs were 486, 514, and 604 nm, respectively. The full width at half maximum of the emission spectrum is narrow enough to emit red, blue, and green light, and more than enough to distinguish between them.

There were a few extraneous emitted wavelengths, and the red and blue emissions were substantially less than the green emission – both attributable to damage during device fabrication, explains senior author Kazuhiro Ohkawa (KAUST). Optimising the crystal growth conditions should ameliorate these defects.

This work has minimised the common limitations of past LEDs based on GaInN technology. Preparing the devices on cheap sapphire substrates will be necessary for practical use, and such work is underway in our laboratory, says senior author Daisuke Iida (KAUST). We believe our work is an important step toward realistic, immersive visual experiences that require ultra-high brightness and definition.

QD company Quantum Science expands into new facility
Innoscience files lawsuit against Infineon
Riber revenues up 5% to €41.2m
Forvia Hella to use CoolSiC for next generation charging
Photon Design to exhibit QD simulation tool
Ortel transfers CW laser fabrication to Canada
Luminus adds red and blue multi-mode Lasers
PseudolithIC raises $6M for heterogeneous chiplet tech
Mesa sidewall design improves HV DUV LEDs
IQE revenue to exceed expectations
'Game-changing' VCSEL system targets clinical imaging
German start-up secures finance for SiC processing tech
Macom signs preliminaries for CHIPS Act funding
IQE and Quintessent partner on QD lasers for AI
EU funds perovskite tandems for fuel-free space propulsion
EU to invest €3m in GeSi quantum project
Transforming the current density of AlN Schottky barrier diodes
Turbocharging the GaN MOSFET with a HfO₂ gate
Wolfspeed launches Gen 4 SiC MOSFET technology
Report predicts high growth for UK's North East
Element Six unveils Cu-diamond composite
SemiQ launches hi-rel 1700V SiC MOSFETs
Lynred to exhibit Eyesential SWIR sensor for machine vision
Thorlabs buys VCSEL firm Praevium Research
Advancing tuneable InP lasers on a heterogeneous platform
P-GaN gate HEMTs have record threshold voltage
Guerrilla RF releases GaN power amplifier dice
Narrow-linewidth DFB lasers now at 405 and 488nm
Researchers develop tech for future fast-charging stations
Vermont GaN Tech Hub awarded nearly $24M
Onsemi completes buy-out of Qorvo SiC JFET business
Quantum Science announces Innovate UK funding
×
Search the news archive

To close this popup you can press escape or click the close icon.
Logo
x
Logo
×
Register - Step 1

You may choose to subscribe to the Compound Semiconductor Magazine, the Compound Semiconductor Newsletter, or both. You may also request additional information if required, before submitting your application.


Please subscribe me to:

 

You chose the industry type of "Other"

Please enter the industry that you work in:
Please enter the industry that you work in: