UNAM Director and Bilkent University Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Physics Department professor Prof. Dr. Hilmi Volkan Demir has been granted for his project “Electrically-Driven Innovatively-Structured Atomically-Flat Nanocrystal QLEDs for Future Display Technologies” (ADN-QLED) as part of the TÜBİTAK’s prestigious program, 2247-A National Leading Researchers Program. The program aims to support projects by domestic scientists that have the potential to make significant discoveries and/or inventions.
The first in the world of its kind, Prof. Dr. Demir’s project aims to develop QLED arrays based on innovative advanced device architectures incorporating atomically-flat nanocrystals for next-generation display technologies. The proposed unique device architectures include active device structures within which the 3-dimensional orientations of CQWs are controlled, their complete monolayer self-assemblies are laid down, their layered-structures and interfaces are controlled by adding on layer-by-layer, and direct colloidal patterning is applied. The electrical driven, electro-luminescence, and light-extraction properties of these structures will be also examined. These innovative QLED architectures will enable new optical functions at device level and break new device performance records.
The display technologies market, which has a market value of 125 billion Euros and an annual production of 750 million display units in the world, is predicted to reach a market value of 149 billion Euros in 2026 with an annual growth of 3.6%. Within this market, semiconductor nanocrystal technologies have a market value of 1 billion Euros with an annual market growth of 4.21%. Therefore, nanocrystal-based solutions for display technologies are a continuously growing market.
In order for Turkey to take its place in the internationally competitive field of nanocrystal technologies, comprehensive cross-disciplinary research and development in studies ranging from materials science to electrical engineering, ranging from color-converting/enriching materials synthesis of nanocrystals to electrically-driven light-emitting diode (LED) device processing are required. In this competition, atomically-flat, 2-dimensional colloidal quantum wells (CQWs), the latest addition to the nanocrystal family, are gaining critical importance. These atomic-flat nanocrystals are in a unique position to play a critical role for future display technologies, as they have typically spectrally-narrow emission (color purity), high absorption cross-section and luminescence.
