SBIR-STTR Award

Dot Metrics Technologies' ultimate goal is to manufacture LED heterostructures using commercial luminescent quantum dots. This SBIR will develop deep-green LEDs to support full spectrum direct-emission illumination for spectroscopy, displays, and general illumination, on military platforms and for commercial applications. Commercial high-efficiency LEDs are typically fabricated from two classes of III-V semiconductor heterostructures. III-nitride (III-N) is used for the color range from ultraviolet to blue-green, and III-arsenide-phosphide (III-AsP) for yellow to near-infrared. The human eye response peak is between III-N and III-AsP, in the "deep-green" wavelength range 555 to 585 nm, where neither material has high-efficiency emission entitlement. Thus the efficiency of white lights based on mixing colors from red, green, and blue LED sources is limited by the low efficiency of the green component. Since deep-green luminescence can be attained from commercially available quantum dots, Dot Metrics will incorporate them into novel LED heterostructures. This SBIR is focused on (1) determining optimum conditions for incorporating luminescent quantum dots into LED heterostructures, and (2) demonstrating resulting prototype green LED devices.

In phase I, Dot Metrics Technologies demonstrated the feasibility of a new method of introducing deep-green luminescent nanostructure into semiconductor materials for light-emitting device applications. The materials were used to fabricate and characterize preliminary optoelectronic device test structures. In phase II, Dot Metrics Technologies proposes to leverage these new materials and methods in a drive to market new deep-green optoelectronic light emitting devices with superior performance. Rigorous Six Sigma quality methods will be employed to optimize (1) synthesis of nanoscale materials and (2) device fabrication processes. At the end of phase 2, this will result in commercially viable nanoscale materials, and a competitive process for deep-green light emitting device fabrication.

Keywords:
Nanostructure, Optoelectronics, Light Emitting Devices, Semiconductors