Development of Colloidal Quantum Dots for Electrically Driven Light-Emitting Devices

Abstract

The development of quantum dots (QDs) has had a significant impact on various applications, such as solar cells, field-effect transistors, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Through successful engineering of the core/shell heterostructure of QDs, their photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) and stability have been dramatically enhanced. Such high-quality QDs have been regarded as key fluorescent materials in realizing next-generation display devices. Particularly, electrically driven (or electroluminescent, EL) QD light-emitting diodes (QLED) have been highlighted as an alternative to organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), mostly owing to their unbeatably high color purity. Structural optimizations in QD material as well as QLED architecture have led to substantial improvements of device performance, especially during the past decade. In this review article, we discuss QDs with various semiconductor compositions and describe the mechanisms behind the operation of QDs and QLEDs and the primary strategies for improving their PL and EL performances.