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Highly efficient quantum dot near-infrared light-emitting diodes

Nature Photonics volume 10, pages 253–257 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are emerging as promising materials for constructing infrared sources in view of their tunable luminescence, high quantum efficiency and compatibility with solution processing1. However, CQD films available today suffer from a compromise between luminescence efficiency and charge transport, and this leads to unacceptably high power consumption. Here, we overcome this issue by embedding CQDs in a high-mobility hybrid perovskite matrix. The new composite enhances radiative recombination in the dots by preventing transport-assisted trapping losses; yet does so without increasing the turn-on voltage. Through compositional engineering of the mixed halide matrix, we achieve a record electroluminescence power conversion efficiency of 4.9%. This surpasses the performance of previously reported CQD near-infrared devices two-fold, indicating great potential for this hybrid QD-in-perovskite approach.

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Figure 1: QD-in-perovskite LED device architecture.
Figure 2: Device performance and photoluminescent properties of CQDs in MAPbIxBr3–x perovskite.
Figure 3: EL performance of QD-in-perovskite LEDs emitting at 1,391 nm.
Figure 4: Size tunability of CQDs in NIR LEDs.

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Change history

  • 26 February 2016

    In the version of this Letter originally published online, in Fig. 4a, the label on the y axis was incorrect. This error has been corrected in all versions of the Letter.

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Acknowledgements

This publication is based in part on work supported by an award (KUS-11-009-21) from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), by the Ontario Research Fund Research Excellence Program, and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada. X.G. thanks Mitacs for a Globalink Graduate Fellowship Award. The authors thank L. Levina for assistance in CQD synthesis; X. Lan, E. Yassitepe and F. Fan for acquiring microscopic images; and E. Palmiano, R. Wolowiec, and D. Kopilovic for their help during the course of study.

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Author notes

  1. Zhijun Ning

    Present address: Present address: School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Haike Road 100, 201210 Shanghai, China,

  2. Xiwen Gong and Zhenyu Yang: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King's College Road, Toronto, M5S 3G4, Ontario, Canada

    Xiwen Gong, Zhenyu Yang, Grant Walters, Riccardo Comin, Zhijun Ning, Eric Beauregard, Valerio Adinolfi, Oleksandr Voznyy & Edward H. Sargent

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Contributions

X.G., Z.Y., Z.N., and E.H.S. designed and directed this study. X.G. and Z.Y. contributed to all the experimental work. G.W. and E.B. carried out the PLQE measurements and analysis. R.C. performed PL decay measurement and analysis. V.A., O.V. and X.G. performed optoelectronic simulation. X.G., Z.Y., R.C., and E.H.S. wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Edward H. Sargent.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Gong, X., Yang, Z., Walters, G. et al. Highly efficient quantum dot near-infrared light-emitting diodes. Nature Photon 10, 253–257 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.11

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