The future of lead-free quantum dots (QDs) is now.
At Quantum Science, we’re committed to leading on innovation. Our INFIQ® QD infrared technology brings the best infrared QD materials to our partners and customers, offering industry leading broadband tunability, stability, and uniformity. Our unique QD inks unlock low-cost and scalable wafer-scale processing.
And now, our latest innovation in lead-free QDs has pushed the performance of these short-wave infrared (SWIR) sensing materials to heights unmatched in the industry – putting them within arm’s reach of consumer devices.
SWIR imaging and sensing is unlocking exciting applications in everything from consumer devices to machine vision. However, safe, lead-free QDs capable of matching the performance of more traditional solutions will make wider market penetration accessible.
Existing lead-free QDs are limited to first excitonic absorption peaks of 1,200nm at most; far lower than lead-based alternatives which can reach as high as 2,400nm.
Quantum Science has surpassed this barrier to create INFIQ® lead-free QDs responsive to 1,550nm. This performance is unheard of in the field and firmly positions Quantum Science as the leader in lead-free QD production.
Reaching 1,550nm is significant because growing long wavelength, lead-free QDs with sufficiently narrow size distributions and uniform shapes is a challenge that has eluded scientists for years.
QDs can be precisely tuned to respond to different wavelengths by controlling their size during synthesis. However, most lead-free QDs are limited to 1,100nm-1,200nm, because as the peak wavelength approaches this spectral region, controlling QD growth without damaging the optical properties that make them suitable for device applications becomes almost impossible.
Thanks to our innovative production process, Quantum Science overcame this performance barrier and presented our leading lead-free QDs with peaks of 1,400nm in 2022. Further development over the last year has upped this performance to 1,550nm, cementing our position in the industry and ensuring the world’s best offering for lead-free QD materials at wavelengths greater than 1,200nm is uniquely available at Quantum Science.
Performance of this calibre means INFIQ® lead-free QDs are more than capable of detecting infrared data using consumer grade, widely available sensing and imaging devices. Although QDs with peaks at 1,200nm can be used for mobile device applications, they are not powerful enough for use in 3D mapping, augmented reality, autonomous vehicles, or many other applications that only become possible at longer wavelengths.
What is more, thanks to our bespoke synthesis process, INFIQ® lead-free QDs can be produced at sufficient scale to meet the growing industry demand for SWIR. Our QDs can be manufactured in ink form, enabling high quality of QD thin films to be made using highly efficient and scalable approach.
This process is reliable, reproduceable and is capable of robust scale-up to allow the production of lead-free QDs in a pilot scale – enough to make hundreds of millions of QD sensors every year.
Mass production of high-performance lead-free QDs makes the widespread adoption of SWIR sensing and imaging possible. These materials will facilitate exciting breakthroughs in markets including consumer, automotive, machine vision, and more, providing cutting edge SWIR performance that is safer to handle and better for the planet.
INFIQ® lead-free infrared QD technology makes SWIR imaging and sensing available to all. Combining industry-leading performance with a non-lead, more sustainable QD solution, this technology is providing real market disruption and pushing the boundaries of what lead-free nanotechnology can accomplish.