NanoEXciTonics LAB
In-Vehicle Screenification
Display panels have become a gateway to the vast repository of knowledge, with their use extending beyond traditional home appliances to outdoor applications like wearables and electric vehicles. Self-emitting LED technologies like OLEDs are ideal for these uses due to their versatility - they can be grown on a variety of substrates, enabling features such as transparency and stretchability. However, the demands for outdoor usage require OLEDs to have higher brightness levels, longer lifespan, and more stable morphology, to ensure their functionality in bright and changing environments.
Adapted from Nano Letters, 20, 11 (2020) 8290–8297
Stable morphology thin film devices
A study of material structures, known as morphology, is a critical aspect in determining the properties of a material system. In particular, the ability of organic materials to endure harsh conditions is closely tied to their morphological stability. Our research focuses on enhancing the thermal stability of OLEDs for reliable operation in adverse environments, and analyzing the impact it has on device performance.
An annealed organic thin film with polycrystalline strips
Adapted from ACS Photonics, 5, 8 (2018) 3315-3321
Brighter LEDs
OLEDs used in outdoor environments face significant challenges due to intense sunlight during the day. This is particularly problematic for transparent OLEDs, which are commonly used in smart glasses and head-up displays. Our focus is on enhancing the brightness of these devices through various methods, enabling them to perform competently in bright conditions.
A top emitting Organic Light Emitting Diode
Higher fabrication yield
Displays serve as a gateway to the metaverse, providing us with access to a vast repository of information and knowledge. Large displays, with their wider viewing angles, offer a more immersive user experience. However, the high cost of fabrication still remains a barrier to widespread adoption of these displays. Our research aims to reduce the cost of display production by improving the fabrication yield and making large displays more accessible and available for wider use.
Immersive Displays
Displays play a crucial role in order to enhance the user experience. The aim here is to create displays that can seamlessly connect the reality and metaverse. This demands a surreal level of immersion, as if being inside the screen. Additionally, it requires the integration of various human motion sensors into the display panels that can reflect the user's responses in real time.
The New Apple VisionPro, 2024
Image Courtesy: Apple Inc.
A photo of the interior of "The Sphere", Las Vegas
Image courtesy: De Zeen, Jennifer Hahn
Displays with wide field of view
New forms of displays are swiftly emerging. These displays are equipped with significantly improved immersive experiences, enabling us to dive into the world of virtual reality without any sense of discomfort. However, this new form of display requires much more challenging specifications for LEDs, such as finer control of pixel patterning, higher luminance, suppressed lateral effects, and so on. In this project, we aim to develop creative solutions to deliver the best seamless virtual reality experience for users in the near future.
Adapted from Meta
Interactive user experience
The role of displays is transforming from just being a simple information transmitter to a full-fledged interactive communication channel. To keep pace with this transformation, display panels need to be equipped with optical imaging devices that are discreet and can effectively receive and transmit data.
Visualizing the Invisible
Optical sensors provide an enhanced perception beyond human vision. For example, near-to-long wave infrared (IR) light offers a clearer view through fog or rain compared to visible light. This attracts attention for use in self-driving vehicles. Our focus is on developing sensors and light emitting devices beyond the visible spectrum for improved perception in various conditions.
Adapted from FLIR
Various van der Waals heterostructures using 0D Quantum dots, 1D nanowires and 2D layered materials.
Nature Reviews Materials, 1 (2016) 1–17
van der Waals
Heterojunction Sensors
Excitonic materials, including organic materials, 2D materials, and quantum dots, possess superior optical sensitivity compared to traditional bulk semiconductors due to their strong oscillator strength and strong absorption. The use of excitonic materials in highly sensitive optical sensors, particularly in the IR region where sensitivity is low due to strong recombination resulting from the optical bandgap rule, holds the potential to revolutionize future mobility devices.