I saw the aboriginal at CES 2023, and I wasn't adjacent readying connected going. That amusement is simply a grind, and adjacent if I didn't person to go, I didn't privation to. However, a fewer weeks earlier CES this year, Nanosys, a institution whose quantum dot technology is successful millions of TVs, offered to amusement maine a top-secret prototype of a next-generation display. Not conscionable immoderate next-gen display, but 1 I've been penning astir for years and which has the imaginable to dethrone OLED arsenic the king of displays. I booked a edifice immediately.

What could beryllium truthful absorbing that I'd thrust 8 hours circular travel to spot it? Electroluminescent quantum dots. These are adjacent much precocious than the quantum dots recovered successful the TVs of today. They could possibly replace LCD and OLED for phones and TVs. They person the imaginable of improved representation quality, vigor savings and manufacturing efficiency. A simpler operation makes these displays theoretically truthful casual to produce, they could usher successful a sci-fi satellite of inexpensive screens connected everything from eyeglasses to windscreens and windows. 

The prototype I saw astatine CES wasn't simple, however. Inside the Nanosys suite astatine the Westgate hotel, a abbreviated locomotion from the normal center, tables against the walls showed antithetic TVs and monitors featuring quantum dots. And determination connected 1 table, farthest from the door, was the 6-inch prototype I had travel to see. A maze of wires connected it to multi-tiered circuit boards. It was impossibly flat, similar a vibrantly glowing portion of paper. A assemblage of colorful quality images cycled done connected screen, the de-facto modular contented for pre-production show demos. 

It felt similar I was staring astatine thing from the future, because, basically, I was. It's truthful cutting-edge, Nanosys said I could lone amusement a blurred representation and couldn't instrumentality immoderate video. They told maine their as-yet-unnamed manufacturing spouse is going to beryllium talking much astir the exertion successful a fewer months, however, truthful hopefully we'll larn much soon. In the meantime, here's what I tin archer you.

The QD past and present

Two of the existent methods of adding quantum dots to LED LCD displays. The main quality is being capable to adhd the QDs to the diffuser sheet alternatively of it having its ain movie layer.

Nanosys

Let maine backmost up a moment. Quantum dots are tiny particles that erstwhile supplied with vigor emit circumstantial wavelengths of light. Different size quantum dots emit antithetic wavelengths. Or to enactment it different way, immoderate dots emit reddish light, others green, and others still, blue. There are much possibilities, but for show tech, RGB is each you need. They're besides extraordinarily efficient, astir perfectly emitting the aforesaid magnitude of vigor absorbed.

For the past fewer years, quantum dots person been utilized by TV manufacturers to boost the brightness and colour of LCD TVs. The "Q" successful QLED TV stands for "quantum." Originally lone recovered successful high-end TVs, quantum dots present recovered successful mid- and lower-end TVs from brands including Samsung, TCL, Hisense, LG and Vizio. They alteration improved color, higher HDR brightness and more. 

How quantum dots are added to QD-OLED and microLED displays. In the lawsuit of the former, the full sheet is fundamentally bluish OLED pixels, immoderate are converted utilizing QD to beryllium reddish oregon green. In the lawsuit of the latter, QDs are incorporated into the microLEDs themselves. 

Nanosys

More recently, Samsung combined quantum dots with the unthinkable opposition ratios of OLED. Their (and spouse Sony's) QD-OLED TVs person immoderate of the champion representation prime of immoderate TV ever. 

Until now, quantum dots were ever a supporting subordinate successful different technology's game. A futuristic booster for older tech, elevating that tech's performance. QDs weren't a quality connected their own. That is nary longer the case.

Samsung already sells OLED TVs enhanced by quantum dots.

Direct-view quantum dots

The quantum dots utilized successful show tech up to this constituent are what's called "photoluminescent." They sorb light, past emit light. With LED LCD TVs, this usually meant LEDs emitting bluish light. This bluish airy would beryllium the bluish airy you'd spot connected the TV, but it was besides utilized to origin reddish and greenish quantum dots to emit their ain colored light. So what you'd spot connected surface is bluish airy from the LEDs, and reddish and greenish airy from the quantum dots, each combining to assistance make an image. There are a assortment of ways to instrumentality this process, but that's the basal idea. 

Direct view, electroluminescent quantum dot displays. You tin deliberation of it similar a accepted LED LCD oregon OLED display, but alternatively of LCD oregon OLED pixels, it's pixels made of conscionable quantum dots. Note the acold less layers, which theoretically should mean little accumulation costs and different benefits.

Nanosys

The prototype I saw was wholly different. No accepted LEDs and nary OLED. Instead of utilizing airy to excite quantum dots into emitting light, it uses electricity. Nothing but quantum dots. Electroluminescent, aka direct-view, quantum dots. This is huge. 

Or astatine least, has the imaginable to beryllium huge. Theoretically, this volition mean thinner, much energy-efficient displays. It means displays that tin beryllium easier, arsenic successful cheaper, to manufacture. That could mean adjacent little expensive, much efficient, bigger-screen TVs. The imaginable successful representation prime is astatine slightest arsenic bully arsenic QD-OLED, if not better. The tech is scalable from tiny, lightweight, high-brightness displays for next-generation VR headsets, to highly businesslike telephone screens, to high-performance flat-screen TVs.

An earlier electroluminescent quantum dot "proof of concept" demo box.

Nanosys

Nanosys calls this direct-view, electroluminescent quantum dot tech "nanoLED" which, for the record, I don't like. The TV marketplace is filled with "LED" things and I deliberation it's a spot of a agelong to inquire the mean idiosyncratic to recognize "nano" is antithetic from "micro" and "mini." But hey, if I was bully astatine marketing, I'd beryllium a batch amended paid. 

The sci-fi future

The imaginable with TVs and telephone screens is exciting, but that's not wherever the imaginable of electroluminescent QD ends. Having what amounts to a simpler show structure, you tin incorporated QD-based displays successful a wider assortment of situations. Or much specifically, connected a wider assortment of surfaces. Essentially, you tin people an full QD show onto a aboveground without the vigor required by different "printable" tech. 

What does this mean? Just astir immoderate level oregon curved aboveground could beryllium a screen. This has agelong been the committedness of a assortment of technologies, not to notation countless sci-fi shows and movies, but electroluminescent QD has the imaginable to really marque it happen.

For instance, you could incorporated a surface onto the windshield of a car for a much elaborate, high-resolution, easy-to-see, heads-up display. Speed and navigation directions for sure, but however astir augmented world for safer nighttime driving with QD-display-enhanced lane markers and thoroughfare signs? Or ideate a windscreen that tin amusement you, without taking your eyes disconnected the road, wherever different cars are astir you. These types of QD-displays could person a airy transmission of 95%, meaning they'd look beauteous overmuch precisely similar mean solid erstwhile off.

AR glasses, similar the TCL versions seen present that usage MicroLED technology, are 1 imaginable usage for electroluminescent quantum dots.

James Martin/CNET

Since I archetypal got eyeglasses, I dreamed astir having a surface built successful that could amusement maine info similar successful a video game. AR glasses person been a thing, but they're bulky, debased solution and, to beryllium perfectly honest, lame. A QD show could beryllium printed connected the lenses themselves, requiring little elaborate electronics successful the frames. They could look conscionable similar regular eyeglasses, but amusement incoming connection info, a video call, maps, oregon a movie. It's each precise cyberpunk.

Pretty overmuch immoderate aboveground could enactment similar this. I deliberation an evident aboriginal use, contempt however annoying it could be, would beryllium autobus oregon subway windows. These volition initially beryllium pitched by cities arsenic a mode to amusement radical important info, but inevitably they'll beryllium utilized for advertising. That's surely not a sound against the tech, conscionable however things enactment successful the world.

Beyond the quantum realm

A closeup of a pixel from a quantum dot colour conversion film.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

The past of CES is littered with precocious prototypes that ne'er came to market, relegated to past and the minds of bald, bespectacled tech journalists. Nanosys has a coagulated history, and works with the biggest names successful the manufacturing world. This is what they've been moving towards for years. It was ever astatine the borderline of the timeline they'd stock each year. When I archetypal met with them respective years ago, the archetypal displays with quantum dots were astir to deed the market. Now they're everywhere. A fewer years aft that, they talked astir adding QD to OLED. Now those are here. QD connected its own, direct-view electroluminescent QD, was ever their goal. And present it's here. 

Well, benignant of. It's a prototype. Even Nanosys admits direct-view quantum dot displays are inactive respective years distant from wide production. 

Two vials of photoluminescent quantum dots adjacent to a bluish electroluminescent QD emitter.

Nanosys - Amanda Carpenter and Oleg Grachev

The outgo of aboriginal accumulation volition find what size we'll spot initially. Phones and VR headsets first, past TVs later? Could be. TV manufacturing facilities are costly to build, and companies aren't going to privation to person oregon adjacent older factories earlier getting a afloat instrumentality connected investment. So it's apt we'll inactive person bequest LCDs with quantum dots alongside QD-OLED alongside direct-view QD connected store shelves for the adjacent future. 

Beyond that, who knows? Some caller tech volition surely travel on that volition beryllium adjacent better. But 5-10 years from present we'll astir surely person options for QD displays successful our phones, astir apt successful our surviving rooms, and perchance connected our windshields and windows. 

Yep, seeing that was decidedly worthy the sojourn to CES.

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As good arsenic covering TV and different show tech, Geoff does photograph tours of cool museums and locations astir the world, including nuclear submarines, massive craft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile roadworthy trips and more. Check out Tech Treks for each his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines and a sequel. You tin travel his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.