Quantum dots make LEDs better

A US COMPANY has been showing off an LED lamp that's both very power-efficient and produces a light similar to that of a standard tungsten or halogen bulb.

According to PsyOrg, the trick behind the new lamp is to push the light through a thin layer of "quantum dots." These scatter the light slightly in a precise way, which causes the light to change colour slightly and can be controlled by adjusting the size of the particles.

Effectively what this means that the light emitted can be made more pleasing and less harsh to the eye, or better adapted to different lighting conditions.

The layer of quantum dots in the lamp are the first commercial product of QD Vision, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology spinoff. The company is hoping that the technology could end up under the bonnet of TV backlights, where it might be used improve brightness and colour saturation. µ