Transparent, brighter LEDs may soon become a reality

New York, November 28 :University of California - Berkeley researchers have discovered a simple way of making monolayer semiconductors - which are less than a nometre thick - more efficient and defect free. The finding opens the door to the practical application of monolayer materials, such as MoS2, in devices like LEDs and high-performance transistors. “One could develop high-performance LED displays that are transparent when powered off and flexible using the ‘perfect’ optoelectronic monolayers produced in this study,” the researchers said. Monolayer semiconductors have generated a great deal of buzz as they hold promise in the development of transparent LED displays, ultra-high efficiency solar cells, photo detectors and noscale transistors. But the films are notoriously riddled with defects, killing their performance. The UC-Berkeley team found a simple way to fix these defects through the use of an organic superacid. The chemical treatment led to a dramatic 100-fold increase in the material’s photoluminescence quantum yield, a ratio describing the amount of light generated by the material versus the amount of energy put in. (IANS)