Manufacturing ultra-thin LED lights, 3 times thicker than atoms

Scientists at the University of Washington have successfully created the world's thinnest LED ball that can use light energy. The new generation of LED bulbs have a two-dimensional structure, made from flexible semiconductors that allow it to be used in devices that are smaller and more diverse than current technology.

>>>The future for commercial LED lights

Many electronic devices today, from TV panels, smartphones to wearable technology, all use very small LED bulbs (Light Emitting Diodes). These LEDs are all made of semiconductors that are able to glow thanks to the movement of electrons. As the trend is getting smaller and faster, the urgent need to use increasingly thinner, more durable and more energy efficient semiconductors.

Xiaodong Xu, a professor of materials science and physical engineering at the University of Washington, said: "We can make the world's thinnest LED bulbs only three times thicker than atoms but still ensure the Ultra-thin and foldable LED bulbs are an important achievement for future mobile technology to integrate into electronic devices ".

Professor Xiaodong, along with his student Jason Ross, co-named the technology in Nature Nanotechnology. Both have worked together to create a new generation of LED bulbs at Washington University with a two-dimensional structure, 10 to 20 times thinner than existing LED bulbs that have a 3-dimensional structure.

"The LEDs we built are 10,000 times smaller than the thickness of a human hair. However, the light they emit is still visible by standard measuring devices," Ross said . "This is a big step forward for nanotechnology . Because it is still made from conductors, but with completely new properties, you can still apply it almost to everything that silicon semiconductor technology first." This is not done yet. "

In addition to using glowing properties, new LED bulbs also have the potential to use light to run nanoscale processors instead of using electrons or motion."Another promising solution is to replace local connections that are currently using electrons by connecting light, fiber optic or nano lasers. This allows devices to be created," Ross said . the energy consumption is lower and the internal components are more closely linked. "

In the next phase of the project, the team will find a more economical and simple way to make these ultra-thin LEDs. At the same time, the team will examine what happens if the LED panels are stacked in different ways. In addition, another feature is that new LED bulbs polarize light differently than current materials. This is quite an interesting property that researchers will continue to pursue to control and find applications in the appropriate field.