Quantum Dot (QD) technology, familiar from premium TVs, is making its way into high-end general lighting. QDs are nanocrystals that can be excited by blue LED light to emit very pure, narrow-bandwidth red or green light. When used as a remote phosphor in an LED package, they can significantly expand the color gamut (the range of colors the light can render) and improve color consistency. This leads to exceptionally vivid and accurate color rendering (high R9 and Rf values). Furthermore, QDs can offer efficiency benefits over traditional broad-spectrum phosphors by reducing Stokes shift energy loss. While currently a premium solution, QD-enhanced LEDs are finding use in applications where color quality is critical, such as studio lighting, high-end retail, and photography, pushing the boundaries of color performance for solid-state lighting.
