QD Vision Quantum Dots Power Sony’s Triluminos Displays
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In an earlier article, we discussed the quantum dot film Nanosys is developing in partnership with 3M for the display market. In another article, we looked at Nanoco, a UK company who recently signed an exclusive distribution agreement with Dow to produce their cadmium-free quantum dots for displays. There is also another startup that is also working in this space and already has televisions on the market using its ColorIQ quantum dot technology.
About QD Vision
QD Vision was founded in 2004 by two MIT doctorate students and currently has 130 employees. They are backed by In-Q-Tel, DTE Energy Ventures, Highland Capital Partners, and North Bridge Venture Partners having raised 55 million so far. Like Nanosys, the company found direction with a new CEO, Jason Carlson, who focused the company’s efforts on display in 2010.
Sony Triluminous Displays
The ColorIQ technology debuted this year in Sony 65 and 55-inch high definition sets. You can purchase the Sony 55 inch Triluminos Set
right now on Amazon.
According to an article in the Boston Business Journal, the CEO of QD Vision expects ColorIQ to be in millions of Sony TVs in the next 12 to 18 months. The technology is quite new so few consumer reviews exist, however, the Amazon customer reviews say very positive things about the colors. According to this article by Display Central, the technology is significant because it can offer the same image quality as AMOLED displays at a fraction of the cost and it is available now.
The Cadium Problem
In an earlier article, we discussed one of the problems facing Nanosys with their usage of cadium in quantum dots. Cadium is a banned substance in the European Union and other areas. QD Vision may have gotten around this problem by using only small traces of cadium. According to Wikipedia:
The European Union banned the use of cadmium in electronics in 2004 with several exceptions but reduced the allowed content of cadmium in electronics to 0.002%
QD Vision has an FAQ that answers a number of questions about cadium. In this FAQ they state that the typical consumer device using ColorIQ will have one part per million of cadium or .0001%. At the time of this post, it appears you can purchase a Triluminos set through Sony UK.
IPO Rumor
According to an article published in September 2012 by Zurich titled “QD Vision Said to Hold IPO in 6-12 Months for Display Technology”, the company was said to “be targeting an IPO in the next 6-12 months to help fund their growth”. This claim was made by an unnamed person and the company declined to comment. If the company does IPO, then public investors will have one more choice to invest in quantum dots in addition to Nanoco.
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