Quantum confined atom based nanophosphors for solid state lighting

When an atomic impurity is incorporated in a nanoparticle of size 2 to 10 nm, the quantum-confinement provided by the dielectric-boundary of the host-nanoparticle modulates the properties of the atom. This Quantum Confined Atom (QCA) shows extraordinary changes in its luminescent properties and is associated with the modulation of the excited states of the caged atom. These "atomically engineered nanomaterials", pioneered and developed by Nanocrystals Technology, yield several novel properties and are expected to be a major contributor to the future of nanotechnology. Efficient QCA-Nanophosphors that emit different colors depending on the specific choice of the 'caged atom' are being developed for applications to solid-state lighting. We have made two key contributions to development of SSL. (1) By embedding nanoparticles in the encapsulant, the refractive index is enhanced to 1.8 that allows us to enhance Light Extraction Efficiency (LEE) of the LED chip. (2) Incorporation of appropriate nanophosphors enables efficient down-conversion with high color-quality. The combination of an optically transparent downconverter and high refractive index in an encapsulant has yielded Phosphor-Converted LEDs (PC-LEDs) that yield higher package optical efficiency at lower package-level cost. The LEE and wall plug efficiency enhancement due to the HRI encapsulant is applicable across the entire visible spectrum of monochromatic HB-LED lamps.