Quantum Dot
Quantum dots (QD) are very small semiconductor particles, only several nanometres in size, so small that their optical and electronic properties differ from those of larger LED particles. They are a central theme in nanotechnology. Many types of quantum dot will emit light of specific frequencies if electricity or light is applied to them, and these frequencies can be precisely tuned by changing the dots' size, shape and material, giving rise to many applications.
Colloidal quantum dots irradiated with a UV light.
Different sized quantum dots emit different color light due to quantum confinement.
In the language of materials science, nanoscale semiconductor materials tightly confine either electrons or electron holes. Quantum dots are also sometimes referred to as artificial atoms, a term that emphasizes that a quantum dot is a single object with bound, discrete electronic states, as is the case with naturally occurring atoms or molecules.
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